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chijim

A collected/ layered style

chijim
12 years ago

From the new AD, Iris Apfels apt.

BTW - She'll be 90 in Aug.

Comments (21)

  • loribee
    12 years ago

    And almost 90!!! Imagine being that stylish & put-together, with a fabulous home to boot...good for her!

  • nancybee_2010
    12 years ago

    Ditto what loribee said. I love the dog with the bakelite jewelry, what a great way to display it.

  • teacats
    12 years ago

    GORGEOUS!!!

    What STYLE, what incredible chic style!!! :)

    Did you see the portraits????? WoW!!!! Just drooling over the portraits and all of the wonderful artworks! :)

    Another home that has probably seen some wonderful parties! :)

    Thanks SO much for sharing! :)

  • IdaClaire
    12 years ago

    A delightful thread to wake up to! While (as is so often said re the layered look) I wouldn't want to dust it, I appreciate and rather admire the look. It's very interesting. More than that, though, Ms. Apfels looks to be a fascinating character, and almost 90? Wow! I hope to have half her apparent spunk when I get there.

  • nancybee_2010
    12 years ago

    forgot to mention above, I also love, love her hall of portraits of dogs!

    And how about those boots?!

  • forhgtv
    12 years ago

    Amazing!

  • PRO
    Diane Smith at Walter E. Smithe Furniture
    12 years ago

    The hand painted furniture is fantastic! I also love the portrait of the girl with the bows.

    I would wear her necklace and boots in a heartbeat too!

  • mahatmacat1
    12 years ago

    Ach, I need that book on Tribal Asia *right now*! Where is it?...hmmm...

    (seriously, though, love her boots and the apt in general. Just think vertical stacks of books are silly and dangerous)

  • les917
    12 years ago

    I bet she is fascinating to talk to, and I would love to hear the tales of her collections.

    The apartment itself is amazing. However, I couldn't live with all that stuff everywhere. Claustrophobic for me.

    I also always wonder how she really lives in the space. You can see that the photostylist moved around the floral arrangements from space to space, and I then wonder how much else they changed.

  • mahatmacat1
    12 years ago

    I agree, les...I mean really...hip boots, a mini, and a maxi necklace and she's almost 90.

    Here's a nice article on her: thanks for posting her apt, chJim. I imagine you're fascinating to talk to, too : )

    Here is a link that might be useful: Beatrice Wood and Iris -- now I have two crone demigoddesses : )

  • lakeaffect
    12 years ago

    chijim-

    As always, thank you so much for sharing, as a layered look lover, I appreciate you taking the time to post. And as others have said, may I be half as spry and forward looking when I'm 90.

    Thanks again-

    sandyponder

  • rmkitchen
    12 years ago

    So I had heard from a few that my sartorial style reminded them of Iris Apfel -- hmm, didn't know about her. Always loved Millicent Rogers, natch, and Dame Edna (who borrows from Iris, I believe), but my favorite style is mine, of course! (wink wink) Then I heard about the Met show, Rare Bird (of Fashion): The Irreverent Iris Apfel. I went, could *totally* see the connection, and bought the book. It is worth a gander! I live in the land of leggings and fleece vests -- having that book in my home reminds me "I am not alone!"

    Her husband started Old World Weavers, a textile business. She was able to have outfits (inc. matching shoes) made from their fabrics. She also had (has) a great eye for ethnic jewelry, so would put together interesting juxtapositions.

    Was it the Testy Tastemaker who wrote that having bowls filled with ethnic necklaces was tacky? Can't remember, but I have gobs of amber necklaces in a bowl and I think it is charming. Seeing Iris' silly pieces perched on her silly dog struck such a note of whimsy, such personality. Loved it.

    chijim -- thank you for uplodading / sharing these pictures!

  • jterrilynn
    12 years ago

    What a grand dame! I love the use of color,texture, windows and mix. I do not see one comfortable thing to sit on though.

  • oceanna
    12 years ago

    Love it! Isn't she adorable? Thanks ChiJim. I always look forward to your picture posts and once again you delight us. Three cheers for Iris for having so much style. Her apartment is fabulous and I, too, would love to hear her stories.

  • mahatmacat1
    12 years ago

    rmkitchen, pics please...

  • lazy_gardens
    12 years ago

    The clutter drives me nuts, but she has some stunning pieces. And stripped of everything, that's one heck of an apartment ... look at the moldings and windows!

    Given 30 minutes in that apartment, and a couple of strong men with moving dollies and picture packing boxes, I could be a very happy person. :)

    She has some striking individual pieces, but they are lost in the mess. That sofa with the kilim upholstery, the oriental rug as a table covering (it's original use BTW because they were too precious to walk on), and the girl woth the bows in her hair (I think it's a Velasquez of a Hapsburg princess .. look at the chin).

  • luckygal
    12 years ago

    While I thoroughly enjoy looking at pics such as this (thanks, Jim), I really don't see her style as anything other than a personally collected/layered, eccentric, whimsical, and definitely UN-decorated look. I wonder what reaction these rooms would get here if an ordinary person posted them. They'd be critiqued to pieces I'm fairly certain.

    She seems to have lived an amazing life, has always been an icon of style in her dress, and has undoubtedly spent a fortune on many pieces shown. However there are few pieces that I find really attractive, unlike in many of the layered/collected pics previously posted. Not that my likes or dislikes matter a whit, just wanted to post another viewpoint. This is a decorating forum after all and we must agree to occasionally disagree. ;-D

  • catkin
    12 years ago

    Such great bones!
    Speaking of bones, now I know what I'll do when I get to that age--I'll cover my legs with leather! LOL

  • HIWTHI
    12 years ago

    All those books. AAAhhhhhhchhoooo!! Just thinking of the dust makes me sneeze. Too much clutter for my taste, but pretty pieces for sure.

    I love all the architecture and those dogs prints are precious.

  • mahatmacat1
    12 years ago

    lazygardens, now I know you don't read my posts :)