The Stuff of Dreams!!

Dreams indeed! The 2015 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is out, and as usual, beyond belief! One of this year's MOST fabulous gifts is a trunk filled with accessories handcrafted from around the world! India, Uganda, and South Africa to name a few. Better still, the gift includes lunch, and a styling session with the one and only Iris Apfel! I've paid homage to her inimitable style many times, and can only hope to be as chic in my later years.

The price? a mere $80,000, and is limited to five customers. Scroll down for more details.

IRIS APFEL TRUNK "More is more, less is a bore!" is the style mantra of 94-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel. Her souk-meets-haute-couture style earned her a 2005 Metropolitan Museum of Art retrospective. This ikat-embellished trunk comes filled with vintage finds and accessories handcrafted by women globally and inspired by her own personal collection. Gift includes lunch and a styling session with Iris.

 With the purchase of the Iris Apfel for Bajalia Trunk of Accessories, Neiman Marcus will donate $5,000 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.

 Additional details:

 Trunk between 4 and 5' tall

Exterior of trunk upholstered with hand-loomed fabric from Uzbekistan

Coordinating lacquered interior

Interior compartments built to specifically house the Iris Apfel jewelry and accessories, which were inspired by Iris's personal collection and handcrafted in collaboration with Bajalia.

 Jewelry and accessories handmade in countries Iris is passionate about: Nepal, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Tibet, Haiti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Ecuador, South Africa, and Rwanda Gift includes a personal styling session and lunch with Iris at the Neiman Marcus flagship store in Dallas,
Texas


Photo: 2luxury2.com; Item details: neimanmarcus.com

Love That Iris!

I've been a fan of Iris Apfel since the first time that I laid eyes on her! Not only is she a fashion Icon, she's the embodiment of a life well lived. Her inimitable style is awe inspiring! Her "more is more" approach to dressing has earned her a permanent place in the hearts of many. At 93 years young, she's still going strong! A film about her life  is coming out soon, which I look forward to seeing.

Following is a synopsis of her recent interview with style.com.

Iris Apfel thinks everyone wears a "uniform" these days.

 The 93-year-old is considered a huge style star and will soon be seen in a film about her life, simply called Iris, by late director Albert Maysles who died in March this year aged 88.

In a world where people are always following trends, Iris thinks it's important to have fashion rebels, who shake things up with their look. "What I can tell you is that it’s much more obvious now, the way people wear uniforms," she explained to Style.com. "Maybe there are just more people walking around and so you notice, everything is very homogenised. I go out in New York and I think, boy, you can look at someone and pretty much determine their ZIP code. Everyone seems to want to conform."

Iris concedes it takes "effort" to stand out from the crowd and that she can understand if some people are too "lazy". However, she does think they are missing out on a lot of fun.

The fashion star herself doesn't spend much time on getting ready and often opts for jeans, insisting she only dresses up for special occasions. But she does always make sure everything she owns is original.

"I’d rather go to a flea market than just about anything. It’s the process I like - the same with getting dressed," she explained.

"If I’ve got someplace to be, I’ll spend more time getting dressed than I spent at the actual event. Sometimes. Even in my own closet, I love to dig and search and find. And if I’m shopping… You know, if it’s a piece of fabric, I listen to the threads. It’s not intellectual at all. The price is nothing. It’s the emotional content: I have to feel it in my gut. I don’t know how to explain it other than that."
(yahoo.com)

I think that the following quote (I'm sure you've heard it at some point) aptly sums it up:


"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else-Judy Garland



Photos: style.com; yahoo.com

Iris Strikes Again!

Once again, my favorite style icon has hit the "design trail!" You gotta love her!

91-year-old fashion maverick Iris Apfel has collaborated with HSN on a shoe collection. The Rara Avis collection, which means "rare bird" in Latin, consists of five styles, all of which are reasonably priced. Go Iris! They'll be available form HSN's website in February.

Daily Telegraph U.K.

Iris Apfel to Launch Handbag Line

The 90-year-old fashion icon teams up with HSN again.

Famed fashion icon Iris Apfel will be partnering up with HSN again, launching her own handbag collection. The 90-year-old fashion fixture has teamed up in the past with the American home shopping network. From her HSN accessories line and collaborations with Alexis Bittar and Yoox.com to a MAC makeup line, Apfel has been involved in many stylish ventures.

Extinctions, will be available in October and will include 12 pieces in five colours. The line will reference her own collection of handbags in luxe exotic materials. “I’m a colour person. I’ve never been known to play it safe,” she told WWD. “Plus I like big bags. My eyeglasses are so big they don’t fit into smaller bags.”

(harpersbazaar.com)

She's at it again....God I love this woman!

Iris Apfel's Makeup Collection for MAC

mages from the upcoming Iris Apfel for MAC collection are here, and if you thought they'd be anything less than amazing, well, shame on you. Via a press release, MAC describes it as "a colour collection inspired by a rare bird who has always been ahead of her time." The line features lipsticks, lip pencils, eye shadows, mascara, beauty powder, nail lacquers, and of course, an "impeccable brow pencil," and will arrive on January 5th.

(racked.com)

She's back again, I love it! Oh, and I love the products too!

Iris Apfel and Alexis Bittar to Launch Jewelry Collection

For years, Iris Apfel has been known for her ecclectic style and oversized accessories. But she never capitalized on her unique look until now. In September, her capsule collection for HSN launches and she already has another project in the works: Iris has teamed up with rising jewelry star, Alexis Bittar for a second collection.

Bittar counts Iris as one of his muses and even brought her as his date to the CFDA Awards. Both Bittar and Iris have a thing for oversized, in-your-face jewels so this partnership is perfect! Fashion is always looking for new things, but nowadays, it's hip to be old. Octogenarians have been placed in the fashion spotlight, thanks to blogs like Advanced Style and The Sartorialist who focus on their unique and classic looks.

We love Iris and the fact that she's making the most of the later years in her life. It's an inspiration for all and we're beyond excited for their collaboration!

(stylebistro.com)

God I love this woman...this is exactly how I want to look when I'm her age! Check out that gorgeous neck piece....she ALWAYS wears the most unique jewelry, much of which appears to be one-of-a-kind or picked up in some out of the way boutique in France or Italy. To me, she is, and will always be, a source of inspiration! Following is a quote from this great lady, which is a true testament to her inimitable style.

“I think dressing up or down should be a creative experience. Exciting. Fun. Whenever possible, it’s really great to start with a marvelously cut designer piece and build on it. For me the key to personal style lies in accessories. My friends tell me that my oversized glasses and my pairs of bracelets have become my unwritten signature. I have amassed an enormous “collection” of bags, belts, bangles and beads without which I would be lost. One can change the entire look of an outfit by substituting one accessory for another. I love objects from different worlds, different eras, combined my way. Never uptight, achieving – hopefully – a kind of throwaway chic."

(jewelryaccessories.com)

O.k........So Where's The Jewelry?

Yes, where's the jewelry? I read the featured article on WWD yesterday and have been checking HSN since that time, but no jewelry! I was so....excited when I heard (some weeks back), that Iris Apfel was designing a collection of jewelry for HSN. I love, love, love this woman's style! Well, maybe I've said that a time or two before, but it's true! This is exactly how I want to look when I'm her age. The signature glasses, the bold jewelry.....it's all so fabulous! Anyhoo, it's my hope that the beaded collar that she's wearing (or at least a replica), will be among the HSN offerings. For now, I'll continue checking!



APFEL’S EYE ON DESIGN: Iris Apfel is launching today a jewelry collection in partnership with HSN. Surprisingly, the longtime accessories collector, who is never seen without her signature oversize black round glasses, has until now never dabbled in design (the Metropolitan Museum of Art even hosted an exhibit in her honor in 2005). “HSN has a proven track record to reproduce museum-quality jewelry and accessories at an affordable price, which allows me to bring my passion for the stylishly off-beat to the general public,” Apfel said.

The 13-piece Rara Avis by Iris Apfel line fuses modern and vintage elements and features brightly colored chunky necklaces, bracelets and brooches. Fashioned from Lucite, mixed metals and beaded materials, offerings will range from $20 to $180. “I have amassed an enormous collection of bags, belts, bangles and beads without which I would be lost. One can change the entire look of an outfit by substituting one accessory for another. I love objects from different worlds, different eras, combined my way. Never uptight, achieving — hopefully — a kind of throwaway chic,” Apfel said.

(Picture: refinery29.com/article: WWD)