BOONTON, N.J. (Morris County) — Millea Bros. Ltd. will host a special three-day auction celebrating the life and legacy of style icon Iris Apfel, with more than 1,100 lots from her personal collection set to go on the block Oct. 15–17.
Titled Apfelicious! / The Iris Apfel Sale, the auction will feature items from Apfel’s two New York City apartments, her Palm Beach residence, and personal storage units. The sale will take place online and live in the Millea Bros. gallery at 607 Myrtle Avenue in Boonton, beginning at 10 a.m. each day.
“This auction is a final invitation into Iris’s world — the bold color, the risk-taking, and the unapologetic joy she brought to every space and garment,” said Mark Millea of Millea Bros. Ltd. “Even in absence, her personality lives on through these objects, and we’re honored to share that legacy with collectors both new and old.”
The collection reflects Apfel’s flamboyant, “more-is-more” aesthetic with a mix of vintage and contemporary fashion, costume jewelry, couture, and accessories, as well as artwork, furniture, and decorative objects. Highlights include Chinese textiles exhibited at the Newark Museum, fashion showcased in Rara Avis at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005–06, and Venetian hand-painted furniture and porcelains.
Among the notable pieces are vintage floral evening ensembles from the 1960s and 1970s, a suede and Mongolian lamb coat made in France, a group of Iris Apfel eyeglass frames from her personal use and retail line, and statement jewelry, including Navajo turquoise and silver necklaces. Decorative art offerings include an 18th century Venetian harpsichord, French and Continental furniture, and paintings attributed to followers of Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp.
Apfel, who died in 2024 at age 102, rose to prominence in fashion and design for her bold style and signature oversized eyeglasses. She and her husband Carl ran a textile firm from 1950 to 1992 that worked on White House restoration projects for nine presidencies. She later became a global fashion personality, the subject of museum exhibitions and the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris.
Internet bidding will be available through Millea Bros., LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, and Bidsquare, with phone and absentee bids also accepted. Public previews will be held Oct. 14–18 at the Boonton gallery.
For details on the sale, visit www.MilleaBros.com.
