Over a half century, Iris Barrel Apfel has perfected a style of dressing that constitutes nothing less than a personal art form Iris Apfel: Rare Bird of Fashion, drawn from Apfel’s closets, drawers and shelves, reflects her adventures in bazaars, thrift shops, souks, flea markets, houses of haute couture and handicraft workshops that have created a singular look – one marked by fantasy, exuberance, exoticism and, most of all, whimsy and humor. The exhibition, which originated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where it was on view in the Costume Institute from September 2005 through January 2006 and was later at West Palm Beach’s Norton Museum of Art, opens at Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) on Sunday, May 20. The exhibition has been adapted for NCMA to include even more stunning items of clothing, accessories and jewelry from Apfel’s collection than have been seen in the previous showings. At NCMA, Iris Apfel: Rare Bird of Fashion is organized into a series of fully-accessorized tableaux that create an exciting viewing environment from the moment the visitor enters the galleries. The exhibition is curated by JoAnne Olian, curator emeritus of the Museum of the City of New York, and designed by Joe Pescatore, professor at Nassau Community College and Parsons the New School for Design.

An American original in the truest sense, Iris Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles and interior design and is widely treasured for a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic. Her originality is revealed in her mixing of high and low fashion—Dior haute couture with flea-market finds, Dolce & Gabbana striped leather trousers with a Zuni belt. With remarkable panache and discernment, she fearlessly combines colors, textures and patterns without regard to period, provenance, and, ultimately, aesthetic conventions.