A Chance to Buy a Bit of Personality

“It’s nice to see everyone dressed up as Iris tonight,” said Fern Mallis, the fashion industry stalwart. She was at Christie’s to introduce the auction of the estate of Iris Apfel, the interior designer who became a later-in-life style icon in the internet age.

Ms. Apfel died last March at the age of 102. She and her husband, Carl Apfel, were together for 68 years. They founded Old World Weavers, which sold textiles that appeared in White House interiors from the time of President Truman to President Clinton’s. Ms. Apfel also worked as an interior designer for clients that included Greta Garbo and Estée Lauder.

“She grew up on a farm in Queens and had to take a ferry to get to the city,” Ms. Mallis said. “A 65 cent brooch was her first treasure accessory. And even at 100, she exuded the energy and confidence of someone half her age.”

Ms. Apfel was so known for her eclectic personal style, which combined flea market finds with haute couture, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art organized an exhibition of her wardrobe in 2005. In 2007, a coffee-table book, “Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel,” followed. When “Iris,” a documentary directed by Albert Maysles, came out in 2014, her place in fashion history was solidified.

Her fans were often young. “I first found out about her from the documentary,” said Jalil Johnson, a 25-year-old fashion consultant who attended the party. “I had a connection to her. It was not about her age and more about the feeling and her delicious point of view about getting dressed.”