Review of Iris, directed by Albert Maysles

I have to admit: sometimes I am just not really a documentary person. I have to be in a specific kind of mood to watch these, and that’s not often the typical mood I am in. It has to strike at just the right moment.

Iris struck me because I had literally just read that morning that Iris Apfel had died. I had known about her for many years before the news came out, as I once attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for my undergraduate degrees. I thought I was going to go into fashion, like many other young girls, but decided against it.

That said, I never had the opportunity to meet Iris, but I knew of her. I admired her eclectic sense of style and knew I wanted to emulate that in my own life.

Let’s get into the review!

The story of Iris Apfel, a legend in the fashion industry within New York City.

As I mentioned before in the introduction, I was already familiar with Iris Apfel, but, to be honest, I only knew the basics about who she was. This documentary dives deeper.

Not only do we learn portions about her long long, as Iris died at quite an old age, but we get to follow her throughout her daily routine. New Yorkers fascinate me, and Iris Apfel definitely emulates the old school New Yorker vibe.

For those in industry, her talking about her experiences in the industry and how she built up her company with her husband is a source of inspiration.

The garment section of the city might be dying, but this is a unique form of oral histories conveyed and captured through the documentary setting.

She also is seen meeting with young people, specifically college students, and coming to give them talks and lectures throughout the city. As she boosts morale for a model at a store or talks to the young people, we see how dedicated she is to giving back to those who will lead the charge in the next generation.

Iris is also shown in her shopping routine. I loved the portion of the documentary where she goes shopping in Harlem and admires jewelry from Africa. I think that’s such a good concept of open mindedness that a lot of people need to learn—there’s a difference between being respectful and appropriating.

Her interest for the world and these forms of fashion, as well as her advice from her own mother on dressing, was just heartwarming to me at the end of the day. I also enjoyed how we saw glimpses inside of her apartment throughout, and it was just as eccentric as her style.

Like man, this documentary was really inspiring for me. I want to be an old lady and not caring at all just like Iris once did.

Overall Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, even if it was watched in the event of the subject’s death. I think there is so much to learn from documentaries and watching them about extraordinary and ordinary people alike.

That said, if you’re interested in fashion, self-expression, or even those kinds of creative people living in New York City, then I think this is a pretty solid documentary.

It’s not too long, so it goes by pretty quickly throughout its run time.

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