ON THE STREET; In Her Image

By BILL CUNNINGHAM, Published: October 2, 2005, The New York Times

The fashion world is gathered in Milan and Paris in search of direction and the new. But you needn't fly to Europe to discover a marvelous, rare look at genuine style. ''Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection'' is the new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

The show is a sampling of Mrs. Apfel's wardrobe over a 50-year period. Mrs. Apfel, left, arranged each mannequin with her personal accessories.

Mrs. Apfel and her husband, Carl, center right, founded the interior decorating textile house Old World Weavers in the mid-1950's. Their travels in search of historic fabrics led to her collection of fashion.

The exhibition spotlights the total look of one woman of style rather than the usual display of designer clothes separated from the wearers' accessory embellishments. Here you have the whole dazzling image, including her signature eyeglasses and her cuff bracelets, always warn in pairs. The galleries were designed by Harold Koda and Stéphane Houy-Towner to capture the joyfulness of the Apfel style.