SALEM — At a wedding ceremony somewhere in south India, a little white pony wore a silver chain ornament around its neck.

Today, fashion icon Iris Apfel drapes it around her own neck — or rather, around a peg in a glass case for the time being.

"I think I found it in London," she said. "I said, if it's good enough for a little white horse, it's good enough for me."

The late 19th-century piece is part of a dramatic display at the Peabody Essex Museum, featuring more than 80 ensembles that she's worn over many decades.

"This is not a collection," Apfel, 86, said. "This is my closet."

Mixing it up

The exhibit, "Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel," opens today and runs through Feb. 7. It features an eclectic fusion of haute couture, costume jewelry, bold colors, unique embellishments, elegant fur, exotic feathers and flower blossoms.

Apfel has created some of her own clothing, to be sure, but she's not a designer. Her true skill lies in the art of mixing and matching: pairing a vivid orange Geoffrey Beene jumpsuit with a vibrant turquoise cuff bracelet, stone belt and scorpion brooch, or layering an ivory Nepalese wool cape with a black and white buffalo checkered skirt by Gianfranco Ferré.

Some of what she owns is custom-made by famous designers; much more has been acquired at flea markets, thrift shops and stores around the world.

Like the little white horse, everything has a story. And contrary to what most women can say, everything she owns, she loves.

"I just feel it," she said. "I just know. I can't explain it. It's almost a visceral thing. If I start to plan it out intellectually it will be very boring."

When she gets dressed in the morning, she has no plan. She wakes up, goes to her closet and puts something on.

"I have more important things on my mind," she said when asked how she picks out her clothes. While working long hours last Friday on the display at the PEM, she wore a jean jacket paired with black pants and comfortable black shoes. But a red brooch, large African-inspired bangles and her signature black rimmed glasses showed off her style.

"It's about putting things together and having fun," Apfel said. "So many women are cautious and worried and want to look right. And they're slaves to the fashion press. And they're unhappy."

Taking chances

It's her eagerness to experiment that's established Apfel as a driving force in the fashion world.

As a young girl in the 1940s, when women wore skirts, she got her hands on a pair of boy-sized denims and essentially started the multimillion-dollar jean movement.

Why?

"I like denim," she said.

As the co-founder with her husband, Carl, of the textile company Old World Weavers, her eye for style has roved the globe.

"I like exotic places," Apfel said.

She's found inspiration in Morocco and Nairobi, Nepal and Tibet, London and France.

Her collection — or rather closet — contains items coveted by any museum.

Like an indigenous black and red appliqué cape worn during ceremonial dances by members of the Haida Indian tribe in the Pacific Northwest.

"I got it in the Vancouver area," she said. "It's very useful because it's warm."

The Peabody Essex Museum owns one, too.

But when it comes to her style, it's not about the place, or the price, but rather how it all comes together.

And it never gets old.

"I bought my first piece of costume jewelry when I was 11," Apfel said. "It was a beautiful brooch, and it cost 65 cents. And I still have it."

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Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salem news.com.