
Iris Apfel
fashion designer
The instantly recognizable Iris Apfel, with her oversized, owlish glasses, is a style inspiration to generations, but her first inspiration was her mother. The fashion boutique owner had a more classical look than her playful {and often outlandish} daughter, but taught her the first and last thing of style ~ the value of a good accessory. From starting a vintage eyeglass collection at age 11 to her decades-in-the-making jewelry collection in her 90s, Iris knows less isn't always more {except in the case of skincare ~ she simply uses Cetaphil}.
The brightly plumaged "geriatric starlet" was a darling of style photographers when she was a young interior designer, running the much in-demand textile company she started with her husband of almost 70 years, but it wasn't until a Metropolitan Museum of Art showcased her personal clothing collection that she became an international sensation ... at the age of 84. The self-proclaimed "world's oldest teenager" now has several accessory and makeup lines to her name, a modeling gig, and a smash hit documentary, Iris ~ and has no plans to stop there.
oversized glasses | collected eyeglass frames for years {beginning at age 11}. She took an old pair she already had when she needed to start wearing prescription lenses.
outrageous outfits | a madcap mixture of flea market finds, treasures from her travels + basics for all budgets
joie de vivre | doesn't say "no" to anything new ~ although acclaimed director Albert Maysles had to ask twice to get her interested in his documentary project, Iris
1950-1952 | started Old World Weavers with husband Carl ~ the company's reproduction textiles have been used in the White House under nine different presidents, and counted Estee Lauder, Greta Garbo + Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as clients. The Apfels finally retired after 40 years, in 1992.
2005 | "Rara Avis" exhibit at the Met kickstarted Iris's late-life fashion superstar ... jewelry and eyewear lines + a modeling gig with Kate Spade
2015 | documentary Iris by Albert Maysles, one of the last before his death. Four years in the filming, it features Iris in all her natural habitats + is full of her signature wit
from | to
fashion copywriter | "geriatric starlet" + beloved icon
born on
august 29, 1921
born in
Queens
birth name
Iris Barrel
nickname
Rara Avis
citizen of
the United States of America
daughter of
decorator + fashion boutique owner
grew up in | lives in
Astoria, Queens | Manhattan + Palm Beach
educated at
University of Wisconsin + NYU
loved studying
art
married to
Carl Apfel {from 1948-2015}
~ their first date was Columbus Day, he proposed Thanksgiving, gave her a ring on Christmas, married on Washington's birthday + honeymooned ended St. Patrick's Day ~
~ he died August 1, 2015, at the age of 100 ~
influenced by | worked alongside
her mother | her husband of 70+ years
in her spare time
collects dog paintings
teaches a fashion course for the University of Texas at Austin
image credits:
Swarovski | all rights reserved
collapse bio bits"Taste you can learn. But style is like charisma. You know it when you see it."
Iris Apfel's Exuberant Apartment | june 2011
"When I needed to wear glasses, I decided I'd wear glasses. All the better to see you with."
New York doll | october 2011
"My overnight took seven decades. Sometimes it's just the right time for things."
Rare Bird of Fashion—and Academia | january 2012
"The worst fashion faux-pas is looking in the mirror and seeing somebody else."
The Age of Iris Apfel | november 2012
"Just because you get to a certain number doesn't mean you have to roll up into a ball and wait for the grim reaper."
The Age of Iris Apfel | november 2012
"I think getting dressed is wonderful and I love it, but there's a whole big world outside of the closet."
The Age of Iris Apfel | november 2012
"It's all attitude. Attitude, attitude, attitude."
Rookie Editor Tavi Gevinson Talks To Style Icon Iris Apfel | august 2013
"I'm the world's oldest living teenager."
Rookie Editor Tavi Gevinson Talks To Style Icon Iris Apfel | august 2013
"I've always liked vintage or things that look old. It makes me look better."
American Icon Iris Apfel | december 2013
"I love clutter. I think being totally minimal shows a lack of history and soul."
Iris Apfel Doesn't Do Normcore | april 2015
for further reading about Iris Apfel:
curated with care by Meghan Miller Brawley {september 2015}