Iris Apfel, who died in March this year aged 102, was one of a kind. At 96 she had already become the oldest person to have a Barbie doll made in her image and was in the rare position of being a centenarian fashion influencer or self-described “geriatric starlet”. In 2005, aged 84, she was the first living person, other than a fashion designer, to have an exhibition of her wardrobe at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, titled Rara Avis.
“Thank you for showing us fashion doesn’t have an age limit,” was one of the tributes paid after her death, by costume designer Charlese Antoinette. Apfel was an interior designer. In 1950 with her husband Carl she founded Old World Weavers, which made luxurious reproductions of historical fabrics that they found on their international travels, everywhere from Capri to Pakistan.
A tiger-striped silk velvet became a hit design, and her restoration projects included The White House. It was after the Rara Avis exhibition that she was catapulted to the status of “accidental icon” of fashion, as the world woke up to her joyful, colourful, maximal approach to style, reflected in her mantra “More is more and less is a bore.” A post shared by Iris Apfel (@iris.
apfel) A post shared by Iris Apfel (@iris.apfel) One of my favourite anecdotes is about how she got her hands on a pair of jeans in an era when women rarely wore them, which shows the power of having confidence in your convictions. She writes that “Women didn’t wear jeans.
They couldn’t buy jeans. They weren’t a fashion item in the late 1930s and early 1940s. I was met with confusion and a hint of dismay when I asked for them at the army-navy store in Wisconsin, where I was at college.
But I had this big gingham turban and big earrings that I felt would be perfect with a crisp shirt and work jeans.” The shopkeeper initially said “‘Don’t you know, young ladies do not wear jeans. What’s wrong with you?’” But thanks to Apfel’s perseverance, returning to the shop week after week, he eventually ordered her a pair of boy’s jeans.
The result? “The outfit was just as smashing as I had imagined. I still wear men’s jeans; they fit me better. They became my thing.
” The book is a paean to fun. If ever you are worried that an outfit is overdoing it, or too much, consider some of Apfel’s own favourite things: “A purse shaped like a dog; ladybug bracelets; holiday decorations all year round.” Apfel wasn’t just unique, she was Christmas come early.
Everything has an influence on everything else: on creativity My travel has inspired me always . . .
I am a sponge; I learn from osmosis. Soaking up and absorbing ideas all the time, things I don’t realise I am taking in. I store it all away until the moment I need it, and then it pops out.
I like happy colours: on the power of colour What is a happy colour? It’s all about tonality — clear, pure and bright tones of colour are what I surround myself with. I have always said I never met a colour I didn’t like, but there are tones that I dislike — nothing murky or muddy, thank you. I avoid them because they don’t feel powerful to me.
They don’t suit me. They don’t give me energy. The brighter the better.
That’s where the energy lies. Gemstone colours all the way. I even wore a pink wedding dress.
Never stop being bold and having fun: on playfulness You have to look in the mirror and see yourself and not somebody else. The world has got a lot more homogenised, and I think fashion is a mirror of society. In New York, you can sometimes tell a person’s zip code by what they’re wearing.
I’m always on the lookout for originals; I’m like Diogenes with the lantern. I would love to bring back a “trendless” world, where there’s no such thing as “in” or “out”. Get comfortable outside your comfort zone: on courage To me, style implies originality, but also courage.
You can’t just let it sit there. It takes a lot of hard work. First, you have to find yourself.
You have to know who you are and then work at it. Style is a matter of attitude, but you have to possess individuality to have an attitude. You must know who you are and stick to it.
You only have one trip. Enjoy it: on longevity Focus on cultivating your inner life. I’m a private person.
Privacy is very precious. Someone who can tell a great story, or someone with great humour — a spark — is memorable, and I don’t care if anyone else knows who they are. I don’t look for recognition.
If you start seeking validation outside of yourself, that’s not a good place to be. There’s all kinds of beauty: on appreciation Everything is your attitude. When you think about things a certain way, you look a certain way.
And I think that’s why I’ve never got the plastic surgery thing. It’s a fantastic invention if, God forbid, you’re in an accident or have some kind of trauma, but using it to get nipped and tucked and look younger . .
. I don’t understand it. Sometimes when Carl and I went out, he used to look around and say, “Baby, you’re the only one here with your own face.
” To me, wrinkles are a badge of courage. There’s nothing wrong with them. Carola Long © 2024 The Financial Times.
This article originally appeared in The Financial Times..
