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Iris Apfel
American interior designer and fashion icon

Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion designer, known for her flamboyant style, outspoken personality and oversized eyeglasses. In business with her husband, Carl, from 1950 to 1992, Apfel had a career in textiles, including a contract with the White House that spanned nine presidencies. In retirement, she drew acclaim for a 2005 show at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring her collection of costume jewelry and styled with clothes on mannequins as she would wear them. She became a fashion icon, was the focus of the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris, then signed to IMG in 2019 as a model at age 97.

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Early life

Born Iris Barrel in to a Jewish family in Astoria, Queens, New York City, on August 29, 1921,2 Apfel was the only child of Samuel Barrel (1897–1967), whose family owned a glass and mirror business, and his Russian-born wife, Sadye "Syd" Barrel (née Asofsky, 1898–1998), who owned a fashion boutique.34 Her grandfather Morris Barrel (born Mayer Baril) emigrated from Kamianka-Buzka, Galicia (now Ukraine).5

Although raised on a farm by her parents and grandparents, she often rode the subway into the city to explore Manhattan, where she fell in love with Greenwich Village.6 While still a child, she shopped its antique shops, starting her extraordinary collection of jewellery from around the world.7 During the Depression, her whole family could sew, drape, glue, and paint, and had a flair for design and style on the smallest of budgets.8

Apfel studied art history at New York University and attended art school at the University of Wisconsin.9

Career

As a young woman, Apfel worked as a copywriter for Women's Wear Daily, earning $15 a week, and for interior designer Elinor Johnson,10 decorating apartments for resale and honing her talent for sourcing rare items.11 She was also an assistant to illustrator Robert Goodman.1213

On February 22, 1948, she married Carl Apfel. Two years later, in 1950, they launched the textile firm Old World Weavers and ran it until they retired in 1992. The Apfels specialised in the reproduction of fabrics from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and traveled to Europe twice a year in search of textiles they could not source in the United States.14 The business's New York showroom was located at 115 East 57th Street in Manhattan.15 Over her career, Iris Apfel took part in a variety of design restoration projects, including work at the White House for nine presidents: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.16 She found the White House contract to be among the easiest of Old World Weavers' clients, as they generally wanted only to replicate what had previously been in place.17 The one exception, Apfel said, was Jacqueline Kennedy. Apfel recalled: "She employed a very famous Parisian designer to gussy up the house and make it a real Frenchie, and the design community went bananas. After that we had to throw it all out and start again. But I did like Mrs. Nixon. She was lovely."18

Through their business, the couple began travelling all over the world where Apfel also bought pieces of non-Western, artisanal clothes. She wore these clothes to clients' high-society parties.19

In 2011, Iris Apfel became a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin in its Division of Textiles and Apparel.2021

In 2016, she performed in a television commercial for the French car DS 3,22 and was the face of Australian brand Blue Illusion.23 In March 2016, Apfel announced a collaboration with technology startup WiseWear24 on an upcoming line of smart jewelry.25 HarperCollins published her biography Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon in 2018.26

In 2019, at the age of 97, she signed a modelling contract with global agency IMG.27 Seeing that she was frequently sought out for appearances, Tommy Hilfiger encouraged her to sign with formal representation.28

Personal life

The Apfels did not have children, partly because of the frequent travel their work necessitated; she did not want her children to be raised by a nanny.29

Apfel and her husband Carl shared a favorite fragrance: Yatagan by Caron.30

Married 67 years, Carl died on August 1, 2015, aged 100.31 Apfel celebrated her 100th birthday on August 29, 2021.32

Death

Apfel died at her home in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1, 2024, at the age of 102.333435 She was interred at Beth David Cemetery.36

Legacy

Museum retrospectives

On September 13, 2005, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City premiered the exhibition Rara Avis [Rare Bird]: The Irreverent Iris Apfel, showcasing her style. It was the museum's first time mounting an exhibit about clothing and accessories focused on a living person who was not a designer.37 The success of the exhibition, curated by Stéphane Houy-Towner,38 prompted an initial travelling version of the exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida,39 the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, New York, and later at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.40

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Boynton Beach, Florida, is designing a building that will house a dedicated gallery of Apfel's clothes, accessories, and furnishings.41

Documentaries

Apfel was the focus of the Albert Maysles documentary Iris,42434445 which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2014, and was subsequently acquired by Magnolia Pictures for US theatrical distribution in 2015.46 She was interviewed in Advanced Style Film: Featurette,47 released in September 2014.

Apfel was also featured in the 2017 documentary If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.4849

Film

It is believed that Iris Apfel was one of the inspirations behind the creation of the composite character Edna Mode who appears in the animated film The Incredibles and its sequel Incredibles 2; the other inspirations were costume designer Edith Head, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine Anna Wintour, and actress Linda Hunt.50

Barbie doll

In 2018, Mattel created a Barbie doll in Apfel's image, making her the oldest person to ever have a Barbie made in her image51 and the recipient of the highest honor the Barbie brand bestows.52 The Barbie, released in conjunction with Apfel's book, was not for sale, but Mattel also made two "Styled by Iris Apfel" Barbie dolls that were commercially available.53

Awards and honors

In 2013, she was listed as one of the fifty "Best-Dressed over 50" by The Guardian.54

Apfel was awarded the Women Together Special Award of the Year at the 12th Annual Women Together Gala held at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City, on June 7, 2016.5556

In November 2016, Apfel was awarded the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award for her work in the fashion field at the United Nations in New York City.57

Apfel was honored as The New Jewish Home's Eight over Eighty Gala 2017 honoree.5859

Further reading

  • Apfel, Iris (2024). Colourful. London, U.K.: Ebury Press. ISBN 9781529916164.

References

  1. YouTube Video [dead link‍] https://youtube.com/v3XAEfzZl4o ↩

  2. McFadden, Robert D. (March 2, 2024). "Iris Apfel, Eye-Catcher With a Kaleidoscopic Wardrobe, Dies at 102". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/fashion/iris-apfel-dead.html ↩

  3. Hodson, Heather (March 3, 2007). "Anything goes". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3663531/Anything-goes.html ↩

  4. "Iris Apfel: a Jewish Collector of Great Style". The Jewish Daily Forward. November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160510160843/http://blogs.forward.com/bintel-blog/119318/iris-apfel-a-jewish-collector-of-great-style ↩

  5. Galicia, Ukraine, Jewish Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1789–1905 ↩

  6. Conner, Megan (July 19, 2015). "Iris Apfel: 'People like me because I'm different'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jul/19/iris-apfel-interview-designer-fashion-film ↩

  7. Vargas, Chanel (November 1, 2017). "Iris Apfel and Her Husband Carl's Adorable Love Story". Town & Country. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/a13122155/iris-apfel-carl-apfel-love-story/ ↩

  8. Horwell, Veronica (March 3, 2024). "Iris Apfel obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 3, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/mar/03/iris-apfel-obituary ↩

  9. "Biography". businessoffashion.com. The Business of Fashion. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2016. https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/iris-apfel ↩

  10. McFadden, Robert D. (March 2, 2024). "Iris Apfel, Eye-Catcher With a Kaleidoscopic Wardrobe, Dies at 102". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/fashion/iris-apfel-dead.html ↩

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  13. Baylon, Johna (February 25, 2019). "Iris Apfel's One Tip on Decorating the Home". Home Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2024. https://www.homejournal.com/en/people/Iris-Apfel%E2%80%99s-One-Tip-on-Decorating-the-Home/45/ ↩

  14. Clifford, Catherine (March 30, 2018). "Iris Apfel: 10 life lessons from a 96-year-old who is probably cooler than you". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/10-life-lessons-from-96-year-old-iris-apfel.html ↩

  15. Clifford, Catherine (March 30, 2018). "Iris Apfel: 10 life lessons from a 96-year-old who is probably cooler than you". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/10-life-lessons-from-96-year-old-iris-apfel.html ↩

  16. Clifford, Catherine (March 30, 2018). "Iris Apfel: 10 life lessons from a 96-year-old who is probably cooler than you". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/10-life-lessons-from-96-year-old-iris-apfel.html ↩

  17. Conner, Megan (July 19, 2015). "Iris Apfel: 'People like me because I'm different'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jul/19/iris-apfel-interview-designer-fashion-film ↩

  18. Conner, Megan (July 19, 2015). "Iris Apfel: 'People like me because I'm different'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jul/19/iris-apfel-interview-designer-fashion-film ↩

  19. Hodson, Heather (March 3, 2007). "Anything goes". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2015. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3663531/Anything-goes.html ↩

  20. Freehill, Lynn (January 2, 2012). "Rare Bird of Fashion—and Academia". The Alcalde. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2019. https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/01/rare-bird-of-fashion%E2%80%94and-academia/ ↩

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  22. "Iris Apfel Does a Cool Car Commercial for the DS3 Facelift". Autoevolution. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016. http://www.autoevolution.com/news/iris-apfel-does-a-cool-car-commercial-for-the-ds3-facelift-105388.html ↩

  23. Jenni Ryall (February 24, 2016). "94-year-old fashion icon Iris stars in campaign for Australian fashion brand". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016. http://mashable.com/2016/02/24/iris-blue-illusion-campaign/#dqgepdq40gqU ↩

  24. "Wisewear". Wisewear. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017. http://www.wisewear.com ↩

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  26. Dixon, Emily (February 6, 2019). "Iris Apfel signs contract with IMG". CNN Style. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/iris-apfel-img-modeling-contract-scli-intl/index.html ↩

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  28. Lockwood, Lisa (January 31, 2019). "IMG Signs on Iris Apfel: The 97-year-old tastemaker will be represented by the agency for modelling, endorsements and appearances". WWD: Women's Wear Daily – via EBSCOHost. ↩

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  32. "Iris Apfel Celebrates Turning 100 by Sharing Her Best Lessons on Love, Life and Plastic Surgery". Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021. https://people.com/style/iris-apfel-turns-100-shares-life-lessons/ ↩

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