Fashion icon iris apfel biography

Blossoming in Beauty

At the age of 93, Apfel's first foray into the beauty industry took place as she partnered with MAC Cosmetics to launch a 20-piece collection. The collaboration featured lipsticks, eye pencils, nail polishes, and eye pigments. Shades of products reflected Apfel's vibrant vision, including Party Parrot, Flamingo, Orielle Orange, and Toco Toucan.

"MAC asked me what colors I liked. I explained that I don't like sheer lipstick—I like heavy and matte. I'm happy with the result; the colors are very clear, bright, and bird-like. For I am the rare bird!" Apfel told Dazed at the time of the collection's launch.

When discussing her advice for women, Apfel went on to say, "Nothing makes a woman look old than a woman trying to look young. Dress appropriately, do your makeup appropriately, and be yourself, and you can look very chic. You can look beautiful at any age."

Apfel's love for authentic beauty w

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Iris Apfel

Iris Apfel (néeBarrel; August 29, 1921 – March 1, 2024) was an Americanbusinesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon. She was born in Queens, New York City.^[1]

Apfel studied at the University of Wisconsin.^[2] Apfel took part in several design restoration projects, including work at the White House for nine presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton.

In 2013, she was listed as one of the fifty "Best-Dressed over 50" by The Guardian.^[3] In November 2016, Apfel was awarded the Women's Entrepreneurship DayPioneer Award for her work in fashion at the United Nations in New York City.^[4]

In 2018, Mattel created a Barbie doll in Apfel's image, making her the oldest person to ever have a Barbie made in her image.^[5] In 2019, at the age of 97, she signed a modelling contract with global agency IMG.^[6]

Apfel celebrated her 100th birthday on August 29

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Before She Was a Fashion Icon, Iris Apfel Was an Interior Design Star

Long before she was a centenarian style icon—instantly recognizable with her oversize oval glasses, frosted blue eye shadow, feather boas, and arms stacked with chunky bangles—Iris Apfel was a trendsetter in a different realm: the world of decor. Apfel, who died March 1 at the age of 102, started her decorating career in the 1940s and was the designer of choice for such private clients as Greta Garbo, Estée Lauder, Faye Dunaway, and Joan Rivers. With her late husband, Carl, she founded Old World Weavers, a luxury fabric company that furnished textiles to the White House under nine presidents, from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton. “Fashion and interior design are one and the same,” she once said.

Apfel at the launch of her handbag collection at Henri Bendel in 2012.

Born in Queens, in 1921, Apfel was the original thrifter; she started her extensive jewelry collection as a child visiting antiques shops in