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Ninety-six-year-old fashion star Iris Apfel has no interest in acting her age.
"I never want to be an old fuddy-duddy," she explains in her new book, "Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon: Musings of a Geriatric Starlet." "I hold the self-proclaimed record of being the World's Oldest Living Teenager, and I intend to keep it that way."
The part-time Palm Beach resident, businesswoman and designer became a celebrity overnight at age 83 thanks to an exhibit of her personal clothing collection with the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now, her go-to look has become iconic: signature round, oversized glasses; cropped silver hair; a bright red lip; and over-the-top outfits comprising bright colors, bold patterns and oodles of accessories. But, despite the sudden fame, Apfel has remained unapologetically herself, with a razor-sharp wit, boundless creativity and an unyielding passion for self-expression.
Growing up in Astoria, Queens, Apfel was raised by a nonconformist father, whom she credits with teaching her good values, and a college-educated working mother (which was rare at the time), who encouraged her daughter to be both fashion-forward and fiscally responsible.
One of Apfel's favorite memories of her childhood, she recalls, is receiving $25 from her mother to buy an outfit for the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade. She fell in love with a $12.95 dress, which she paired with a $3.95 pair of shoes. Apfel had just enough left for a matching hat, a light lunch and money to get back home. At 12 years old, a smart shopper was born.
After studying art at both New York University and the University of Wisconsin, she landed her first job, an entry-level position at Women's Wear Daily. That was followed by a stint at a leading interior design firm and then a return to writing, when she took over the daily newsletter at the legendary Borscht Belt resort Grossinger's in Ferndale, New York. The job didn't pay much, but, thanks to Apfel's instinctive style, she was able to put together a series of memorable looks on a budget. Guests took notice. Through connections made there, she secured enough clients to start her own interior design business.
She writes: "I never drew up designs of what I was planning to create for them; I just dove right in. Sometimes it was difficult, especially when clients were very rigid about what they wanted. With most of them, though, I would eventually get carte blanche or at least partial carte blanche to design their interiors as I saw fit. I was left to improvise, which suited me just fine."
Her eye-catching elegance didn't just attract clients it led Apfel to the love of her life. After briefly meeting Carl Apfel while vacationing in Lake George in 1947, he spotted her outside Bonwit Teller in Manhattan and later called to compliment the hat she had been wearing. Their first date fell on Columbus Day, and they married at the Waldorf Astoria the following Christmas.
"I don't understand these long, drawn-out courtships," she says. "To me, it doesn't make any sense. You want to get married get married!"
To match the interior design of the venue, the bride wore pink, she says: "I couldn't have the dcor clash with my dress!"
Business was booming, but Apfel aspired to do more than work with readymade fabrics. She dreamed of creating her own textiles. She started the process slowly, with only a few samples, but it didn't take long for things to take off. Soon, high-profile decorators and socialites were swooning over her fabrics and placing orders for hundreds of yards at a time. Husband and wife decided to partner up, and, in 1951, the Apfels officially launched the Old World Weavers textile company.
Throughout the next several decades, the couple traveled the globe in search of inspiration, with their elite clientele ranging from movie stars to first ladies. All told, the Apfels consulted on historic design restoration of the White House for the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton presidencies.
Along the way, Apfel quietly built a remarkable wardrobe for herself, which included everything from rare haute couture pieces and flea market finds to priceless antiques and native artisanal wares from international destinations.
"I operated from my gut, she explains. If I saw something I liked, I'd buy it. I never had a plan. I just did what felt right at the moment."
Putting together a complete ensemble became her favorite pastime, she says.
"I didn't give a damn about going to the party or being at the party. It was about getting dressed for the party. I like to improvise, as though I'm playing jazz."
In 2005, the world finally got a peek at her treasure trove of clothing and accessories when Harold Koda, then curator of the Costume Institute, approached Apfel about creating a modest exhibition of her collection. Once Koda got into her closets, however, modesty went out the window.
"Little did they know," Apfel writes, "they had just opened Pandora's box."
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By the time Koda's team finished, 300 items of clothing and hundreds of accessories had been curated for the show. "Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Apfel Collection" ended up showcasing 40 of Apfel's pieces, with each mannequin styled by Apfel herself.
It was a smash and turned its octogenarian subject into an instant celebrity.
"It was an overnight sensation that took about 70 years," Apfel cracks.
The Met exhibit went on the road, appearing at some of the finest museums in the country, including the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. People began stopping Apfel on the street.
"It's fun to be recognized and get all the accolades," she admits. "I can't say that it isn't. It has its ups and downs, but it's started a whole new life for me."
Thanks to the show, Apfel launched a fashion and accessories line with HSN and developed a limited-edition collection for MAC Cosmetics. She even styled herself for the ads, which were shot by renowned photographer Steven Klein.
She notes: "I'm the oldest living broad that ever graced a major cosmetics campaign."
In addition, she has since collaborated with Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade, Swarovski, Jimmy Choo and Alexis Bittar, among many other luxury brands. And Mattel recently debuted a Barbie doll in Apfel's likeness.
Needless to say, Apfel is a natural in front of the camera so much so that acclaimed documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles made her the subject of one of his final movies. Iris, released just weeks after Maysles' death in 2015, showcases Apfel in her element, creating outfits, shopping for bargains and offering sassy bon mots to the crowds at various high-profile events. It also offered a heart- warming look at Iris and Carl's relationship full of humor, devotion and mutual admiration. The film was the darling of the New York Film Festival, where it premiered, before being acquired by Magnolia Pictures for national distribution.
When asked her thoughts on the film, she exclaims: "Everybody liked it, so I guess it's OK!"
However, that same year, Apfel's beloved Carl passed away at age 100.
"How can one express the emotions, pleasures and pain of 68 years?" Apfel writes in the foreword to her book. "I miss him madly."
Still, she refuses to slow down. At 96, she's as busy as ever which helps her maintain a youthful attitude, she says.
"Age is a number, she affirms. I know young people in their 90s, and I know old people in their 40s. It's just a matter of how you look at things. I'm happy to be alive and delighted to wake up in the morning. I think the world, as crazy as it is, is a wonderful place."
She maintains homes in New York City and Palm Beach.
"I'm a resident," she explains. "I've been coming to Palm Beach for 70 years. I just love it. It's beautiful and peaceful. I have a lovely apartment on the lake and good friends."
But, even though she enjoys the island's peaceful environs, the average day for Apfel is anything but boring, she says.
"I don't know a typical day. I never have. Every day is different, and I love that. I absolutely hate monotony. I could never have a 9-to-5 job or work on the same thing over and over. I like to be challenged and stimulated. Every project should bring a new set of circumstances."
These days, she's focused on promoting her new book, a joyous, colorful collection of photographs; drawings; reflections; and personal mottos on marriage, business, fame and style.
"I didn't want to do a coffee table book, and I didn't want to do a memoir, she explains. I wouldn't dream about doing a how-to book because I think they're very insulting. But a book of musings bits and pieces sounded like fun."
In celebration of the book's release, Bergdorf Goodman launched a pop-up shop filled with exclusive merchandise that embodies Apfel's unique style, including Libertine cashmere sweaters bearing her portrait; Edward Bess custom lipstick in the shade Very Red Apfel; and, of course, Alain Mikli's thick, round, oversized glasses.
To those hoping to follow in her formidable footsteps, Apfel avoids giving advice other than to stay true to one's self.
"I don't preach, she says. Every woman has to seek her own level, her own sense of balance. I don't want to do what someone else does, and someone else shouldn't want to do what I do. It should be original, always." O