Iris Apfel, Fashion Icon, Dead At 102

Iris Apfel defied her age in many ways — not just with her eye-catching fashion sense but with her warm-hearted wit, captured in her autobiography and biopic. 

But now that icon is gone, leaving the world to mourn the death of the businesswoman and fashion icon at 102 years old. Once called the "world's oldest living teenager" (via CNBC), a spokesperson confirmed the news of Apfel's death to the New York Times on March 1. A memorial post on Apfel's official Instagram account also cemented the sad news, complete with a portrait of the designer donning an expectedly maximalist gown. Mourners took to the comment section of the photo to pay their respects. Among the commenters was singer Lenny Kravitz, who crystalized fans' appreciation for Apfel by writing, "You mastered the art of living."

Indeed, beyond her unique look Apfel led a life abundant in personal and professional successes, ensuring her legacy will never go out of style.

Iris Apfel was born Iris Barre on August 29, 1921, in Astoria, Queens. She ultimatelygrew up on a farm with her parents and grandparents, which might explain why it wasn't until she turned 12 years old that she took "a fancy to New York City."  She told The Guardian that she would miss school on Thursday afternoons and roam the streets of Manhattan just looking at different shops. And while she had managed to get to different parts of the city, she fell in love with just one. "I really fell in love with the Village. The Village was where I started to poke around antique shops and become enchanted with all this old junk," she said. 

It would seem natural then that Apfel would transform that passion and turn it into an academic pursuit — she studied art history at New York University and then went to art school at the University of Wisconsin.

Iris Apfel's first job out of university reflected what would be a lifelong love affair with fashion: she was hired to be a copy editor for Women's Wear Daily. But before that, she found work with an interior designer who had been tasked with making apartments look attractive at a time when we can only imagine people weren't interested in parting with their money — World War II — and she credited that with cultivating her talent for tracking down rare items, according to The Guardian.

In 1947, Iris met the man she would marry, Carl Apfel. She recalled, "Our first date was Columbus Day. Thanksgiving, Carl proposed. Christmas I got blinged. Washington's birthday, we were married." Iris had wanted to elope, but her family would have none of it, so she ended up getting married in a ceremony that she described as small, but very posh, according to Town & Country. 

Because they traveled so much, Iris and Carl made a decision that might have seemed out of step with the times — they opted to not have any children. "I don't believe in a child having a nanny, so it wasn't what we were going to do, but also having children is like protocol. You're expected to. And I don't like to be pigeonholed," she said.

By 1950, Iris and Carl Apfel had set up Old World Weavers, a company which sought to replicate the exotic fabrics they'd either sourced for others or found for themselves during their travels. The Inside notes that the company became known for its historical design. Iris became instrumental in executing high-profile projects for clients, including the White House, where she worked with nine administrations, from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton (via Business of Fashion), the State Department, as well as private clients like Estée Lauder and Greta Garbo.

Working in the White House might seem like a daunting task, but the way Iris saw it, "[The White House] was a relatively easy job actually, because everything had to be as close as humanly possible to the way it was." But Iris said that all changed when she encountered Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. "Well ... until Mrs. Kennedy came along. 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," Iris told The Guardian. 

While their business made them celebrities within the world of interior design, it was not until after the Apfels sold their company and retired that Iris' unique fashion sense went mainstream. The Met's Costume Institute had originally planned another exhibit, which fell through at the last minute, and curator Harold Koda was looking for a story to tell that would be easy to showcase (via Town & Country). That last-minute booking became "Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Apfel Collection," which showed off Iris' iconic look, from her distinctive eyewear to her colorful clothing and big, bold jewelry. That display, which opened in 2005, was a success and transformed Iris into the fashion icon she was at a time when older celebrities would have been fighting obscurity. Iris, of course, was 83 at the time.

In her book, Iris wrote: "My first big job in beauty and fashion came when I was at the tender age of 90. I'm the oldest living broad that ever graced a major cosmetics campaign" (via CNBC). In addition to becoming the face for cosmetic company MAC in 2011, she was honored by Mattel with the release of two "Styled by Iris Apfel" Barbie dolls in 2018.

Iris Apfel did not retire after Carl Apfel died in 2015 even though, by her own admission, he was one of the reasons she kept going. In a tribute to Carl, Iris wrote, "We did almost everything together. His encouragement and unwavering support made this book possible. He pushed me into the limelight and then basked in my success. He got much more of a kick from the accolades I received than I did" (via CNBC).

Instead, she kept busy. Deutsche Welle mentions Iris' jewelry line, which keeps tabs on the wearer's health and can summon an ambulance if needed. She also went to work designing frames for an eyewear collection.

Iris' iconic sense of style was only outshined by her wit, which she wielded to the very end. "Gettin' old ain't for sissies," the self-described "geriatric starlet" wrote (via Town & Country). "You start falling apart, but you just have to buck up and paste yourself together. You may not like getting older, but what's the alternative? You're here. Embrace it. I say put your experience to work, to give something back to other people" (via CNBC).