Today Iris Apfel, who became a fashion icon basically after the age of 80, turns a youthful 97. It is fitting that in cleaning out a pile of magazines, I found this interview I did with her Harper’s Bazaar in 2013. (Honestly, I found the article, looked up her current age on Wikipedia and rushed to get this out.)
What a lively chat we had about her personal life and thoughts on fashion. She and her husband Carl launched Old World Weavers in 1950 (my living room couch is upholstered in the most gorgeous pale strié velvet from there), and proceeded to work on amazing projects including the White House for nine presidents.
It’s hard to pick a favorite quote, but perhaps it would be her answer to What’s Wrong with Fashion Today:
“Since I became a geriatric starlet, women are always asking me, ‘What should I wear?’ Honestly, women today take dressing way too seriously. Fashion shouldn’t get to a point where it makes you unhappy. Because when you’re unhappy, you look older. I do not intellectualize what I wear. I just put on what I feel like. People see me and say, “Ooooh,” but I think it’s a crock.”
This is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for sharing. We need more Iris in this world!