NEW YORK -Textile expert, interior designer and fashion icon, Iris Apfel, known for her eccentric style, has passed away. She was 102.
Her death was confirmed by her commercial agent, Lori Sale as well as her verified Instagram page. Sale called Apfel “extraordinary.”
No cause of death was given. Her Instagram page celebrated her 102nd-and-a-half birthday the day before due to a Leap Day.
Apfel was famous for her irreverent, eye-catching outfits, mixing haute couture and oversized costume jewelry.
Iris Apfel
She stood out at every fashion show she attended with her big, round black-rimmed glasses, white hair, and bright red lipstick.
A classic Apfel look might include a feather boa, bangles, chunky beads, and a jacket adorned with Native American beadwork.
Her style was the subject of museum exhibits and a documentary film.
“I'm not pretty, and I'll never be pretty, but it doesn't matter,” she once said. “I have something much better. I have style."
Apfel enjoyed late-in-life fame on social media. She had nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, where her profile declares: “More is more & Less is a Bore.” On TikTok, she drew 215,000 followers,
“Being stylish and being fashionable are two entirely different things," she said in one TikTok video. “You can easily buy your way into being fashionable. Style, I think is in your DNA. It implies originality and courage.”
Apfel was born Aug. 29, 1921, in New York City to Samuel and Sadye Barrel. Her mother owned a boutique.
She never retired. - She said, "I think retiring at any age is a fate worse than death. Just because a number comes up doesn’t mean you have to stop.”
Apfel and her husband owned Old World Weavers, a textile manufacturing company. They were experts in antique fabric restoration, including projects at the White House under six U.S. presidents.
Apfel's husband passed away in 2015. They never had any children.
Apfel’s celebrity clients included Estee Lauder and Greta Garbo.
In her later years, Apfel made appearances in advertisements for well-known brands such as M.A.C. Cosmetics and Kate Spade.
Apfel also designed a line of accessories and jewelry for Home Shopping Network and collaborated with H&M on a collection of brightly-colored apparel, jewelry, and shoes, which was sold out in just a few minutes.
Additionally, she launched a makeup line with Ciaté London, an eyeglass collection with Zenni, and partnered with Ruggable on floor coverings.