Fashion icon Iris Apfel dies aged 102
Her signature look was characterized by her oversized glasses, layers of chunky jewelry, and colorful and eclectic clothing
Fashion icon Iris Apfel passed away aged 102.
American style icon and fashion and interior designer Iris Apfel, died on March 1, aged 102, at her home in Florida, a spokesman for her estate, Stu Loaser confirmed.
The news of her death was announced via her official Instagram account on Friday, March 1, with a caption, “Iris Barrel Apfel, August 29, 1921 – March 1, 2024.”
Born on 29 August 1921 to a Jewish family in New York, Apfel became an unlikely fashion celebrity in her 80s.
Her signature look was characterized by her oversized glasses, layers of chunky jewelry, and colorful and eclectic clothing, with her bob-cut white hair.
The self-proclaimed “geriatric starlet” amassed nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, where her profile reads: “More is more & Less is a Bore”.
On TikTok, she has a following of 215,000. She uploaded insights on fashion and style and also promoted her recent collaborations.
The Emily in Paris star Lily Collins is among millions mourning the death of Iris Apfel.
Collins took to social media on Saturday, March 2, to mourn the demise of the New York-based textile designer.
“What a woman. What a legend. What a life,” Lily Collins, who is busy in the production of the upcoming season of Netflix rom-com, wrote above the picture of the late designer.
“I had the pleasure of wearing her designs on @emilyinparis and the honor of being able to express my admiration for her influence,” she wrote adding, “Your style will love on @iris.apfel and your legacy forever celebrated [white heart emoji].”
Iris Apfel became a true fashion icon after a 2005 exhibition at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Harold Koda, the curator at the time, after hearing of Apfel’s jewelry and clothing collection worked his way through Apfel’s collection and finally managed to transport around 300 items of clothing and several hundred accessories to the museum.
The resulting exhibition was a huge success making Apfel a pop culture icon.
As reported, she had dedicated several rooms in her apartment in New York City’s Park Avenue to several items that included creations by Dior, Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Ungaro hung next to flea market finds and items from department stores.
