Iris Barrel Apfel is someone who dresses to impress.
Never one to follow trends, her eclectic style is a mix of high-end, low-end, and vintage duds.
A darling of the fashion set for years, her appeal has officially gone mainstream, thanks to an early aughts museum exhibit, a recent documentary, and modeling gigs with fashion brand Kate Spade, accessories designer Alexis Bittar, and cosmetics juggernaut MAC.
By marching to the beat of her own drum, the former interior designer and textiles importer has become, as she puts it, "a 93-year-old cover girl."
Earlier this spring, a documentary on her life, "Iris," let fans meet the woman behind those signature giant glasses, and audiences were enchanted, as was one Kanye West (more on that below).
Keep scrolling to get to know fashion's latest blooming star.
Apfel was born in Astoria, Queens, on August 29, 1921. Her mother was a lawyer and her father was a fashion boutique owner. As a child, she delighted in styling store windows and going on design studio visits with her father.
Apfel studied fine arts at Wisconsin University and New York University. After working as a correspondent for Women's Wear Daily, she apprenticed for an interior designer and later stepped out on her own as a decorator and textiles importer.
She married Carl Apfel — who celebrates his 100th birthday in the film — in 1948 and started Old World Weavers, their design business that sourced and created unique textiles.
Most notably, the Apfels' company was responsible for decorating the White House throughout several administrations. Carl let it slip in the documentary that Jackie Kennedy was apparently not so easy to work with.
As the couple traveled across the world for business, Apfel continued to add to her growing wardrobe.
Always going against the grain, she likes to pair thrift shop finds with designer pieces. Her style can be summed up in one word: fearless.
"I didn’t give a damn about going to the party or being at the party, it was getting dressed for the party," Apfel says in the documentary. She considers styling and choosing an outfit a creative outlet. “I like to improvise, as though I’m playing jazz,” she says.
Always going against the grain, she likes to pair thrift shop finds with designer pieces. Her style can be summed up in one word: fearless.
"I didn’t give a damn about going to the party or being at the party, it was getting dressed for the party," Apfel says in the documentary. She considers styling and choosing an outfit a creative outlet. “I like to improvise, as though I’m playing jazz,” she says.
Apfel has always surrounded herself with creative visionaries, from Duke Ellington to The New York Times' famous street style photographer, Bill Cunningham, who's pictured below.
Her rise to fame started in 2005, when New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited a portion of her massive wardrobe in an exhibit titled "Rare Avis," which earned her the nickname "rare bird."
The Met show spawned a traveling exhibit and led to Apfel's fashion line with HSN, also called Rare Avis. In 2012, she collaborated on a makeup range with MAC cosmetics, and this spring she was tapped as the face of Kate Spade's spring campaign.
The documentary on her life was directed by famed filmmaker Albert Maysles, known for his work on the films "Gimme Shelter" and "Grey Gardens."
In one of the most talked-about scenes of the film, Apfel tells Kanye West he's a "handsome young fella" at a Fashion Week event and makes him blush.
Here's what Apfel had to say about the documentary: "I liked it. It’s kind of strange to see yourself. But everyone seems to have reacted so... profoundly. I never would have expected anything like that. I’ve never made any plans for any of these things. I never thought my life would take a turn like this. I’ve turned into a 93-year-old cover girl, which ain’t easy.”
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