Iris Apfel loved bright clothes.
She wore big glasses.
She made many beautiful things.
Her style was very special.
It makes us want to be bold.
Do you like bright colors too?
Iris Apfel loved bright colors.
She was known for her big glasses. She also loved fancy jewelry.
Iris worked with fabrics. She and her husband ran a business. They traveled to find old cloth.
She even helped decorate the White House. This was for nine leaders.
Many people loved her style. A Barbie doll was even made to look like her. She showed us how to be bold.
Iris Apfel was a famous designer from New York. She was known for her bold style. People often saw her wearing very large glasses. She also loved wearing lots of costume jewelry. This is jewelry made to look fancy.
Iris and her husband, Carl, ran a business. They worked with textiles, which are different kinds of cloth. They traveled to Europe to find old fabrics. They even helped decorate the White House. They did this for nine different presidents.
Iris loved to collect unique items. As a child, she visited antique shops. She bought beautiful pieces from all over the world. Later, she shared her style with many people. A museum held a big show for her clothes. She was even a model when she was 97 years old! Mattel even made a special Barbie doll that looked like her. Iris showed the world how to be bright and brave with fashion.
Iris Apfel was a famous American businesswoman and designer. She was known for her very bold and flamboyant style. People often remembered her for her huge, oversized eyeglasses. She also loved wearing many pieces of costume jewelry. This is jewelry made to look very fancy. Her personality was just as bright as her clothes. She showed the world that fashion could be a way to express yourself.
Iris had a very busy career in the world of textiles. Textiles are different kinds of cloth or fabric. In 1950, she and her husband, Carl, started a company called Old World Weavers. They specialized in making fabrics that looked like they were from the 1700s or 1800s. To find the best materials, they traveled to Europe twice every year. They looked for rare items that they could not find in the United States. This work helped them learn a lot about design and history.
Iris was born on August 29, 1921, in Astoria, Queens. Her family was Jewish, and her grandfather had moved from Ukraine. As a young girl, she loved exploring Manhattan by riding the subway. She visited antique shops and began her huge jewelry collection then. During the Great Depression, her family used their skills to sew and paint. This helped them create beautiful things even when money was tight. She later studied art history at New York University.
Her work took her to some very important places. She and Carl worked on design projects for the White House. They helped nine different presidents with their decorations. These presidents included Harry S. Truman and Bill Clinton. One famous client was Jacqueline Kennedy, who wanted a very French style. Iris also worked as a visiting professor in Texas. Later in life, she even became a professional model at age 97.
Many people celebrate the way Iris lived her life. In 2005, a museum in New York held a big show about her style. This was a special event because the museum usually only shows clothes designed by famous designers. She was also the subject of a movie called *Iris* in 2014. Even the toy company Mattel made a special Barbie doll that looked like her. Some people think she helped inspire the character Edna Mode from *The Incredibles*. She lived to be 102 years old.
Iris Apfel was a prominent American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion designer. She became a global fashion icon through her flamboyant style and outspoken personality. Many people recognized her immediately by her signature oversized eyeglasses. Her approach to fashion focused on personal expression through unique, colorful combinations. She was not just a designer but a collector of diverse textures and colors. This unique way of living made her a symbol of creativity across many generations.
Apfel's professional life was deeply rooted in the study and use of textiles. Textiles are various types of woven or knitted fabrics used in clothing and decor. In 1950, she and her husband, Carl Apfel, launched a firm called Old World Weavers. The company specialized in reproducing historic fabrics from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. To maintain high standards, the couple traveled to Europe twice every year. They searched for specific textiles that were unavailable within the United States. This process allowed them to bring rare, historical patterns to their New York showroom.
Her expertise in design led to significant restoration projects in highly influential settings. Most notably, Apfel held a contract with the White House that spanned nine different presidencies. These presidents included Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy, among others. The work often involved replicating existing historical designs to maintain a specific look. One notable exception occurred during the tenure of Jacqueline Kennedy. Kennedy hired a famous Parisian designer to transform the house into a French-style residence. This change required the Apfels to start their design work over from the beginning.
Apfel's early life in New York City shaped her eye for rare and beautiful objects. Born Iris Barrel in Astoria, Queens, on August 29, 1921, she grew up in a Jewish family. Her father owned a glass and mirror business, while her mother owned a fashion boutique. During the Great Depression, her family utilized skills like sewing, draping, and painting to create designs. As a child, she frequently rode the subway into Manhattan to explore the city. She began building her extraordinary collection of global jewelry by visiting antique shops in Greenwich Village. She later formalized her education by studying art history at New York University.
In her later years, Apfel's influence moved from textiles into the world of high fashion and modeling. In 2005, the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art held an exhibition titled *Rara Avis* [Rare Bird]. This show featured her collection of costume jewelry and styled mannequins. It was a historic event because it was the first time the museum focused on a living person who was not a designer. Her fame continued to grow, leading her to sign with the global agency IMG in 2019. She began working as a professional model at the age of 97.
Her cultural impact reached even the world of toys and animation. In 2018, Mattel created a Barbie doll modeled after her image. This made her the oldest person to ever receive such an honor from the Barbie brand. Some believe she served as an inspiration for the character Edna Mode in the film *The Incredibles*. Her life was also documented in the 2014 film *Iris*, which premiered at the New York Film Festival. She received various honors, including the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award at the United Nations in 2016.
Apfel's career connected many different fields, including business, history, and art. She bridged the gap between historical textile reproduction and modern fashion modeling. Her work as a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin shared her textile knowledge with students. She also explored new technology through a collaboration with WiseWear to create smart jewelry. Throughout her long life, she remained a constant presence in the design community. She passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 102 in Palm Beach, Florida.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.