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Iris Apfel turned 102 today and celebrated in vibrant style.
While at home during her birthday, Apfel posed on Instagram in a set of pink Alexandre Birman loafers. Her $297 (previously $495) Rafia Clarita style featured a close-toed silhouette with tied bow-topped straps — all crafted from deep pink woven raffia — atop flat soles.
In keeping with her signature penchant for bold colors and prints, Apfel accordingly layered her Birman loafers with pink printed socks and silky light pink trousers. An orange, green and pink botanical-printed top and romantic pale pink cape completed her attire.
For an added dash of her renowned eclecticism, Apfel finished the look with her staple layered necklaces — these iterations featuring orange beads and red woven abstract shapes — and two wrists stacked with wooden and acrylic red, orange, pink and purple cuff bracelets.
The post marks Apfel’s latest life accomplishment within her extraordinary career. Regarded as an international fashion icon, Apfel first came to prominence upon founding the textile firm Old World Weavers in 1950 with her late husband, Carp Apfel. Her work with the firm was notably preserved in history while restoring the interiors of the White House with various fabrics across nine presidencies: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Prior to founding Old World Weavers, Apfel also worked as a “Women’s Wear Daily” copywriter, apartment dresser and assistant to illustrator Robert Goodman.
Following her and Carl’s retirement from Old World Weavers in 1992, Apfel expanded her presence in popular culture through her colorful, eclectic personal style — which had already become one of her signatures over the decades. In 2010, she began a new role as a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin, with her extensive career later documented in the 2014 film “Iris.” The 2010s and 2020s have also found Apfel launching collaborations with brands including H&M, Judith Lieber, Zenni, Ciaté London and Macy’s I.N.C. International Concepts label — and even covering the September 2017 and November 2022 issues of Footwear News.
“It’s very nice to be a fashion icon and I don’t dislike it — don’t misunderstand. It’s very nice to be flattered and be told all kinds of stuff. It’s very good for, how shall I say it, the soul. But I mean, there are more important things in the world,” Apfel said in her 2022 cover story. “Things like that don’t send me. [What sends me] is doing interesting things, new things, meeting new people, learning how to do things. Things that I think are more important.”
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About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on fashion news, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Royce wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
