Some people may tell you that the queen died on the 8th of September, 2022; they would be wrong. In truth, the queen died on the 1st of March, 2024, not in a castle in Scotland, but in Palm Beach, Florida. Though the Queen of England left behind a legacy of her own, nothing quite compares to that of the Queen of Style and Aesthetic Curation, Iris Apfel. After a lifetime of interior design work alongside her husband of nearly 70 years, Carl Apfel, she became a style icon in the early 2000s when the Metropolitan Museum of Art curated an exhibition of her personal collection.
Hers was the first one-woman show at the Met and was organized at the last minute upon the surprise cancellation of the originally scheduled showcase. Despite there not being enough time between its development and opening for a proper press preview and release, the exhibition was an immediate success and later traveled to several other museums, growing each time it moved. Though she and Carl had been well-established industry names within interior design and decorating–having been the interior decorators for the White House for several presidents–the Met show established her as a true icon of personal style.
Apfel was known not just for the expanse of her clothing and accessory collection (taking up five rooms in her Park Avenue apartment, the entire apartment she inherited from her mother, and the majority of the space in her Palm Beach apartment), but for the uniqueness of each piece and her maximalist assembly of each and every outfit she wore. With a deep connection to each piece and a constant sense of excitement at the core of her style, she credited the show’s success to its fantasy and glamour, saying “people are looking for something that’s missing from their lives, because as much as they say they’re unbothered, … they really yearn for it.” Though apathy is increasingly traded as a currency of coolness, the way that her style spoke to people from all walks of life is evidence of our desire for indulgence and a sense of self that only comes from caring.
At the heart of Iris Apfel’s style, and what made her personality magnetic beyond compare, was her ability to maintain a child-like sense of wonder, whimsy, and play. Describing her personal style as “big, bold, and lots of pizzaz”, beyond her sense of maximalism and expert pattern-mixing, each look and piece told a story. While many women of her stature’s closets are filled with pieces from runways and the racks of Bloomingdale’s or Saks, the majority of hers were found hunting through vintage stores and flea markets. The time and effort put into finding each article of clothing or jewelry is a testament to true style taking time. As one of the most iconic examples of personal style in history, hers, like any other, was built upon decades of vintage shopping, haggling with street vendors, and life experience that deepened her sense of self.
The lessons to be learned from Iris Apfel’s legacy reach far beyond aesthetics. Saying herself that she was entirely unbothered by being “pretty”, she believed in her heart that it was “better to be happy than well dressed.” Remaining deeply curious in every aspect of life until her death at 102, Apfel is an inspiration not just in style, but in her approach to life. There is no better way to describe her approach to style than her own words: “life is grey and dull, you might as well have a little fun when you dress, and amuse people.”
To learn more, you can watch “Iris”, Albert Maysles’ 2014 documentary about her style, life, and legacy.
Words by Flora Medina
Graphics by Bri Shufford