Interview: Iris Apfel on the secret of her style

Iris Apfel, style icon from New York.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: How much courage is it to be Iris Apfel?

Iris Apfel: This has less to do with courage than with the inner attitude. There is no deeper meaning behind my outfits than that I have to feel comfortable in them. My motto has always been: As long as I do not embarrass my mother and my husband with my appearance, I do not care. That's true today. If my husband does not like something, I leave it. If others do not like it, that's not my problem.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Why are you all so excited about your style?

Iris Apfel: People seem to always need someone to fool them. There is a hunger for individuality, you want to be "different", but you do not know how. Ultimately, most submit to the fashion dictates they so much like to stand out from. In winter, everyone looked the same on Fifth Avenue from the back: black pants, high boots, leather jackets - like a uniform. Many need it. Many are afraid to do things that do not immediately find affirmation and acceptance.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Can one learn individual style?

Iris Apfel: Style can only have who knows itself well. And getting to know yourself takes time. The biggest mistake a woman can make is to look in the mirror and not recognize herself. Uniqueness is hard work. We live in an IMRE world of quick gratification, everything should go zack, zack. Only those who succeed in emphasizing their own personality through fashion are authentic. Some achieve this with minimalism, others with pomp and glitter. I love striking jewelry. People worry too much about what others think.

Individual style can be bought with no money in the world.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Has your fashion awareness changed as you get older?

Iris Apfel: I've become more accurate and can fish from a stack exactly the piece in which I feel comfortable. Of course, I had to adapt to the years. Arms and knees do not become more beautiful over time, so miniskirts are not in there. Spaghetti straps and deep cutouts are also not beneficial. The fashion industry seems to believe that from a certain age fashionably no longer exists. Pretty crazy. In my opinion, the industry makes the mistake of not designing their collections for the elderly. It's always about the youth.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: What do you think of today's fashion?

Iris Apfel: Getting dressed is always a small experience. But this flip-flop and T-shirt culture has nothing to do with it, which makes me very bad. I certainly do not want to encourage anyone to buy expensive designer clothes. What should I wear in a Chanel costume if I look like everyone else? Individual style can be bought with no money in the world.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: But?

Iris Apfel: Ingenuity is much more important. What I carry must trigger something in me, touch me. This can also happen at the garbage table. I love jeans as a base and in addition bright colors, embroidery and parts that have a story. For me accessories are in the first place. With a simple dress, you can survive the whole day and spice it up in the evening with striking costume jewelry. Without jewelry, I feel naked.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde-woman.de: Where do you get your inspiration?

Iris Apfel: From everywhere. From traveling, from shop windows, through art and conversation with others. I have always been driven by a terrible curiosity and often feel like a sponge sucking everything up. Being alive is inspiration enough.

To person

Iris Apfel was born in 1921 in New York's Queens district. Her father owned a glass and mirror shop, her mother a fashion boutique. She studied art history and art and worked for "Women's Wear Daily" and illustrator Robert Goodman. In 1948 she married Carl Apfel, with whom she led the successful textile company Old World Weavers until 1992. Among other things, the Apple designed the White House for American presidents such as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. In 2005, Iris Apfel came into the limelight with an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art showing personal clothes and accessories from Apple's many-sided collection. Since then, she is the darling of the fashion and magazine world, gives courses for design students and lectures. Among other things, she creates her own collection of eyewear, eye-catching jewelery and puts together her own lipstick series with the make-up brand MAC. The couple live on the Eastside of New York.

Designer & Fashion Icon Iris Apfel Shares Secrets Of Staying Young (April 2024).