"Life is gray and boring, so maybe you should also have a little fun when you dress up", this is perhaps one of the most well-known and iconic quotes of
Iris Apple
from the documentary "Iris" (2014), in which she starred in full glory when she was a young woman of 93. Apple, an interior and textile designer by profession, An amazing businesswoman and fashion icon, passed away last night (Friday) at her home in Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 102.5, but the trail of style and inspiration she leaves behind will continue to reverberate for decades to come.
Through glasses with a large and chic black frame, Apple has chosen to go out into the world every day, for over a century, dressed as eclectic and colorful as possible.
She broke all the fashion conventions, and established her own style of appearance and clothing, which many more will try to imitate (and it is not certain that they will be successful).
From dozens of magazine covers, a cosmetics line, a Barbie doll in her likeness to prestigious art exhibitions dedicated to the muse that she is.
Apple devoured life as only she knew how, took advantage of every opportunity that came her way and did not let age stop her, on the contrary.
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She was born in New York in 1921 and was the only child of her Jewish parents Samuel and Sidi Burrell.
Already in her youth, as a teenage girl, Ophana spoke to Apple and she to her.
Soon, she became a collector (some would say a hoarder), and especially a bargain hunter.
In 2015, she told Vanity Fair magazine that she still wears the dress from her first date with her late husband, Karl Apple.
The two were married for about 68 years, and decided not to have children "to focus on her career".
He died that year (2015), a few days before his 101st birthday.
In the 1950s she founded "Old World Weavers" together with her husband, a business that allowed the couple to indulge their passion for fabrics and travel.
They hopped between continents to find vintage or antique textiles for their clients, who at their peak also included Estee Lauder, Greta Garbo and even several US presidents. In 2005, when Apple had already retired from the field of interior design and textiles, the Metropolitan Museum of New York approached her with an offer to mount an exhibition of her accessories as she was heard to have “one of the best collections of jewelry in America.” Hence, when she was in her early 80s, her status as a fashion icon was boosted—the “Rare Avis” (Rare Bird) exhibit was the first time the museum honored For a woman who is still alive and who is not a fashion designer.
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From here everything is a history of fashion, color, drama and wonderful exaggeration.
In the 90s, Apple was the face of a campaign for Kate Spade, created her own makeup line with "Mac" and designed a variety of accessories, clothes, and even furniture, for shopping chains.
Of course, she also continued to star in the most desirable magazines, when in 2019, while she was 97 years old, the IMG modeling agency offered her a modeling contract.
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In terms of her personal style, it's really too late to even begin to characterize it.
And you might be surprised to find out that, Apple was not really "enthusiastic" about the shiny names of the super brands (although it kept their clothes amazing).
She preferred to collect treasures at flea markets, and could teach us a thing or two about how to combine high with low.
Apple was a small, physical woman, but larger than life.
Luckily for us, the ripples of style she left will continue to move in larger and larger circles in the fashion industry, as well as in the lives of everyone she influenced, on her.
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A fashion icon