Iris Apfel, the celebrated interior designer, fashion icon and New York businesswoman, died this Friday at her home in Palm Beach.
She was 102 years old.
His death was confirmed by his agent Lori Sale, who called Apfel "extraordinary."
Her cause of death is unknown at this time.
Her death was also announced on her verified Instagram page, where a day earlier she had celebrated that leap day represented her 102nd and a half birthday.
Apfel, born on August 29, 1921, became famous for her irreverence and her striking looks, which mixed haute couture with costume jewelry and oversized jewelry.
She began her career in the 1940s as a
copy girl
before launching her luxury fabric and design business with her husband Carl.
She saw much of her fame and success in her golden years.
“My first big job in beauty and fashion came when I was 90,” she wrote in her 2018 book,
Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon
.
“I am the oldest living woman to ever appear in a major cosmetics campaign,” added Apfel, who developed a limited-edition makeup collection for MAC cosmetics for winter 2011.
Iris Apfel in 2021.Noam Galai/Getty Images for Central Park Tower file
The New Yorker even referred to retirement as "a fate worse than death."
So striking became his style that it was the subject of museum exhibits and the documentary film
Iris
, directed by Albert Maysles.
With information from
The Associated Press.