Iris Apfel, “America’s most fashionable grandma” who was always colorful, stacked with exaggerated accessories and wearing big round glasses, passed away at her home in Palm Beach, Florida on the 1st at the age of 102. After her official IG announced the sad news, fans left messages to express their condolences, calling her a real “queen” and thanking her for her vibrant and wonderful life, which inspired the world.
Iris Epfel was born in New York in 1921. She studied art history at New York University and art at the University of Wisconsin. She later worked at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and started doing interior design by chance. Design, and run a textile company together with Karl, her husband of 70 years. The two have no children and are struggling to build a career, specializing in antique fabrics. They have worked for Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, She worked as an interior decoration designer for the White House for nine presidents including Bill Clinton, and also traveled to various countries due to business relationships. She began to collect exotic clothing and accessories, and gradually developed her unique dressing sense.
What really made Iris Epfel famous and regarded as “America’s most fashionable grandma” was when she was 84 years old. The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York held an exhibition for her, who had many collections. , suddenly became a celebrity in the fashion circle. She wore colorful clothes and boldly layered exaggerated accessories to attend various occasions, setting off a trend of imitating her outfits. She once said domineeringly: “If I tell you what to wear, that is my style. ,It’s not yours.”
From Iris Apfel’s book “Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon” released in March 2018, you can get a glimpse of how she still maintains her innocence in her old age. She mentioned at the time, “Although I am already in my 90s, But I still feel like I am 5 and a half years old, because I always see the world with the feeling of discovering a new continent.” She walked through a wonderful life with positive energy and met her beloved husband Carl in heaven, leaving fans with endless memories.
