May 24, 2010

The Queen of Accessorizing



This past January my friend Heather invited me to see an exhibit on Iris Apfel at the Peabody Essex Museum. The show exhibited mannequin after mannequin of her fabulous outfits, shoes, and outlandish accessories. Iris Apfel is an 88-year-old fashion icon. She is also one of the most influential interior textile designers in the world having put her touch on the White House through nine presidents. What a firecracker. I’ve nicknamed Ms. Apfel the Queen of Accessorizing because she is so great at it. As someone with a background in fashion design, I especially like how she mixes expensive clothing & accessories with cheap ones.

I also like that Iris is fearless and doesn’t worry about what everyone thinks. She wears what she loves and she encourages other women to do the same without being afraid. In researching Iris it also caught my attention of course that she is opposed to cosmetic surgery. She has been quoted as saying “What’s wrong with getting old? I think getting old is great. It’s a privilege, a pleasure. You shouldn’t dress like an old bag and sit on a rocker though.”

Excellent advice dear Iris.


Love Iris's stylin' glasses? Victoria Beckham sells them for just under $500 :-)

More on her in the Boston Globe.

Another short video of her at Nordstrom’s here.

And a good book on the collection of her work as well: