Iris Apfel

Lore & Background

Iris Barrel was born to a Jewish family in Astoria, Queens, the only child of Samuel Barrel, whose family owned a glass and mirror business, and Sadye Barrel, who owned a fashion boutique. Raised on a farm, she often rode the subway into Manhattan, falling in love with Greenwich Village and shopping its antique shops as a child, starting her collection of jewelry. She studied art history at New York University and attended art school at the University of Wisconsin.

After working as a copywriter for Women's Wear Daily and for interior designer Elinor Johnson, she married Carl Apfel in 1948. In 1950 they launched Old World Weavers, specializing in reproduction fabrics from the 17th to 19th centuries. The Apfels traveled to Europe twice a year for textiles and worked on design restoration projects at the White House for nine presidents. Apfel noted that Jacqueline Kennedy was an exception to the usual requests to replicate existing decor. Through their business, she bought non-Western, artisanal clothes and wore them to high-society parties.

Apfel became a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. In 2019, at age 97, she signed a modeling contract with IMG. She and Carl had no children; they were married 67 years until his death in 2015. Apfel died at her home in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1, 2024, at age 102.

Reader's Guide

Iris Apfel's significance lies in her late-life emergence as a fashion icon, catalyzed by the 2005 Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which showcased her personal collection of costume jewelry and clothing. This exhibition was the museum's first focused on a living person who was not a designer. Her flamboyant style and oversized eyeglasses became her trademark, and she was the subject of the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris. At age 97, she signed with IMG as a model, demonstrating that age need not limit cultural influence. Her textile business, Old World Weavers, contributed to White House restoration projects for nine presidents, reflecting her expertise in historical fabrics. Apfel's legacy includes a Barbie doll created in her image in 2018, making her the oldest person to receive that honor, and a dedicated gallery planned at the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History. She is also believed to have been an inspiration for the animated character Edna Mode in The Incredibles. Her career and persona challenged conventional notions of aging and style, leaving a lasting impact on fashion and popular culture.

Did You Know?

• Iris Apfel's textile firm Old World Weavers had a White House contract that spanned nine presidencies, from Harry S. Truman to Bill Clinton.
• She was the focus of the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris.
• In 2018, Mattel created a Barbie doll in Apfel's image, making her the oldest person to ever have a Barbie made in her image.
• She signed a modeling contract with IMG in 2019 at the age of 97.