Iris Apfel Thinks 2020 Is ‘Stinko’ + More of Her Best Quotes from the FNAAs

Jennie Bell
·2 min read
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Iris Apfel always tells it like it is, and she didn’t hold back when asked to describe 2020 in one word: “Stinko,” she said during the 2020 FN Achievement Awards, where she was a featured guest.

The fashion legend, who was honored by FN in 2016 with the Icon Award, shared many other pieces of wisdom during the first virtual awards show. Read on for more:

What she’s proudest of this year:

“That I’m still here.”

How she stayed creative during the quarantine:

“You stayed creative if you were creative and you let all the juices run. It wasn’t easy, but I decided it was sink or swim.”

What she thinks about Zoom meetings:

“What I think about what? … On the subject of technology, I have to admit, I live in the late 17th century.”

Her uniform in quarantine:

“I have a large variety of robes, and I go from one to another. And I change my bedroom slippers.”

On looking good in quarantine:

“Fashion is a kind of discipline, and I’m totally convinced people are very undisciplined. I mean, you can stay at home in your pajamas and look clean and neat, but most people just look like a mess.”

Her attitude during the pandemic:

“I only have two choices: to be positive or negative, and I’m a person that prefers to say that the glass is half full. Actually, I don’t know if that’s the way I was, but during this pandemic, I’ve been training myself.”

Advice for young designers starting out now:

“I think you should take up plumbing. But you could be a very creative plumber. I think plumbing is a very noble — what is it, an art, a science? It could be everything. It’s very important.”

For 34 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards ­— often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The first virtual FNAAs are presented in partnership with The Style Room Powered by Zappos, and sponsors FDRA, Deckers Brands, Soles4Souls and Foot Locker.

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