Iris Apfel, New York City Fashion Icon, Turns 100

She's been the subject of countless museum exhibitions, one of the most notable being a showcase of her costumes and jewelry entitled "Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel" at The Costume Institute in The Metropolitan Museum of Art that opened in September 2005 when she was 84 years old. Apfel has developed a jewelry line, had books written and documentaries made about her, and became an accidental fashion icon for women around the world. And while the icon part may have been accidental, how Iris Apfel honed her eye and developed her sense of taste was certainly not.

“An American original in the truest sense, Iris Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design, and over the past 40 years, she has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic,” said Stephane Houy-Towner of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Her originality is typically revealed in her mixing of high and low fashions: Dior haute couture with flea market finds, 19th-century ecclesiastical vestments with Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers.”

Born in Queens, New York, as an only child to her parents, Iris Barrel was rewarded for good behavior at family gatherings with colorful and patterned fabric remnants from her grandmother. The chic centenarian credits this collection of fabrics with igniting her love for textiles, exuberant color, and pattern play. She later studied art history at New York University and attended art school at the University of Wisconsin before honing her skills working at Women's Wear Daily and for interior designer Elinor Johnson. In 1948, she married Carl Apfel, and together, the couple founded the textiles company Old World Weavers in 1950, which was known for its rich color palettes, sumptuous textures, and fashion-forward patterns inspired by the Apfels' travels across the globe.

The initially reluctant style icon credits her husband with pushing her into the limelight and for her success, of which he always was so proud of. The always-bespectacled Apfel, who received her first big beauty contract at the age of 90 years old, is known for her youthful attitude, despite turning 100 years old on August 29. The ageless Apfel has always said that she dresses not to be noticed, looked at, or talked about, but she dresses for herself, because the way she dresses makes her happy. Is there anything more freeing than that? We think not. Happy 100th birthday to the one of the best dressers we know!