Iris Apfel, style icon and Met exhibition subject, dies at 102

Iris Apfel, the American interior designer and style icon, died on March 1, 2024, at age 102. Born in 1921 to a Jewish family in New York, she studied art history and began her career renovating the White House for nine presidents from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton. In 1950, she co-founded the textile company Old World Weavers with her late husband Carl. Her passion for fashion, under the motto 'dare to be different,' led her to collect iconic 20th-century garments. In 2005, her vintage clothing collection, which occupied two floors of her Park Avenue apartment, became an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Director Albert Maysles dedicated the documentary 'Iris' to her in 2014. In 2016, she was the subject of a show at Le Bon Marché in Paris. She later signed with agency IMG for appearances and sponsorships. Brands like H&M and Blue Illusion collaborated with her on collections and web content; she had 3 million Instagram followers. Apfel proved that personal style has no age, embracing maximalist looks and eccentric fashion beyond 1990s minimalism.