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Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion designer, known for her flamboyant style, outspoken personality and oversized eyeglasses. In business with her husband, Carl, from 1950 to 1992, Apfel had a career in textiles, including a contract with the White House that spanned nine presidencies. In retirement, she drew acclaim for a 2005 show at the Costume Institute at…
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business · American interior designer and fashion icon (1921–2024) · interior designer · businessperson · model · designer · entrepreneur · fashion designer · interior architect · fashion model · also Iris Apfel, Iris Barrel, Iris Barrel Apfel, Apfel
Born 29 August 1921 · Died 1 March 2024 · Q2112549
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It’s been a godsend, in all honesty, because when I retired my social life was cut to shreds.
85%The GuardianSource
“I wasn’t pretty when I got married either, and I never cared. I never liked pretty. I mean, it’s nice, don’t misunderstand me, but I never got upset. And I was quite glad in a way, because it put my mind to other things.”
“It’s been a godsend, in all honesty, because when I retired my social life was cut to shreds.”
“She employed a very famous Parisian designer to gussy up the house and make it a real Frenchie, and the design community went bananas. After that we had to throw it all out and start again. But I did like Mrs. Nixon. She was lovely.”
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Died 2024-03-01.
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Apfel celebrated her 100th birthday on August 29, 2021.
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At the age of 97, she signed a modelling contract with global agency IMG
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Mattel created a Barbie doll in Apfel's image, making her the oldest person to ever have a Barbie made in her image and the recipient of the highest honor the Barbie brand bestows
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Performed in a television commercial for the French car DS 3, and was the face of Australian brand Blue Illusion
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Was listed as one of the fifty "Best-Dressed over 50" by The Guardian
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Iris Apfel became a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin in its Division of Textiles and Apparel
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The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City premiered the exhibition Rara Avis [Rare Bird]: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection, showcasing her style
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Launched the textile firm Old World Weavers and ran it until they retired in 1992
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Apfel was the only child of Samuel Barrel (1897–1967), whose family owned a glass and mirror business, and his Russian-born wife, Sadye "Syd" Barrel (née Asofsky, 1898–1998), who owned a fashion boutique
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Born 1921-08-29.
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