How Iris Apfel, almost 100, became a global fashionista in her twilight years

On the cusp of her 100th birthday, Iris Apfel is still inspiring the world, writes Annmarie O'Connor 

Despite being an established tastemaker in interiors, Iris Apfel's late-in-life fashion story only started in 2005. Picture: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images

Raise a glass. Fashion’s ‘accidental icon’ Iris Apfel turns 100 in August. And to celebrate? She’s curating a 100-piece eyewear collaboration with optical brand Zenni, inspired by her idiosyncratic look. Oversized glasses, hyperbolic accessories, and couture pieces mixed with flea market finds have come to define the interior designer’s ‘more is more, less is a bore’ aesthetic — a visual marker that launched the New Yorker to international fame at age 84. Grab a pew — this yarn’s a good’un.

An industry veteran with a beginner’s mindset, the soon-to-be centenarian’s global popularity stems from childlike curiosity and healthy disregard for the status quo fostered in her formative years. Her parents, both independent business owners, inspired a love of travel, design and possibilities, which saw her cut her teeth at Women’s Wear Daily and later with interior designer Elinor Johnson, dressing apartments for resale.