American Apfel, who passed away in early March, aged 102, wrote the book herself in 2023, according to details shared about the new release.
Fittingly, but simply named ‘Colourful,’ the book is full of visual tributes and inside stories from Apfel’s vibrant life as a businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon.
Known for her bright and eclectic style and distinctive oversized glasses, in the book Apfel shares creative work, life anecdotes, adventures and what publishers call ‘her unwavering belief in the essential power of colour and creativity on a life well lived’.
It includes over 200 personal photos and comes adorned with unseen fabric patterns from her Old World Weaver’s collection.
Images posted to her Instagram show the style influencer approving proofs of pages from the book, though it doesn’t reveal when the photos were taken.
The book release is timed to coincide with what would have been Apfel’s 103rd birthday on August 29. She previously released a book, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon in 2018.
In a release about the book written by Apfel before she passed, she said the book was ‘not a book of secrets.’
“I have no secrets. Sorry to disappoint if that’s what you’re looking for. I have some good stories though. And a few ideas. This book is about living, creating and colour. Because creativity and colour matter.
I don’t want you to dress like me or think like me – that’s not the idea of this book. I want you to find the colours, confidence and creative inspiration that reflect you. My life has been filled with love, wonder and a very deep, incurable curiosity. This book is my treasure trove of inspiration, influences and ideas: My source. Be brave. Find your source. What makes you happy?”
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Before becoming a fashion influencer in her later years Apfel had a successful career in textiles. In 1950 she founded Old World Weavers with her husband Carl, an international textile manufacturing company specialising in reproducing antique fabrics.
She was a consultant to the White House during nine presidential administrations and produced fabric that still hangs in the Gold Room today.
In 2005, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art staged ‘Rara Avis’, an exhibit of her clothing and accessories, making her the first living person who was not a fashion designer to be so honoured.
Apfel’s Instagram page, continuing to be run by her team as a tribute, revealed a new eyewear collection honoring her famous frames has also just been released by Zenni Optical as well as a rug collection by Ruggable.
