Fashion icon Iris Apfel has died, aged 102.
The news was announced on her Instagram page, with a photo of Iris, and a caption that read, “Iris Barrel Apfel August 29, 1921 – March 1, 2024.”
Spokesman for her estate, Stu Loeser, confirmed she died at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Iris, who described herself as a “geriatric starlet” was known for her career in textiles and design.
She ran a business with her husband, Carl Apfel, where they made clothes for movie stars and first ladies, with their contract with the White House spanning nine presidencies.
She was later acclaimed for her 2005 show at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, titled Rara Avis (Rare Bird): Selections From the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection, where she showed her huge collection of costume jewellery and clothes, all styled on mannequins.
She became known for her quirky style, and was still modelling for brands including MAC, Kate Spade and Coach into her nineties.
When she was 100, she became the oldest person to have a Barbie doll made in her likeness.
Her agent, Lori Sale said in a statement, “Iris Apfel was extraordinary. Working alongside her was the honour of a lifetime. I will miss her daily calls, always greeted with the familiar question: ‘What have you got for me today?’ She was a visionary in every sense of the word.”
