Spend five minutes with the legendary style icon Iris Apfel, and you’ll feel energized, inspired and will walk away with her words of wisdom ringing in your ears. We know first hand, after chatting with Apfel at an intimate lunch at The Colony Hotel’s Solarium in Palm Beach, Florida, in celebration of her collaboration with H&M, out now. We caught up with the centenarian style star to learn about her new line and soak up all the sartorial inspiration she has to offer. Lucky for us, she was full of her signature Iris-isms.
The tastemaker, who quickly became a muse for many after her extensive fashion archive went on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005 and burst into the spotlight with her self-titled 2014 documentary, has been busy ever since collaborating with big-name brands — which is just how she likes it.
“I like to work, I love to work,” Apfel tells GRAZIA USA. “At my stage in the game what else is there to do?” Her latest project has been creating the Iris Apfel x H&M collection, that’s filled with brightly-colored clothing in beautiful prints, bold, oversize jewelry (in keeping with her love of stacking statement accessories) and fun, jewel-adorned shoes.
“We have a lot of wonderful pieces,” Apfel says. “The clothes, I have to say, are really pretty great. They really look very expensive and they’re made beautifully. It was a great experience.”
She notes the “peas in a pod” detailing (seen on the rhinestone-embellished clip earrings) as one of her favorite design details. “I think it’s spectacular. The workmanship and the way the pearls are embroidered, like peas in a pod. I think it’s wonderful and it’s very versatile.”
The 20-piece collection truly lets the wearer embody Apfel’s signature aesthetic, through the jacquard prints, voluminous jackets and her oversize frames sprinkled in details throughout the collection.
For H&M, the partnership was a no-brainer. “H&M was drawn to work with Iris because of her famously eclectic taste and her influence within the fashion community. She epitomises personal style – a style that is both beautifully flamboyant and eclectic as well as totally ageless. She shows what fashion is all about: it’s a means of expressing yourself, who you are or want to be and a way to have fun. She’s a true inspiration!” Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor, H&M Womenswear, said in a statement.
As far as Apfel’s next move, you’ll be sure to see her continuing to work. In fact, she has zero plans on slowing down. “Ever stop working? Oh, god no. I would be so miserable if I had to stop working. To me retirement is a fate worse than death. I think if people kept busy there’d be a lot less trouble in the world.”
After celebrating her milestone birthday in August, she says being 100 feels “the same” as it did before, adding, “Thank god.”
So what exactly are the secrets to living a life as successful as Apfel’s? It’s all about one’s attitude.
“I don’t think there are any secrets, I think it’s mostly common sense,” Apfel says. “Doing things that you love to do. I think your attitude about things is very important. I think the glass should always rather be half full than half empty. And I think you should keep engaged, know what’s going on, have young friends and old friends.”
She continues, “In order to be interesting you have to be interested. And I’m interested in a lot of things and I like to learn something new every day. And being surrounded by people who you love and who love you is a big help. And knowing a lot of interesting people is another good help. And just, living!”
@grazia_magazine GRAZIA USA caught up with the legendary style icon, @IRIS APFEL , to celebrate the launch of her H&M collection. At 100 years old, she shares the secret to living a successful life. And turns out, living your best life is pretty simple, according to Iris.
Asked where she continues to find inspiration in her work and in her designs, she has a very simple reply: “It just comes.”
Spoken like a true style icon.
Shop the Iris Apfel x H&M collection on hm.com and in select stores now.
