Remembering the "Rare Bird"

3/3/2024

Like other rare birds, she was never afraid to wear her bright colors.

The world lost a rainbow of colors this week with the passing of Iris Apfel, the "Rare Bird" of the fashion and style scene.

Iris Apfel was the glorious age of 102 when she passed this week on March first. Now, the news wasn't unexpected as the icon had lived a long and glamorous life, but the news still pinched my heart as her presence in this world has served as such a source of joy and inspiration for all, including myself.

Iris Apfel has been a foundational source of inspiration in my own style journey as she was not afraid of color nor afraid to pair them in unusual/unpredictable color combinations. She worshiped at the altar of the accessory and was bold in her choices whether they were luxury items or from the corner costume jewelry store. She dressed not for attention, but to express her soul as well as to bring color into a dull world. She saw style not as a thing that was ruled by the rich or by the "trends'' of the current fashion, but instead she saw style as something inherently individual.

I discovered Iris close to ten years ago through her documentary which is self-titled "Iris". The movie documents her life and captures her spirit of enthusiasm for life. To this day, it is my favorite documentary and I would advise everyone to watch it as it captures the joy of creative expression, the individuality of beauty, and the eternal youth that we all possess.

Below are some of my favorite outfits/ quotes of hers for your own inspiration and appreciation.

Enjoy, and please wear something colorful this week in her honor.

'Life is grey and dull, so you might as well have a little fun when you dress.'

'No amount of money can buy you style. It's just instinctive.'

'I don't dress to be stared at, I dress for myself.'

'Clothes are not frippery. Properly done, they can be an art form.'

'Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. They key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There's no how-to road map to style. It's about self-expression and, above all, attitude.'

'More is more. Less is a bore.'

“I love a nice hot pink. I like thick lipstick, otherwise it doesn’t look like you’re wearing any.”

"Downtown, they think they're stylish, but they all wear black. That's not really style. That's a uniform."

'Never be afraid to stop traffic.'

“I say, dress to please yourself. Listen to your inner muse and take a chance. Wear something that says ‘Here I am!’ today.”

'I am inspired by everything around me. It's not like I stand out in the moors or any of that romantic crap they throw around. I'm just inspired by being alive and breathing and meeting people and talking to people and doing things and absorbing what's happening. I think if more people did that there would be better fashion.'

“Everything that’s happened to me, nothing’s been planned. I’ve never had a business plan. I just kind of fell into it, and I liked it, and I took a chance. I took a lot of chances in my life.”

“I think dressing up or down should be a creative experience. Exciting. Fun. For me the key to personal style lies in accessories. I love objects from different worlds, different eras, combined my way. Never uptight, achieving – hopefully – a kind of throwaway chic.”

'If you're not interested, you're not interesting.'

'Colour can raise the dead.'

'When the fun goes out of dressing, you might as well be dead.'

'Great personal style is an extreme curiosity about yourself.'

"I love to dig and search and find. And if I’m shopping…You know, if it’s a piece of fabric, I listen to the threads. It’s not intellectual at all. The price is nothing. It’s the emotional content: I have to feel it in my gut. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. I am a hopeless romantic.'

'I don't have any rules, because I'd only be breaking them.'

'I think I still keep my sense of wonder, which I call childlike, not childish, childlike. I still have a vivid imagination, and I like to try a lot of new things.'

“I was never hurt by what anybody said about my clothes, because I dress to please myself. If somebody doesn’t like what I’m wearing, it’s their problem, not mine.”