It probably sounds condescending, but I always get a thrill when i spot an older person with obvious or outlandish style. Not that I think being stylish is the domain of the young, just that it seems the older people get, the more conservative they become, and it seems that dressing for practicality and comfort is number one. So when i see someone in their 70s or 80s (and beyond) who has put some thought into their outfit, or dresses head to toe in pink, or just wears some crazy jewelry, I want to cheer!
Recently while flicking through Italian Vogue i saw an article on Iris Apfel, and despite being unable to read the article (despite approximately 5 years of Italian class at school) I saw the photo of what I want to be when i grow old and knew I had to investigate further.
At 88 Iris Apfel is presenting an exhibition from her own eclectic collection of 82 ensemble and over 300 accessories gathered over more than 50 years from flea markets, top designers and world travel. A former interior designer and owner of textile and design company Old World Weavers, Apfel was a socially prominent New York style setter in her younger years, mixing high end with low end, designer with vintage and ethnic to create her own exuberant style.
Nowadays she is a 'style doyenne' who regularly lectures on fashion and style, and whose exhibition at the Met was touted as one of the most important influences on the fall 2006 collections of many of the world's most influential designers.
You have to love someone who likes to call herself 'the world's oldest teenager' and describes her style as either 'zen simple or madly baroque'!
