Beauty secrets from a 101-year-old fashion icon
At 101 years old, beloved fashion icon Iris Apfel has revealed she’s not slowing down as she gets older and has opened up about her personal style over the years.
Known for her bold approaches to fashion and business - as well as her iconic black-rimmed glasses and statement accessories - Apfel has continued to extend her presence in the world of beauty and fashion with the launch of her first makeup collection.
The eight-piece collection, including lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes and nail wraps, embodies her signature style, which she hopes will make the world a brighter place.
“The world is a very grey place, and I wanted to do a happy, joyful collection with bright, bold colours to chase the blues away," she told the NZ Herald.
"The collaboration was so much fun: they really let me play with the colours I wanted to explore."
When it comes to her own beauty and wellness routines, Apfel said that simplicity is key to both her confidence and her self-expression.
"I don't do much for beauty. I use a very simple moisturiser on my face, and then a brightly coloured lipstick," she explained.
"It's part of how I express myself, along with fashion. I put on my bright lipstick and I feel confident in myself."
Even since her younger years, Apfel said her look was just as experimental as you’d expect.
"I used to do my eyes up like Miss Piggy," she said, laughing.
"I loved heavy, big lashes, which we achieved with moustache wax. You put a chunk of it in a spoon and held a flame underneath, then you took a brush and you kept building the lashes, layer after layer, and beaded the ends. It looked great."
Though launching her own makeup at 101 is impressive, it’s the latest in a string of achievements Apfel has collected over her life.
After starting as a copywriter at Women’s Wear Daily, Apfel began her own textile company with her husband, which saw her help decorate the White House for nine presidents and tend to the homes of Greta Gabo.
At 97, she signed her first modelling deal, before creating a Barbie doll in her image in the following year.
When she turned 100, she started her own line of sunglasses, an unsurprising move given the importance of eyewear to her looks.
"If I'm going to have to wear glasses, I might as well have GLASSES," she explained.
"For me, glasses inspire or finish all of my looks. They are a fantastic way to find your own unique style and change things up."
For those looking to develop their own style, Apfel said fashion should be about you and how it makes you feel - and that you shouldn’t have to spend money to do it.
“Fashion should always be fun. Embrace your individuality and dress how you want to dress,” she said.
“It's wonderful to look good, but if it doesn't make you feel comfortable, or it becomes a chore, then it's not worth it.
“I often find that the less money you have to spend on clothes, the more inventive you are, so you end up looking more stylish.”
Apfel goes to show that getting older shouldn’t stop us from looking and feeling our best, and her personal philosophy is one we can all adopt.
"Youthfulness is how you feel,” she said.
“My philosophy is to live in the now – yesterday is gone, you don't know if there's even going to be a tomorrow, so you might as well enjoy today."
Image: @iris.apfel (Instagram)