With the Met's 2005 exhibition of her accessories and clothes, Iris Apfel became a cultural phenomenon — and a fashion powerhouse. The popularity of the show led to increased media exposure and interest in Apfel's life and style when she was in her mid-80s and, in turn, many new business opportunities. The self-described "geriatric starlet" had been retired for more than a decade when the Met show ushered in a new era in her illustrious career (via The Guardian).
Brand endorsements and partnerships followed quickly, with Apfel eventually repping everything from Glossier and Kate Spade to Magnum Ice Cream. She also had a makeup line with MAC Cosmetics. In 2019, she made headlines when, at 97, she signed with a modeling agency, as noted by CNN. The year before that, she'd become the oldest person ever to have a Barbie doll made in her likeness.
Of her larger-than-life appeal, Apfel told The Guardian in 2015 that it all comes down to fun: "I go by the phone calls and the letters I receive from my fans, which are all kinds of people: 6-year-old girls, young women, guys. ... It's interesting with the guys, because they tell me that they see things in the way I dress that they don't see in their wives and girlfriends. ... Glamour, fantasy, humor, whimsy."
