"Self-expression is painful" and the legacy of Iris Apfel
Iris Apfel would have been 103 years old today. Her ideas on fashion are much deeper than clothing and accessories. She, like me, sees fashion as a cultural necessity and an act of women's liberation. I've also read that while she likes to be controversial and an exhibitionist, she never wanted to isolate herself from others or a community. In 2005, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art showcased her life's work in the exhibition " Rare Bird: The Irreverent Iris Apfel ." This was the museum's first "living person" exhibit focused on someone other than a designer. The curator writes: "With remarkable panache and discernment, she combines colours, textures, and patterns without regard to period, provenance and ultimately, aesthetic conventions...The exhibition highlights individual accessories ranging from a Gripoix brooch to a..Mexican turqoise and hammered-silver belt." An image from the Met exhibition. Apfel's uph
