I NEVER EXPECTED
people to know my name or recognize my face.
Photo Credit: Alique
I NEVER EXPECTED
to be called a fashion icon.
Photo Credit: Dmitry Kostyukov
I NEVER EXPECTED
museums to exhibit my clothing and accessories.
Photo Credit: Peabody Essex Museum
I NEVER EXPECTED
Photo Credit: Frederik Leiberath/Courtesy M∙A∙C
to be a cover girl or the face of a cosmetics company in my nineties.
Photo Credit: Art Department: Jeremy Liebman; Jalou Media Group, L’Officiel, 2016
I NEVER EXPECTED
to have a One of a Kind Barbie doll made in my image.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mattel
I NEVER EXPECTED
to draw a crowd . . .
Photo Credit: Macy’s Merchandising Group Marketing & Creative Services
Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Macy’s
LET ALONE A MOB.
Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Macy’s
And I never expected to receive so many flattering awards or honors—by New York City at a ceremony at City Hall and another in Harlem, and still another by the city of St. Louis, where they issued an Iris Apfel Day.
I NEVER EXPECTED
that anyone would want to make a documentary about my life, much less have it be nominated for an Emmy Award.
Photo Credit: Bruce Weber: Courtesy Magnolia Pictures
Photo Credit: Luis Montiero. Styling by Damian Foxe and makeup by Marco Antonio.
I NEVER EXPECTED TO WRITE THIS BOOK.
I never expect
ANYTHING.
I just feel things in my gut and I do them.
If something sounds exciting and interesting,
I do it—and then I worry about it later.
Doing new things takes a lot of energy and strength.
It’s very tiring to make things happen, to learn how to master a skill, to push fears aside.
Most people would rather just go with the flow; it’s much easier. But it’s not very interesting.
And as I always say,
“You have to be INTERESTED to be interesting.”
Photo Credit: © Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Photo Credit: Emma Summerton/Trunk Archive
Photo Credit: Shane Drummond/BFA
BELIEVE IT.
WHEN YOU GET OLDER, as I often paraphrase an old family friend, if you have two of anything, chances are one of them is going to hurt when you get up in the morning. But you have to get up and move beyond the pain. If you want to stay young, you have to think young.
Having a sense of wonder, a sense of humor, and a sense of curiosity—these are my tonic. They keep you young, childlike, open to new people and things, ready for another adventure.
I never want to be an old fuddy-duddy; I hold the self-proclaimed record for being the World’s Oldest Living Teenager and I intend to keep it that way.