Dorothea Lasky at The Paris Review:
Against the backdrop of a cold white room, Iris Apfel’s yellow outfit, which she wore on the occasion of her hundredth birthday, sings its own joyous song. Both here and elsewhere, Apfel, an artist and fashion designer, often paired gorgeous things sensually by color and texture, rather than by invoking some obvious theory or idea. She was not afraid to wear a yellow tulle coat with yellow silk pants (which she designed herself in collaboration with H&M). She celebrated yellow vivaciously; she took up space with yellow. With her arms raised in this picture, she looks like some sort of bishop or religious figure. Her open palms throw spectral glitter upon us. A spiritual icon. Just by looking at her, I feel her upturned palms manifesting my dreams.
Apfel famously said: “More is more and less is a bore.” This statement was in conversation with Coco Chanel’s equally famous fashion advice: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” Apfel’s embrace of “more” surely was a celebration of life itself.
more here.
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