15 Style Lessons from Iris Apfel main image
Scroll Down To Continue

15 Style Lessons from Iris Apfel

We take style advice from a lot of people. While some people might take inspiration from celebrities, others use style icons. Jackie Kennedy, Kate Middleton, and Michelle Obama are just a few of the women that we want to emulate style-wise, but above all, there’s the legendary Iris Apfel.

This woman spent most of her life trying to get into the style industry. When she was young, she worked for Women’s Wear Daily and interior designer Elinor Johnson. Throughout her life, she spent much of her time with design restoration projects. The woman even worked at the White House under nine presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Raegan, and Clinton. Now that’s a legacy!

She didn’t become social media popular until the age of 92, although many people loved her way before she blew up on social media. She’s a renowned collector and authority on antique textiles, but that isn’t why we love her. Her personality is one of the best things about her, and her unique style is unspeakably awesome. If you’re looking for a little somethin’-somethin’, here are 15 pieces of advice from the legendary and irreplaceable Iris Apfel. Even if you’re not looking to up your outfit game, there are some great gems you can use in your every day life.

(Image via Instagram)

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

"If you make a mistake in what you put together, the fashion police are not going to haul you into jail. Great personal style is an extreme curiosity about yourself."

(Image via Instagram)

Power Clash It Up

Power Clash It Up

It's called "power clashing" for a reason. "You have to try it. When you don't dress like everybody else, you don't have to think like everybody else."

(Image via Instagram)

Transformative Jewelry

Transformative Jewelry

"Jewelry is the most transformative thing you can have in your wardrobe. If you have simple clothes, you can change the whole look of your outfit with just one piece."

(Image via Instagram)

Inspiration Comes from Anywhere

Inspiration Comes from Anywhere

"I don't expect to find inspiration. It just sort of comes. Sometimes you step on a bug, and you get inspired. You have to be interested. If you're not interested, you can't be interesting."

(Image via Instagram)

Be Yourself

Be Yourself

"You have to look in the mirror and see who you are. It might be trendy, but you can't buy it just because Iris told you to. You don't want to buy something just because Angelina Jolie looked good in it. People with a lot of money don't dress as well as people who have to make do, who have to be inventive."

(Image via Instagram)

Cultivate Your Look

Cultivate Your Look

"That's the problem today. People are always looking for an easy way to find their look, but you have to cultivate it. You should have the courage to try certain things. Just try it and see if you like it! Color can raise the dead. "

(Image via Instagram)

Don’t Fall into Trends

Don’t Fall into Trends

"I think it's important to be experimental and open, but don't go after trends. If the trend is to buy dainty jewelry, someone like me would never buy it because I'd look like a fool. Buy clothes that work for you, not because they are trendy, and you will have them a lifetime and always look great."

(Image via Instagram)

Do the Anti-Coco

Do the Anti-Coco

"Coco Chanel said take one thing off. I always said put another one on. I don't dress to be stared at. I dress for myself. There's no how-to roadmap to style. It's about self-expression and, above all, attitude."

(Image via Instagram)

Buy It If You Like It

Buy It If You Like It

"Whenever I saw unusual things, I bought them—in all kinds of crazy places. I buy small things that appeal to me, and I collect jewelry with a vengeance. I never buy what someone says is "in" or a "must-have." I buy what makes me happy."

(Image via Instagram)

Make It Your Own

Make It Your Own

"I found [my signature glasses] at a flea market, and I started to wear them when I needed to wear glasses! As a matter of fact, I liked them so much—the great big ones—sometimes I’d wear them without any lenses, just as an accessory, as I thought they were so fantastic."

(Image via Instagram)

It’s All About Confidence

It’s All About Confidence

"If your hair is done properly and you're wearing good shoes, you can get away with anything. It's better to be happy than to be well-dressed. If you aren't comfortable in your clothes, no matter how glamorous they are, you're going to look stiff, which is no fun. You have to look in the mirror and see who you are and buy what suits your way of life."

(Image via Instagram)

Keep an Open Mind

Keep an Open Mind

"The world is not black and white; there are lots of shades of grey. There are good things and bad things in every era, and I think it's kind of very blindfolded to say one era was wonderful, as it was wonderful, but there were a lot of bad things as well."

(Image via Instagram)

Don’t Dress Your Age

Don’t Dress Your Age

"The fashion industry doesn't just forget old people. It forgets middle-aged people. Fashion has this youth mania. But 70-year-old ladies don't have 18-year-old bodies, and 18-year-olds don't have a 70-year-olds' dollars. Fashion you can buy, but style you possess."

(Image via Instagram)

Avoid Heavy Makeup

Avoid Heavy Makeup

"Aging gracefully is about no heavy makeup, and not too much powder because it gets into the wrinkles, and you know, to not get turtle eyelids, and to not try to look young. You don’t have to look like an old fuddy-duddy, but I believe it was Chanel who said, ‘Nothing makes a woman look so old as trying desperately hard to look young.’"

(Image via Instagram)

Let’s Not with High Heels

Let’s Not with High Heels

"Those big platforms and insanely high heels. They look like an orthopedist’s delight. I don’t see anything beautiful about them."

(Image via Instagram)