Lenny Kravitz and Hannah Waddingham lead celebrity tributes to fashion icon Iris Apfel who has died aged 102

Tributes poured in on Friday for Iris Apfel, fashion expert and self-described “geriatric starlet”, who has died aged 102.

The news was announced on her Instagram on Friday, with a stunning photo of the famous fashionista in a regal black and gold dress and her signature black glasses.

“Iris Barrel Apfel, August 29, 1921 – March 1, 2024,” read the caption of the post.

Celebrities galore shared their warm testimonials with Iris, who spent her final years as a style icon in New York City.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz wrote, “You have mastered the art of living. Thank you for your energy and inspiration.’

Maria Shriver wrote: ‘Wow! What a truly remarkable life #IrisApfel has lived. She really did it all: she was a businesswoman, she was a fashion model, she was a fashion icon, she was a college professor, she was a star in a documentary, she was a Barbie doll! Iris is real proof that age is just a number.’

Actress Hannah Waddingham also paid tribute, writing: ‘Ohhhhhh. Good night and God bless ma’am. What joy and endless style you have brought to so many.”

‘Rest to power!’ gushed plus-size model Tess Holliday. “Thank you for living your life so beautifully and inspiring so many of us to live courageously.”

A spokesperson for her estate confirmed the news to the New York Times and revealed that she died at home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Amid the outpouring of praise from celebrities, fans rushed to her social media page to pay their respects.

“Thank you for sharing your beautiful life,” designer Jenna Lyons added.

“RIP icon,” one person wrote.

“You will be missed,” another added with a red heart emoji.

“An icon and true inspiration,” wrote yet another follower.

‘Rest in beauty icon.’

Apfel did not gain worldwide attention until 2005 when the Metropolitan Museum of Art showed an exhibition focusing on her fashion sense, entitled Rara Avis (Rare Bird).

Iris Apfel (born Iris Barrel) was born on August 29, 1921 in Astoria, Queens, New York City – the only child of Samuel Barrel and Russian-born wife Sadye Barrel.

She started her career as a copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily and interior designer Elinor Johnson.

In 1948, she married husband Carl Apfel, and the duo owned a textile company until they retired 44 years later.

Over the years, the couple worked on many restoration projects, including at the White House.

Carl died in 2015 at the age of 100.

In 2019, at the age of 97, Iris landed a modeling contract with IMG – the same agency that represented top stars like Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Miranda Kerr.

Even when she reached 100, Apfel showed no signs of slowing down and said so WWD she is “very excited” about her new deal.

Although the star drew the linear walk down the catwalk, telling the publication: ‘How can I compete on the catwalk? That’s ridiculous,” she said.

‘We will hopefully enter into collaborations, or perhaps I will become a spokesperson. I leave it to them. They know better than I do.’

‘In my limited career I have had all kinds of interesting assignments. Everything from vodka and cars to beauty products, and I’ve also had some interesting collaborations with big stores like Bon Marché in Paris, the Landmark Mall in Hong Kong, Macy’s and Bergdorf Goodman.”

Over the past decade, Apfel has modeled for a seriously impressive number of major fashion and beauty brands.

She has done campaigns for Kate Spade, MAC Cosmetics, Alexis Bittar, Macy’s INC, Blue Illusion, HSN, Le Bon Marché and German brand Aigner.

In each pair of glasses she shows a facet of her style, including her signature oversized round glasses.

She poses for a number of models next to models a quarter her age, including Karlie, Toni Garnn, Tavi Gevinson and Jourdan Dunn.

She previously gave her opinion on style, telling Women’s Wear Daily ‘I don’t think style knows age. It is in your DNA and inherent. It’s a matter of attitude.’

No one was more surprised by her modeling career later in life than Apfel herself. Although she had a long career in fashion, it was owning her own textile company, Old World Weavers, from 1950 onwards that kept her in the fashion world.

‘I never expected my life to take this turn, so I never prepared for it. It all happened so suddenly and I thought at a young age: I’m not going to set up offices and get involved in all kinds of things,” she said.

“I thought it was a flash in the pan, and it won’t last long. Somehow people found me. People would just call. Tommy Hilfiger said this couldn’t happen, and he brought us together. I’m very excited and very grateful.”

In addition to modeling, she also designed her own clothing and accessories line for HSN and published a book in 2018.

“My husband, until he passed away, we used to sit there laughing and laughing, and I would say I’m no different than I was seventy years ago, and suddenly I’m cool, I’m a warm asset. It is ridiculous. People tell me it’s because I’m real… and say what I think,” she added.

In 2016, she provided advice for young female entrepreneurs at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day conference at the United Nations.

“Taking opportunities and running is very important because I have never had a business plan in my life. Things just came along and I grabbed them,” she told them.

“I’m happy to see all these glass ceilings being smashed and I know I feel like if women were a little more empowered and stuck to it, this feeling wouldn’t be so much,” she added.

‘I know when I started, the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I’m 95 and I’ve worked all my life. It wasn’t easy, but if you really want it, you can do it.’