Eyewear Icons: Iris Apfel

From the relaxed prep of JFK, to Francois Hardy’s Gallic minimalism, we’re often told that less is more when it comes to style. Iris Apfel proves otherwise—and the 101 year old has earned legend status with a full-on maximalist approach with her trademark chunky round-framed specs and huge gold chains that rival the local mayor’s. Her motto? “More is more, and less is a bore.”

Dressing like a magpie that’s had first dibs at the car boot sale, the centenarian is living proof that growing old doesn’t mean settling into lazy afternoons wearing beige cardigans and comfortable slacks—and whilst most people slow down in their later years, she’s seemingly as busy as ever. In just the last few years she’s managed to publish her memoir, signed to a modelling agency and became the oldest woman to receive the slightly bizarre honour of having a Barbie doll made in their image.

We produced this article as part of our retainer with Seen Opticians. Read the full piece on Seen’s website here.