Colorful she was, as is "Colorful", the book. Published shortly after Iris Apfel's death at 102 this March, "Colorful" is not really an autobiography, though she writes with affection about her parents and grandparents and late husband Carl. It's not a style book or book of secrets either, as she tells us in the introduction's first sentence.
"Colorful" is really a coffee table memento—albeit for a small table as it measures 8" x 10". It feels hefty and is nicely printed on glossy stock. As a former graphic designer I would think this sophisticated scrapbook must have been a fun assignment. Speaking of scraps, photos of swatches from her fabric company, Old World Weavers, are woven throughout the book. Iris may have wished for that part of her life to be recognized, especially as she writes how her grandmother's fabric scraps initiated her love of textiles.
There are many photo portraits of her in full Iris Apfel garb (from commercial projects) and snapshots taken through the years. Those, although printed small, are quite interesting. We see many Irises, all hinting at her originality, but it took years and years to hone her ultimate style.
Iris' philosophy could probably be summed up with "Just do it!". Believing in yourself is the major point she makes. Easier said than done, of course, but it can be done. Many of her thoughts may indeed be fairly worn cliches, including her own, "More is more and less is a bore". I appreciated that she stresses kindness above all. You can't push your way into others' hearts.
As for the Iris style, if you want to just ogle her outfits there is the 2007 book of the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which started it all. But Iris Apfel was way more than a clotheshorse. By this time she was a fragile-looking 76-year-old, but the moment she spoke you realized this was not just a snappy dresser but a woman who spoke her mind and had a lot to say..
As her fame grew she also published "Accidental Icon: Musings of a Geriatric Starlet" in 2018.
As for the teeny bit of style advice we do get in "Colorful", I loved that she admited to sometimes wearing the same outfit two days in a row. "...because it's all put together already, and I can just jump into it, jump on my broom, and fly off."
And this most important of edicts: "Dress exactly the way you want to and you'll always look wonderful because you'll feel wonderful—you'll feel like yourself."
No one should aim to dress like her nor would she ever want that, but I think we can all benefit from a little touch of Iris, whose life was full and certainly in color.
