American businesswoman, interior designer, and philanthropist (died 2024)

Iris Apfel

Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion designer, known for her flamboyant style, outspoken personality and oversized eyeglasses. In business with her husband, Carl, from 1950 to 1992, Apfel had a career in textiles, including a contract with the White House that spanned nine presidencies. In retirement, she drew acclaim for a 2005 show at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring her collection of costume jewelry and styled with clothes on mannequins as she would wear them. She became a fashion icon, was the focus of the 2014 Albert Maysles documentary Iris, then signed to IMG in 2019 as a model at age 97.

Born

1921

August 29

Died

2024

Era

1920s

Country

—

About

Iris, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1921 Born
2024 Died

Also on August 29

What else happened on this day, through history

708 Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).
870 The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine Malta.
1009 Mainz Cathedral suffers extensive damage from a fire, which destroys the building on the day of its inauguration.
1219 The Battle of Fariskur occurs during the Fifth Crusade.

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The world in 1921

When Iris arrived

april 11 Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
april 2 The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
august 14 Tannu Uriankhai, later Tuvan People's Republic is established as a completely independent country (which is supported by Soviet Russia).
august 23 British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary; of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on August 29

John Locke 1632–1704 English physician and philosopher (died 1704) Carla Gugino 1971– American actress Elizabeth Fraser 1963– Scottish singer-songwriter Gottfried John 1942– German actor (died 2014) Henry Blanco 1971– Venezuelan baseball player and coach Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 1780–1867 French painter and illustrator (died 1867) Kim Koo 1876–1949 South Korean politician, 6th President of The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (died 1949) Lea Michele 1986– American actress and singer Lenny Henry 1958– English comedian, actor, and screenwriter

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1921

Ágnes Keleti 1921–2025 Hungarian Olympic gymnast (born 1921) Alexander Dubček 1921–1992 Slovak soldier and politician (died 1992) Art Clokey 1921–2010 American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921) Bill Willis 1921–2007 American football player and coach (born 1921) Brian Moore 1921–1999 Northern Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (died 1999) Esther Williams 1921–2013 American swimmer and actress (died 2013) Ezzard Charles 1921–1975 American boxer (died 1975) Franciszek Blachnicki 1921–1987 Polish priest (born 1921) Franco Corelli 1921–2003 Italian tenor and actor (died 2003)

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More to explore

Iris's birthday August 29 Iris's zodiac Virgo When Iris arrived 1921