“Young lady, I’ve been watching you. You’re not pretty, and you’ll never be pretty. But, it doesn’t matter. You have something much better. You have style.” This is what Frieda Loehmann, owner of the now closed Loehmann’s, once told a young Iris Apfel.
Iris (in her iconic oversized black rimmed glasses of course) retells this story in the new documentary about her life, “Iris.” The film follows around the 93 year old style icon as she shows off her insane personal fashion collection inside her whimsically packed Park Avenue apartment, haggles with thrift shop clerks and flea market street vendors, and works with high fashion magazines and stores to tout her unique style.
What I liked most about this film was how inspiring it was to see someone at Iris’s age with still such a youthful and playful outlook on life. Iris obviously has style, but more importantly, she has intelligence and she hast heart.
The documentary is playing at Violet Crown Cinema from now til Thursday, so if you have a chance to go see it I definitely recommend it. Oh and also, some of the University of Texas fashion students make a cameo in this film! Check out the trailer:
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish