The first time I saw Iris Apfel was in a feature in Vogue. I wondered who was that woman with the purple hair and giant glasses? It wasn’t her style that shocked me, it was her amazing spirit.

Iris is a sprightly ninetysomething who has been “playing with fashion” for decades. Iris breaks every rule imaginable, and yet emerges with amazing grace and style. She mixes patterns and colors, wears layers of necklaces and bracelets, and is never afraid of volume. Yet, her outfits carry a vibrance that perfectly toes the line between creativity and design.

“A woman once told me ‘You’re not pretty and you’ll never be pretty. But you have something much better–you have style’.”

Iris started her career as an interior designer in the 1950s. Her business developed into a textile firm called Old World Weavers. Iris would travel the world as research for designing textiles for her interior designs. That’s how she began curating fabrics and items from around the world. She would wear her collected items to the special events that she attended.

It wasn’t until an exhibition in 2005 at The Met that Iris became a household name. Her exhibit was impressive on several levels. She had an extensive collection of couture and handcrafted accessories; she had an impressive collection of fabrics and clothing; and she herself was a marvel to behold. All of a sudden Iris wasn’t just a respected interior designer but a bright light in pop and fashion culture.

It’s interesting that Iris emerged as a fashion icon in the new millennium. The 2000s are when fashion became much more mass produced. The speed with which trends went in and out was exponential, and the trends themselves were much less distinct. Meanwhile, young women were very interested in developing their personal image and personal brand; but they were having a difficult time understanding themselves as individuals. Iris stood out as an example of a woman who had sifted through all of the options available to her, and come out with her own distinct style. She’d taken the tons of possibilities out there and distilled an image that was purely her. The best part about it was that Iris was still fun. She made it clear that fashion didn’t have to be this imposing concept that you took so seriously. You could be playful and fashionable and still be larger than life.

Today, Iris continues to inspire. She was recently the subject of a documentary by Albert Maysles titled “Iris,” and she continues to make guest appearances and interviews. She still dresses up, she is still herself and she is still making the most of fashion. We all need to take a page from Iris and play more.