Last night I went to see Iris, the documentary about 93-year-old design and fashion maven Iris Apfel. Iris first came on my radar when we started working with Alexis Bittar in 2010. He often calls Iris his muse and even featured her in his most recent ad campaign along with 19-year-old Tavi Gevinson.
When I last saw Alexis at his New York Fashion Week event (one our clients, Lucite International, was a sponsor), I had a chance to talk to him about Iris. He shared that he’s asked her to be the godmother of his twins, which are due any day now if not already here (lucky kids!). I walked into the theater last night hoping to be as inspired as Alexis is by her joie de vivre.
The film delivered inspiration and much more. It’s really a love story about Iris and her 100-year-old husband, Carl. They manage to find ways to keep life interesting even in the face of health challenges. And they do it all while singing, laughing and absorbing all the richness of life that some of us can’t even see beyond the business of our day-to-day lives.
As Iris says in the movie, “Life is gray and dull; you might as well have a little fun when you dress.” Another favorite line was, “Color can raise the dead.”
Walking out of the theater, I said to my friends, “Gosh, I feel really ordinary now.” I also thought about it while I got dressed this morning, inspired to at least put on a piece of jewelry I haven’t worn in a while. My four-year-old son saw me digging through my stash and asked if he could put on a bracelet. When he was done, I couldn’t help thinking he too was inspired (even if indirectly) by Iris.
Is there someone who inspires you to live a more colorful life?