Please search the name - Iris Apfel.  She is a 96-yr-old American fashion icon.  The windows at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC (Fifth Avenue at 58th Street) are currently (March 2018) featuring her fashion products as part of what appears to be a pop-up shopping experience.  If you are near the store, go to see!   Apfel is one of very few living artists to have had an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute.  I have written about her in the past, because of her 2007 book, reprinted in 2010:  Rare Bird of Fashion - The Irreverent Iris Apfel.  When a quick jolt of inspiration is needed, I search her name at Home Shopping Network - hsn.com.  You will get a good summary of her uniqueness, not a sales pitch, at:  http://wwd.com/eye/people/iris-apfel-accidental-icon-book-11113958/  Suggest you look at the photos and notice all the out-of-context fashion accessories in her home - rooms filled with exquisite antiques.  You can read the excerpt from her new book.  It will inspire everyone from young fashion students to seniors.  A positive experience.   In 1950 (5 years after the end of WWII), the Apfels founded Old World Weavers, a luxury fabric company.  They traveled the world, helping the industry to get back on its feet after the severe damages of war.  Their ads appeared in Architectural Digest, which I've collected since the 1960s.  That is how I first became aware of the Apfels - their products inspired embroidery designs.  Back in the 70s and 80s I saw Apfel in public places in Manhattan.  Each sighting was a strong visual experience.    Wish we had some lace fashionistas automatically wearing lace the way Apfel has worn accessories the past 70 years.  Please consider the possibility of attaching lace to clothing you wear when you go out in public.    Example:  The Lacemakers of Maine presentation theme at a lace exhibit and demonstration on March 17th (Saint Patricks Day) features butterflies. I will wear a hip length floaty black jacket (it drapes from shoulder down). There are 5 different white butterflies from different nations flying up the back from lower left to upper right.  A collection of 3-D Czech flowers are sewn on the left shoulder front, like a corsage.  Black sewing thread blends with the ground fabric, and large basting stitches are used on the fabric side with a tiny stitch every so often on the lace side.  This makes it easier to remove the lace when jacket needs laundering.  If one removes a jacket, the stitches are not boldly visible, as they would be if white thread was used.  In addition, for a touch of green, tatted shamrocks as earrings.  Remember, I have warned about possible damage to lace from car seat belts.  Carry a lace garment with you, instead of on you, when traveling.  Request 1:  Please plan to wear lace when you attend any lace exhibit, so that the public will see that lace is still being worn.  It will be a great conversation starter, and enhance their experience.  Request 2:  Please invent a way to become known for wearing lace.  Jean Leader has made bobbin lace earrings in many colors and various designs.  They are eye candy when we find ourselves face-to-face with her.  This is an example of a memorable way to promote lace.  Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
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