Now that it’s spring and the hemlines on dresses and skirts are rising — some to dangerously micro levels — I need to put you onto what I call “safety shorts.” It’s a form-fit layer that’s specifically worn to prevent the dreaded chub rub or thigh chafing that comes along with wearing non-pants. Safety shorts also provide peace of mind when an unexpected wind (or gust from a subway grate) decides to upskirt your dressy outfit. They can also be worn for good hygienic measure so that your hoo-ha isn’t making direct contact with public seating or the ground (if you’re out at a picnic, for example).
Up until recently, I’ve had great difficulty looking for the perfect pair of safety shorts. Bike shorts are too thick and too compressive, boyshorts feel too much like underwear and aren’t high-waisted enough, and shapewear basically gives me all-day cramps while it crushes my inner organs. So, when a brand called Undersummers — specializing in a whole collection of what founder and CEO CarrieRae Munson calls the “shortlette” — got on my radar, I had to give it a whirl and a twirl on the first day of mini dress weather. I wore a pair of the Classic Anti Chafing Shortlette Slipshort 6.5″ with the most babydoll dress I own — even a slight arm raise would normally expose too much if it weren’t for these skivvies underneath.
“The shortlette was designed to be lightweight and cool with a barely-there feel, kind of like going commando but completely covered!” Munson tells R29. “The most important functional elements of the shortlette are that they are a single layer undergarment with a cotton gusset so you don’t need additional underwear, the legs do not ride up or roll, nor does the waist, and my patented seam-free inner thigh makes these a long-lasting investment piece.” I, too, would confirm to all that — I even rode my bike and didn’t once experience the shortlette rolling up the leg or rolling down the waist. It’s contouring without being tight and it’s silky-slinky to the touch without making things too sweaty in the crotch area.
Munson’s brand Undersummers — the name comes from “under summer” dresses — was founded in 2011 while she was working as a speech pathologist but has since grown to have a low-key cult following with customers discovering the brand via searches and social media. The Classic Anti Chafing Shortlette Slipshort 6.5″, for example, boasts 4.6 stars and 2,329 reviews with people saying things like, “I absolutely love these slipshorts, they are just as comfortable as panties and made for all-day wear. I love that I no longer have to wear biker shorts under my dresses which can be uncomfortable and taxing especially in the heat. With the slipshorts, I’m only wearing one item under my dress instead of two (panties + thick biker shorts).”
Shortlettes are available in S to 5X, a size-inclusive range that was important for Munson and grounded in her own personal experience. “Many brands only offer standard or plus which can size you out of favorite wardrobe staples,” she says. “I am acutely aware of this as I have been sized medium to 2X in my adult life.” In addition, the collection is priced affordably — all shortlettes are in the $25–$40 range depending on the style. The brand also offers customers one free replacement if the size they order isn’t quite right. Munson explains that, for many customers, once they find the right size and style (with help from Undersummer’s fit team), they’ll often come back to get more pairs. “They [find they] need one for every day of the week and a second daily pair for nighttime,” she says.
If you, too, are ready to snag a pair of shortlettes (and I highly recommend you do so before skirt/dress season gets into full swing), Undersummers is offering Refinery29 readers an exclusive $10 off with the code R2910 at checkout through May 31, 2022, 2 p.m. ET. Or, if you already know that you want a bundle, buy three and you get one pair free with the code SHORTLETTES at checkout (all four pairs need to be in your cart for the code to work). Rest assured that this safety layer will keep you fully protected if you wanna hike up that hemline at any point this summer.
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In the non-fashion world, the term “plus-size” is used to describe anyone size 16 and beyond. Brands and designers take greater liberties with the moniker. Ever eager to win a badge of “inclusivity” and to grab a piece of the plus-size market — estimated to have a global annual worth of $194 billion — certain members of the industry are playing fast and loose with the definition.
In 2020, New York-based model Elianah Sukoenig told the digital publication Byrdie that a modeling agency she had worked with labeled her as “plus-size,” despite the fact that she was a size 0. After being offered a new contract by the “well-known New York agency,” Sukoenig said that she was sent to two separate test shoots that were expecting a plus-size model. Both clients were understandably disappointed when she arrived. “My book went up a few weeks later online, and there I was, [listed] on the curve division,” she said. (A model’s book is the same as their portfolio.) “At a size 0.”
While this is an extreme example, it’s not unusual in the fashion world for a model who is not a size 16 or up to appear in plus-size campaigns. “The models that we see being used for plus-size sponsorships, e-commerce photography, lookbooks, [and more] aren’t plus-size, they are mid-size [typically categorized as size 8 to 14],” says plus-size fashion influencer Stephanie Yeboah, who took to Twitter in May to address the issue. “Here’s a thought: seeing as all the ‘plus-size models’ used by fashion brands are actually mid-size models, maybe use them in straight-size fashion campaigns alongside the [size 0, 2, and 4 models],” she tweeted. “And use fat models to promote fat fashions.”
Here’s a thought: seeing as all the ‘plus size models’ used by fashion brands are actually mid-sized models, maybe use them in straight sized fashion campaigns alongside the size 4-8’s.
And use fat models to promote fat fashions instead.
— στεφανια Yeboah (@StephanieYeboah) May 24, 2021
By doing so, brands could offer visibility to a range of different body types, from the entire plus-size spectrum to straight-size women that aren’t a size 0, 2, or 4, and provide service to all their customers. “If you are able to find clothes in that range, then surely you should have models that represent the scope of sizes in that collection,” Yeboah tells Refinery29.
Alexandra Waldman, the co-founder of size-inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard, agrees — and she’s using her business to change the narrative by ensuring that models of every size are present on her company’s website and in its campaigns. “We’re not going to do a song and dance around it, we’re simply going to present it to the world the way we think it should always have been, and then wait for everyone else to kind of catch up,” she says.
She isn’t only talking about sizes. The skewed representation blighting the industry includes body types, too, with a majority of the models chosen for plus-size campaigns having an hourglass body shape. Clients want models “to be proportional, so the waist is between nine and 11 inches different from the hips,” says Samantha Granger, a curve- and plus-size modeling agent at Bicoastal Management. According to Granger, size doesn’t matter so much if a model’s proportions show a 10-inch difference between their waist and hip measurements. That way, the samples are bound to fit them. “Just like the straight-size [models], there are some guidelines,” she says, referring to the models that get picked.
“I want to see what an outfit actually looks like on someone that has a belly and big arms or flabby arms — someone that may not have a body shape that is an extreme hourglass.”
Therein lies the issue. By singling out certain people — based on the size that they wear or their body’s proportions — as the ideal that should be used as fashion’s blueprint, those who fall outside of that archetype are excluded. “When I go onto a website and see, for instance, a bodycon or mini dress, I don’t want to see that on somebody that’s a size 12 with a flat stomach, a small waist, and big hips, because that body type doesn’t adequately portray the plus-size bodies that are moving around society at the moment,” says Yeboah. “I want to see what an outfit actually looks like on someone that has a belly and big or flabby arms — someone that may not have a body shape that is an extreme hourglass.”
If more than half of the women in the U.S. wear a size 16 or up, it stands to reason that models should represent that. But after decades of the fashion world applauding the tiniest and most supposedly “proportional” body types, digging our way out of this dominant paradigm — and in turn, teaching society that there is no one type of beauty — is going to take time.
“Every time I see [Girlfriend Collective] campaigns, a part of me just wants to cry because they use a plus-size model that’s a size 24 or 26 and you can just see her belly and her back rolls and I think: that is what I look like.”
The tides do appear to be turning, however slowly, with brands like Torrid, Girlfriend Collective, Wray NYC, and Universal Standard employing models that are representative of the entire plus-size range. “When I started booking [plus models] full-time close to two and a half years ago, the [women] that were being requested [for plus-size jobs] most frequently were size 14,” Granger says. Today, Granger says that requests for sizes 16 and 18 are much more prevalent, with some brands hiring size 26 or 28 models.
“Every time I see [Girlfriend Collective] campaigns, a part of me just wants to cry because they use a plus-size model that’s a size 24 or 26 and you can just see her belly and her back rolls and I think: that is what I look like,” says Yeboah. “Now, I can see what an outfit will look like on me, and therefore I want to purchase it.”
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Not that you ever need a reason to treat yourself to some diamonds — or, in this particular case, just-as-shiny, way more affordable cubic zirconia stones — but, in the event that you’re a jewelry lover who’s looking to up your sparkle ante, you don’t want to miss out on this sale. Through May 31, 2022, 7 a.m. ET, Refinery29 readers can get 30% off at OBJKTS Jewelrywiththe code REFINERY30 at checkout. Anything and everything that catches the glimmer in your eye is fair game except for the “Bundles” collections, which already have an auto-discount applied. Free shipping is also offered when you spend £40 (or roughly $50 USD).
For the uninitiated, OBJKTS Jewelry (formally known as OBJEKTS) is “a contemporary jewelry brand on a mission to create high-quality, unique jewelry that is accessible to all.” The brand offers the usual smatter platter of gilded goods — necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets — all of which are designed with accents of diamond-like radiance that the CZ stones provide. Whatever your twinkle mood is, there’s a piece that will fittingly adorn you. You can shop for dainty stacking rings speckled with micro gems all the way up to bling-tastic statement hoops fully encrusted with the razzle-dazzle stones.
What sets OBJKTS apart from other jewelry brands lies in the shimmer factor. OBJKTS prides itself on only using high-grade cubic zirconia “that mimic the typical luster and shine of real diamonds [with stones that are] almost indistinguishable […] whilst being sustainable and a fraction of the cost.” Which is to say: Keep everyone fooled as you drip yourself in these crystalline pieces. And, at such a sweet deal, you deserve to generously layer yourself in utter brilliance.
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The process of at-home tie-dyeing is far from new. In fact, we’ve been doing it since we were kids — at sleepovers, summer camps, and oh-so-many birthday parties. But as adults, upon feeling the need to add a ‘70s-inspired punch to our wardrobes, we often choose to purchase something pre-dyed rather than doing the work ourselves. Now though, with more time on our hands, what’s stopping us from returning to our former DIY glory days? Even better, you don’t need to buy any new clothing — just use whatever’s at home.
“I love the transformative nature of dyeing: taking something you’ve had and giving it a second life,” says Christina Tung, the founder of SVNR, a DIY jewelry and ready-to-wear brand that specializes in tie-dyed slip dresses. Abacaxi designer Sheena Sood agrees, assuring that the process is hard to mess up. “With tie-dye, I really love that you basically can never go wrong,” she says. “I always enjoy seeing the surprise as the design is revealed.”
While, both designers agree that there’s beauty in the resulting design, no matter how it turns out, there is some technique that goes into making sure that the greens don’t mix with the yellows to form a not-so-flattering brown hue you’ll never want to wear.With that in mind, the designers behind our favorite tie-dye fashions were more than happy to share how they get the perfect at-home spiral every time. Ahead, their tips.
Step 1: Pick your materials
Before any dyeing can commence, you have to pick out what exactly it is that you’re going to tie-dye (sweatshirts, T-shirts, tube socks, and cotton underwear are easy to come by and perfect for at-home wear), and what materials you’re going to use to do it.
According to Hillary Taymour, the designer behind cult sustainable brand Collina Strada, all you need are some brightly colored vegetables, her favorites being beets and turmeric. Tung, on the other hand, prefers using Dharma Trading dye powders. You’ll also need soap (if using used clothing), buckets or pots for your dye (Sood warns against using kitchen pots, FYI), a squirt bottle (if you prefer to apply the dye rather than dunk the clothing in it), rubber bands or clamps depending on your preferred method (more on that below), gloves, and a place to dry your finished products (a clothing line or drying rack will work).
Step 2: Mix your dye with warm water
Once you’ve chosen what dyes to use, just add them to a squirt bottle or pot/bucket with warm water and mix together. “I like the colors to be a bit uneven and complex so I’ll mix the red with a bit of green and other colors so that results are a bit earthier, unexpected, and not so bright and perfect,” Tung says.
Sood goes a step further: “Add some salt as a mordant for cotton or vinegar if dyeing wool, and then stir until completely mixed,” she says. “You don’t want any chunks of dye sitting at the bottom or flecks sitting at the top.”
Step 3: Create a tie-dye pattern of your choice with rubber bands
There are tons of different patterns to choose from when tie-dyeing. According to Sood, you can scrunch and tie your garment with rubber bands, fold your garment and clamp it together, or even stitch your garment together to create various effects.
“I love experimenting with Shibori, the Japanese art of tie-dyeing, to create motifs and different patterns,” she says. “It can become very intricate and detailed or abstract depending on how much time you have on your hands.” She also uses a technique called Tegumo, which “involves creating circular pleats and tying them with rubber bands to create either circular-, diamond-, or square-shaped motifs.” She also suggests tying a marble or di inside of the aforementioned circular pleats and using an Indian technique called Leheriya, which involves twisting fabric diagonally and wrapping it with a rope to create stripes.
Kara Jubin, the designer behind up-and-coming indie label KkCo, prefers a more natural tie-dye method. “I have been really into a ‘watercolor’ finish lately, so I do a light twist, but tie and knot lightly so the colors could bleed into the knots and blend into each other.” So, too, does Taymour, who has an affinity for the more traditional spiral method. “You pinch the middle of a garment and spin it into a pizza shape,” she says. “From there, you rubber-band it into pizza slices and add any color you want in all the pizza wedges.” In addition to tie-dyeing, you can now add pizza-ordering to the night’s list of activities.
Step 4: Soak your rubber-banded garment in water to prepare it for dyeing
Before dyeing, it’s important to soak your garment in warm water to get the fibers ready to take in the dye. Sood suggests adding a little bit of soap and some synthrapol — a laundry soap designed specifically to be used before dyeing fabrics — to the warm water mixture. “If it’s a used garment rather than new, you’ll want to make sure it’s been thoroughly washed beforehand. The fibers need to be clean and rid of any other chemicals before dyeing,” she says. Jubin suggests a 20-minute soak.
Step 5: Put on gloves. Add your tie-dye to the desired area.
“I always get lazy and don’t wear gloves, so my hands constantly look radioactive,” says Tung. Noted! Once your gloves are on, start dipping your garment or pouring the dye mixture onto it. For darker shades, you can soak your garment in a bath of dye. The longer you let it soak, the darker your garment will become.
Step 6: Wrap in cling wrap and let sit
Once you feel like your design is finished, take it out of the dye and wrap it in plastic wrap to keep the moisture locked in. As for how long to let it sit, it’s up to you. “I like to let my dyed pieces sit for 6 to 8 hours,” says Taymour, while Jubin suggests 12-plus hours. “24 hours is usually a sweet spot for me, but I’ve let some things sit for up to 48 hours before,” she says. “While tie-dyeing, I never have an empty cup,” Jubin jokes. “I’m currently drinking a Muller Thurgau from the Schmitt winery in Germany.”
Step 7: Rinse out until the water runs clear
Whether you chose to soak your design for 6 or 48 hours, once the buzzer buzzes, you need to then rinse out all of the dye using cold water. Take out the garment once the water runs clear.
Step 8: Wash (alone) on a cold cycle
The last step in the tie-dye process is to wash your newly technicolor garment in the washing machine using cold water. Important: wash it alone. Dyeing one item of clothing every color of the rainbow is one thing, dyeing an entire load is a whole other story. Jubin also recommends washing the garment while it’s still knotted. “This helps preserve any excess dye from bleeding into any tighter knots. I then unknot and wash again with cold water,” she says.
Now it’s your turn. Grab a cocktail, switch on your favorite playlist, and get to work.
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Welcome to Aisle Style, a week-long series that features the most untraditional wedding fashion trends, bridal designers behind the coolest wedding looks, and brides who walk to the beat of their own “Canon In D.” Buck the tradition and say I do to personal style — the aisle is yours.
In an industry as traditional as bridal, it makes waves when a new wedding designer enters the space. This was the case with Thom Browne alum Jackson Wiederhoeft, who burst onto the bridal scene not only with an innovative vision and some of the most unique wedding looks out there but also during a pandemic summer of 2020.
Wiederhoeft quickly generated industry attention and press, with the brand’s genre-bending, joy-inducing confections featuring Romanticism-inspired exaggerated puff sleeves, innovative corsetry, and rows-upon-rows of ribbon bows. And while for his sophomore Spring 2022 bridal collection, the wunderkind pared down (relatively) his avant-garde style — for “commercially-minded styles” for “an old-fashioned girl with an old-fashioned mind,” per show notes — according to him, “the interest so far for clients, and myself, has been primarily on the more experimental styles.”
After two years of pandemic postponements, Zoom nuptials, and micro-ceremonies, weddings are back. According to The Wedding Report, a record 2.5 million nuptials are set to take place in 2022 (up from 1.3 million in 2020 and 1.93 million in 2021). And the related matrimony fashion is looking to be just as celebratory and impactful, following an extended period of more casual and minimal ensembles.
“The attitude these days seems so exuberant, everyone feels very ready to embrace the celebration and really go for it,” says Wiederhoeft. “I think we all realized how fragile life can be, so it’s great to see people embracing their own identities.”
While couples seem less swayed by parents’ approval or general opinions when it comes to wedding dress style — “Brides are wanting to be unapologetically themselves for their weddings, not their parent’s daughter or cupcake version of themselves,” says Frankel — that doesn’t mean couples are bucking tradition altogether. Instead, couples now often pay homage to their roots. “Brides are incorporating their culture, whether it’s religion, or otherwise,” says Scorcesa founder Charles Dieujuste. “They want a piece of that during their wedding day.” Indeed it’s true: According to The Knot 2021 Real Weddings Study, 6 in 10 couples say that it’s important to incorporate their ethnicity, religion, and/or culture throughout their wedding; 75% of BIPOC couples say the same.
In 2020, the publicist-turned-bridal designer founded Scorcesa in celebration of his multicultural Haitian American heritage. In turn, Dieujuste often speaks to clients looking to honor their culture on their biggest day. He recalls a bride wishing to represent the vibrant colors of East Indian weddings through a chic red-and-gold leaf ensemble. “[Clients] love to incorporate tradition, but don’t want it to be like, the ‘traditional wedding’ [look,]” says Dieujuste.
In addition to fulfilling these custom orders, Dieujuste offers more “daring silhouettes,” designed specifically to suit the lifestyle of the “modern” and “non-traditional” bride. Scorcesa’s signatures include chic mix-and-match pieces: fluttery crop tops, sleek bandeaus, tailored trousers, polished detachable accents, and flounce-hem ball gown skirts. For the new season, he is showcasing sparkling sequins, dramatic sleeves, sultry cut-outs and open-back, higher slits, and deeper plunging necklines. “Brides are looking for more of a moment,” he says.
For his upcoming May release, Wiederhoeft is also leaning into “the spectacle” desired by his risk-taking and adventurous clientele — and his theatrical, high-spirited design inclinations. “We are exploring everything, from giant ball gowns covered in corset-lacing to embroidered mini-dresses and severe corseted suiting,” he says. “I think this is what people come to the brand for — it’s what we do best: creating a narrative, an experience.”
Look to the data, too: According to online marketplace Love The Sales, global search for “non-traditional wedding dresses” has surged 60%, compared to the last 12 months, while demand for specific fashion-related details has spiked over the same period: “fringe wedding dresses” 53%, ‘90s-influenced “square neck wedding dresses” 60%, “wedding separates” and “colored wedding dresses” 50%, and “wedding jumpsuits,” a whopping 173%.
Still, even with a demand for more unique wedding styles, designers walk a delicate balance of event-appropriate and self-expressive. Just ask Katharine Polk, who founded Houghton in 2011 as an innovative brand to “blur” the line between ready-to-wear and bridal. Considered the OG bridal disruptor, Houghton pushed against the boundaries of the rigid, traditional landscape with ultra-wearable, cool-kid elements like leather moto-jackets, customized denim, plus cut-outs and pants.
“[Houghton is] rooted in reality and what real women want [and can] wear with a drop of romanticism and fantasy. We don’t base our collections on trends, but we seem to keep in line with what we’re seeing on the ready-to-wear runway — and that means sometimes it’s too soon for the bridal world,” says Polk, who paused Houghton in January 2018, launched a self-named direct-to-consumer line in January 2021, and then revived the original brand in October that year. (Houghton is now exploring a new retail concept in partnership with online platform Dress Hunt.) Houghton 2.0’s sophomore capsule for Spring 2023 features an ‘80s-referential ruched and cut-out lilac mini-dress and a lace overlay, puff shoulders, and crystal-detailed gown with dramatic opera gloves.
To marry (sorry) fashion and function, Wiederhoeft is bridging an experimental, unexpected element with classical wedding themes, like bows, taffeta, and tulle. “One of my favorite pieces is from the first bridal collection: a strapless mini dress that feels very cocktail or evening, but the fabrication is double-faced satin bows edged in white lace,” says Wiederhoeft, comparing the effect to “a perfect little wedding cake.”
The idea of “non-traditional” bridal expands beyond wedding wear, as consumers push back against outdated norms and constrictions surrounding the day. It’s worth noting that all five designers have size-inclusive brands to bring joy to many people long ignored by the industry during one of their most important — and emotional — purchases. The bridal industry, through its marketing and messaging (and in the term itself) also pushes a heteronormative, cis-gender standard. “As a non-binary person, I don’t feel that ‘bride’ or ‘groom’ really fits me, which is part of why I say ‘celebrant’ instead of ‘bride,”’ says Wiederhoeft, who does find boundless inspiration in “princesses, faeries, and corsets.” “But, it’s a start point and a muse, not an end goal. I think this pathway of very ‘feminine’ ideas can go in so many directions, and it starts to twist that tale-as-old-as-time narrative.”
The past two years have also involved self-introspection and reassessment of values and intentions, especially regarding consumerism and consumption. The WeddingWire 2022 Wedding Trends Report found that couples are emphasizing sustainability in the planning process of pending nuptials, fueled by millennials and Gen Z tying the knot. “I believe that the ‘modern bridal market’ has now been recognized as a sustainable category in the bridal industry rather than a niche,” says Polk. She founded Houghton to locally and ethically manufacture in Los Angeles and practice sustainability in design and production. The brand ethos also encourages (and attracts) clients interested in recycling and re-wearing her pieces.
Dieujuste also designs and produces Scorcesa locally in New York City with the intention for clients to re-wear their pieces. “The DNA of the brand is pretty much investment looks for the ‘modern bride,’” he says. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I’m on the go. I’m doing a million things. The one thing that I don’t want to worry about is a gown in my closet that I’m not going to wear ever again, after one day.” According to him, a London destination wedding bride, who just bought an A-line crop top and wide-leg trouser set, already looks forward to wearing the look as separates following her big day, while another is contemplating a tuxedo.
While conscious brides seek out Markarian for its waste-reducing made-to-order model and usage of sustainable fibers, they also value the smart, practical purchase. “They’re looking for something that isn’t just a one-off piece, but is something that they can work into their wardrobe,” says O’Neill.
Today’s non-traditional wedding consumer isn’t just searching for a unique, self-expressive look to represent a landmark life moment, but also making an intentional investment purchase, which could become a reusable keepsake for the future — transcending fashion trends. (See: Rachel Sennott who wore Wiederhoeft’s bow-covered wedding mini-dress on the red carpet for the New York premiere of her film, Shiva Baby.)
“Instead of trying to embody every emotion of the celebration in one look, they can divvy it up and express themselves in a few chapters,” says Wiederhoeft. “It’s really exciting and liberating.”
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“First, I had to get to know who I was. And then to try to express myself,” Iris Apfel tells me at a Palm Beach luncheon celebrating the launch of Iris Apfel x H&M (out Stateside today). “And that just kind of comes naturally, and you just work at it and work at it until you refine it and get it the way you like it and the way you feel comfortable.”
As the subject of a book and a documentary, the fashion icon knows a thing or two about personal style. For years, the textiles expert has delighted the fashion world with her penchant for combining — and clashing — colors, textures, and patterns. So much so that the Swedish brand (that lists Brock and Simone Rocha as past collaborators) tapped Apfel for its newest coveted designer collection, which was announced at the style maven’s 100th birthday celebration last year. Now, everyone can, according to the H&M press release, find their “inner Iris,” with an unabashedly joyful collection featuring apparel, shoes, and jewelry.
The collaboration is an amalgamation of the eccentric, expressive style that the centennial is known for — a bright purple crop jacket adorned in ruffles, a printed set featuring Apfel’s signature oversized glasses and iris flowers, a chunky ring depicting Apfel’s face, and ornate baroque slippers.
“H&M picked up on every detail,” Apfel says while pointing to the pearl-like buttons on the jacquard blue-green suit, featuring a whimsy peapod print, that she is wearing. “You wouldn't know these clothes weren’t couture. I mean, the workmanship. I'm a detail freak, and they were just wonderful.”
While a collaboration between Apfel — whose personal collection of designer clothes and one-of-a-kind vintage wears has been shown in museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Peabody Essex Museum — and H&M, the affordable fashion destination, may appear unexpected, Apfel is a strong believer that “style and money have nothing to do with each other.”
“The most stylish people I've ever seen didn't have a penny,” she says. “It's not what you wear, it is how you wear it. You can have beautiful, beautiful things. But if you don't put them together properly or you don't carry them in the right way [it doesn’t matter]. Style is attitude, attitude, attitude.”
While Apfel wants to encourage self-expression with the collection, she hopes that shoppers will make the pieces uniquely their own. "You have to know who you are and not jump off on every trend, because then you'll get no place and you look like everybody else,” she says. “Originality is number one.”
With this in mind, don’t expect her to tell you how to style the idiosyncratic line. “One day I feel one way, one day I feel another,” she says of her dressing process. “And that's how you put [a look] together. I think formula dressing is very boring.”
See — and shop — some of our favorite Iris Apfel x H&M looks, ahead.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Iris Apfel x H&M Short Faux Fur Jacket, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Jacquard-weave Pants, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Jacquard-weave Coat, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Printed Swimsuit, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Flounced Jacket, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Flounced Dress, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Rib-knit Shorts, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Oversized Shirt, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Rhinestone-embellished Clip Earrings, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Rhinestone-embellished Clip Earrings, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Embellished Brocade Slippers, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Embellished Brocade Slippers, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Rhinestone-detail Cuff Bangle, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Iris Apfel Ring, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Rhinestone-embellished Stone Ring, $, available at H&M
Iris Apfel x H&M Statement Necklace, $, available at H&M
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