The high street muse aged 100

High street favourite H & M’s designer collaborations regularly make headlines. Whether you queued for Marni, or stayed poised for hours over your keyboard trying to snaffle a Karl Lagerfeld or Stella McCartney, the chance of a bit of magic for less was a genuine innovation in extending fashion thrills for all. Which is exactly why it’s so exciting to see that style icon, 100 year old Iris Apfel is the subject of their next high street collaboration.

I think H&M is fabulous and is an absolute pioneer in its field – which I love! I love doing high style at affordable prices, which H&M has mastered! – Iris Apfel

Whilst you may not recognise her name, you will probably recognise her face as Iris Apfel, one of the most iconic personalities in the world of fashion and textiles. Iris has long championed the beauty, restoration and reproduction of antique fabrics and her travels around the world, and passion for vintage clothing and objects have all fed into the cementing, in her 80s and 90s, of a genuine style icon.

Celebrating the achievements of a  century on the planet is of course all kinds of wonderful.  Marking it  with a wild and flamboyant fashion collection is even better. The colours, textures and life that bounce around on the patterns and fabrics of the Apfel collaboration feel fun and wholly life-affirming. Could there be a more celebratory way to embrace a century of style than wearing clothes that playfully sing a grown-up rainbow of joy from the rooftops?

If nothing else we should enjoy this moment and try to remember that growing older shouldn’t ever mean gracefully retreating from the front of the stage. After looking at these pieces I know I’ll pop on a little more colour today, because fashion at its very best makes us feel great about ourselves. And that’s a feeling we should never let go of.