Stories of Real People: Iris Apfel, 97-Year-Old Style Icon, Has Just Signed with a Modeling Agency

People who have made it to the top of their careers are interesting to study. Precious few come back down the mountain to learn something new again. Collecting stories of real people embracing continuous learning is inspiring to me. I hope you benefit, as I do, from their example.

Iris Apfel has long proved that in the fashion industry, age is just a number—and now, she's doing the same for the world of modeling.

IMG, one of the biggest agencies in the game, announced on Thursday that it had added the 97-year-old Apfel to its roster. The company will represent Apfel for modeling, as well as appearances and endorsements.

"I’m very excited. I never had a proper agent," Apfel told WWD. "I’m a do-it-yourself girl. I never expected my life would take this turn so I never prepared for it. It all just happened so suddenly, and I thought at my tender age, I’m not going to set up offices and get involved with all kinds of things. I thought it was a flash in the pan, and it’s not going to last. Somehow, people found me. People would just call. Tommy Hilfiger said that was no way to do it, and he put us together. I’m very excited and very grateful."

It's about time that she got some proper representation, as Apfel has been racking up deals with some big clients in recent years. Per WWD, she's worked with Kate Spade, MAC, Alexis Bittar, HSN, and Le Bon Marché, among others.

Apfel hopes that her success will inspire other older women to do the same. "I don’t think a number should make any difference and make you stop working," she said. "I think retirement is a fate worse than death. I love to work, and love my work. I feel sorry for people who don’t like what they do. I do it now to the exclusion of everything else. I meet interesting, creative people, my juices flow and I really have a fine time."

Christine Haskell, PHD has built her practice working with the insanely talented and highly creative across multiple sectors. In the Stories of Real People Series, you’ll find stories of real people doing extraordinary things, shareable joy, and links to the full source material.

Why I March(ed) Today

At brunch over the holidays, a friend and I were reflecting on the year. It was a big one: #MeToo and all that came with it, the legacy of the Women's Movement--"I don't march," she said. "What good does that really do?""Showing up really matters. In 2016, it was electric. People--across the world--had had a breaking point, and they knew they were not alone. Seeing and being amongst a virtual sea of pink hats in planes, buses, trains, on the street--it was incredible. For the first time, I was seeing women in the world not as a minority. I can't really put into words the emotion of that day. You could physically feel kindness and empathy, everywhere you went. You can never go back to a "before" after experiencing something like that. Change, real change, happens from that kind of event.""Okay," she conceded. "You have a point. But what does it mean now?"I have given serious consideration to that question. This year, I reached out to a few march-y galpals to see if they were available this weekend to show up for the cause. Personally, I'm burnt out on marches, but I remembered how important it was to show up the first time, and even the second time. I was curious what this year might look like.Responses? Several were out of town or skiing. Others were busy, demo'ing the bathroom, and another was helping her mother transition into an assisted living facility. All promised to wear their hats and #Represent. I had to get cat food and clean the windows myself, so I had put myself in rather a dilemma.On my way to run errands, I joined the march as it was just starting to move.  The energy was low. The crowds were low. I didn't see as much pluck and cleverness in the signage this year. The tone was different. The sentiments, predictable.There were the costumes, now professionally made (probably specifically for protest marches). No matter, the red cloak has become an important symbol now, representative of just how much we can lose. Seeing them there was comforting.I spoke with a cop about crowd expectations."We're expecting 5-7,000," he said. "Way down from last year, or the first year when it was 30,000. That was fun. I don't know what it is this year. Maybe it's the weather.""Maybe people are tired," I replied. "I'm tired.""Yeah, well, stay strong. Have fun! It's good you came out."He meant it too. He was in full support of the march. That was cute to see.My personal favorite aspects of marches are:

  • clever signage. It illustrates the nuance of the protest. Marches are about one theme (in this case the idea that women's rights are human rights), but people live in their particulars and it's always interesting to me to understand those particulars better and see how much they matter.

  • children. I didn't grow up in a family or attend schools that were politically active. I didn't attend rallies, marches, or show up for groups that were generally upset. As a result, I didn't ever really feel that political issues impacted me much, and they didn't because I grew up in a very protected bubble. So I appreciate parents bringing their kids to events like this. I believe it is important to show up and have your voice heard and feel like they are part of something larger. People need to learn that as young as possible.

  • engineers. There is nothing like an engineer with time to creatively express his/her voice. I was late with the photo because by then I was holding my double decaf mocha, but there was one couple with remote-controlled turkeys labeled Pence and one labeled Trump, each holding a sign saying "I'm with -->." You have to tip your hat to that one.

WHAT NOW?

Do low numbers and an organization suffering from bad management mean this movement was a failure? Not by a long shot. The energy from 2016 will never be forgotten, especially to those that showed up.The thing to remember about energy is that it never stays in one place. It turns into:the inspiration for new initiativesthe drive to run for officethe courage to speak up against bad behavior, this year, so many to name but this picture, to me, was the most powerful representation of the #MeToo movementthe anger to fight for what is right and the courage to find your voicethe belief that you can change what is possible for yourself and othersthe insight to become a better ally -- will this by YOU?So even if the women's march dwindles, that powerful, powerful, worldwide outcry for human rights was heard and it continues to inspire. I think it will become a memory like the Civil Rights marches of the 60s. But it's important to remember that a lot of movement came from that first march. 

"Women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights." --Hillary Clinton

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Marches are great, but sustaining change is better. Check out these orgs for ways to involve yourself in your community:

  • Make America Dinner Again (M.A.D.A.) In a divisive time, a nationwide organization is bringing people of divergent views together over dinner — with intense, cathartic results.
  • Living Room Conversations  Living Room Conversations are a conversational bridge across issues that divide and separate us. They provide an easy structure for engaging in friendly yet meaningful conversation with those with whom we may not agree. These conversations increase understanding, reveal common ground, and sometimes even allow us to discuss possible solutions. No fancy event or skilled facilitator is needed.
  • Attend Citizen University Citizen University is building a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship across the country.
  • Look for Local Events via Seattle Times
  • Become a student at the Community Police Academy Community participants will become familiar with various facets of the SPD and gain insight into law enforcement's role in the criminal justice system and the daily work of police employees. With increased understanding, Seattle's community and police can work together and achieve realistic solutions to neighborhood problems relating to crime, fear of crime, and neighborhood decay. This class is both fun and educational and often challenges the myths and images of law enforcement by providing a realistic view of police procedures.
  • Volunteer Your Time.  ACLU
  • Donate Your Resources. ...
  • Shop Locally.
  • Join a Class or Group.
  • Seek local experiences, support people doing creative projects.
  • Organize Your Own Event.

A little list for learning

Are you looking to expand your learning and development perspective?Here are a few titles to add to your learning toolkit.

I have more serious lists to share, and will, over the coming months. But this is a nice little list of books and resources that moved me in different ways--so I thought I'd share.

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FOR KIDS

1. Big Questions from Little People: And Simple Answers from Great Minds

A delightful alternative to Alexa! :-) and a smart, illuminating, essential, and utterly delightful handbook for perplexed parents and their curious children. Author Gemma Elwin Harris has lovingly compiled weighty questions from precocious grade school children—queries that have long dumbfounded even intelligent adults—and she’s gathered together a notable crew of scientists, specialists, philosophers, and writers to answer them.Miles above your average general knowledge and trivia collections, this charming compendium includes responses from: Mary Roach and Phillip Pullman, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, chef Gordon Ramsay, adventurist Bear Gryllis, and linguist Noam Chomsky. Questions with no easy answers (“Do animals have feelings?”, “Why can’t I tickle myself?”, “Who is God?”) are addressed by well-known comedians, columnists, and raconteurs offering hilarious alternative answers.

2. A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader

A collection of original letters to the children of today and tomorrow about why we read and what books do for the human spirit, composed by 121 of the most interesting and inspiring humans in our world: Jane Goodall, Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline Woodson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Mary Oliver, Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, Rebecca Solnit, Elizabeth Gilbert, Shonda Rhimes, Alain de Botton, James Gleick, Anne Lamott, Diane Ackerman, Judy Blume, Eve Ensler, David Byrne, Sylvia Earle, Richard Branson, Daniel Handler, Marina Abramović, Regina Spektor, Elizabeth Alexander, Adam Gopnik, Debbie Millman, Dani Shapiro, Tim Ferriss, Ann Patchett, a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor, Italy’s first woman in space, and many more immensely accomplished and largehearted artists, writers, scientists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and adventurers whose character has been shaped by a life of reading.

3. The White Cat and the Monk

My all-time favorite poem, about a monk studying his books late into the evening and searches for truth in their pages. His cat, Pangur, leads a simple life, too, chasing prey in the darkness. As night turns to dawn, Pangur leads his companion to the truth he has been seeking. The White Cat and the Monk is a retelling of the classic Old Irish poem and a contemplative story paying tribute to the wisdom of animals and the wonders of the natural world.Written as a playful ode in the ninth century, today the poem lives partway between lamentation and celebration — it stands as counterpoint to our culture of competitive striving and ceaseless self-comparisons, but it also reminds us that the accomplishments of others aren’t to the detriment of our own; that we can remain purposeful about our pursuits while rejoicing in those of others; that we can choose to amplify each other’s felicity because there is, after all, enough to go around even in the austerest of circumstances.That is a lesson we spend our whole lifetimes learning.

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FOR ADULTS

4.  There Is Nothing Wrong with You Going Beyond Self Hate

...and, I would add, every other book by Cheri Huber. Self-hate is something with which everyone must reckon. This book reveals the origin of self-hate, how self-hate works, how to identify it, and how to go beyond it. It provides examples of some of the forms self-hate takes, including taking blame but not credit, holding grudges, and trying to be perfect, and explores the many facets of self-hate, including its role in addiction, the battering cycle, and the illusion of control. After addressing these factors, it illustrates how a meditation practice can be developed and practiced in efforts to free oneself from self-hating beliefs.

5. Thanks For The Feedback

A highly applicable book from the authors of Difficult Conversations, this great read is for professionals and anyone looking to improve their relationships through better communication. This means you need to take on the toughest topic of all: how you see yourself. In Thanks for the Feedback, the authors explain why receiving feedback is so crucial yet so challenging, offering a simple framework and powerful tools to help us take on life's blizzard of offhand comments, annual evaluations, and unsolicited input with curiosity and grace. They blend the latest insights from neuroscience and psychology with practical, hard-headed advice. Thanks for the Feedback is destined to become a classic in the fields of leadership, organizational behavior, and education.

6. Finite & Infinite Games

“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite.”Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander.This is a beautifully written book about the struggle between two value systems. It lays the challenge of deciding for yourself which game you are playing.

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FOR YOUR AUDIO ENJOYMENT

7. Podcast: History of Rome

The History of Rome is a podcast tracing the history of the Roman Empire, beginning with Aeneas's arrival in Italy and ending with the exile of Romulus Augustulus, last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Mike Duncan is one of the foremost history podcasters in the world, with over 100 million episode downloads over his ten-year career. His award-winning series The History of Rome remains one of the most popular history podcasts on the internet. Duncan mentioned that in making the podcast, he learned “human nature has changed very little,” and that people generally respond to the same situations in the same sorts of ways. “I don’t think we’re so completely different than any Roman was.” There is a lot to be learned here.

8. Podcast: Voices in AI

Published and sponsored by Gigaom, Voices in AI is a new podcast that features in-depth interviews with the leading minds in artificial intelligence. It covers the gambit of viewpoints regarding this transformative technology, from beaming techno-optimism to dark dystonia despair. The format features a single guest in an hour-long one-on-one interview with host Byron Reese. Featuring today’s most prominent authors, researchers, engineers, scientists and philosophers, the podcast explores the economic, social, ethical and philosophical implications of artificial intelligence. Conversation centers on familiar terrain relating to jobs, robots, and income inequality, yet also reaches more far-flung topics such as the possibility of conscious machines, robot rights, weaponized AI, and the possible re-definition of humanity and life itself. With a topic as rich as AI, there is seldom a slow moment.

9. Podcast: In Our Time

Last but not least, In Our Time seeks In Our Time is a live BBC radio discussion series exploring the history of ideas, expertly facilitated by Melvyn Bragg. Each program covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic. Bragg hosts a discussion of the week's subject featuring three experts on the subject. The program is normally broadcast live and unedited beginning with a short summary of the week's topic. He guides the discussion along a generally chronological route, then either concludes the program himself or invites summation remarks from one of the specialists. At the end of each podcast, they do some outtakes as they wind down over, and this is so British, tea and coffee.

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BONUS

10. Best Museum Recommendation: The American Writers Museum of Chicago

No single picture does it justice, so I encourage you to visit their website. The American Writers Museum is a museum of American Literature and writing that opened in Chicago in May 2017. The museum was designed by Amaze Design of Boston and was inspired by the Dublin Writers Museum (now on my list to see).The museum pays homage to American writers both past and present and is the first of its kind in the nation--and it did not disappoint! For lovers of the written word, the

American Writers Museum should be the first stop on a trip through Chicago’s cultural playground.The American Writers Museum worked closely with 65 authors’ homes and museums around the country in order to capture their unique stories. The result is a lively, interactive showcase that shares the personal tales and literary works of some of America’s best-loved writers, ranging from Mark Twain to Dr. Seuss. Multiple galleries have been designed to engage and spur the imaginations of visitors of all ages. The museum’s sense of playfulness and purpose is evident immediately upon entering, with the branches of a tree above the entryway formed by rows of hardcover books.Read more about it here!Christine Haskell, PhD works with startups, Fortune 100s, non-profit organizations, and individual leaders and thinkers to help clients interweave results and relationships. It sounds like a simple concept, but it is not easy to pull off. Her passion and specialty is to help clients leverage their leadership development to produce bottom-line business results. She is currently working on her third manuscript focused on what master craftsmen (and women) can teach business about leadership, creativity, and growth (pending publication in 2019).