Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Iris Apfel Is 96. Now The Fashion Icon Is A Barbie Doll

(JTA) — The American toy company that created the Barbie doll announced a new addition to the line in the image of Iris Apfel as an homage to the 96-year-old Jewish fashion guru.

The Apfel effigy by the maker of what is perhaps the world’s best-known line of dolls wears the same striking green Gucci suit and jewels that the real-life Apfel wears on the cover of her latest book, “Accidental Icon,” the New York Post reported Thursday. But whereas the real-life Apfel is visibly wrinkled, her Barbie version has a smooth face.

“Her long-spanning career makes her the perfect subject of a one-of-a-kind doll, the highest honor Barbie bestows,” a Mattel representative told The Post in a statement. The new Apfel Barbie will not be available for sale.

Apfel, a New York-born fashion journalist and illustrator turned designer, in 2016 won the Women Together Special Award. In 2005, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York premiered an exhibition about Apfel’s style entitled Rara Avis. Since 2014, she has been the subject of two internationally-distributed documentaries: “Iris” by Albert Maysles and “If You’re Not In the Obit, Eat Breakfast.”

Last week, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the brand released a “Sheroes” collection, featuring more than 15 doll versions of inspiring women, including model Ashley Graham, ballerina Misty Copeland and artist Frida Kahlo.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.