From The Straits Times    |

Iris Apfel: Enormous women should cover upIris Apfel is tired of seeing “enormous young women” in skimpy clothing.

The 90-year-old fashion icon and famed blogger Tavi Gevinson, 16, took part in a talk called Good Taste/Bad Taste: The Evolution of Contemporary Chic at New York’s Metropolitan Museum on Sunday.

Iris is always outspoken about the latest trends and spoke to fashionista.com about what she deplores after the event.

“I think [young people] could be a little bit more well groomed – if you know what well groomed is, you just take a look in the mirror. Their hair doesn’t look neat, they look like they are all messed up. I don’t think messy is pretty, I think they should study themselves a little more and not wear something that’s in fashion because it’s in fashion,” she said. “And you see some enormous young women wearing the skimpiest clothing and it really looks dreadful.”

During the talk, Iris said fashion should always be fun. She also encouraged people to experiment in the hope of finding a look which is unique to them.

“When the fun goes out of it, you might as well be dead. You need to pursue your own fancy,” she said.

“If you put something on and it doesn’t look good, the fashion police aren’t going to come and take you away. And if they do, you might have some fun in jail.

“[Developing a personal style is] like putting yourself on a psychiatric couch but you have to do it by yourself.”

However, Iris is adamant people shouldn’t take a dedication to style too far. She had hard words when quizzed about Comme des Garçons’ infamous bump collection, which saw models sporting huge lumps all over their bodies.

“I see no sense in paying a fortune to look like a freak. I can look ugly on my own and it won’t cost me a penny,” she said.