Diane von Furstenberg on life, love, and a wrap dress
Diane von Furstenberg Reflects on a Life Shaped by Fashion, Love and Reinvention
Wertynews.com – Venice, with its waterways, ornate palaces and historic bridges, has become an especially meaningful setting for Diane von Furstenberg. The designer spends roughly five months each year in the Italian city, a place she describes as both a personal refuge and a space for thought.
“It’s my stage. It’s where I think.”
As she approaches her 80th birthday on New Year’s Eve, von Furstenberg is considering the experiences, relationships and work that defined her public life. Her name remains inseparable from one of fashion’s most recognizable designs: the wrap dress, a garment that transformed her into a global figure during the 1970s.
A Simple Dress With an Extraordinary Reach
Von Furstenberg introduced the wrap dress in 1974 after developing the idea from a wrap-style top inspired by ballet clothing. Its appeal was direct: it was easy to wear, functional, comfortable and accessible in price. The design soon became a fixture of the era’s fashion landscape.
The moment that pushed her toward making the top into a dress came unexpectedly while she was watching television coverage of Watergate. Julie Eisenhower, Richard Nixon’s daughter, appeared wearing one of von Furstenberg’s wrap tops with a snakeskin-print skirt.
“And that’s when I thought, ‘Oh, you know what? We should turn it into a dress.’”
The response was remarkable. By 1976, she had sold one million wrap dresses. At 29, she appeared on the cover of Newsweek, which called her “the most marketable female in fashion since Coco Chanel.”
For years, however, she felt conflicted about how thoroughly the dress came to dominate public perceptions of her work. Von Furstenberg had built a career that extended beyond a single garment, even if that garment had become an enduring symbol of her name.
“I used to [tire of it], because I was doing all kinds of things, and people would say the wrap dress. I’d say, ‘The wrap dress? Enough already. I’ve done so many more.’”
A Beginning Marked by Survival
Born Diane Simone Michele Halfin in Brussels, Belgium, on December 31, 1946, von Furstenberg grew up with the profound story of her mother’s survival. Her mother had endured the Holocaust and weighed approximately 49 pounds when she was liberated from a death camp. With care from her own mother, she recovered; 13 months later, Diane was born.
Von Furstenberg has often recalled her mother’s explanation of that bond, one that placed her birth within a larger story of survival and renewal.
“God saved me so I could give you life. By giving you life, you gave me mine back.”
Her father was a businessman, while her mother’s history helped shape von Furstenberg’s awareness of resilience and mortality. Those themes continue to inform the way she speaks about age, legacy and the passage of time.
Royalty, Romance and an Open Life
Before becoming widely known as DVF, she married German-Italian prince Ëgon von Furstenberg. The marriage made her a princess and produced two children, though the relationship ultimately ended. Their open marriage attracted substantial public attention at the time.
Von Furstenberg has also been unusually candid about her romantic history. She has described Richard Gere as “very sweet” and said they had “a little fling.” She has mentioned other brief relationships with Warren Beatty and Ryan O’Neal, including an episode involving both men during the same weekend.
“Well, I once boasted about that, and then it stuck with me forever.”
She has also spoken about falling in love with both a boy and a girl when she was young, long before sexual fluidity was widely discussed in mainstream culture. Her relationship with the girl remains part of her life.
“Yes, I did fall in love with this girl, and we still talk.”
In 2001, von Furstenberg married media executive Barry Diller. Their relationship has continued to draw attention, particularly after Diller, then 83, wrote in his memoir about his attraction to men. Von Furstenberg has said this disclosure did not alter how she understood their relationship, because he had shared that part of himself with her long before the book.
“He’s my soulmate. He’s my companion of life. I mean, he’s everything.”
She has described the beginning of their relationship as unexpected and deeply passionate.
“When I met Barry, he was this hot guy. Magic happened. And it was passion. It was not something that I expected, at all.”
A Brand That Kept Moving
The DVF business has experienced financial highs and setbacks over the decades, but the company has endured. Von Furstenberg remains connected to the brand that bears her initials, while a younger generation now guides its creative direction. Her career offers a reminder that a famous label can pass through difficult periods without losing its ability to evolve.
“When people are at the top of their success — ‘Oh, she’s so successful’ — well, maybe things aren’t so good. And the same way when people say, ‘Oh, she’s finished,’ that can’t be, I was already on the way up again.”
Much of her attention is now directed toward legacy. Her annual DVF Awards, held in Venice and now in their 17th year, recognize women whose work is changing the world. Honorees have included actress and activist Jane Fonda and Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer Lynsey Addario.
Turning 80 has made reflection more immediate for von Furstenberg. She says she marks each coming year with intention and has long been conscious of mortality.
“I honor the year I’m going towards every year. I am very sensitive about mortality and always have been.”
For a designer whose most celebrated creation gave countless women an uncomplicated way to dress, this period is less about revisiting a single fashion triumph than considering the wider shape of a life: survival, independence, desire, work and the enduring question of what remains after the next chapter begins.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Diane von Furstenberg on life love?Diane von Furstenberg on life love is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does Diane von Furstenberg on life love matter?Diane von Furstenberg on life love matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.