Well-regarded fashion designer and former Austro-Italian princess Diane von Fürstenberg became a powerful fashion icon in the 70s when she created the influential ‘wrap dress’, an example of which hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institute. Born Diane Halfin on December 31, 1945 in Brussels, Belgium, the famous socialite and entrepreneur was raised in a well-to-do Jewish family. Her Greek mother, Liliane Nahmias, was a Holocaust survivor.
Fürstenberg’s society life began while studying economics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where she met the Austro-Italian Prince Egon of Fürstenberg. The couple quickly fell in love and married, and had two children together after moving to New York City in 1969. An aspiring designer and businesswoman, the stunning Manhattan socialite quickly rose to fame when she introduced the ‘wrap dress’ in 1973. The popular design, which began a women’s fashion trend due to its revolutionary versatility, is notable for its dual status as comfortable business wear and elegant evening dress. Suitable for the changing roles of busy urban women in the 70s, the dress became a sensation and Fürstenberg sold over five million of them before market saturation and over-exposure killed its popularity while new trends took over the 80s.
Divorced from Prince Egon and losing control of her fashion empire, Fürstenberg fled bankruptcy by selling most of her licenses and moved to Europe in defeat, a temporary victim of the highly volatile women’s fashion industry. In Paris she began her comeback by starting the moderately successful French publishing house Salvy, and in the early 90s re-entered the American fashion scene with Silk Assets, an early home-shopping QVC clothing line. Fürstenberg has since described her work for QVC as follows: “It was tacky, but it gave me confidence”. The legendary designer has never lacked talent or ambition, and was soon back on top with the founding of the Diane Fürstenberg Studio, which aimed to provide more affordable items to high-end department stores. The popular line, which is featured at elite stores including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman in addition to her website, has recently began turning profits and has returned Fürstenberg’s signature styles to the forefront of women’s fashion. In addition to her triumphant return to fashion, she published her autobiography in 1998, titled “DIANE: A Signature Life”.
Fürstenberg remarried for the first time in 2001 to Hollywood powerhouse Barry Diller, the former Paramount executive who helped usher in today’s crop of entertainment moguls. One of the most important designers of the 20th century, Fürstenberg remains a powerful entrepreneurial and creative voice in the fashion industry.