In 1972, Diane Von Furstenberg first made waves with a simple yet radical directive: "Feel like a woman. Wear a dress." Five million wrap dresses later, she graced the November 1976 cover of Newsweek, touted as a new icon of female liberation and the most marketable designer since Coco Chanel. After a dalliance with her own cosmetics line and a home-furnishings collection, she stepped away from the fashion limelight and moved to Paris, only to reenter in 1992 with Silk Assets, a pioneer in television shopping (its debut collection sold out in less than two hours). In 1997, Von Furstenberg relaunched her clothing line, and the iconic wrap dress found a warm reception once again. This time, it was the daughters of the first-wave audience who welcomed the wrap into their closets. Today, the DVF empire includes sportswear, beauty, and fragrance lines, and the flagship store is a cornerstone of the meatpacking district’s fashion quarter, functioning as a boutique, design studio, and pied-à-terre for the CFDA council president. In addition to the wrap, DVF hallmarks include graphic floral prints, cinch-waist skirt suits, and forties glamour by way of seventies hippie chick.

Status

Established, Household Name

Clients

Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lopez, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty Ford, Gloria Steinem, Gwyneth Paltrow

Other Product Lines

Beauty, Fragrances, Home, Handbags, Shoes

Collaborations

Diane von Furstenberg for Gap Kids (2012), Diane von Furstenberg for Claridge's Hotel (2010)

Owned By

Diane Von Furstenberg

Address

440 W. 14th St.
New York, New York 10014
212-741-6607

Where To Buy

Diane Von Furstenberg, Bloomingdale's, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Intermix, Scoop, Tango, Zoë, Shopbop

Related Websites

• DVF (Official)
• CFDA: Diane Von Furstenberg (Other)
• Wikipedia: Diane Von Furstenberg (Other)
• Style.com: Diane Von Furstenberg (Media)