Diane von Furstenberg…. she of the iconic wrap dress…. she the warrior of change advocating for the rights of working women… she of the former German princess title… she of the presidential title for the Council of Fashion Designers of America…. she of the fashion brand, DVF, which has 45 stores and sells in 70 countries.  Von Furstenberg is a tigress, a force unto herself, who continuously inspires by designing (clothing, jewelry, home goods, etc.), public speaking, and running the CFDA among other responsibilities.

Now, I absolutely admire a powerful woman, a woman on top of her game.  This is a woman who went to work on designing her brand nearly immediately when she married into German royalty at the tender age of 22.  When Diane von Furstenberg, married Prince Egon of Furstenberg, she famously stated, “”The minute I knew I was about to be Egon’s wife, I decided to have a career. I wanted to be someone of my own, and not just a plain little girl who got married beyond her desserts.”  This was not a woman who was satisfied to be a kept woman, she had bigger dreams for herself.

Von Furstenberg continues to inspire women.  Watch her on Amanda De Cadenet’s The Conversation via YouTube.  She is my absolute favorite interview from the selection – she is just so fiercely intelligent, she speaks so highly of women in the workforce and advocates for them tirelessly, and she just doesn’t take no for an answer.  She has been on top of the fashion world for decades and with good reason.  In an industry where brands come and go, what’s in today is out tomorrow, her brand, DVF has been impenetrable and indomitable.  This is no easy feat, nearly impossible, and she has been the tigress in charge all this time, running the world one wrap dress at a time.

“Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
Margaret Thatcher

Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg, DVF, The NYC Lifestyle, A Casa Dava