The Woman I Wanted to Be
Page 23
The opening was planned for Friday, January 10, 2014, two days before the Golden Globe Awards. Eran Cohen, our new, much-needed CMO, and his team were in full planning now: construction, marketing, PR, and, last but not least, party planning.
When I went to check on the progress in early December, we met with the party planner but I was frustrated. I refused to have the party in a tent outside. I wanted the party to be inside, yet not in the exhibition. That is when I spotted an extra space adjacent to the large mannequin room and decided to convert its thirty-seven-hundred-square feet into my own Studio 54 with banquettes, mirrored columns, and disco balls!
Everything was in motion, no turning back.
Jeff and his team had started the construction after Thanksgiving and were going nonstop through all the holidays. The art was on the road, the new dresses were being made, and the old ones assembled. Franca was getting rights for the photos for the time line. Luisella, the grand conductor of it all, wanted to be on site. So she took Lensa, her adorable four-year-old daughter who is also my goddaughter, to LA to spend the holidays.
During the holiday while with my family on the boat, I kept pestering Jeffrey to send me photos. I was terrified that plastering the prints on the walls and floors would be too much. I flew back on January 2 and went straight from the plane to the museum. The space was magnificent and there was excitement in the air. The prints were on the floors and, although very bold, it looked almost neutral. I loved it.
We were still debating about the time-line gallery: pink walls? white walls? white floor? chain link floor? When Bill arrived the next day, everything crystallized. There was no more doubt. Pink walls. Chain link floor. Black and white and pink, the core colors of DVF. He started to hang the art, placed the Dustin Yellin in the middle of the time-line gallery and the original picture I had signed on the white cube in the entrance hall under the quote: “Fashion is a mysterious energy, a visual moment—impossible to predict where it goes.”
Franca was sorting out the photos Bill wanted posted in the gallery. Michael was in the side rooms with dozens of interns, dressing the army of mannequins. Looking at the gallery that was shaping up, I decided that I wanted “Feel like a woman, wear a dress!” in neon right above the entrance. Jeffrey made it happen. We needed benches. He made that happen, too. As I walked through the dressed mannequins, I was in awe. I changed almost nothing of Michael’s curation—except for the very central dress, at the front of the first big pyramid. I had a revelation: “We need the original black-and-white leopard!” I remembered that on my last trip to Miami, at the opening of the new Coral Gables store, a woman had walked in wearing it. I had looked at the label and confirmed that it was an original: 1974. She was very proud. “Call Adis, the Miami manager, and see if she can track that lady down. See if she will agree to lend it.” She did.
Everything was ready.
Friday, January 10, 2014
I woke up early. Barry was asleep next to me, calm and reassuring. There we were, in the same bedroom where I landed thirty-nine years before. So much had happened and nothing had changed.
Before getting up, I lay still, imagining the day. A press conference was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. followed by a series of one-to-one interviews in different languages that would take most of the day. I had lined up different outfits in order to not look the same in all the photos. For the night, I had chosen a long black gown called the Geisha Wrap, a glamorous dress with dramatic sleeves and an obi sash lined in chartreuse silk.
I got up and, as I ate a bowl of pomegranate seeds, saw my face in the mirror. My eyes were puffy. Not a good start. I put on a mask and got into the steam shower. As usual, I did my own hair and waited for Sarah, the makeup artist, to arrive, though the last thing I wanted was to put on makeup. Sarah’s touch was light and slowly I started to feel better.
I put on my python jacquard pants, my camouflage leopard shirt, my leather jacket, and my booties, and kissed Barry goodbye. I took the clothes I had prepared and everything I would need to survive the press day and threw it all in the car.
Off I went in my little rental Mercedes. As I drove down Sunset Boulevard, turning on Fairfax, I checked myself in the mirror and winked. As I arrived at Wilshire, I saw the huge building with large banners of my face by Warhol all around it. “Dianette,” I told myself in French, “Your whole life is in that box!” I smiled.
Walking into the long time-line gallery, my clothes over my arm, I felt like the Diane who used to love walking into Studio 54 alone, feeling like a pioneer in a saloon, confident, with the desire to conquer . . . a man’s life in a woman’s body.
I went into the back office where, in the chaos of the last-minute preparations, I changed into a little black-and-white dress, nude fishnet stockings, and high-heeled sandals . . . feel like a woman, wear a dress!
Inside my shoe, for good luck, I scotch-taped one of my father’s gold coins, the ones he smuggled into Switzerland in 1942. For a moment, I closed my eyes and I felt thankful.
Thankful to God for having saved my mother,
To my mother for giving me life,
To my children for being who they are,
To Barry for always being there for me.
I was then ready for the day, ready to honor the little dress that started it all.
Everyone came to the party. Like a cast at the end of a movie, all the actors of my life showed up.
My modern family first: Barry; my children, Alexandre and Tatiana, with their significant others; Ali Kay; Russell Steinberg; Francesca Gregorini; Alexandra and her companion, Dax. My granddaughter Antonia was unfortunately at boarding school and Leon was too small to show up, but Tassilo was there with Talita and her friends, who represented the new generation of wrap girls in their DVF/Andy Warhol dresses. My brother, Philippe, his wife, Greta, and his daughters Sarah and Kelly flew in from Belgium; Martin Muller from San Francisco; Ginevra Elkann from Rome; Olivier Gelbsmann and Hamilton South from New York; Konstantine Kakanias and Nona Summers.
TV host extraordinaire Andy Cohen and model Coco Rocha welcomed all the guests on the red carpet, and we live-streamed their arrival. California governor Jerry Brown and his wife, Anne, followed by my fashion friends Anna Wintour, André Leon Talley, and Hamish Bowles. Then came my actor friends, Gwyneth Paltrow; Raquel Welch; Demi Moore; Rooney Mara; Robin Wright and her daughter, Shauna; Tobey Maguire and his designer wife, Jennifer Meyer; Julie Delpy; Ed Norton; Seth Meyers; Allison Williams; and the Hilton sisters. Hollywood aristocracy was represented by David Geffen, Bryan Lourd, Sandy Gallin, and many more. My American friends Anderson Cooper, restaurateur Bruce Bozzi, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his wife; CFDA’s Steven Kolb; Alyse Nelson from Vital Voices; Vito Schnabel; Dustin Yellin and Bob Colacello; Linda Bird Francke. Joel Horowitz led the DVF contingent with Stefani Greenfield and many DVF executives, as well as Ellen, my loyal assistant who came back to my side as my chief of staff. My first boss, Albert Koski, and his wife, Danièle Thompson, flew in from Paris, as did Christian Louboutin, François-Marie Banier, Martin d’Orgeval, and Johnny Pigozzi.
The exhibit was a huge success and lasted for four months. Almost 100,000 visitors, tens of thousands of posts on social media, rave reviews from all over the world. Even the most critical fashion experts loved it and acknowledged the undeniable timelessness of the dress and its infinite versatility. It was no longer just about the past, but also about the future.
It had a great impact on the business and created a demand for the wraps for yet another generation. But for all the effects it had on others, the most surprising and exciting is the effect it had on me. Seeing the body of my work in that show made me so proud and, for the first time ever, I felt totally legitimate. It propelled me into what I call the new era, the next chapter of my company that will last after me.
Like my life, my work has been a wonderful adventure. It allowed me to become the woman I wanted to be as I helped other women to feel the same. I went into it looking for confidence and
spread confidence along the way.
I don’t know if I have reached wisdom, but hopefully my experiences, told with all the honesty and candor I could find in my heart and in my memory, will inspire others to take their lives in their hands, be their best friends, and go for it fearlessly.
As a toddler, curious already.
As a baby with my parents.
My mother and I waiting for the Orient Express, the first time I had my photo in a magazine.
My parents on their wedding day, November 29, 1945.
My parents going to a party, 1958.
With my baby brother, Philippe, in 1953.
My young father on his bicycle.
My father, Leon.
Age three, pretending to read the newspaper.
My mother, Lily.
One of the two notes tossed by my mother en route to the prison camp in Malines.
Hans Muller, my mother’s longtime companion.
My mother’s remembrance card featuring a note she wrote to herself.
Age nine, in the Belgian resort of Knokke le Zoute.
As a preteen on vacation at the North Sea.
Lady Cortina, my first and only beauty contest, 1967.
At age fifteen, flying solo.
With Lucio, my Italian boyfriend, 1966.
At a pirate-themed party at Brigitte Bardot’s in St. Tropez.
With Jas Gawronski at a party in 1975. (Ron Galella, Getty image)
With Alain Elkann in New York, 1986. (Ron Galella, Getty image)
On my wedding day with Prince Eduard Egon von und zu Fürstenberg in Montfort-l’Amaury, near Paris, on July 16, 1969. (Berry Berenson Perkins)
Egon and I in our Park Avenue apartment in the early 70s. (Horst, Condé Nast, Corbis Image)
Egon in 1972.
Egon and I in our Park Avenue apartment in the early 70s. (Horst, Condé Nast, Corbis Image)
With my baby son, Alexandre, 1970.
Alexandre and Tatiana during winter vacation in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Alexandre and Tatiana on our way to vacation, 1977.
Cloudwalk in the snow with the children, 1976. (Burt Glinn, Magnum)
Cloudwalk living room in 1976 with Barry and the children. (Burt Glinn, Magnum)
With Barry in Santo Domingo, 1977.
At the premiere of the movie Grease, 1978.
With the grown-up children, 1992. (Wayne Maser, courtesy of the artist)
Tatiana graduates from Brown University at nineteen!
Manifattura Tessile Ferretti in Parè, Como.
My friend and mentor Angelo Ferretti.
In my 7th Avenue showroom in 1976. (Burt Glinn, Magnum)
Applying makeup on a customer. (Burt Glinn, Magnum)
Working on Tatiana fragrance products, 1976. (Elliot Erwitt, Magnum)
TV commercial for Tatiana fragrance, 1982. (Albert Watson)
A teenage Jerry Hall on the runway at the Pierre hotel in 1975. (Nick Machalaba, Corbis Image)
Gia Carangi for Diane von Furstenberg ad campaign, 1979. (Chris von Wangenheim)
Ad campaign for the Color Authority cosmetics line in 1982. (Albert Watson)
Photographed by Helmut Newton for the advertising campaign for the couture line. (© The Helmut Newton Estate)
An illustration by Antonio Lopez for Volcan d’Amour perfume. (Artwork by Antonio Lopez)
Architect Michael Graves’s sketch for the Diane couture boutique at the Sherry-Netherland hotel. (Drawing by Michael Graves, courtesy of Michael Graves & Associates)
Cover of Lear’s magazine in my QVC days, 1994. (Michel Arnaud, courtesy of the artist)
Inside of DVF Studio on West 12th Street. (Emanuele Scorcelletti, courtesy of the artist)
Ruben Toledo’s illustration of the first shop on West 12th Street. (Artwork by Ruben Toledo)
Model Daniela photographed by Bettina Rheims for the wrap dress relaunch, 1997. (Bettina Rheims, courtesy of the artist)
Photographed by François Nars in leopard camouflage wrap, 1999. (Courtesy of François Nars)
Wrap for a new generation. With daughter-in-law, Alexandra, in 1998. (Steffen Thalemann)
Natalia Vodianova photographed and painted by François-Marie Banier, 2008. (François-Marie Banier, courtesy of the artist)
Walking the runway with creative director Nathan Jenden, 2002. (Dan Lecca)
Elisa Sednaoui for the 2011 DVF campaign. (Terry Richardson, courtesy of the artist)
Ali Kay photographed by me for the 2010 DVF campaign.
With Barry in Sun Valley, 2013. (Jonas Fredwall Karlsson)
Surrounded by the children, my wedding to Barry, on the day of his birthday, February 2, 2001. (Annie Leibovitz, courtesy of the artist)
With Barry at the New York Public Library gala in 2007.
Hiking with Barry.
In the glaciers of Iceland with Barry.
Alexandre with his son Leon, eating peaches.
My granddaughter Talita in a Warhol wrap at the opening of Journey of a Dress. (Courtesy of Getty Images)
My grandson Tassilo.
Tatiana in full beauty, captured by me, 2011.
With both my granddaughters, Antonia and Talita.
Antonia, Tatiana’s daughter.
DVF Awards 2012 honorees and presenters. (BFA Image)
Ribbon-cutting of the second section of the High Line, 2011. (Joan Garvin, courtesy of the artist)
Vital Voices awards ceremony, 2011. (Joshua Cogan, courtesy of the artist)
Model Daria Werbowy in our Fall 2013 campaign. (Sebastian Faena, courtesy of the artist)
Cloudwalk Farm.
My brother, Philippe, his wife, Greta, and their two daughters, Sarah and Kelly.
DVF Headquarters. (Elizabeth Felicella, courtesy of Work AC)
Joel Horowitz, DVF cochairman. (Michael Horowitz)
Spectacular Red Ball at Zhang Huan’s studio in Shanghai, 2011.
With Google cofounder Sergey Brin showing Google Glass for the first time. (Greg Kessler, courtesy of Kessler Studio)
Upside-down doing yoga, and on the phone.
At my desk, surrounded by photos of my loved ones. (Thomas Whiteside)
Entrance to Journey of a Dress, Los Angeles, 2014. (Fredrik Nilsen, courtesy of the artist)
Moment of joy at the press conference for Journey of a Dress. (Courtesy of Getty Images)
The “army” of wrap dresses at the exhibit. (Fredrik Nilsen, courtesy of the artist)
Press conference at the opening of the Journey of a Dress exhibit on January 10, 2014. (Courtesy of Getty Images)
My first “Love is life” on a 1991 postcard.
About the Author
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG first entered the fashion world in 1972 with a suitcase full of jersey dresses. Two years later, she created the wrap dress, which came to symbolize power and independence for an entire generation of women. By 1976, she had sold more than a million of the dresses and was featured on the cover of Newsweek. After a hiatus from fashion, Diane relaunched the iconic dress that started it all in 1997, reestablishing her company as the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today. DVF is now sold in over fifty-five countries. In 2005, Diane received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion, and one year later was elected the CFDA’s president, an office she continues to hold. In 2012, Diane was named the most powerful woman in fashion by Forbes magazine.