Diane von Furstenberg: about the life, love and style of the "best-selling woman in the world"

The name of Diana von Furstenberg is familiar even to those people who have nothing to do with fashion. All because this woman has earned worldwide fame not only because of the outfits she created, but also because of her amazing life.

Read more about how fate turned out Diane von Furstenberg, you can find out in our material.

Diana von Furstenberg (nee Halfin) was born on December 1, 1946 in Brussels in a wealthy Jewish family. Her father Leon Halfin was originally from Chisinau, but in 1929 he moved from there to the Belgian capital. During the Second World War, he lived in Switzerland under false documents, the name of a certain Leon Desmet (Léon Desmet). When the conflict stopped, he went back to Brussels, where he opened a small business selling electrical goods. Soon it became the largest company in the country selling electronic lamps.

If Diana's father, we can say, was lucky to live in a more or less calm environment, then her mother-Lilian Nahmiyas-had a much more difficult time. A woman who came from a Sephardic family literally had to fight for life. In 1943, she and her parents were deported to a concentration camp Auschwitz, where a fragile girl spent more than a year. At that time, Lillian weighed about 30 kg. One day, doctors assured her that she would never be able to have children.

Therefore, Diana von Furstenberg considers her birth a real miracle and is immensely grateful to her parents for giving her this life.

Diane von Furstenberg's parents divorced when she was 13 years old. Since then, the girl has received complete freedom. She studied at various boarding schools in Switzerland, Spain and the United Kingdom, and soon after she reached adulthood, she moved with her mother to Geneva, where she entered the economics department of the University of Geneva. It was there that the girl met her future husband, Prince Egon von Furstenberg.

At first, the man did not make a proper impression on her, but over time, an affair began between them. Then Diana was not only studying, but also engaged in the search for her purpose in life. She worked as an assistant to photographer Albert Koski, and later became an assistant to the owner of a textile manufactory Angelo Feretti. Even then, the girl realized that she wanted to connect her life with fashion, but a sudden surprise awaited her… It turned out that Diana is pregnant.

Diana admitted that her first thought was to have an abortion. She never aspired to a family life, did not intend to marry a prince, and, especially, did not want to be a housewife. On the contrary, she wanted independence and independence. However, in 1969, they still got married and moved to America. In marriage, Egon and Diana had two children-a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Tatiana. Later, the woman described her ex-husband as " incredibly smart, talented, rich and funny."

In those years, Diana especially realized how important it is for a woman to be someone more than just the wife of a famous husband. Then she began to develop her own career. The woman decided to fulfill her long-standing dream and become a designer. By that time, she already had connections in the secular party, so Diana quickly found a person who believed in her.

It became her mother – in-law-Diana Vreeland. It was she who contributed to the promotion of Madame von Furstenberg. At the very beginning of her journey, she had no idea what to do, how and to whom to sell her clothes. But instead, her heart was filled with the belief that she could achieve everything on her own.

Once a woman saw on TV Julia Nixon Eisenhower, dressed in a skirt and a top with an unusual cleavage. Then Furstenberg thought about it: "Why not combine these elements of clothing?". So there was a cult dress with a smell, which made the novice designer famous all over the world.

Diana not only came up with, but also advertised her creation herself. A photo of Furstenberg sitting on a white cube, and on the side of it is written: "Feel like a woman, wear a dress!", is still considered the most popular in her archive.

A dress with a smell immediately fell in love with women for its versatility. It perfectly suited both plump, and thin, and low, and high... Thanks to this for 2 years Furstenberg was able to sell about 5 million of these dresses, turning from an unknown designer to a successful businesswoman.

At that time, Diana became a welcome guest at all social parties. She communicated with such celebrities as Richard Gere, Ryan O'Neal, Andy Warhol, Yves Saint Laurent and many others. She radiated self-confidence, strength and a little audacity. Diana herself said that she put a lot of effort into looking "the right way" in society.

In the late 70s, Diana had millions of followers. She became for other women a kind of symbol of liberation, an example of how you can achieve success, even as a fragile inexperienced lady. Soon Furstenberg opened a cosmetics store on Madison Avenue and developed her first perfume, which she named after her daughter – "Tatiana"("Tatiana").

Soon the company DVF (Diane von Fürstenberg) began to earn a huge $150 million a year at that time, and its founder was called "the best-selling woman in the world". But in the late 80s, the public stopped being so actively interested in the brand's products, so Diana was forced to leave her business and move to Paris after her then beloved writer Alain Elkann.

Only in 1992, having already parted with Elkann, she again decided to declare herself in the States. But here an unpleasant surprise awaited her. According to the designer, over time, American women began to save on outfits, and between expensive, stylish clothes that she made and budget options, they chose the second.

Then Diana had no other choice but to adapt to the realities of that time and keep up with the times. The woman developed a special line of Silk Assets clothing, which was much more affordable, signed a contract with the QVC TV channel and began selling her things in a TV store.

In 1994, Diana Von Furstenberg was accidentally diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, with the help of radiation therapy and surgery, the doctors managed to defeat the malignant tumor, but that case forced Diana to completely rethink her life.

When she had regained her strength, she went back to work. Then the woman wrote her first book and appeared on the fashion scene with a new collection of clothes, the main "chip" of which was her signature dress with a smell. Since then, the fashion brand created by Diana participates in New York Fashion Week every year, and the iconic dress is still popular with beautiful ladies.

In 2001, Diane von Furstenberg married for the second time. Her husband was a famous American businessman Barry Diller, whom they met about 30 years ago.

With the new marriage, her popularity only began to grow. Other women admired how Diana, despite her advanced age, successfully conducted business, attracted the attention of men and always remained the same elegant. In 2006, Diana was appointed president The American Council of Fashion Designers, and in 2008 she got her own star on the Fashion Walk of Fame!

But the most important thing is that Diana never stops there! In 2004, together with the company H. Stern launched her own jewelry line, and in 2007-her first shoe collection. Clothing made by Diane von Fürstenberg is worn by many celebrities, including Victoria Beckham, Michelle Obama, Fergie and Jennifer Lopez. Today, the DVF brand is sold in 70 countries around the world.

Diana does not stop convincing other women that they are capable of absolutely anything! The main thing is to make an effort and unlock your potential.

What do you think about this success story? Do you agree that the creative path of Diana von Furstenberg deserves respect?