Diane Von Furstenberg
Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1946, Von Furstenberg majored in economics at the University of Geneva. She began her fashion career with no fashion training. She did have a knowledge of international high society and became an immediate success almost overnight by designing elegant alternative dresses during the time where jeans where a trend.
During the 60′s Von Furstenberg became an apprentice to Angelo Ferretti, an Italian textile manufacturer. She opened her own business in 1972. In the 70′s she created the wraparound dress, which became a bestseller. It had long sleeves, a fitted top, and a skirt that wrapped around the body to tie at the waist. She is also known for using geometric prints.
Her philosophy was to create elegant ease for all women. Both slim and large women could wear the clothes that Von Furstenberg would design, such as senator’s wives or secretaries. They were chic regardless of the customer because they were designed to be accessible, sexy, and easy-to-wear.
