Legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg celebrates her 75th birthday today. To mark the milestone, she took to Instagram, posting: “So. This is 75!!…many memories, adventures, landscapes…grateful and humbled…” Many adventures, indeed. When it comes to DVF’s trailblazing contributions to the fashion industry, none are as influential or perennially chic as her iconic wrap dress.
If you’re not familiar with this fashion fairytale, here’s a stroll through von Furstenberg’s past. After marrying the German Prince Egon von Furstenberg in 1969, the Belgian-born designer took her place as European royalty. Her love of fashion saw her first work as a photographer assistant, before landing an apprenticeship with textile manufacturer Angelo Ferretti. It was while mastering fashion design in Ferretti’s Italian factory, that DVF created the first few prototypes of what would ultimately become her signature wrap dress.
The rising designer moved to New York City in 1970 with a suitcase stuffed with jersey knit dresses, which instantly caught the eye of another legend, fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who engineered DVF’s New York Fashion Week debut in 1973.
And the rest, as they say, is fashion history. Overnight the simple, versatile, and thoroughly modern wrap dress, presented in a dizzying array of colors and playful prints become the hottest thing in fashion, making its way into women’s wardrobes all over the world, where it would become an enduring staple for coming up five decades.
SHOP NOW: Iconic Wrap Dresses by DVF
SHOP NOW: Diane von Furstenberg Luella Merino Wool Knit Mini Wrap Dress, $498 via DVF
SHOP NOW: Diane von Furstenberg New Jeanne Two Silk Jersey Wrap Dress in Chainlink, $578 via DVF
SHOP NOW: Diane von Furstenberg Luella Merino Wool Knit Mini Wrap Dress, $498 via DVF
SHOP NOW: Diane von Furstenberg Juniper Patchwork Asymmetrical Wrap Dress, $388 via DVF
SHOP NOW: Diane von Furstenberg Chelsey Wool Knit Midi Dress, $558 via DVF
