Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Luxarazzi 101: Diane von Furstenberg

I haven't done maths or anything but Diane von Furstenberg certainly is one of the Hereditary Grand Duchess' preferred designers. From the iconic wrap dress via a tweed dress and jacket combination to a lace evening gown, Princess Stéphanie owns a number of pieces by the Belgian-born American fashion designer with the very noble name.

Born Diane Halfin, Diane von Furstenberg married German Prince Egon of Fürstenberg in 1969. (Fun fact: The predicate attached to the Fürstenberg princely title actually is zu rather than von but I guess zu is not as universally known.) The couple divorced two children and three years later but the designer continued to work under her first husband's name.
More royal support for Diane von Furstenberg apart from Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie (and a number non-Luxembourg or Liechtenstein royal ladies) comes in the form of Hereditary Princess Sophie, who has also worn a few of the designer's signature wrap dresses. It was actually these wrap dresses that shot Diane von Furstenberg to fashion fame. She first entered the fashion world in 1972 having already designed her first silk jersey dresses during an apprenticeship at the factory of textile manufacturer Angelo Ferretti previously. Two years later, in 1974, she created the now iconic wrap dress.
By 1976, Diane von Furstenberg had sold more than one million dresses and while I don't know how many she has sold since, I can tell you that both Princess Maria-Anunciata as well as Princess Marie-Astrid at least own one Furstenberg dress each. After a number of other ventures and a hiatus from the fashion world, Diane von Furstenberg re-launched the iconic dress that started it all in 1997, thus reestablishing her company.

These days the Diane von Furstenberg brands sells a full collection of ready-to-wear fashion and accessories including shoes, handbags, small leather goods, scarves and fine jewelry, as well as luggage, eyewear and home furnishings. In 2005, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awarded her the Lifetime Achievement Award. Forbes currently ranks Diane von Furstenberg as the 68th most powerful woman in the world.

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