Women Who Inspire: Diane Von Furstenberg

credits: InterviewMagazine.com

When a woman becomes her own best friend, life is easier… This is something I read while in college and has stuck with me ever since, something the incredibly talented, kind and spirited woman Diane Von Furstenburg said. Furstenburg is an icon in her own right, having created an unforgettable silhouette in the chic and timeless wrap dress while making an indelible mark on fashion; but I want to share with you snap shots from her memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be, and moments from multiple interviews that capture the woman Diane Von Furstenburg as the she is.

On not wanting to be dependent.

I never wanted to be dependent on anyone, whether it was my father or my husband. When I was a little girl — a young girl — I did not really know what I wanted to do, but I did know the kind of woman I wanted to be. And I wanted to be an independent woman, a woman who is in the driving seat, and who is in charge of her own life. And that clearly means, also, being financially independent. So that’s really what I wanted to be and I became that woman. I was lucky that I became that woman very, very early in life, you know, in my late 20s. And that’s that.
40 Years Later, NPR All Things Considered

She celebrates milestones by buying houses.

With the first income she earned from her clothing company, she bought a country house in Connecticut called Cloudwalk, which she still owns today. For her 30th birthday, she bought a Fifth Avenue apartment once owned by Rodman Rockefeller.
10 Things We Learned, Vogue

Her style used to change depending on who she was dating.

Diane writes that during her three-year love affair with Brazilian boyfriend Paulo (whom she met in Bali), she stopped wearing her signature wrap dresses and heels and started wearing sarongs and sandals. And when she began a relationship with Alain Elkann, the Italian novelist, Diane traded in her curve-hugging clothes for wool skirts, buttoned-up sweaters, and flat shoes. 10 Things We Learned, Vogue

On doubting herself.

I knew that the wrap dress had tremendous staying power, and in the mid-nineties, all of the young hip models had begun to buy them in the vintage shops. I saw an opportunity, but there were risks to doing it all over again. There were times I doubted myself, but I also I knew the only thing that stood between me and rebuilding my brand, and reclaiming my future, was a fear of failure. A fear that maybe the fashion world would not take me seriously, or that a second attempt would fall flat, and make my early success seem like a happy coincidence.
Leanin.org

No looking back.

And even if I had failed, I would have no regrets. I now realize that you only regret the things you don’t do. And I think of all that would have been lost had I given in to moments of insecurity.
Leanin.org

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“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.” – Diane Von Furstenberg