Diane von Furstenberg on Embracing Her Age and Being in Charge
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Designer Diane Von Furstenberg has done the impossible. She's actually made a dictionary much more fun to read with her new book Own It: The Secret to Life, which was released earlier in March on International Women's Day. In it, she writes about and defines words from A to Z, whether it's her definition of complaining ("a useless form of expression," she says) or an anecdote she provides to give each word more meaning.
In a conversation with Elle Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia, Furstenberg shared that growing up, she didn't know what she wanted do, but knew the kind of woman she wanted to be. "I wanted to be a woman in charge." She went on to explain that "being in charge" might sound aggressive, but it's about making a commitment to ourselves. "We own our imperfections, and they become our assets. We own our vulnerability, and turn it into strength. So 'own it' was what was always coming back." Naturally, this theme became the foundation of the book, and during the early stages of the pandemic last year, she became more reflective and channeled her thoughts into the pages.
Speaking of "owning it," Garcia brought up an Instagram picture that Furstenberg posted in January after her 74th birthday. It it she was wearing a green bathing suit post-swim. "It wasn't even a great picture of me, but what I like about it was that I faced it, I was looking at myself, I was owning my age, and I threw it into the universe, but I never expected it to have such an impact."
In the book, one of the first words is "age" and the definition Furstenberg writes is that "age is the map of life made of memories, stored images, emotions, and experiences. Aging needs to be celebrated every moment, every day, every year. Age is the proof of having lived." And that's just one tidbit of wisdom from the fashion icon... the rest you'll have to read for yourself.
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