Everyone Loves DVF

To mark International Women’s Day 2021, we’re celebrating some of our favorite women—with tributes from some of their favorite women. From Diane von Furstenberg to Misty Copeland, these women have inspired us, moved us, and shown us that a better world is possible. We’ll be sharing their stories here all week. For more stories of women breaking barriers, get a copy of Glamour’s new book, Glamour: 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World.

It started with a dress. When a then 26-year-old Diane von Furstenberg introduced her wrap to the fashion world, in 1974, the instantly iconic design reinvented sportswear with its fresh mix of bold patterns, stretchy fabric, and universally flattering silhouette. Since then it’s been a staple of American fashion—beloved by everyone from Paris Hilton to Michelle Obama. It was, is, and always will be a requisite item in every woman’s wardrobe. An emblem of independence and femininity, style and comfort, the wrap dress was revolutionary for the culture. Simply put, it’s timeless. It’s been featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for God's sake.

Fast-forward nearly 50 years later: DVF remains as influential as ever. The designer has extended her reach beyond fashion to a number of entrepreneurial and philanthropic pursuits, including creating the DVF Awards, which honors women leaders, launching a podcast, InCharge With DVF, and financing public parks like the High Line and the soon-to-be-open Little Island in New York City. She was a 2005 Glamour Woman of the Year, inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019, and most recently wrote a book, Own It: The Secret to Life.

Diane von Furstenberg’s positive impact has resonated with women all over the world and continues to do so for the next generation of young talent. Everyone’s down with DVF. Below, her friends Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Sturino, Anita Hill, and Allison Williams share the life lessons they learned from the icon.

Sarah Jessica Parker: “Diane understood the power of the dress.”

I first met Diane about 10 or 15 years ago through a mutual friend, which allowed me to become close to her and spend time with her socially, as opposed to passing one another at a fashion show or an event. She’s DVF and I’m SJP, but her initials have a lot more standing than mine. There’s much that I admire about her—I wouldn’t pretend to imagine our initials have the same impact.

Diane is, and has always been, a fierce advocate for women and for independence. She’s directed a business, inspired the industry, and been a muse and visionary. Diane loves business, and she’s excited to be involved, but she’s also very honest about how challenging it is to be in retail and manage a company—especially right now. But it’s her long-held conviction that women should be given opportunities and afforded the possibility to reach their full potential that I admire most. She’s concerned about women and young girls near and far, and has exercised that conviction by helping them in thousands of communities across the globe.

She’s also deeply in love with joy and fun and whimsy. She has a lust for travel that I completely relate to, though she gets to satisfy hers more often than I do. She’s a reader, she’s interested in other people, she loves color and music, and she has a true joie de vivre that is inspiring and enviable.

I remember wearing her vintage wrap dress on Sex and the City. I just love that material—that wonderful, strange blend of cotton and wool and stretch. It took on a different sheen, almost like a powdery finish. The whole thing about that dress is real—it suits everybody. That’s why it was able to reach so many, and why there are still a million and one wrap dresses in the market that aren’t DVF. The wrap dress doesn’t go away. I work in an office with young women, and there isn’t a day that goes by when one of them isn’t wearing a wrap dress. And I mean women of all sizes, shapes, and ages. It’s still that dress.

Diane understood the power of the dress. She was smart, and she knew how to talk about it. She knew what that dress would mean to women: freedom, a uniform that was sexy and smart. It was appropriate for the office, but you could look different in the evening. It fit into life in such an incredibly smart way. That is DVF.

She was also an early resident of the Meatpacking District in New York. She saw there was space and light and history that was appealing. It’s not surprising at all that she recognized something like that and knew how to make it speak to her brand and her own interest in architecture and in our city’s history. She is so involved in philanthropy and continues to contribute to New York City. She’s obviously a woman of the world, but this is her home. You feel it by her actions and deeds and words.

I’ve worn her stuff so often, but I’m always curious about what she’s going to do next. I think what I like best is when I get time in her company. She’s thrilling to talk to and hilarious. I love hearing her observations of the world and people and conversations from her travels. Having a meal with her is pretty special.

Diane has made a genuine connection to women. She's been telling her story for a lot of years now, and it’s real to her. That is meaningful. You can talk about the wrap dress, but if it didn’t do what she said it did, all the talk in the world wouldn’t have created an iconic, everlasting silhouette for women. Her legacy is big and vast, but specifically, it speaks to women’s liberation and putting actions to words. Her customer knows that and believes in it, and Diane keeps pursuing it.

Sarah Jessica Parker is an actor, producer, and cofounder of the SJP Collection fashion line. She lives in New York with her husband and three children.

Katie Sturino: “She hasn’t had a moment where she hasn’t been cool.”

Not to be a cheeseball, but Diane is such an icon. She’s a designer I’ve always shopped—I love her color play, I love that she’s all about women and female empowerment. I didn’t set out to target her as the first designer to #MakeMySize [a social media campaign that called for brands to offer extended sizing], but that wound up being the first time I could really shop designer, and I happened to find a great DVF skirt.

As someone who admires Diane so much and has worn her clothes in the past, I was both thrilled and pleasantly surprised that she cared enough to want to expand her size range. That was really incredible to see. I remember cohosting 11 Honoré’s launch party [for DVF’s extended range of sizes] with her, and she taught me how to tie the wrap dress. That was a real moment for me. Diane, hands on the body, tying my dress. I was like, “What is happening?!” It was crazy.

Diane is able to bring women together in a very unique and special way, where you’re allowed to talk upfront about ambition, what you’re doing, and what you’re working on. She creates a very powerful room—the people that she brings into it and the attention that she can command is stunning. She’ll host dinners where everyone sits down and introduces themselves and talks about what they do. She doesn’t like small talk, and neither do I. I want to know who’s in the room; I want to know how I can help them, or they can help me. It’s such a mentor move. I’m always learning something from that woman. She’s magical.

I admire the fact that she is always willing to keep learning and talking to young women entrepreneurs and connecting people—she’s never afraid to help someone out. She once told me that she sends one email connection every morning.

Even when Diane wasn’t relevant, she was relevant. She hasn’t had a moment where she hasn’t been cool. She was willing to participate in reality shows, she was willing to participate in social media, she’s always willing to try new things.

Whether it’s your day-to-day style or not, you cannot deny how powerful you feel in that wrap dress. It looks good on everyone, it feels good on everyone, it just is. People talk about the little black dress, but I don’t care about that—the wrap dress is one of the few pieces that is universally impactful.

My only wish is that Diane and I were closer emotionally. I have her email address, but I want us to be vacationing together.

Katie Sturino is the founder of Megababe and a body-acceptance advocate.

Anita Hill: “Diane really does believe in the power of women to change the world.”

Diane and I became acquainted at an event a few years ago. Of course I knew who she was, but I had never met her personally. It was like meeting a fashion icon, but then I realized she was a lot more than that. She was so confident and charming and nice. She had a genuine interest in me and what I’m doing and what I stand for, and it seemed very sincere and powerful. It was a way of meeting someone that not only makes you feel good about them—it makes you feel good about yourself. We had some fundamentally important shared interests and beliefs, and that doesn’t happen very often with me in terms of people I meet. There was an immediate connection.

Diane really does believe in the power of women to change the world and to make the world better, whether it’s through art or fashion or politics or social justice. She also demonstrates this real ability to take control of your life and do so in a way that allows you to achieve your goals. I know some of us are more privileged to do that than others—taking charge of one’s life isn’t something that everyone can do because of their circumstances, and that’s why her philanthropic work is so important: She believes in empowering women so they can help empower others.

She trusts the women she brings into her world and the women she honors. When I spoke at the DVF Awards [in 2019], I was inspired by the moment. You could look around the room and see what we can all achieve if we do trust women, believe in them, and believe in their value and importance and the contributions they can make. It really can make for a better world. Whether or not we have the power to change the world, we at least have the power to support women who are trying to do that.

The DVF skirt I wore that night got so many comments. I haven’t had anybody comment on anything that I’ve worn as much as I have that skirt. It wasn’t necessarily my style, but it was liberating to try something new. That’s part of what Diane sees in women and in her fashion: the importance of adding color and sparkle to your life. In the working world, so many of us—myself included—tend to wear a uniform. That’s what makes Diane’s fashion so attractive to me: It opens me up to seeing myself in colors and seeing the vibrancy of life. When you do the kind of work that I do, you don’t see that very often. Since then, I’ve purchased more pieces, one of which is a short dress with bright pink and blue florals. It’s absolutely not corporate in the traditional sense, and I love wearing it.

We’re always told there’s a generational divide and intergenerational rivalry, but Diane has really shown that’s not always the case—we might even say it’s fiction. People can remain relevant to the ones who come after them. It’s a reflection of her openness, creativity, and warmth, and her ability to stay current and not lose sight of who she is in the process. She really does transcend generations. As somebody who teaches for a living, I know how hard that can be! The fact that Diane has stayed relevant with her fashion, philanthropy, and philosophy of life will resonate with people well into the future. She sees what’s happening, she has something to say, and she wants to be a part of it.

I got a beautiful gift from her recently: a black-and-white lacquered tray with a zebra-print bottom. It’s elegant and practical but with a punch. It’s just so her.

Anita Hill is a professor of social policy, law, and women’s studies at Brandeis University. She previously worked for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Allison Williams: “Diane takes her own spotlight and redirects it to others.”

The very first time I met Diane, she took my picture on a digital camera that I would later learn accompanies her almost everywhere she goes. I remember feeling so stunned and disoriented by that small gesture. There I was, dazzled by the presence of such a storied designer, and she was taking my photograph. I was 21 years old, at a fancy grown-up party with my parents, and I definitely felt like I didn’t belong. By her turning the lens onto me, it was as if Diane was saying, “You do belong here. Be in charge. Be the woman you want to be. Own it!”

Those, of course, are phrases of hers that I—and countless others—have become familiar with over the years. And I benefited from her simple act of encouragement just as many others all over the world have experienced her generosity. In the years since that initial encounter, I have come to respect Diane enormously. One of the things that makes her so powerful is that she sees people so clearly for who they are inside, instead of whatever it is they are trying to project on the outside. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to be around her X-ray vision. I have seen some very powerful people rendered vulnerable by her authenticity, presence, and passion for telling it like it is.

Because I respect Diane so much, I’ve often felt desperate for her approval (which I know runs counter to what she is trying to impress upon all of us: to be ourselves). As she has reminded me over the years, I can occasionally radiate “head of the class” energy. Whenever she felt that coming from me, she always managed to nudge me back in the direction of desiring my own approval of and familiarity with myself. She knew I had to ease up on my concern about what everyone else thought. This has been a personal challenge for me, but it has also been such a gift to be able to learn from her example.

Diane has long been committed to the idea that the most important relationship we will ever have is the one we have with ourselves. She has said as much in speeches, conversations, books, articles—even through her clothing. She believes we should all strive to feel conspiratorial when we wink at our own reflections in a mirror. And this isn’t just something she preaches; I can attest firsthand there are few people on this planet more comfortable with themselves. I have known Diane to spend hours alone with her thoughts on lengthy swims and hikes—no music to listen to, no phone to distract her, no conversation to accompany her. Just herself. She has kept a journal for nearly her entire life, steadfastly devoted to maintaining that most vital relationship. She is completely comfortable being present in the world and not taking a single moment of it for granted.

I also must celebrate the fact that Diane is so much fun. She’s mischievous, funny, warm, observant, smart, curious, and grounded. Her gravitational pull is powerful; even if she’s reclined in a corner, she’s still the focal point of every party. She loves to laugh. She loves to talk about the world. She loves to learn. She loves her husband, Barry. She loves her family and friends fiercely with gratitude, loyalty, and joy. She loves traveling and experiencing new things. She always gives people the benefit of the doubt, and she’s quick to show grace. She loves a little afternoon Instagram scrolling and a post-lunch piece of dark chocolate. Her hair is art. She loves naughtiness in herself and in the people around her. She always smells amazing, and her jewelry serves as a soundtrack to her existence. There has never been anyone who spoke even remotely like Diane. She loves life and, as she says, love is life. The respect she has for herself and the strength of her relationship with her inner being allows her to be the most extraordinary ally to everyone else around her.

Which brings me back to our very first encounter. I now know that she was simply doing what she does so well, and so often. She takes her own spotlight and redirects it to others. She does everything she possibly can to make sure that the light is contagious, and she encourages all of us to learn how to find it within ourselves. Whether she does that by taking someone’s photo, organizing her entire career around femme empowerment, honoring someone with a DVF Award, or lighting up Lady Liberty, she has been a torch of freedom for so many of us. From the bottom of my heart: Thank you.

Allison Williams is an actor based in New York.

Originally Appeared on Glamour