Diane von Furstenberg exhibition opens in Los Angeles to honor women

After an opening in Belgium, at the Museum of Fashion and Lace in Brussels, birthplace of Diane von Furstenberg, and a stopover in New York last June at the DVF flagship, the exhibition 'Diane von Furstenberg : Woman Before Fashion' opened Tuesday in Los Angeles. afternoon at the Skirball Cultural Center, a Hollywood-based museum that explores various facets of Jewish and American life.

“When my hometown, the city of Brussels, came to see me and told me that they wanted to present an exhibition of my work at the Museum of Fashion and Lace in Brussels, curated by Nicolas Lor, I was honored,” said von Furstenberg . “It was very emotional to have this right down the street from where I went to school as a child. “Now I am touched that the Skirball Cultural Center is bringing the show to another city very close to my heart, Los Angeles.”

The star of the party, von Furstenberg, was surrounded by a host of female celebrities, all of whom came to congratulate her, including Cindy Crawford, Jessica Alba, Rachel Zoe and Jeff Bezos' wife Lauren Sanchez, all dressed in the legendary Diane von Furstenberg costume. wrap dress The designer, who has never lived in Los Angeles, knows the city well thanks to her second husband, billionaire Barry Diller, who owns a home here. His two children also live in Los Angeles. It also long hosted its Oscar Brunch and in 2015 opened a store on Melrose Avenue. It was also in Los Angeles, ten years ago, where her last major exhibition, 'The Journey of a Dress', took place, with 200 models wearing her iconic garments.

This new exhibition, which is not intended to be a retrospective of von Furstenberg's work, includes a selection of items drawn from the DVF archives along with ephemera, fabric samples, multimedia pieces and information about her philanthropic work. For this third exhibition, 29 of the 75 fashion pieces are presented exclusively at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Organized into four sections, the exhibition first explores the origins of her iconic wrap dress and its evolution throughout her career. A comparison is also proposed with the great archetypes of iconic dresses by Sonia Rykiel, Donna Karan, Gabrielle Chanel, Madeleine Vionnet and the French designer Estelle Manas.

“Well, the wrap dress was my American dream,” explains von Furstenberg. “I became the woman I wanted to be thanks to that little dress and that gave me a confidence that was contagious. I became a kind of conduit for independence and freedom. that American women wanted at the time, so the dress was a big hit. My inspiration has always been women. For the wrap dress, it technically started out as a wrap top and skirt that I saw worn together and had the idea for the dress. , but women were always at the center.”

The second section examines von Furstenberg's bold designs and sources of inspiration through three lenses: nature, art, and freedom. Nature is an important motif in her work and fun animal prints and floral motifs have appeared in her designs throughout her career. Art is of similar importance to her, with many prints inspired by or made in collaboration with artists such as Jackson Pollock, Konstantin Kakanias and Andy Warhol.

Also explored in this section is von Furstenberg's deep personal connection to the theme of freedom. Having given birth to von Furstenberg just 18 months after being liberated from a Nazi concentration camp, her mother Lily Nahmias referred to her as her “torch of freedom.” Exclusive to the Skirball Cultural Center, the exhibit features exclusive images, letters and audio about Diane's mother.

Another precious symbol of freedom is the dress von Furstenberg wore at the 2019 Met Gala in New York City. A dress designed to resemble the statue's robe, printed with a portrait of von Furstenberg taken by photographer Ara Gallant for the cover of Interview magazine, March 1977.

The third section, titled 'The American Dream', follows twenty-six-year-old von Furstenberg in 1972 with the launch of his brand and shows the remarkable success he achieved.

“A fundamental factor in her commercial success lies in her vision of women: resilient, self-confident and tremendously feminine,” said Nicolas Lor, curator of the exhibition. “She often served as her own muse and was featured prominently in advertising and marketing campaigns.” In the early stages of her career, she traveled throughout the United States to meet and help women try on her designs. This approach allowed her to develop a lasting connection with her audience, listening to their aspirations and concerns and translating them into garments that continue. resonate with women more than half a century later.”

This part of the exhibition examines von Furstenberg's immigration to New York City in 1969 and the extensive media coverage he received at the time, with numerous covers of magazines such as Newsweek, Town & Country, and Interview. Some atypical ad campaigns are shown, including one for a Japanese denim brand that shows von Furstenberg posing at the Empire State Building. Finally, among the memorabilia on display, a personal letter from Diana Vreeland, then editor-in-chief of Vogue, begins with these words: “I think your clothes are absolutely spectacular.”

The final section, 'WeAr(e)Able Stories', is a play on words that fuses two expressions, Wearable Stories and We Are Able. It encapsulates the power von Furstenberg gives to women through her branding and advocacy. Starting with a dress, von Furstenberg sought to liberate and empower women. Since then, she has used her voice to advocate for gender equality and human rights on a global scale.

“Yes, I think ever since I was a little girl I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be, and even then I had that 'I'll show you' attitude,” von Furstenberg added. “My mother never allowed me to be afraid or be a victim, so that made me strong and independent. Even after my first marriage, I knew I wanted a career and an identity of my own and that was certainly part of my success.”

The exhibition ends with a series of dresses by von Furstenberg paying tribute to the women she admires, including dresses worn by Paris Hilton and Michelle Obama. Finally, a unique dress called 'Crosswords print' was presented. A model created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wrap dress, where each box incorporates words dear to the designer such as “freedom”, “love is life” and “attitude”.

Originally from Belgium and born into a wealthy family, von Furstenberg began her career in New York, where she settled with her first husband, Prince Egon von Furstenberg, in 1969. Noted for her Diana Vreeland creations, she literally exploded in the 1970s. when he developed his first wrap dress model. After global success, a 'lost period' in which the designer's empire collapsed, and a renaissance in New York's Meatpacking District, von Furstenberg's talent, personality, and tumultuous life are fascinating.

Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2019, she received France's Chevalier de la Légion D'Honneur in 2020, the Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Couronne. from her native Belgium in 2021, and the Women of Leadership Award from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2022. In 2023, she was the subject of 'Women Before Fashion,' a book published by Rizzoli that followed her exhibition at the Brussels Fashion and Lace Museum. In 2024, she was also the subject of the documentary 'Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge', which premiered as the opening selection at the TriBeCa festival.

Diane currently serves on the boards of Vital Voices and CFDA.