Diane von Furstenberg: godmother of American fashion

Forty years ago, Diane von Furstenberg created her jersey wrap dress, a "20th-century icon of design and desire".

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Diane Von Furstenberg

Last year, Diane von Furstenberg went on tour to mark the 40th anniversary of a dress. It wasn't just any dress, says Interview Magazine, but a "20th-century icon of design and desire on a par with the Eames chair, the BMW 2002 and Chanel No. 5". Von Furstenberg's body-hugging jersey wrap dress, conceived in New York in the early 1970s (when she wasn't out partying at Studio 54), became the totem for a generation of a women celebrating the more glamorous side of Women's Lib. It has since enjoyed several revivals as indeed has the DVF business, which, despite several brushes with bankruptcy (see below), Forbes reports is "thriving today with revenues estimated at $500m".

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