Working in NY for 20 years, my closet is filled with DVF wrap dresses. They are my professional staple, as with many other working women. (Even DVF herself said it best - “In New York, I am like parsley. I am everywhere.”) I just never knew the story behind the dresses and the fact that how I felt when I put one on was exactly how Diane von Furstenberg meant for me to feel - feminine yet powerful, sexy yet in charge.

I went to see Diane being interviewed at the LACMA as she welcomed us to see the new exhibit dedicated to this iconic dress.

At first was I astonished that she chose to wear a leopard print suit (of her own design) as opposed to a dress. Yet she was so comfortable being on stage and with the interviewer that the accessories didn’t matter. It was as if we were listening in a private conversation between two old friends discussing their memoirs. (Diane mentioned that she was so well prepared for this talk since she was actually in the process of publishing a book about her life, so her anecdotes were fresh and plentiful. And despite listening to her recount her life story for over an hour, I have the book on my Amazon watch list.)

When she created the wrap dress 40 years ago, she was taking advantage of new jersey materials and the new feminism of the 1970s. For her, the dress was a symbolism of feminism with confidence - “you can turn on a man...and at the same time not offend your mother-in-law.” I know the days I choose to wear a wrap dress to work are unique, specific - days when either I already felt good about myself and was ready to take on the world, or days when I knew I needed that extra bit of confidence, to walk talker, to be ok with being a sexy, strong and intelligent woman.

I had been taught at my first job on Wall Street to always wear a skirt and pantyhose - I think it was actually in my first contract - and for one week in October, every new, female analyst was called to Human Resources to be reminded of this. I was also told by my first boss (who was also a woman) “wear a jacket or a scarf with your skirt...make sure you don’t look like the help.” I worked in a male dominated field, and while I had the same qualifications and arguably the higher intelligence, I had the dress code. So when I was “allowed” to wear pant suits, I did, and that was what I always did. I chose to hide my femininity, I chose to hide my sexy. I wanted to be taken seriously, valued for my brains and commitment, not for the height of my heels. When I got older and more accomplished, I realized the power of being a woman in a male dominated world. I realized that putting on a DVF wrap dress made me feel and look powerful, and I was double trouble.

After discussing the origins of the dress, Diane recounted her days as a Princess, as a friend to celebrities, as a model, as a wife, and as a grandmother. She described the stages of her life as the American Dream, Studio 54, Femme Fatale, and a Working Girl. She told us why one of her Andy Warhol portraits has her arm bent up her head - the only space with a white wall for her to stand in front of was in a small kitchen. She talked about turning down sittings with a famous photographer, only to take him up on it the day of her grandchild’s birth - it was her daughter-in-law in labor and why not feel sexy when you are becoming a grandmother.

Diane also joked about the dress as being the perfect get away for a one night stand - it has no zippers and thus makes no noise, it has no buttons, and thus requires no fuss. She was incredibly gracious and charming. I could see instantly why she had achieved such a high level of success over and over again. She immediately drew you in, and made you want to know her. She was instilled with an incredible sense of purpose and drive. One of her statements resonated well with me - “Life is very short. Insecurity is a waste of time.”

Walking through the exhibit, seeing her artwork, her dresses, and the decades of masterful marketing of her dresses was an overload for the senses. She is famous for her prints and they were everywhere - adorning the dresses, the furniture, the floors and the walls. You are invited in by the story of the dress as told like a fairy tale, printed on a hot pink wall. Diane opened herself up to view completely - showing recent photographs of her with no make up directly across from iconic prints of her younger self. We were invited to lounge in her life and learn.

If I learned anything from listening to her speak, my favorite words of wisdom -”Attitude is Everything.”