In The Women I Wanted to Be, Diane von Furstenberg reflects on the journey of her life, including the journey of that dress, and offers many pearls of her infamous wisdom along the way. Diane writes about her childhood in Brussels, her days as a young jet-set princess, and building her fashion empire.
As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, she had a very unique outlook on how precious life is from a very early age. Her mother taught her that “the most important relationship [you have in life] is the one you have with yourself”. What a valuable lesson that is to learn. No matter what life throws at you, you always have you.
Diane literally started out with a suitcase full of jersey dresses an an idea. An idea that, in her words, “I did not know what I wanted to do but I knew the kind of women I wanted to be”. Never has a sentence rang truer to me, personally, than that one.
She actually stumbled into the fashion business kind of by accident, believe it or not, and it landed her on the cover of Newsweek by age 28! I’m 28. Now I feel like a slacker. She took a hiatus from her company in the 80s, but a decade later she regained control of her label, re-focused the brand direction, and expanded into accessories and cosmetics.
With true honesty and wisdom, Diane discusses her opinions of what it means to be a woman who was determined to carve out an identity of her own. She opens up about her family and career, overcoming cancer, building a global brand, and devoting herself to empowering other women. Reading this book is like having an intimate conversation with a modern day muse who is generous with her wisdom leaving the reader clamoring to take in every word.
“Love is life is love”
Ashley xx