Diane von Furstenberg for Fall Winter 2009
DVF Nomad Collection at New York Fashion Week
Jul 3, 2009
Whilst Fall 2009 runways were awash with funeral black Diane von Furstenberg’s offering was to throw a little pizzazz into the arena at New York Fashion Week (February 2009).
Drawing her inspiration for the Middle East, dubbing her collection “Nomad”, (“wherever she goes, she belongs”) her creations were an eclectic mix of tapestry prints, embroidery, animal prints, sequins and textured fabrics in slouchy cardigans, cocoon coats and cozy tunic-style dresses. Funeral black made way for earthy desert tones of aubergines, sunset crimsons and mocha.
DVF Fall 2009 Collection
There was an element of fun with over-sized pom pom (Gobi desert-style) puffed knitted hats and wacky zebra and leopard print leggings. Animal prints also adorned tops, dresses and waistcoats. For eveningwear the designer wowed the crowd with a metallic gold liquid jersey Grecian gown with elegant draping.
In amongst the ethnic mismatched prints, there is a dash of monochrome in dramatic graphic dresses and sweaters. With her nomadic-inspired capes, origami coats and cocoon jackets, striking in both pattern and texture, there is something both comfortable and comforting about this latest go-anywhere collection.
Diane von Furstenberg – the Designer
Diane von Furstenberg has come a long way since her first wrap dress. Hailed by Newsweek (March 28, 1976) as the most marketable designer since Coco Chanel, she is currently the president of The Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) and is a CDFA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Born in Belgium, Diane Simone Michelle Halfin, as she was then, studied economics in Switzerland at the University of Geneva. It was here she met her former husband, Prince Egon of Fürstenberg, the elder son of a German prince. The marriage only lasted three years, but it spurred her on to become a designer in her own right, rather than simply being known for marrying into a dynasty and becoming a Princess.
In 1970 she began designing women’s clothes and is most notably famous for giving birth to the knitted jersey wrap dress. When her first marriage ended she lived in Paris, where she founded a French language publishing house. In 2001, she married American media mogul Barry Diller and in 2002 became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The Wrap Dress
“Feel like a woman. Wear a dress.” Was her slogan In 1972 Diane von Furstenberg launched her hallmark wrap dress and went on to sell 5 million of them. Its success was due to the way it was cut, cleverly adding curves but making the waist look smaller. In a soft jersey fabric, the wrap was a go-anywhere dress and was wrinkle-free. It fell from favor in the '80s but remerged again in 1997, when the feminine styling appealed to a new generation of fashionistas.
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