Fashion Designer Diane von Furstenberg was born in Belgium and studied Economics at the University of Geneva, where she met and married Austro-Italian Prince Egon von Furstenberg. The couple moved to New York late in 1969, and Diane unveiled her first collection in April of 1970. The princess-turned designer / entrepreneur divorced from her husband after only 3 years and shifted her focus towards independence and her own career. Diane's status was elevated to 'Fashion Icon' after the release of her first, moderately priced wrap dress in the 1970's. Her sultry, no-fuss creation filled a void in the fashion world by providing women a welcomed alternative to the standard bell-bottom jeans, and sexless pantsuits of the day. By 1976 the "Wrap Dress" had come to symbolize female power and freedom to an entire generation, thanks to Diane Von Furstenberg. In 1997, after a hiatus from Fashion, Diane reemerged on the New York fashion scene with the relaunch of the dress that had started it all and began transforming her company into the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today. "I like to say that "I design a line the way I pack a suitcase," visualizing all of the different places I'm going to be, and then creating the appropriate outfits. My clothing must be timeless and versatile, so that a few simple pieces add up to many different looks. I think building a wardrobe should be like compiling a scrapbook of your life over the years you accumulate favorite pieces, like old friends, that you always come back to for their unfailing ability to make you feel safe or confident, sexy or secure, depending on what you need." -DVF