If it could be said that there was a dress that started it all, Diane von Furstenberg‘s legendary wrap dress would hold that title. With its creation in 1974 and her words “Feel like a woman, wear a dress!” the Belgian-born designer ushered in a new era of sexy, easygoing comfort and confidence in women’s fashion.
Despite its celebrated status, the figure-flattering style known for hugging a woman’s body in all the right places (and none of the wrong ones) started from humble beginnings.
“First, I designed a wrap top, which was inspired by the little sweaters that ballerinas wore, and a matching skirt, and then I thought, Why not turn it into a dress?” explains the designer. “I wanted to create a simple little dress that I could wear anywhere.”
It quickly became a part of the fashion lexicon.
“It turned out to be revolutionary, because back then everyone was doing couture, which was beautiful, but it was all so complicated—no one was doing anything simple like the wrap dress, so it turned out to be exactly what women wanted.”
At a time when women’s fashion was becoming more liberated, the sexy, unstructured style that molds to the body and celebrates a woman’s natural shape struck a chord. By 1976, she’d sold more than a million.
“I had no idea it would become a phenomenon…it was just a simple little dress that looked like nothing on the rack. But when you put it on a woman, something amazing happened!”
This has been a milestone year for von Furstenberg with the 40th anniversary; an international exhibition honoring the dress in Moscow, São Paulo, Beijing and Los Angeles; and the wrap being featured in Oscar-nominated American Hustle.
“It was such a wonderful surprise that happened right in time for the anniversary. David O. Russell had the wrap dress in mind for Amy Adams’s character because it was the moment she was coming into her own and really becoming a woman,” she says. “So I was so excited he chose the wrap dress for that and that the costume designer, Michael Wilkinson, found one in an old vintage shop. The best things are like that—you don’t plan. They just happen.”
Adams wears three of the dresses in the film, celebrating her character’s newfound sophistication and sultry confidence. The first one is the green and white dress that von Furstenberg wore on the cover of Newsweek in 1976, which the film purchased from a vintage dealer; the second one features a brown and white feather design and was found in a costume-rental house in Los Angeles; and the third is a contemporary black and red leopard print DVF dress.
Due to its influence on women’s fashion, the dress was included as part of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1997, and has recently been showcased in a site-specific exhibition that traveled to three countries and is currently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
“I knew that I wanted to do something here for the anniversary, but when I found the May Company Building, which is a former department store on the LACMA campus and the future home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, I knew that it was the perfect mix of retail, art and glamour.”
The 9,000-square-foot retrospective features a variety of wrap dresses designed over the last 40 years, including anniversary dresses created exclusively for the exhibition, and a glass collage that incorporates portraits and prints to create a floating dress.
Despite its elegant nature and storied history, the dress doesn’t have to be reserved for special occasions, von Furstenberg says.
“You can wear it with combat boots or even Converse. You can roll up the sleeves, or wear it with a jean jacket. Or, of course, it can also be very elegant if you pair it with heels and a sleek bag.”
The dresses in her spring 2014 ‘Oasis’ collection feature striking nature and animal prints, infused with dazzling colors and inspired by her travels.
“It’s all about an unexpected source of beauty and being your own oasis,” she explains. “The palette is grounded in black and white with pops of vibrant color. The prints are desert inspired, from sweeping landscapes to graphic jungle diamond…the prints and silhouettes are so DVF!”
“I heard that she was going to be in town and she said that she would walk, so we were very excited!”
Not a bad way to wrap up 40 years of history and fashion.
The Journey of a Dress exhibition runs through May 1.
—Deidre Crawford
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