Diane von Furstenberg

The influential fashion designer and author of Diane: A Signature Life describes her pursuit of a creativity and independence, providing coverage of such topics as her childhood in Brussels, her struggles with cancer and her creation of a genre-defining dress design.

The Woman I Wanted to Be

Sarah Vaughan

I think it's great for individuals to have their own sense of style, for their clothing to represent who they are. I love what clothing, accessories, and makeup can do for a woman's confidence. But as someone who wouldn't necessarily consider herself very much into "fashion," I was a bit skeptical about DVF's book. I am of course familiar with the iconic wrap dress, and DVF herself, whom I admire for her charitable donations and contributions to the world of women, but I'm not so much familiar with her brand and design aesthetic. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is more about her journey from the daughter of a Holocaust survivor to a self-made designer whose empire just keeps growing and growing. Her experiences seemed very genuine and authentic, without any traces of arrogance, and in a world where what you drive and how expensive your clothes are can define your importance to others, Diane is refreshingly down to earth. I'm not sure I can take much from her business model considering I have no desire to create my own designer brand, but one thing I enjoyed reading about was her desire to use her accomplishments to raise awareness from everything to women's rights to preserving historic districts in NYC.

The Woman I Wanted to Be

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