“Fashion is a mysterious energy, a visual moment – impossible to predict where it goes.”

– Diane von Furstenberg

As I entered the new exhibit at LACMA honoring fashion designer Diane vonFurstenberg (formally a princess), I strolled down a long haul filled with large sized images of her iconic wrap dress, many on the cover of magazines like Vogue and Newsweek. Images of Cheryl Tiegs, Madonna, Paris and Niki Hilton clothed in her wrap dress with von Furstenberg’s name as the print brought me back to a long forgotten time. The memorable 1970’s and 1980’s prints here and there – pink cheetah, green and white zig zagging patterns, black and white popping prints. The walls and floors hugged us with those same designs reminding us of the women we idolized in the fashion magazines.

Women all over the world were wearing this casual comfortable number showcasing women’s new found sense of independence of that era.  Women could go from work to play with little effort. I remember this wrap dress idea becoming popular with the wrap shirt. Now that the 70’s are a distant memory, girls today still long for the wrap dress while searching for vintage finds at flea markets. After a period of rest, the wrap dress has returned. Now in silks, even bolder prints, and a range of fabrics and silhouettes, the wrap dress turned 40 this year.

This collection is a celebration of those dresses that came so far, a journey of a dress.

LACMA (The Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

5905 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Belgian born American fashion designer, von Furstenberg rose to prominence when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg. Following her divorce in 1972, she kept the name. In 1970 with a $30,000 investment, she started to design woman’s clothes. The company’s headquarters and flagship boutique are located in Manhatten’s Meatpacking District, but can also be found right here in LA at 8407 Melrose Avenue.

“Feel like a woman. Wear a dress.” – Diane von Furstenberg