“I wanted to have a man’s life in a woman’s body […] I wanted to be in charge,” declared fashion icon and designer Diane von Fürstenberg, also known as DVF.
DVF is undoubtedly fashion royalty at its finest: she is the creator of her own iconic global luxury fashion brand that bears her name. She has been named in Forbes and Time Magazine as the 68th most powerful woman in the world and a Time 100 Icon. Among her countless past accomplishments, von Fürstenberg will now be adding yet another quality to her list of titles: she will now be a boss, fashion icon and successful author.
On March 23, Her Campus held an exclusive press conference with the one and only Diane von Fürstenberg for the launch of her new book, Own It: The Secret to Life, co-hosted by Her Campus founder, Windsor Hanger Western. By the grace of the fashion gods, I was able to attend and witness von Fürstenberg. Only one person from each Her Campus chapter across the world was able to join the press conference, which consisted of a Q&A with the participating audience and von Fürstenberg.
If I had to define this occasion in one word, it would be: inspiring. When this opportunity arose, I felt so strongly that this woman would have amazing wisdom and advice and would just be the ultimate dream mentor for any girl my age that I raced at the opportunity to be our representative.
Here are the top four quotes by von Fürstenberg that stood out to me the most:
- “Own it”
-
As the title of her book, von Fürstenberg consistently told the audience to “Own it”: own the bad thing that happened yesterday, own the bad week you had, own the failure, own everything. Acceptance is necessary to learn from your past and move on as a smarter, better, and happier person. We cannot change the past and it is not conducive to our success to meditate on it constantly and not move forward. DVF advised the audience to own your past shamelessly as motivation for your future.
- “If you doubt your powers, you give power to your doubts”
-
This quote is one of von Fürstenberg’s favorite catchphrases. She believes in prioritizing self confidence, self belief and self love above all else, as these are the tools that allow us as women to dedicate all our energy to things and thoughts that are fruitful and beneficial to us. Life is short. Days are only so long. It is important to spend your time investing in yourself and in your powers, so you can be the person you want to be and live the life you want to live.
- “Creativity applies to everything”
-
Mindset matters and might even be everything. Your ability to see wrong in everything is just as strong as your ability to see beauty in everything. Creativity is everywhere if you seek it. It is important to realize the relationship between the power of your thoughts and your livelihood.
- “I wanted to have a man’s life in a woman’s body”
-
This quote hits hard as a young woman entering the workforce soon. DVF’s incredible work ethic and success is a product of her ability to rise through and above the gender disparity and inequality in fashion during the late 90s and early 2000s, which still continues today in too many aspects of the world. Her great motivation and determination is incredibly inspiring. Her belief in herself and her greatness allowed her to work through the obstacles she was forced to experience as a woman and disprove stereotypes of women in fashion.
I have never heard von Fürstenberg speak before, but after this conference, I pre-ordered her book the second I could. I knew that I needed to hear more of what she had to say and have the ability to keep it forever. She is everything anyone wants in an author and wisdom giver. She is eloquent. She is so intelligent. She is genuine, she tells it how it is. She is motivating. She is energizing. And ultimately, she knows what she is talking about.
DVF’s new book is the perfect mix of an autobiography and inspirational self-help book and I can’t wait to read it. DVF is one of those people you want to be around all the time because they push you to be better just by being themselves. I am so thankful to Her Campus for this once in a lifetime opportunity and I cannot wait to start reading Diane von Fürstenberg’s new book, Own It: The Secret to Life.