photo courtesy of DVF
It’s hard for many of us to believe that it has actually been 40 years since Diane von Furstenberg first designed the Wrap Dress that has become a staple in so many women’s wardrobes for years. I remember where I was when I bought my first one…working at Bloomingdale’s NYC in the buying office and the cool thing to do was to wear the “it dress” as it was then, when we went to fashion week shows and sat in the front row, even as an assistant buyer…it was a wow moment for me for sure. This Wrap Dress as it has become known was not designed as a dress at all, says the designer. “It was designed as a wrap top like ballerinas wore that I put a skirt with. I then realized what a simple, sexy dress that would be” and the rest is history or more accurately, her legacy, that she will always be remembered for. It should be noted that all of this began by a young designer that was a NYC transplant, newly married, designing at 22 and creator of this dress at the age of 26!
DVF is asking that any one with a personal connection to this dress to please send her a photo and stories of this dress. Anecdotes will be shared on dvfwrapstory.com for an upcoming project……or if you would like to share with MYREDGLASSES readers, please leave a comment of a memory of this dress at the end of this article. I’d love to hear about it as I know many of our readers would as well……you know one of those, “if this dress could talk” stories would be great!
Newsweek Cover, 1976 about The Wrap Dress she designed in 1974
My very first DVF Wrap was that exact geometric print shown above in brown and white. I remember it so well, and only wish I had it today. Ms. von Furstenberg said about this time in her life and of this creation, “I had no idea it would become a such a phenomenon.” “It was at the right place at the right time, a simple dress that had not been done.” It proved to be a dress that women took to immediately and loved as a closet staple. It was stylish, flattering on all body types, versatile….for office-wear or out to dinner and so many women loved that it packed well. It could literally be rolled up in a ball in a suitcase and come back to life at your destination…how wonderful was that and a new experience for most women at that time!
THEN and NOW
Sybil Shepherd wearing The Wrap in movie, Taxi Driver in 1975 and Amy Adams sporting one of (3) vintage DVF Wrap Dresses in current movie, American Hustle. photos credit of: Josh Weiner for Sybil Shepherd & Francois Duhamel/Everett Collection
Selection of many of DVF’s most popular prints over the 40 year span of this iconic dress
Diane celebrating The Wrap Dress: 40 Years & Still Kicking
Diane von Furstenberg will be celebrating with an exhibit of her 40 years of the Wrap Dress at the Wilshire May Company Building on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Tune in and watch the celebration on dvf.com.
Dates of exhibit: January 11, 2014 thru April 1, 2014
Roz, thanks for sharing this. My first DVF was also a brown and white print, maybe the one Amy Adams is wearing above. I got this dress the spring of my senior year in college. There weren’t many clothing stores–besides those selling preppy crew necks and army jackets–in my college town, but at the outskirts there was an elegant department store called Bellows. That’s where I found my DVF wrap. It quickly became my favorite–the jersey was incredibly soft and flattering–but it was so much more than a dress. Wearing it was a rite of passage.
Lauren, I love your closer…..a rite of passage, so true! This dress was the “it dress” as I called it when I bought it when working at Bloomingdales…..it was more of a dress, it was an “attitude”. Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your experience!!
Roz, this article was like a blast from the past! I loved my DVF wrap dresses, especially the brown animal print dress. I had several other patterns. The DVF wrap dress was my go to dress for many occasions. It was a perfect fit for me.
Joyce