You’ve probably seen the dress. Maybe it’s hanging in the back of your closet, or maybe you saw it on a thrift rack and wondered why a piece of jersey fabric with a simple tie-waist felt so... intentional. That’s the magic of Diane von Furstenberg. But honestly, if you think she’s just about "fashion," you’re missing the point of the 2024 documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge.
Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, this film isn't some dry, corporate retrospective. It’s a messy, glamorous, and deeply human look at a woman who decided, before she even had a career, that she wanted to be "the woman in charge." She didn't want to just be a princess—though she literally was one. She wanted a life of her own making.
The Holocaust Legacy Most People Get Wrong
People often talk about Diane's rise in the 70s as this breezy, Studio 54 success story. It wasn't. To understand why she’s so obsessed with freedom, you have to look at her mother, Liliane Halfin.
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Liliane was a survivor of Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds when she was liberated. Doctors told her she shouldn't have children for years, if ever. Yet, eighteen months later, Diane was born.
"God saved me so I could give you life," her mother told her. That’s a heavy thing to carry. It’s where that famous "fear is not an option" mantra comes from. In the documentary, Diane is candid about how her mother would literally lock her in dark closets to help her overcome her fears. It sounds harsh—kinda is—but it forged a woman who viewed vulnerability as a choice, not a permanent state.
That Wrap Dress Wasn't Just a Trend
By 1974, Diane was selling 25,000 dresses a week. Think about that for a second. In an era where women were finally entering the workforce in droves but still couldn't get a credit card without their husband’s signature, she gave them a uniform.
It was $80. It was wash-and-wear. You could wear it to the office, and then, as Diane famously hints, you could slip out of it easily if the night took a turn.
She wasn't just selling silk jersey; she was selling agency. The "InCharge" movement wasn't a marketing slogan she came up with last year. It was the backbone of her business in 1972 when she moved to New York with a suitcase full of samples. She didn't want to be a "Park Avenue Princess" married to Prince Egon von Furstenberg. She wanted to be Diane.
The Parts the Documentary Actually Interrogates
I'll be real: some critics call the film a bit of a "puff piece," but there are moments of genuine, uncomfortable honesty. She talks about the mistakes. Like the time she didn't realize her daughter, Tatiana, had a rare neuromuscular disease until she was an adult. The guilt in her voice during those interviews is palpable.
Then there's the sexuality.
The doc doesn't shy away from her bisexuality or her open marriage. She recounts being expelled from boarding school for falling in love with a girl. She breezily mentions turning down a threesome with Mick Jagger and David Bowie because, well, she just wasn't into it. She lived with a kind of sexual fluidity that was decades ahead of the "labels" we use today.
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Why She Lost It All (and Found It Again)
Success isn't a straight line. By the 80s, the DVF brand was overexposed. It was basically dead. She moved to Paris, started a publishing house, and sorta faded from the fashion zeitgeist.
The comeback is actually the most "In Charge" part of her story.
- The QVC Era: In 1992, she went on QVC and sold $1.2 million worth of clothes in two hours. People in high fashion looked down on it. She didn't care. It gave her the capital to buy back her name.
- The 1997 Relaunch: She noticed young "it girls" were buying vintage wrap dresses. So, she just... started making them again.
- The CFDA Legacy: She didn't just fix her own brand; she led the Council of Fashion Designers of America for 13 years, mentoring an entire generation of designers.
What You Can Actually Take Away from Her Story
Diane is 79 now. She’s still wearing the curls, still has the accent, and still refuses to be a victim of her own history. Whether you're a fan of her prints or couldn't care less about New York Fashion Week, the "Woman in Charge" philosophy is a practical toolkit for 2026.
Own your imperfections. Diane talks about her "failures" as much as her wins. If you don't own your narrative, someone else will write a version of it you hate.
Femininity is a strength, not a weakness. She proved you could be powerful in a dress. You don't have to dress like a man to command a boardroom.
Kindness as a strategy. In her recent talk at Davos 2025, she argued that kindness is a currency. It’s not about being a pushover; it’s about building a network that actually lasts through the "slumps."
If you want to see the film, it’s currently streaming on Hulu (or Disney+ internationally). It’s 97 minutes of a woman refusing to apologize for existing.
To start applying the "In Charge" mindset today, try her "three words" ritual: At the start of the week, write down three specific intentions for how you want to feel, not just what you want to do. It sounds simple, but for Diane, it’s been the difference between drifting and leading for over fifty years.