Between the endless nights of finals week drinking so much coffee it became our new blood type to finally getting the long, relaxing break we deserved, I would say us collegiettes wrapped up 2013 pretty well. 2014 has brought about new classes, new people, and for you fashion lovers, a whole new meaning to the dress. On January 10, the legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg launched her iconic wrap dress exhibition, “Journey of a Dress,” at the Wilshire May Company building, adjacent to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. With the live stream premiere hosted by von Furstenberg along with Andy Cohen and Coco Rocha, my excitement toward this unique exhibition has been too much to handle.
DVF launched her first wrap dress in 1974 at the age of 26. Ever since, she has revolutionized the meaning of the dress. DVF’s “Journey of a Dress” celebrates the 40th year of the wrap dress’s success throughout the world. From geometric prints to snake prints to stripes to a bold, endless world of colors, DVF’s dresses have given every women something to wear; something to love.
When looking at vintage dresses throughout the exhibition, Vogue reports von Furstenberg’s excitement towards the pieces: “The thing that’s so wild is that you can barely tell!” As mentioned by von Furstenberg at the grand opening via live stream, during an appearance in Miami, DVF happened to find a customer wearing one of her vintage wrap dresses she had previously been unable to track down. She borrowed it from the customer and it is now part of the 200-dress collection looking more fabulous than ever.
While designing the wrap dress, von Furstenberg had no idea about the success it would bring, not to mention 40 years later. Diane has empowered women across the world to look good and feel good by simply wearing her dress. She even asks women to share stories of their memories in their wrap dress, whether it’s a first job interview, first date, or any other milestone in their lives. We may not realize it, but us collegiettes are living through those milestones right now.
“Journey of a Dress” will be held through April 1. Only time will tell if the exhibition will eventually journey to Miami or New York. While the wrap dress is extremely difficult to purchase on a “broke college student” budget, save up and eventually head to Nordstom, Bloomingdales, the DVF website, etc. Even if you can’t purchase the dress now, it’s something you can look forward to—something that will hopefully last for another 40 years. I don’t have my own wrap dress, so I know I’ll be searching through my mom’s closet for one of hers (sorry mom).
On another note, I cannot emphasize this enough—take it from Diane: you should never hold back your dreams. Our time now at Florida State is to pursue our hopes and goals and anything other than that would be a shame. “Journey of a Dress” is not only for the eyes, but for inspiration as well (check out the live stream of the grand opening here). Diane’s story and advice can empower collegiettes to turn their ideas into reality, no matter what they may be. A dress is not merely a piece of fabric; it’s a piece of important moments, a statement of our mood, a reflection of our style. DVF has never said it better: “Feel like a woman, wear a dress!”
Photos Courtesy: DVF.com, Vogue.com