Name: Diane von Furstenberg on Her Iconic Wrap Dress, Becoming A Princess | Letterman
Uploaded: 2022-02-28T12:51:30.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Diane von Furstenberg on Her Iconic Wrap Dress, Becoming A Princess | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-28. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Diane von Furstenberg on Her Iconic Wrap Dress, Becoming A Princess | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-28. Transcript available.

- I'm in a good mood, and I don't know why.
There's no reason for me to be in a good mood,
except that our first guest parlayed a $30,000 loan
into a $200 million business.
Welcome the woman who reinvented the dress.
Is that right, she reinvented the dress?
Frank's wearing one this morning.
And became one of America's most successful
business women, Diane Von Furstenberg.
- Thank you.
- How do you do?
- Nice to meet you, Dad.
Reinvented the dress.
What do we mean by that?
- I don't know, but before everything,
I want to give you a present.
Here's some calpades.
- Why, thank you very much.
The calpades preferred by royalty,
three to one, ladies and gentlemen.
What does that mean that you reinvented the...
- Well, when I came here at the end of the '60s,
it was 1969, and everything after the '60s was all over,
or nowhere, and for some reason,
if you wanted to wear a dress,
which I always like dresses,
because in a dress you walk differently,
and sit differently, and feel differently.
Well, if you wanted to wear a dress then,
it was either a very, very expensive dress,
or a drip-dry polyester, very matron-y,
and there was nothing in between,
and that's where I came in with the product.
- Now, how old were you at this time?
- 22.
- 22.
And you decided that you were gonna go
into the dressmaking business?
You borrowed...
- Well, really what I did is that I really wanted
something for myself then.
I felt that there was a gap for all these women
who had just fought the establishment in college,
and all of a sudden were part of the establishment,
and that's when I created the dress.
- Now, the impression we always get of someone
who is a princess, or in a royal situation,
is they don't have to do anything.
They're like Tina and Mary.
They can spend their days playing tennis if they want, you know.
But you went into business for yourself, and...
- And I made dress for Tina and Mary.
- Yeah, right.
But now, you know what I'm saying.
You could have just laid back and...
- Well, I guess that more than anything else,
I just had a great need to...
I don't know, to do something and to achieve something,
and to be my own person and very independent.
And I like to live well,
and I also don't like to ask anybody helpfully live well,
so I had to do myself.
- Are European women, do you think,
smarter than American women, or more aggressive,
or less smarter, less aggressive?
- No, I think that women have changed a great deal,
whether they're European or American.
But I would say that American women are probably stronger
and more independent.
They have more to say.
I don't know, I think that, generally,
all women have come a long way.
And I don't think there's that much difference
between European women and...
- See, what staggers me about this
is 22-year-old women that I know are cheerleaders,
you know, they...
and for you to take on that kind of responsibility
is amazing.
- Well, I didn't know.
It wasn't a responsibility when you start.
You know, you start with an idea,
and then you have it made,
and then you have a full suitcase,
and you carry it around,
and you show people what you want to do,
and you pretend you know what you're doing,
and you don't know what you're doing,
and you go to the next step,
and to the next step,
and then all of a sudden,
you do find yourself with responsibility.
- Now, what did this do to...
- Now, you were married,
or are married, to a prince, right?
- Right.
- Now, what did this do to your marriage?
- Anything?
- Uh, no, no.
No, I had children, too.
- You had a family, so you...
What does the prince do with his time?
- He does men's clothes.
- So you're pretty well involved in...
- That's right.
- Yeah.
How do you...
How do you get to be a princess?
- Well, in my case, I married a prince.
- Okay.
- What are some of the other ways?
- I don't know.
You have some more cow paste.
- This is Diane von Furstenberg,
and we're talking about all kinds of stuff.
I'm interested in the fact that,
when we say you borrowed the 30 grand,
went into business making the dresses,
and so forth, that had a...
Eventually, it kind of collapsed around you, didn't it?
- Well, I had...
I created what was called a wrap dress,
and I wrapped America around.
I mean, everybody had...
I mean, you see those wrap dresses,
going up and down the streets,
and I guess that, at one point,
I saturated the market a little bit.
There was too many of one,
and I had felt that I needed to diversify,
and I didn't fast enough.
And besides, when you grow very...
You know, when you reach success very quickly,
there's always somehow something that doesn't work.
So I had a hard time, but everybody does.
- How many years were involved with that,
from the time you...
The first dress went on sale to the time you were in trouble?
- The first dress was, let's say, 1917,
and the problems were '76, and then it was fine again.
- '76, so six years now.
Were you just flat-busted?
Were you broke?
I don't mean flat, excuse me.
- Well, I was, I was, I was...
- Settle down here, hold it, hold it, hold it.
- I was, I was, it was difficult, it was difficult.
I never really...
- Did that bother you after having such incredible success?
- Well, I mean, it's always painful when things are difficult,
but then by the same token, out of difficulty,
you, you become stronger and you also have a better perspective
on things and you, it's good.
Every bad experience, I think, is a good experience.
- So how did you, how did you turn the thing around then?
- Well, I diversified more and I went more heavily
into my fragrance business because then, at the time,
I have a fragrance, perfume called Tatiana after my daughter,
and that became a very big success and I worked on that
and, you know, I just managed.
- Now what about the prints and the kids at this point?
What was it, what was it like being the head of major
designer industry in this country, worldwide,
and then also raising two children?
- Well, I mean, for my children,
I'm a mother, you know, I'm just a plain mother,
and so that doesn't change anything, really.
I mean, they go to school, I go to work,
and we come back together and we spend our time together.
A mother is a mother, no matter what you do.
I don't think that makes any difference at all.
- Now, I have two dogs, and--
- Male and female?
- No, two, well, they're neither at this point,
and from this point on, as a matter of fact.
But they, and I find that what
little time I have at home is spent
just looking after these jerks, you know?
And I can imagine with children,
it's more time consuming.
- Well, yes, but then by the same token,
you get an awful back, too.
I mean, you just don't, just keep on planting the seeds.
You get a lot of satisfaction back,
and a lot of love back.
And when you put your interest and your care in something,
when you see it coming back,
I guess that's what satisfaction's involved.
- For people who are watching at home,
and they may be real envious of what you've accomplished
at a very early age and so forth,
is there anything that would cause you just to say,
"Well, I'm tired of this," and go back to being,
just the, it's hard to say, just being, just a princess?
- Well, I don't think you ever go back being something.
I think you keep on growing.
I think that your personal growth and your business growth
and everything, you change, and you know,
it's like a cake, you know?
You get more ingredients and more ingredients,
and therefore you become rich in certain feelings
and certain, and you keep on growing, and you change,
and you're not necessarily today what you're gonna be
in five years or in 10 years,
but I don't think you ever go back.
I mean, you change, and you may give up certain things,
but just keep on growing.
- Yeah, but what I mean is, there are no circumstances
you can imagine under which you'd say,
"Geez, I'm just tired of this.
"I'm just gonna go hang around the house now."
- Well, I don't like the idea of just hang around the house,
but maybe I'll be in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning
playing tennis.
- Well, that's not a bad notion.
So what do you, what do you project for yourself?
Anything that you don't have now
that you would like to come up with one day?
- Yes, I just would like to, I don't know.
I, I, what I want to do and my goals,
I usually keep for myself.
And so I just keep on growing and do what I do better
and better and become a better person
and come back on your show and give me some more copy.
- Well, you got it.
Anytime you're in the neighborhood, drop in for heaven's sakes.
Diane von Furstenberg, we have to pause now.
We'll be right back.
Thank you.