Save this story Save Story Save this story Diane von Furstenberg Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com “All my life, I wanted to be the woman in charge—and then I became a woman in charge of a little dress,” Diane von Furstenberg told an audience at Gotham Hall as she accepted the 2026 Couture Council Award. Of course, those familiar with the designer’s story knew she was referencing the title of her 2024 documentary, Woman in Charge , which chronicles her illustrious life and journey to building a global fashion empire.
More than 50 years after she created her groundbreaking wrap dress, the design still resonates, as evidenced by the room full of people dressed in the silhouette on Thursday at FIT/The Museum at FIT’s annual Couture Council luncheon. Martha Stewart, Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller, Linda Fargo, Fern Mallis, Erin Walsh, and Candace Bushnell were among those who turned out in style to celebrate an industry icon.
Prints and patterns abounded, too. “The snake that she’s wearing is an original that we call the six sisters—it’s my very first wrap dress ever, ” von Furstenberg told Vogue as she pointed out a design worn by an attendee nearby. Even the afternoon’s custom table runners, made from archival fabric by FIT Menswear students, nodded to the designer’s signature ikat print, first introduced in 1983.
To present von Furstenberg with the award was Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic at the New York Times , who has known the designer for some twenty years. Friedman began her remarks by reminding the audience of von Furstenberg’s unlikely beginning, born in Brussels to a Holocaust survivor. “There are a lot of words I could use to describe today’s honoree. We call her a designer, entrepreneur, feminist, activist, philanthropist, mother, grandmother, daughter, friend, and mentor. But the term I actually prefer is ‘force of nature,’ which I know is three words. But that’s the point: it is impossible to reduce her to just one word,” said Friedman.
As von Furstenberg took the stage, the room gave her a warranted standing ovation. The mogul opened with stories from her childhood while screens behind her showed corresponding images. “My mother taught me two things: fear is not an option, and no matter what, never be a victim,” von Furstenberg said about her mother’s decision to send her to boarding school in Switzerland. A photo of the young tastemaker in a jet-set-inspired outfit boarding the plane to school appeared. “I felt so glamorous,” she said, as the audience chuckled.
During a half-hour speech, von Furstenberg reflected on major career milestones, like her first meeting with Diana Vreeland in 1970 and later being featured on the March 1976 cover of Newsweek in her innovative wrap dress. She also recalled being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 CFDA Fashion Awards.
“I have a whole closet full of awards, but more [important] than the awards is the community,” she told Vogue about her latest accolade. For this latest special occasion, the designer opted to wear a red leopard print set from her namesake label’s Fall 2026 collection by its new artistic director Henry Zankov, who was also in attendance. “This is a true full-circle moment for me. For those of you who may not know, I’m a graduate of FIT,” Zankov said before introducing FIT president Jason Schupbach.
Zankov wasn’t the only emerging talent among the crowd, either. Von Furstenberg, an active member on the CFDA board, took time to chat with young contemporaries, including Zane Lii, the new CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Award winner, and runner-up, Emily Dawn Long, as well as Daniella Kallmeyer, who was named Designer of the Year at last year’s CFDA Fashion Awards. In addition, designers Jonathan Cohen and Danielle Frankel Hirsch, Jasmin Hekmat Larian of Cult Gaia, and Sarah Bonnello were all in attendance. (Lii, Hekmat Larian, and Bonnello are also alumni of the school.)
“Thank you, Diane, for being such an icon and deeply supporting and lifting up so many young creatives, especially women, throughout your entire career,” Schupbach said, before presenting The Museum at FIT Student Award honoree to Chloe LaBel. Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, New York’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion, also thanked von Furstenberg for her inspirational work.
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 1/16 Vanessa Friedman, Chloe LaBel, Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Schupbach, Valerie Steele
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 2/16 Martha Stewart
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 3/16 Zane Li, Constance White, Robin Burns-McNeill, Emily Dawn Long, Aldo Araujo
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 4/16 Bethann Hardison, Fern Mallis
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 5/16 Meredith Marks
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Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 7/16 Linda Fargo
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 8/16 Marc Karimzadeh, Jonathan Cohen, Narciso Rodriguez, Aldo Araujo
Expand Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images 9/16 Sarah Bonello and Gabriella Khalil
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 10/16 Erin Walsh, Jasmin Larian Hekmat, Ashley Allen
Expand Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images 11/16 Candace Bushnell
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 12/16 Nicole Miller
Expand Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images 13/16 Fabiola Beracasa Beckman
Confetti Cake, Cold Plunges, and a Basquiat: Take a Tour Inside LeBron and Savannah James’s Los Angeles Home Venus Retrograde Is Coming—Here’s What It Means for Every Star Sign The Third Mercury Retrograde 2026 Won’t Ruin Your Life (But Here’s How to Protect Your Peace Anyway) The 2026 Hunter’s Moon Is Coming—Here’s What It Means for Every Star Sign Expand Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images 14/16 Diane von Furstenberg and Henry Zankov
Expand Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images 15/16 .
Expand Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com 16/16 Diane von Furstenberg
Source: Lifestyle
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