Diane von Furstenberg, now 79, spends about five months of the year in Venice, which she calls "my stage" and where she thinks. She is best known for creating the wrap dress, a design that became an iconic symbol of the 1970s. The idea for the wrap dress came to her while watching news coverage of the Watergate scandal, inspired by Julie Eisenhower, the daughter of former U.S. President Richard Nixon, who was wearing a similar top. By 1976, von Furstenberg had sold a million of them. The wrap dress, inspired by the tops worn by ballerinas, was comfortable, practical, and affordable. When asked if she ever tires of talking about the wrap dress, von Furstenberg said she used to, as she was involved in many other projects, but people kept asking about it. Diane Simone Michele Halfin was born in Brussels, Belgium, on New Year's Eve in 1946. Her mother was a Holocaust survivor who weighed about 49 pounds when she was freed from a death camp. Her mother cared for her meticulously, feeding her every five minutes, and within six months, she was healthy. Thirteen months later, von Furstenberg was born. Her mother often said, "God saved me so I could give you life. By giving you life, you gave me mine back." Before becoming a fashion icon, von Furstenberg became a princess after marrying Ëgon von Furstenberg, a German-Italian prince. They had two children together, but their marriage ended. Their relationship was notable for being open, and von Furstenberg has spoken about past relationships, including brief flings with celebrities like Richard Gere, Warren Beatty, and Ryan O'Neal. She also discussed falling in love with a boy and then a girl at a time when sexual fluidity was not commonly discussed. She mentioned she still talks to the girl she fell in love with. In 2001, she remarried to media mogul Barry Diller. Diller, who was 83 at the time, wrote in a memoir that he was attracted to men, but von Furstenberg said she never saw that as a conflict. She said she encouraged him to write the memoir and considers him her soulmate and life companion. Von Furstenberg's business has faced challenges, but the brand has endured through financial ups and downs. She said that when people say she is finished, she is already on the way up again. Today, she remains close to the company that bears her name, while a new generation leads its creative direction. Instead, she is focused on designing what she will leave behind, like her annual DVF Awards, held in Venice. Now in its 17th year, the awards celebrate women changing the world, including actress and activist Jane Fonda and Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer Lynsey Addario. Von Furstenberg will turn 80 on New Year's Eve, which she thinks about a lot. She said she honors the year she is going towards every year and is very sensitive about mortality. She said she is starting her last act, the winter of her life, and hopes it won't be too short. She wants to be remembered as somebody who loved life and tried to honor it in every way.