1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: Hi, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in progress today. 2 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: I am absolutely honored to be talking to a titan 3 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: in the world of fashion history, women's history, and well history. 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: Diane von Furstenburg, or as she is known commonly around 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: the world, DVF, born in Belgium at the end of 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: the Second World War to Holocaust survivor parents. DVF went 7 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 1: on to change the fashion world, married to prince and 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: amassed a net worth of over a billion dollars. Her 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: clothes have been worn by millions of women around the world, 10 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: including Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: and my very favorite, Michelle Obama. She's written several books, 12 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 1: including Diane, A Signature Life and The Woman I Wanted 13 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: to Be and the upcoming Own It The Secret to Life. 14 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: Now at seventy four, she oversees the lirv on Furstenberg 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: Family Foundation with her second husband, TV pioneer Barry Diller, 16 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: which puts their wealth to good use, providing support to 17 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: nonprofit organizations including community building, education, human rights, arts, health 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: and the environment. DVF is an overwhelming inspiration to me 19 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: personally and to women everywhere. She's overcoming credible odds and 20 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: changed the world. I was honored to get a chance 21 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: to learn from her, her story and her passion for 22 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: her work and causes. She discussed becoming a young mother 23 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: at twenty two, leaving her first marriage, moving to America, 24 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: and starting her own career in fashion, which resulted in 25 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: the creation of the world famous rap dress. And we 26 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: also talked about how she and her husband Barry, along 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: with their children and grandchildren, have created a family unit 28 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: that formed a foundation to help those in need. DVF 29 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: is one of the most accomplished people I've had the 30 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: pleasure of talking to. She is a wealth of knowledge 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: and experience and joy. I learned so much from her, 32 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: and I know you will too. Diane, it's such an 33 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: honor to have you on the podcast today. You are 34 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: a woman who has been an icon to me for 35 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: so long, and it's sort of a pinch me moment 36 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: every time I get to spend time with you, because 37 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: we've become friends and and you were this incredible advocate, 38 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: and we've worked on wonderful, wonderful work for the public together. 39 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: And I don't know if I've ever told you this, 40 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: but back when I was in college. With my very 41 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: first paycheck I ever earned from an acting job, I 42 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: went to Bloomingdale's and I bought two things. I bought 43 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: an orange, unbelievable Mark Jacob's jacket, and I bought a 44 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: Diane von Furstenburg rap dress. It was a black and 45 00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: camel and white dress and it was so fabulous. I 46 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: do I still have it. I don't know if it 47 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: fits me anymore, because you know, I was eighteen at 48 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: the time, but it was such a moment for me 49 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: as a young woman. I felt I felt like an adult. 50 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: I know. You know, it's very funny because right now 51 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: it's it's a very very interesting moment, even in the 52 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: for the brand, because with everything that happened, it was 53 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: a moment to reset the business plan and reset everything 54 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: and make sure that you stayed to the core of 55 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: who you are and and all of that. And I 56 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: also realized I have so many archives and such a 57 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: huge library of prints, and my vault is huge. On 58 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: the brand. The next year will be fifty years. So 59 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: now I have a very young team, and it's so 60 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: nice because they get so excited about the seventies, you know, 61 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: So it's very nice and then, so what I would 62 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: say is that I did not know what I wanted 63 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: to do, but I knew the kind of woman I 64 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: wanted to be. I wanted to be a woman in charge, right. 65 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: I wanted to have a man's life in a woman's body. 66 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: And at twenty eight I was already separated, I already 67 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: had two children, I already was enormously successful. So twenty 68 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: eight I became the woman I wanted to be. That woman. 69 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: I was on the cover of Newsweek and interview in 70 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: most regional at twenty eight. And then later people say 71 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: who do you design for? And I always say the 72 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: woman in charge, and so in charge has always been 73 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: very much the umbrella over my brand. And then I 74 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: started to think about being in charge with us that 75 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: means blah blah blah. And two years ago I started 76 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: the movement and I wrote a mission statement about what 77 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: it is to be in charge, And to be in 78 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: charge is first and foremost a commitment to ourselves. It's 79 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: not an aggressive thing against man. It's not an aggressive 80 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: thing period. It's just owning who we are. We own 81 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: our imperfection. They become our assets. We own our vulnerability. 82 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: We can turn it into strength and I realized, you know, 83 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: the brands still designed for that twenty eight year old woman. 84 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: She's not a girl, she's a woman, because even though 85 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, I'm an older woman now, but 86 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: that twenty eight year old woman is still inside me. 87 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 1: I remember, you know, that feeling of being in charge 88 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,480 Speaker 1: is still there. So that is who I catered too. 89 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: I'm curious because you you talk about this notion of 90 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: being a woman in charge being the thematic umbrella in 91 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: your life. You know you've built underneath it, and it's 92 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: a thing that you've continued to sue. And I wonder. 93 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: I always like to know who my guests were before 94 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 1: we all knew them as the people they are now. 95 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: I wonder, at what age did you begin to feel 96 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 1: that kind of pulse for your own goals and creativity 97 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: and power. You grew up in Brussels. Was this something 98 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: that began there as a little girl? All right? So 99 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: since you talk about Brussels, I was born in Belgium. 100 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: After the war. My mother during the war was a 101 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: prisoner of war enslave labor. She was in the concentration camp. 102 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: The worst she went to Auschwitzberger. Now then they you know, 103 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: they were losing the war, they moved to you know, 104 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: another camp, another camp. Anyway, thirteen months she spent in 105 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: the camps. By the time she she came back, she 106 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: weighed forty nine pounds. I mean, she was a skeleton. 107 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: She wasn't supper was to be alive. And and it's 108 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: funny because the Holocaust Museum did all this research and 109 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: they found all this information and where my mother was liberated. 110 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: She filled the questionnaire with the name, her surname, age, 111 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: where she was from, blah blah blah, and then it 112 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: said state of health, and she wrote excellent health. She 113 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: could barely move, but she wrote excellent health. And I 114 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: love that because that really shows her will power. She 115 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: never wanted to be a victim. So to me, I 116 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: was raised as you know, I mean the doctor when 117 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: she got married, the doctor said, you cannot have a 118 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: child for at least three years because you will not 119 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: survive and your child will not be normal. And sure 120 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: enough I was born nine months later. So I mean, 121 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: the fact that she had was not supposed to survive. 122 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: I was not supposed to be born. All of this 123 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: makes who I am, right. I was raised by a 124 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: mother who told me fear was not an option. She 125 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: would never allow me to be afraid. If I was 126 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: afraid of the dark, she would lock me in the closet. 127 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: Today she would get arrested. But truly, I'm thankful she 128 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: did that because after five minutes you realize that it 129 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: doesn't stay dark, and even if it does stay dark, 130 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: what's to be afraid of the dark, you know? So 131 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: she made me like that. She made me very responsible. 132 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: She never told me to be careful. She always said 133 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: go ahead, do it, you know, but she made me responsible. 134 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: You know, if you do it, you pay the consequences. 135 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: What what was she like to grow up with as 136 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: you were becoming, you know, a young girl, a teenager. 137 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: You speak of her so highly in all of your writing, 138 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: and these stories about her are so incredible. I mean, 139 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: I just think about the determination, but determined a nation, 140 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: but gumption to say excellent. I listened. When when you 141 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: have a very strong mother, you also resent that strength, 142 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: you know. I mean she would give advice to everybody, 143 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: all my friends, and I used to hate that. Now 144 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: I'm ten times worse than her. But but she made 145 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: me and my children because she she only died twenty 146 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: years ago, so both my children were thirty and she 147 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 1: met two of my granddaughters, so she had a major 148 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: effect on all of us and we pass it down. 149 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: I mean, we are definitely a dynasty of very strong 150 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: women and we continue to pass the world. You know, 151 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: at this point in my life, I'm born on news Eve. 152 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: So on news Eve, I always take a big white 153 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 1: sheet of paper and I make I do columns and 154 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: the first column is family, and the second color is 155 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: my brand, and then the third is me. And so 156 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: my family is fine. I'm so proud of who they are, 157 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: all of them, and blah blah blah. My brand is 158 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,559 Speaker 1: now being rebirth, you know, I'm creating a rebirth again. 159 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: And me at this point, what I want to do 160 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: with the rest of my life the most is I 161 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:23,599 Speaker 1: want to use my voice, my knowledge, my my experience, 162 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: my connections, my resources in order to help other women 163 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: to be the women they want to be. And I 164 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: do it that through the DVF Awards. I do that 165 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 1: my books. I do that to mentor, I do that 166 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: to the philanthropy, everything that I do, and it's very 167 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: it's very fulfilling, you know. I am. I am blessed 168 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: that I have had a very very full life. I 169 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: mean it hasn't always been great. I have been sick, 170 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: I have gone through failures, I've gone through all kinds 171 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:02,719 Speaker 1: of things. But I mean, now, looking back, I mean 172 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: I have so many, so much experience, so many images, memories, souvenirs, connection, relationship, 173 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: people who come in and go out of your life, 174 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: and it's it's a wonderful chain of love that you build, 175 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: you know, And writing this book has been amazing. First 176 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 1: the book was going to be called in Charge. Everything 177 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: about in Charge brings you back to own it. Then 178 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: I decided, okay, I'm gonna call it own It. And 179 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: first it was gonna be in prose, and then when 180 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: I was writing it, I thought it was kunderscending. And 181 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: then I decided to make it as a dictionary, and 182 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 1: I lined up two hundred sixty eight words that speak 183 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: to me and some words that don't speak to me, 184 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 1: and I started writing it, and then of it happened, 185 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, with COVID, it was, 186 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: oh my god, everything became more serious. Every word had 187 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: so much more meaning, and and that was very good. 188 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: But what it was great is that at the end 189 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 1: of it, I realized that actually I have never lied, 190 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: mostly not to myself, and that is what has allowed 191 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: me to have a great life. And this is what 192 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: I would like to say in this book, in a 193 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: very fun way, in a noncondescending way, just make people 194 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:47,079 Speaker 1: realize that we have the keys of our life, that 195 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: we we own who we are, that our character is 196 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 1: the most important thing. I mean, we could lose our health, 197 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 1: we could lose our wealth, we could lose our beauty, 198 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: we could lose our family, we could lose of freedom, 199 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: but we never lose our character, even under torture. You see, 200 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: my mother never lost her character even though she was 201 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: humiliated to the worst way. So it's really this book 202 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: is all these little experiences, all these little anecdotes, all 203 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:26,319 Speaker 1: these little words and definition that I have learned, and 204 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: all my knowledge is in the this tiny little book, 205 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: which originally was supposed to be just a gift on 206 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: the version of being frivolous. And yes, it's fun, but 207 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 1: it's also serious. But serious doesn't mean boring certainly. And 208 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: I think you referenced COVID, you know, casting the shadow 209 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: over all of us, and and I had a similar 210 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,079 Speaker 1: feeling to what you described. Everything felt like it had 211 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: more weight, things felt more solid, more important, um connections 212 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: felt clear, or family felt even more important. And I 213 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:10,839 Speaker 1: think there's something really profound about sitting with our lessons 214 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: and our thoughts in a time like this, and I 215 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: and I can feel it in the book, you know, 216 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 1: And I started to read it and I thought, oh, 217 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: this is this is really connected to kind of the 218 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: depths of who we are and and how we came 219 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: to be. Really, no, listen, I mean we some people didn't. 220 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: I mean I kept on annoying my husband all the time. 221 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: If you learned something, what you know, and he doesn't 222 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: want to deal with that, They didn't want to deal 223 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: with it. What do you mean? What do you mean 224 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: when I learn? I said, I don't know. But if 225 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: the world stops, if the entire world is stopped, if 226 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: everyone is wearing a mask, I mean there must be 227 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: some meaning that we all should learn from this. No, 228 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,080 Speaker 1: I believe so I do, and I think even what 229 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: it can mean, as you say, to see everyone wearing 230 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: a mask, you know, if you have to go to 231 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: the grocery store or where wherever it is, you need 232 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: to be the amount of love that I found myself 233 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: feeling when I would see a group of people lining 234 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: up six ft apart waiting to get into the grocery store. 235 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: Everyone in a mask. I thought, every single person I 236 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: see who's wearing a mask, just like I am, cares 237 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: about humanity, cares about their neighbors, cares about their family. 238 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: What a what a symbol of not just patriotism, not 239 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: just let's do it for for our communities, but really, 240 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: let's do it for each other, the one to one 241 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: human interaction. It it sent me into such a space 242 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: of analyzing the way we cohabitate differently, and it it 243 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 1: was profound at times. Yeah, and I think, how interesting 244 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: you know, you talk about the profundity of being your 245 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: mother's daughter and this profundity that you experienced in this 246 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: pandemic writing this book, and you've had such a journey 247 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: in between these two times we're referencing so far, And 248 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: I wonder where did it all begin? Where did the 249 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: love of clothes begin? Was that as a young woman. 250 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: Did did something happen when you were studying economics? Because 251 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: to go from the University of Geneva studying economics too, 252 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: to wind up in Paris working in fashion, the turns 253 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: are just amazing. Well, I did not know what I 254 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: wanted to do. I really did not know, and I 255 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: didn't have a career path at all. I never graduated. 256 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: And I went to Paris and I got a job 257 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: for the photographers agent. And you doing that job, I mean, 258 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: I was just a receptionist, you know, an assistant. But 259 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: what I discovered there was the world of fashion, the 260 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: world of magazine photographers, models, makeup arties, advertising agency, I mean, 261 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: the image of fashion. And then I met an Italian 262 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,439 Speaker 1: man and he said to me, you know, you should 263 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: come and come to see what I do. I have 264 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: a factory in in Commo and I print silk. I'm 265 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: a printer, and you should see the other side of 266 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,680 Speaker 1: fashion where they make things. And I went there. I mean, 267 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,159 Speaker 1: and believe me when I say to young people, you know, 268 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,479 Speaker 1: when you start your life, you have all the doors 269 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: in front of you, and you don't know which is 270 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: your door. I promise you that was the least glamorous door. 271 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: And that certainly is not the door that I thought 272 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: would be my door, but it ended up being my door. 273 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: It was fascinating because Como is the end of the 274 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: silk road, and that's where all the sale factories, the 275 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: Italian seale factories are, and this man was a printer, 276 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: so he would print print print, and so I learned 277 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: how to buy illustration, how to put it together, how 278 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: to do a color palette, and all of those things 279 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: I learned there, but I never thought I was going 280 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: to use it. And then he bought the factory next door. 281 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: And in the factory next door, they were making hose. 282 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: And then the hose were no longer in fashion because 283 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 1: the pantyhose was born. And so when he bought that, 284 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: they were all these machines who had tubular knitting machines. 285 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: And this man so he said, I don't want to 286 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: throw these machines. What could we do with this machine? 287 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 1: And he called a yawn company and he experimented with 288 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 1: thicker yawn and that's how he discovered the jersey fabric. 289 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: So the jersey fabric and then the print, and then 290 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 1: he went. Then he had to find a factory where 291 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: their needles were small enough to deal with those kind 292 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: of fabrics. Then I went to my mother gave me 293 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,919 Speaker 1: for my birthday, she gave me a ticket to go 294 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: and visit my boyfriend in New York. So I went 295 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 1: to New York. My boyfriend was a young, glamorous Austro 296 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: Italian prince. So everybody in New York was, you know, 297 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: crazy about him. So he was invited everywhere. So because 298 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: I came and visit, I was invited everywhere, and I 299 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:31,119 Speaker 1: met and all the young designers of the time, the 300 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: whole stun the Stephen Burrows, Jojo Santangelo, all those people 301 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: gave me close. I went to their showroom and I 302 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: had not seen clothes like that. So after two months 303 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:47,120 Speaker 1: I had to go back to Europe. I went back 304 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:50,520 Speaker 1: to the factory, determined that I had to find a 305 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: way to go back to America. And that moment when 306 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: I went inside the factory, I said, oh, now I 307 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 1: know who I'm here. I'm going to make some samples 308 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: that I will try to sell in America. And that's 309 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: how it's still incredible. And when does that fall on 310 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 1: the timeline, because many of us who have studied your 311 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: career have seen, you know, the photos from that incredible 312 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: as you mentioned the seventies fashion era, Studio fifty four 313 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: culture and the stunning images of the dancing in the 314 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: nightlife and and the fashion. I mean, it feels electric. 315 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: Was that in the earlier part of your career. What 316 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: are your memories from that time. Yes, yes, that was it. 317 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: That was the seventies. You know, I was My mother 318 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: used to say I was lazy. I think I was 319 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: lazy until I was twenty two. And at age twenty two, 320 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,399 Speaker 1: I got pregnant, I got married. In that order, I 321 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: started to work, and I moved to America, and from 322 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: that moment on, I haven't stun and And what was 323 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: it like posing for Andy Warhol and being in that 324 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: that space? All right? So New York in the seventies 325 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: West first and foremost dirty and dangerous, but as a result, 326 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: because it was also very cheap, you had a lot 327 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: of artists, and there was also a feeling of freedom somehow. 328 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: They were sexual freedom because that was the space the 329 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 1: ten years between the discovery of the pill and the 330 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: discovery of AIDS. There was also the era of women's liberation. 331 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 1: They was make love and not war. It was let's say, 332 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: it was a very fun time to beyon. My mom 333 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: has great stories. She she grew up on the East 334 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 1: Coast as well and was living in Manhattan in the 335 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: seventies and talks about, you know, the protests. She would say, 336 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 1: we'd we'd go to a protest and you know, be 337 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: chanting about how Vietnam had to end, and then we'd 338 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: go to fifty four and you can take you dance 339 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: away all the stress and the fear. And I know, 340 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: I know, I know it was that time. Even in Paris, 341 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: if you don't know, when I was in Paris is 342 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: sixty eight, it was the same thing. And that you 343 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: you went, you know, demonstrating in the street and then 344 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: you would go dancing. I remember many years ago leading 345 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: one of my first marches on Washington for human rights, 346 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: and we had this incredible man who was a longtime 347 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: human rights lawyer who came to speak to us, and 348 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: he actually said that if you have the privilege to 349 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: march in defense of others, you need to make sure 350 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: that when you're marching is done, you dance to celebrate 351 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: your freedom. Oh nice, nice makes me cry. I just 352 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: think it's such a a beautiful reminder about doing the 353 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: work and holding your joy. And you, I think are 354 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: such a a pro with that You've done such incredible work, 355 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: but you do it with a joy. Well uh yeah, 356 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,880 Speaker 1: I mean, listen, sometimes i'm a little you know, I'm 357 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 1: down on myself or sometimes, but I am on a 358 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: mission and that's what own it is. About own it, 359 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:22,359 Speaker 1: whatever it is, own it, whatever happens, do you own it? 360 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: You know, whether it's you're being diagnosed with cancer, or 361 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: you have a flood in your bathroom, or your boyfriend 362 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 1: left you or whatever, you know, just own it. And 363 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 1: and the minute you own it, you in control. So 364 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 1: I'm curious about how you get there, because the idea 365 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: of owning it, of using anything that happens to you, 366 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: good or bad as as fuel for your power, that 367 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: feels like an Aha moment to me when you talk 368 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: about it, a sort of revelation of how to live. 369 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: And for me, something I've spoken about with so many 370 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: of my female friends is that there's such a culture 371 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 1: of shame that is thrust upon women. If someone left you, 372 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: what did you do? Why? Why couldn't you hold a man? 373 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: If you left a relationship, what's wrong with you? If 374 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: if you have a failure at work, if you there, 375 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 1: there's so much about no matter what a woman does, 376 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: she's kind of doing it wrong. So how did you 377 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: change that? Okay, first of all the words to throw 378 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: in the baskets blame and shame and complain. Yeah, I 379 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: don't complain. I don't blame. Even even when you could 380 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: blame someone, Just forget it. Don't waste your time blaming anyone. 381 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 1: Just deal with it, you know, deal with it whatever 382 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 1: it is. And shame, I mean, shame is I mean 383 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: the only thing you could be shameful for is to 384 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,120 Speaker 1: have shame. You should not have shame of being who 385 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: you are. You are who you are, and you got 386 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: to own it and of be a good person. I mean, 387 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: you know, and be truthful and be honest and all 388 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 1: of that. But shame shameful? What? Oh? I hate that word, Hayden. 389 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,120 Speaker 1: I think it's a really important thing for people to hear. 390 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,880 Speaker 1: To your point, the umbrella society may want to put 391 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: over us includes those words you want to throw in 392 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: the bin. But the umbrella you are encouraging people to 393 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: live under is owning it, being a woman in charge exactly. 394 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: And I'm gonna see what I wrote for shame shame. 395 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: Shame must be avoided at all costs, although it can 396 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: be hard. When we accept ourselves and our actions, we 397 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: have no reason to have shame. We mentioned blame too. 398 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: I wanted to read blame. Blame is a word to 399 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 1: ban from our vocabulary. When we blame, we give up power. 400 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: Blaming the opposite of owning it. You know, we waste 401 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: we waste time, blabe, you know, even the weather, and 402 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 1: what's what's the point? So owning it? Yeah? One that 403 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:18,360 Speaker 1: I really loved and that felt like such a moment 404 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,120 Speaker 1: for the book. Uh. And I think because so much 405 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: of what you and I have been able to do 406 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: together over the years has revolved around activism and advocacy. 407 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: Your your musing on advocacy in the book, you said, 408 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: fight for the good and the bad will disappear. Standing 409 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,199 Speaker 1: up against violence, abuse, and inequality. We must look for 410 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,479 Speaker 1: the light and build around it. Finding empathy inside us 411 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: will help shift humanity. Advocacy is using our voice. It 412 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,679 Speaker 1: is our duty and a privilege to do so. And 413 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:58,679 Speaker 1: I just I love that find the light and build 414 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:03,719 Speaker 1: around it and it it feels like a book of 415 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: secrets for me, and I imagine for so many women. 416 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: I'm a cancer. What are you? Ah? Do you do 417 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: you identify with the goat? Explanations of your sign. I 418 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: am definitely a goat. I love to climb, I'm a 419 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: big hiker, so I totally identify with a goat. Yes, yeah, 420 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,119 Speaker 1: mine is minus family. They called me the goat. I 421 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: love that Mine is all about water, and you know, 422 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: I'm a cancer with it. I think it's an aquarious rising. 423 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: So it's just water everywhere, So lots of feelings. Everything 424 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 1: that's beautiful makes me cry, like the quote in your book, 425 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 1: and I I really I find that I feel the earth, 426 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: and I'm very sensitive to what's happening to people. And 427 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: you can hear, how though I don't know, you have 428 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:06,360 Speaker 1: a very very very compassionate voice. And you know, compassion 429 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:08,959 Speaker 1: is a is an interesting word. It's a word that 430 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: I had never thought about until a long time ago. 431 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,720 Speaker 1: I was diagnosed with cancer, and all of a sudden 432 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 1: I understood what compassion want. And that's the secret also 433 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: of words. That's why I like having done this book 434 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: as a dictionary, because what words have power? Words have 435 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,919 Speaker 1: energy on their own And it's nice to meditate on 436 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 1: a word and the and the meaning of a word 437 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,359 Speaker 1: can change according to where you are in life, and 438 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,719 Speaker 1: it's interesting. And it's also My mother didn't want me 439 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: to use words not right. Like if I would say, oh, 440 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: it's divine, she said, what do you mean divine? What 441 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: does that mean? You know? She made you always that 442 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: I use the proper words when you think when you 443 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: say that words can change, I I know what you 444 00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: mean that it's it's it's a very intimate truth that 445 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: depending on what you're going through or what you've learned, 446 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: a word, when you are being clear about its definition, 447 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: can mean different things to you or affect you differently. 448 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: I'm so curious. It has power. Words, yes, I mean 449 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: very much. You know you use words. You have to 450 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:26,239 Speaker 1: be very careful. Like people say, oh, I die for it. 451 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 1: I said, no, no, don't say that. I mean, what 452 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 1: do you mean you die for? I mean words have power, 453 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 1: words have energies like intention. The most important thing to 454 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: focus on is intention. I used to do tai chi 455 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,239 Speaker 1: and my taichi master taught me at some point we 456 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: were doing exercise and he said, intention, focus on the intention. 457 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,959 Speaker 1: And I said, wait, wait, wait, explain this more. And 458 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: he explained to me that if you focus on energy, 459 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 1: you stagnate, If you focus on power, you get hurt. 460 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: But if you focus is on intention, you get the 461 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 1: energy and the power. That's beautiful. So how did those 462 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: lessons affect you when when you say that you really 463 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: zeroed in on what compassion meant when you went through 464 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:19,120 Speaker 1: your about with cancer. How did that all relate. I 465 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: don't know. I mean it. It really is very often 466 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: with feelings, right, I mean it's let me read when 467 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: I rode compassion. It's a long one anyway. I only 468 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: learned about the meaning of the word compassion after I 469 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: was diagnosed with cancer at age forty seven. Until then, 470 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: life had been a marathon. I remember the waiting rooms, 471 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: the fearful eyes that I understood the suffering of others 472 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: while refusing mine, reaching for my own strength owning it. 473 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: My treatment was eight weeks of daily radiation. Although the 474 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: treatment itself only took a few minutes, there was always 475 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: a long wait. The way. It became an opportunity for 476 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: a routine to find a book to read. Only there 477 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,480 Speaker 1: something that held me together. I picked the story of 478 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: a grandmother, mother, and daughter, three generations of strong Chinese 479 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: women who suffered and survived extraordinary difficult condition from bounded 480 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: feed to cultural revolution. I finished reading the book exactly 481 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: as I completed my treatment. By that time I understood compassion. 482 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: Compassion is an emotion, but also a muscle that gets 483 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: trained and developed. It is a practice that adds a 484 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: fuller dimension to identify with others and their suffering as 485 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: well as our own. What was your intention when you 486 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: were going through treatment? Oh, to kill the bad sense. 487 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 1: I had invented the little song, and I would walk 488 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: to the hospital little and I would sing this song 489 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,120 Speaker 1: to kill the bad cells so that they never come 490 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: back again. That that was That was my intention. And 491 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: I think about it in terms of what your type 492 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: tea master said to you in the idea that if 493 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: you focus on the intention, you get the energy, you 494 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: get the power. Incredible. It's it's in the book, by 495 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: the way, under the letter Intentions, so you can go 496 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,160 Speaker 1: back to it. M hmm. I'm going to read you 497 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: one more provocative because I really like it. Provocative is 498 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 1: one of my favorite words. I love the sound of it. 499 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: It tickles. It's a combination of question and affirmation. Nothing 500 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: is more provocative than speaking the truth and revealing our imperfections. 501 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: The provocative part gets the attention, but the truth gets respect. 502 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: When I first started my company in my early twenties, 503 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 1: I did a lot of personal appearances all around the 504 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:02,719 Speaker 1: country and l if that Delphia, Detroit, Miami, San Francisco. 505 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: It was also new and exotic to me, a young 506 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: European park avenue princess coming to town to show her easy, 507 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 1: affordable little dresses is how I was introduced by the 508 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: local press everywhere. I did not love that definition. That's 509 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 1: when I decided to be a bit more provocative in 510 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:28,320 Speaker 1: my narrative to show that I was not perfect. The 511 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 1: words became mine and the story no longer a fairy tale. 512 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:40,480 Speaker 1: Beautiful and there is really something to remembering that you 513 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:44,120 Speaker 1: have the power and permission to define yourself, to not 514 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 1: settle for anyone else's definition of you. That that is provocative, 515 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: and it is powerful exactly. Power is important to be remembered. 516 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: Forget about the permission. You don't need anyone permission. M hmm, 517 00:33:56,760 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 1: I said, I said last year having a conversation with uh, 518 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,400 Speaker 1: another person has become a good friend. On the podcast, 519 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: I said, look, you have to write your own permission slips. 520 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,879 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right. But I mean the word permission 521 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:12,759 Speaker 1: is like it's a it's funny. It's the word I 522 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 1: never knew. Yeah, I'm not surprised by that. I love it. 523 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,880 Speaker 1: You you remind us all to move away from needing permission, 524 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 1: even from ourselves, And I like that. Yeah, just own 525 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,319 Speaker 1: the own it, only you have it. Just own it. 526 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: But you do you do, Sophia, you do, Thank you, Diane. 527 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:39,480 Speaker 1: You own it and but you know, again here's an example. 528 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: Doesn't mean that you know. Because you own what you 529 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:44,160 Speaker 1: do and you are the woman you want to be, 530 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that you don't have compassion for others. I 531 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 1: asked you how you were, and you were well, But 532 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:52,840 Speaker 1: the first thing you talked about was all the people 533 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: who are not well. You own who you are, but 534 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,360 Speaker 1: that doesn't take away that you have the compassion and 535 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,200 Speaker 1: you want the desire to help the ones that don't. 536 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 1: I agree. I feel very similarly to you. I think 537 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: it's a duty and it's a responsibility, and it's a privilege. 538 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,720 Speaker 1: It is a privilege to be able to serve others. 539 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:19,440 Speaker 1: And I mean it's total privilege. Total attention. That's another 540 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:24,279 Speaker 1: one that I love, love, love love it. In Uh. 541 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 1: Once we pay attention to details and to others, our 542 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 1: lives become richer. It is like adding colors to a drawing, 543 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: turning into a painting, or walking into a forest. Some 544 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:43,279 Speaker 1: people will see trees, others a universe. And paying attention 545 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:48,400 Speaker 1: to people is a huge secret. It's a huge secret, 546 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: and it's a key to open so many things when 547 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:55,239 Speaker 1: you when you talk about owning it, and you mentioned 548 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,239 Speaker 1: the lists you like to make. You know, you made 549 00:35:58,239 --> 00:35:59,920 Speaker 1: a list of words for this book, and you may 550 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 1: lists on your birthday. On New Year's Eve, you speak 551 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: about the list you make for the brand, and and 552 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:09,920 Speaker 1: at the beginning of our conversation you mentioned that you 553 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 1: are re envisioning it, which it feels wild to me 554 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,920 Speaker 1: as as it's so iconic and successful. Yes, but you 555 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,319 Speaker 1: know you have. I was very successful, and then I 556 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 1: saw the company, and then twenty years ago I started again. 557 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 1: The brand was in the worst place. I started again 558 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:31,520 Speaker 1: and it went six. I mean, you know you have 559 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 1: twenty years it's generation. And I had management who overexpanded, 560 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 1: wanted to be too big and it wasn't right. So 561 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:45,400 Speaker 1: I had to rescale it and and go back to 562 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:48,840 Speaker 1: the core. Because I had offers. People wanted to buy it, 563 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: and I realized what the assets they wanted to buy. 564 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:53,680 Speaker 1: They wanted to buy the name, they wanted to buy 565 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,840 Speaker 1: the Library of Prince, they wanted to buy the the 566 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:02,200 Speaker 1: iconic silhouettes, my archive and all of that. And I thought, oh, 567 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: that's true, that is very valuable. So I'm putting it 568 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 1: all together and I have very young team, and to 569 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 1: see how they see it and how they interpreted is 570 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,440 Speaker 1: very very exciting. And then also we live in a 571 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: different world. It's the world of virtual you know. I 572 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: mean we also virtual, and I love the virtual world. 573 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:27,920 Speaker 1: I love my phone, I love my iPad. It gives 574 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,240 Speaker 1: me access to everything and everyone. It's a different world. 575 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:36,400 Speaker 1: So it's very exciting because it's like an old brand, 576 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,359 Speaker 1: but it's going to be a new starter. And when 577 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:42,919 Speaker 1: you look through your archives, which, by the way, when 578 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,440 Speaker 1: we're all allowed to see each other again, I am 579 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: desperate to get in there and see all of your 580 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 1: prints and patterns. When you look through those things, how 581 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:56,160 Speaker 1: does it feel. Does it evoke memories? Do you remember 582 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: when the rap dress first came out and started all 583 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: of this? Yes, yes, of course I remember all the prints. 584 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,600 Speaker 1: I remember, of course, of course. And also I write 585 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:11,680 Speaker 1: my diary, and I've always kept a visual diary with photographs. 586 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:16,879 Speaker 1: And what is amazing is how consistent the girl who 587 00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 1: runs the archives, she sent me an article of when 588 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 1: I was twenty five, and I'm talking that's exactly the 589 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,399 Speaker 1: same thing that I said. No, I mean, it's insane. 590 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,359 Speaker 1: So it's fun. What year was it that the rap 591 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:39,960 Speaker 1: first came out seventy four And as you are reimagining, 592 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:45,399 Speaker 1: do you feel like you will continue to use that silhouette. Yes, 593 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:48,760 Speaker 1: I mean that's a silhouette that's so classic for sure, 594 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:54,479 Speaker 1: for sure, but you have different interpretation, you know. That's yeah. 595 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 1: I'm curious too when when you think about the industry, 596 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,959 Speaker 1: you know, between seventy or and now, are are there 597 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: things you've noticed about the way that it has changed, 598 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 1: the way that social media has changed it? What do 599 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 1: you really see as those big markers in the industry. 600 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:16,319 Speaker 1: What has changed? Of course Internet and buying online and 601 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,799 Speaker 1: and all of that and social media. Yeah, it has 602 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:24,359 Speaker 1: changed everything. But the essence of what you say and 603 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: the essence of a woman, you know. DVF is about 604 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:33,160 Speaker 1: the woman first, right, woman before fashion. So I talked 605 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:38,239 Speaker 1: about body language, eye contact and body language. When I 606 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,839 Speaker 1: first started with my little dresses, other designers would look 607 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 1: and say, what special what are those stupid little dresses? Well, 608 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:48,880 Speaker 1: they may have looked like that on the hangar, but 609 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,040 Speaker 1: when a woman put it on, all of a sudden, 610 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:57,440 Speaker 1: her body language came out. And that's what I know 611 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:01,200 Speaker 1: how to do. Is very simple, know is very simple, 612 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:05,240 Speaker 1: but somehow to shape the way all these old fashioned 613 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:10,239 Speaker 1: dressmaking tricks make your body look good. Look, this is 614 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: a newspaper that somebody sent me, and this is I 615 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,840 Speaker 1: don't know, in the seventies, and this is what I wrote, 616 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:22,800 Speaker 1: self discovery is a frightening journey. The process of growth, 617 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: of becoming independent, learning who you are and what you 618 00:40:26,719 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: want from life is the real secret of life, happiness 619 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:34,560 Speaker 1: and beauty. So you know, I was saying the same thing, 620 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,279 Speaker 1: mm hmm. And it strikes me that that is the 621 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:44,960 Speaker 1: essence that you put into your clothes for women, because you, 622 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:48,400 Speaker 1: as you say, you make clothes for us to wear, 623 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: not clothes that wear us. That's right, and it's the 624 00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:55,719 Speaker 1: woman is how you move. I always say, how do 625 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 1: you put that on? Or how do you do that? 626 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:03,200 Speaker 1: That's what the difference between men designer. Christian Laka once 627 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:06,920 Speaker 1: said to me, men design to make costume, women design 628 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 1: to make clothes. I said, what do you mean? You said, Well, 629 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:15,480 Speaker 1: look at for example, Jersey, right, Jersey fabric. No man designer. 630 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:19,640 Speaker 1: You can't get excited with Jersey. You know, you get 631 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: excited with Saturn. But women designer, whether it's co Coel 632 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:29,040 Speaker 1: or Donna Caro or No, No, Micamali, Madame Day. All 633 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:34,359 Speaker 1: of the women designers they love Jersey. Why because they 634 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 1: know how it feels. So when you think about feeling 635 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 1: and you think about the body language, do you want 636 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:47,399 Speaker 1: to give someone permission to exude? How do you come 637 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 1: up with your designs? Do you design for yourself and 638 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 1: then imagine other women in the clothes? No, I design 639 00:41:55,920 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 1: for the woman in charge, that woman who is busy, 640 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:06,680 Speaker 1: she's on the go. I want her to be six, sexy, free, 641 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: on the go, and I want to give her clothes 642 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,200 Speaker 1: that are the best friend in her closet, things that 643 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:16,319 Speaker 1: she can wear up or down. She could dress it 644 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: up with a piece of jewelry with nails and wear down. 645 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:26,000 Speaker 1: It's all about making your life easier and making yourself mobutu. 646 00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:32,560 Speaker 1: And that energy, the energy of giving ease and confidence 647 00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:37,880 Speaker 1: strikes me as also supporting our work. And when we 648 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:41,799 Speaker 1: talk about women in the workplace, female leaders, entrepreneurs, I 649 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,960 Speaker 1: think about all the work you've done with Vital Voices. 650 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 1: Can you tell our listeners about the organization and how 651 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:53,360 Speaker 1: it works? Yes? Of course, of course. So Virgin Voices 652 00:42:53,719 --> 00:43:01,520 Speaker 1: is the most efficient, most wonderful global network of Women's Leader. 653 00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:06,160 Speaker 1: In twenty five years ago, there was the first global 654 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:11,799 Speaker 1: meeting of Women's Leader in Beijing and Hillary Clinton was 655 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: first leady and she went to it and that's when 656 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:20,120 Speaker 1: she said women's right are humans right? And and when 657 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:23,080 Speaker 1: she came out of there, she looked at her chief 658 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:26,560 Speaker 1: of staff, Milandrovia, and she said, we cannot let this 659 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:30,399 Speaker 1: fall down like it because it was so exciting, like 660 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:35,000 Speaker 1: a flea. And so they started the organization. At first 661 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:40,319 Speaker 1: it was governmental and now it's independent, and it is amazing. 662 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,439 Speaker 1: I mean, the women that I have met, and when 663 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,480 Speaker 1: we talk about women's leaders, they're not you know, leader 664 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,360 Speaker 1: of countries, the women who are leaders in the market 665 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,640 Speaker 1: or things like that. But they did things and they 666 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:58,640 Speaker 1: made things, and they created this incredible network and we 667 00:43:58,719 --> 00:44:01,360 Speaker 1: trained them and we helped them when we resu and 668 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:05,160 Speaker 1: it's a fantastic organization. And I've been on the board 669 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:09,440 Speaker 1: for long long time now and because of her, you know, 670 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:14,480 Speaker 1: that is also what inspired me to create the DVF Awards, 671 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:18,000 Speaker 1: which are I give awards to five women every year 672 00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:21,439 Speaker 1: and I give them money and exposure. And they are 673 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:25,000 Speaker 1: incredible women. The women who had the strength to fight, 674 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:30,120 Speaker 1: the courage to survive and the leadership to inspire. And 675 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:34,279 Speaker 1: you're the director of the dealer On Furstenburg Family Foundation 676 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: and you support so many were Yeah, we we are 677 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:42,600 Speaker 1: all together. Yes, we're equal. Yeah, and I love that 678 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:46,000 Speaker 1: not only are you giving these grants to women, but 679 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:50,680 Speaker 1: you're you're providing support to nonprofit organizations in areas of 680 00:44:50,719 --> 00:44:54,279 Speaker 1: community building, education, human rights, arts, health, environment. I mean, 681 00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:58,960 Speaker 1: you're doing so much incredible work. We do the best 682 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:02,120 Speaker 1: we can. We should do more about to leave an impact. 683 00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:05,440 Speaker 1: I mean, if you're lucky that you have a voice, 684 00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:09,799 Speaker 1: that you have an ability to give people exposure, if 685 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:13,839 Speaker 1: you have the resources. It's an obligation of duty, but 686 00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:17,120 Speaker 1: it's also an amazing privilege. Well, one of the things 687 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:20,080 Speaker 1: I always think about in terms of your impact when 688 00:45:20,080 --> 00:45:23,240 Speaker 1: I'm in New York and walking along the high Line 689 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:25,680 Speaker 1: is the fact that you helped to bring that into 690 00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:29,719 Speaker 1: existence through the foundation. I didn't. I didn't, I didn't. Yes, 691 00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:33,319 Speaker 1: I have to say that we're definitely responsible for the 692 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:37,480 Speaker 1: high Line and now we're launching, we're opening the little Island, 693 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:41,120 Speaker 1: which is the park on p. Fifty. Yes, it is 694 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:44,600 Speaker 1: true that that definitely exists. I mean, the last thing 695 00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:49,279 Speaker 1: that Rudy Giuliani did as a mayor, is that he 696 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:53,160 Speaker 1: signed the destruction of the high Line and we had 697 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:56,520 Speaker 1: to revert it. For for anyone who's listening at home 698 00:45:56,560 --> 00:45:58,759 Speaker 1: who hasn't been to New York or may not know 699 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:00,800 Speaker 1: what the Highline is, can you can you tell the 700 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:05,000 Speaker 1: listeners about it? Yes? So the high Line is this 701 00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:09,759 Speaker 1: elevated railroad that went from Ghans Vote all the way 702 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,359 Speaker 1: to Javit Center and it was for the meat park. 703 00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:16,680 Speaker 1: That's how they transported the meat. And it was a 704 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:20,440 Speaker 1: railroad and it was abandoned and all the real estate 705 00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:23,040 Speaker 1: people wanted it to be destroyed so that they could 706 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:26,480 Speaker 1: use the real estate for their buildings. And when I 707 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,239 Speaker 1: started the company again twenty years ago, I moved to 708 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:32,400 Speaker 1: the neighborhood and when you moved to a neighborhood, you 709 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:35,879 Speaker 1: meet people. And I met these two young guys and 710 00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:38,840 Speaker 1: they had this dream of taking the high Line and 711 00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:42,480 Speaker 1: turning into a park. And I, because I had a 712 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:45,760 Speaker 1: big studio, they used my studio to give the first 713 00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:49,359 Speaker 1: fundraiser and then from there on I was, you know, 714 00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:52,759 Speaker 1: very committed. We ended up being the largest contributor for 715 00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,920 Speaker 1: the high Line and it is now a Park and 716 00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,080 Speaker 1: it is number one, if you can believe it, it's 717 00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:04,720 Speaker 1: a number one tourist destination. It's incredible. I mean, the 718 00:47:04,719 --> 00:47:09,120 Speaker 1: the landscaping, the plants, the art, the view of the buildings, 719 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:11,680 Speaker 1: it's it's really one of my favorite places to walk 720 00:47:11,719 --> 00:47:14,759 Speaker 1: in New York. So thank you, thank you. And I'm 721 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:18,440 Speaker 1: curious because you, you and your husband and the foundation 722 00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:21,040 Speaker 1: that you run together. As you mentioned, you're you're such 723 00:47:21,080 --> 00:47:26,680 Speaker 1: a partnership and I think it takes quite a phenomenal 724 00:47:26,719 --> 00:47:30,200 Speaker 1: man to be a partner to and be in awe 725 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:33,279 Speaker 1: of a woman who's in charge. How have the two 726 00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:37,440 Speaker 1: of you created such a healthy partnership and been able 727 00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:40,960 Speaker 1: to influence each other in love and in work. I 728 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,279 Speaker 1: don't know, I t I always say that he gets 729 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:46,160 Speaker 1: all of the credit, but maybe I should get some too. 730 00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:49,080 Speaker 1: And it's not just my husband and I, but it's 731 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:54,560 Speaker 1: also our children and grandchildren. You know. I was always afraid. 732 00:47:54,640 --> 00:47:57,680 Speaker 1: I never wanted to be too strong of a mother, 733 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,520 Speaker 1: and a mother that over how and her children. So 734 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,960 Speaker 1: I always made sure that my children have plenty of 735 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:08,160 Speaker 1: space to talk, and clearly they do it, and they 736 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:12,319 Speaker 1: do so every decisions we make, we make it as 737 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:15,960 Speaker 1: a family, and it's it's fun. It's really fun. Even 738 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:19,440 Speaker 1: not one of my granddaughters. It was an art camp 739 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,920 Speaker 1: that she went all her life, and she loved that camp. 740 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:25,600 Speaker 1: And I don't know why. I used to say, one 741 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:29,680 Speaker 1: day you will own that camp. And the camp was 742 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:33,120 Speaker 1: in difficulty, and she asked for the foundation to buy 743 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:36,440 Speaker 1: the camp. So now the foundation owns the camp, and 744 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:40,080 Speaker 1: so that and the privileged children can also go to 745 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:43,799 Speaker 1: that art camp. And so even though she's only twenties, 746 00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:48,080 Speaker 1: she's actually running it. Obviously, your family is very inspiring 747 00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:51,520 Speaker 1: to you. I'm I'm curious who else in your life 748 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:55,880 Speaker 1: inspires you, whether it's authors or other women in your field, 749 00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:59,400 Speaker 1: or or people you've come to know through your foundation. 750 00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:03,319 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm here looking at my table and 751 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:07,200 Speaker 1: the books that I have. I just read a biography 752 00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:11,360 Speaker 1: of Walt Disney and I'm now reading one on mother Teresa. 753 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:15,680 Speaker 1: You know those are people that inspire me. I mean, 754 00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 1: there's so many people who inspire me. There's so many 755 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:23,439 Speaker 1: people who are interesting. And by the way, sometimes it's 756 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:27,160 Speaker 1: not even you know, they're not that well known. Sometimes 757 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: I read an article and and then I contact this person. 758 00:49:31,719 --> 00:49:35,200 Speaker 1: I love my new friends I love my friends that 759 00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:39,360 Speaker 1: I made on the internet. I've made I and you 760 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:43,520 Speaker 1: can have intimate relationship with these people. M hm oh. 761 00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:45,360 Speaker 1: I have to thank you for one of the people 762 00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:47,640 Speaker 1: who inspires me most, who has become one of my 763 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:52,200 Speaker 1: closest friends. A few years ago, during your Women's Week 764 00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:57,480 Speaker 1: event at the store in New York, I interviewed a 765 00:49:57,560 --> 00:50:02,320 Speaker 1: woman named Diana Elizabeth Johnson. She's an incredible marine biologist 766 00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:05,160 Speaker 1: and climate scientist. For those of you listening at home, 767 00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:08,200 Speaker 1: she joined me on the podcast in our first season, 768 00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:13,200 Speaker 1: and I'm just in awe of her ability to translate 769 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:18,040 Speaker 1: complex science and a motivation for protecting the planet to 770 00:50:18,480 --> 00:50:23,080 Speaker 1: everyone she speaks to. And we had this phenomenal conversation 771 00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:26,640 Speaker 1: during the panel that day, and we have stayed, we've 772 00:50:26,680 --> 00:50:29,360 Speaker 1: stayed the closest of friends. We've just you've had a 773 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:35,560 Speaker 1: ball for years. That's what I call the chain of love. Yeah, yeah, 774 00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:40,720 Speaker 1: it really it feels like that you've created many many 775 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:46,080 Speaker 1: a chain when you think about the kinds of events 776 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:49,880 Speaker 1: that you're used to throwing gatherings like that, incredible panels 777 00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:54,040 Speaker 1: on everything from fashion to climate to politics. And now 778 00:50:54,120 --> 00:50:57,480 Speaker 1: you're releasing, you know, this fabulous book but we are 779 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,759 Speaker 1: still dealing with a pandemic. Do you plan on having 780 00:51:01,760 --> 00:51:04,640 Speaker 1: a book tour? Will will you do something virtually or 781 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:06,759 Speaker 1: will you Oh my god, I am no. I mean, 782 00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:09,719 Speaker 1: this is my second week of my book tour and 783 00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:13,960 Speaker 1: I don't stop and I'm not going anywhere. So I mean, 784 00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:16,040 Speaker 1: you know, that's why I say the look at the 785 00:51:16,200 --> 00:51:20,120 Speaker 1: great size of technology. Of course we will go back 786 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:23,399 Speaker 1: to meet and talk and and all of that, but 787 00:51:23,719 --> 00:51:28,440 Speaker 1: the pandemic has accelerated us into the virtual world and 788 00:51:28,960 --> 00:51:32,759 Speaker 1: in the most unbelievable way, you know, yeah, yeah, it's 789 00:51:33,160 --> 00:51:37,160 Speaker 1: very incredible. I think about people dealing with the last 790 00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:41,800 Speaker 1: pandemic in nineteen eighteen, and I think how much harder 791 00:51:41,840 --> 00:51:44,560 Speaker 1: it would be because you couldn't do this. You couldn't 792 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:48,440 Speaker 1: see the faces of your friends and family. And I mean, 793 00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:50,600 Speaker 1: I guess you'd have the letters, because you know, you're 794 00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:54,080 Speaker 1: writing snail mails, so you'd have the souvenirs to reread. 795 00:51:54,239 --> 00:51:57,120 Speaker 1: But I'm very grateful that we have the ability for 796 00:51:57,239 --> 00:52:02,160 Speaker 1: connection during all of this. I'm cure us as you 797 00:52:02,200 --> 00:52:05,640 Speaker 1: talk about this moment in life and we are working 798 00:52:05,719 --> 00:52:10,360 Speaker 1: from home and everything's changing, what would you say is 799 00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:14,040 Speaker 1: your favorite piece of clothing in your closet now for 800 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:16,840 Speaker 1: this moment. You know, for me, clothes they have to 801 00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:22,000 Speaker 1: be reassuring. I'm very faithful to the clothes, to my style, 802 00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:25,359 Speaker 1: to all of that. So it's always the same or 803 00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:29,680 Speaker 1: it's the white cotton Indian shirts I sleep in, you know, 804 00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:34,239 Speaker 1: or my favorite sweater or or my pajama pants that 805 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:36,480 Speaker 1: I wear all the time. I mean there's also you know, 806 00:52:36,560 --> 00:52:40,200 Speaker 1: beautiful and that's why I think that's strangely enough to clothes. 807 00:52:40,239 --> 00:52:43,560 Speaker 1: My clothes are relevant again because there's just great pieces 808 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:46,600 Speaker 1: that you could wear with a sweater up and down, 809 00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:51,160 Speaker 1: or with boots, so with slippers. So yeah, things that 810 00:52:51,440 --> 00:52:55,799 Speaker 1: create a kind of uniform. And because it's not so 811 00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:59,799 Speaker 1: much uniform as much as it's your personality. Again, I 812 00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:03,320 Speaker 1: go back to FORDV. For me is the woman first. 813 00:53:03,560 --> 00:53:06,719 Speaker 1: What I want people to remember is you that you 814 00:53:06,880 --> 00:53:10,239 Speaker 1: have and so if you feel confident, you look good. 815 00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:14,160 Speaker 1: So my job is to make you close that you 816 00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:17,800 Speaker 1: will feel comfortable. And I love that. My favorite question 817 00:53:17,840 --> 00:53:21,399 Speaker 1: to ask everyone who comes on the show is what 818 00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:25,479 Speaker 1: would you say in your life feels like a work 819 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:33,840 Speaker 1: in progress right now? Life life, life is a working process. Absolutely, 820 00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:37,120 Speaker 1: the secret to life is owning it, and that is 821 00:53:37,160 --> 00:53:41,160 Speaker 1: the best advice I can give anyone. And also that 822 00:53:41,239 --> 00:53:44,239 Speaker 1: you know, the most important relationship is the one you 823 00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:48,120 Speaker 1: have with yourself. All of this is all the same thing. 824 00:53:48,520 --> 00:53:52,839 Speaker 1: It's about owning it, owning it. I love that. Well. 825 00:53:52,920 --> 00:53:56,560 Speaker 1: Thank you for your friendship and the way that you 826 00:53:56,800 --> 00:53:58,799 Speaker 1: show up in the world for so many of us. 827 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,520 Speaker 1: It's a real pleasure to listen to you, to talk 828 00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:05,920 Speaker 1: to you, and continue to do the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful 829 00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:08,880 Speaker 1: work that you do. God bless you. Thank you.