"Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge" is a feminist documentary?

Diane von Furstenberg has had a life straight out of a movie. At first glance, it might seem like a fairy tale, but it’s not. That’s precisely why it’s worth organizing and telling her story, gathering the materials, and making them available to the public. In the process, a bygone world emerges (in the background but not too far off), one that influences the present with its remnants but can only be perceived as something other and distant—a different idea of feminism than today's. This world is the real protagonist of Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, the documentary about the inventor of the wrap dress (and much more), soon to be released in Italy. And it’s impossible not to ask some questions about feminism. But let’s take it step by step.

Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, the documentary on Disney+

Directed by two-time Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, the documentary premiered at the Tribeca Festival 2024 during the opening night and will debut on June 25 on Disney+ in Italy and internationally, and on Hulu in the United States. The film is produced by Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Tracy Aftergood, Sean Stuart, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Trish Dalton. It’s a Sutter Road Picture Company and Particle Projects/Fabiola Beracasa Beckman Media production. Among those who contributed (alongside Diane herself and her family) in recounting her life and career are Oprah Winfrey, Vanessa Friedman, and Hillary Clinton. The women she dressed: those in power, with initiative, and of prominence.

Is it a feminist story?

The documentary largely works. It flows well, is engaging, offers a wealth of photographic material, and is well-balanced between sad, funny, and reflective moments. However, its ideas, as well as the world it vividly depicts, are outdated. The story of a European girl, the daughter of a concentration camp survivor and a victim of anti-Semitism, who marries a German prince and then, thanks to her connections and boldness, flies to the United States to found a fashion empire with the wrap dress idea is inspirational and can only be that: it’s no longer realistic, perhaps it never was. The persistent tales of her sexual exploits and tycoon adventures, her parties at Studio 54 with America's most libertine managers, while highly entertaining, come across as hollow. When mixed with unavoidable melancholy—regarding her mother’s fate, her children's admission of feeling somewhat neglected—everything becomes more interesting because it’s more human. The contradictions are treated superficially, but they are the most valid part of the whole operation. And feminism? If feminism is still about money, sex, and power but in a woman’s hands instead of a man’s, then Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge is an extremely feminist story. Otherwise, and we lean towards this option, it’s a window into a life, and that’s perfectly fine. In fact, it might be better this way.