NYT Picks DVF's Brain

If only we could all be a little more like Diane von Furstenberg. Day after day, the fashion icon defies the odds by not only remaining debt-free, but actually turning a profit amidst the apocalyptic economy. The New York Times sought to learn von Furstenberg’s secret—which, it turns out, is the most obvious thing in the world. “Ms. von Furstenberg says it is crucial to fill a niche rather than to aim to be a brand that is all things to all consumers,” The Times writes. “Her own specialty is feminine yet comfortable women’s fashion.” Among her other tried-and-true tactics? Of 155 employees at the DVF headquarters in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, 97 percent are women, a notion von Furstenberg’s husband, media mogul Barry Diller, believes to be “cultlike” (“As she says, the only men there are drivers and waiters,” Diller said, likely with a shudder). The mantra seems to be that women make the best clothes for women—can anyone argue with the wrap dress?