“The Newsweek cover had made me into a national figure, and I was not prepared. It had all happened so fast that I hadn’t had time to absorb it. Unbelievably, I found myself bantering with the president of the United States about beating him out for the cover.”
Diane von Furstenberg, A Signature Life
Diane von Furstenberg, A Signature Life
 Diane von Furstenberg's First Visit to the White House, with President Gerald Ford and Luis Estevez (Betty Ford's favorite designer) |  Diane von Furstenberg Newsweek Cover, March 22, 1976 |
From the perspective of 2020, it is nearly impossible to grasp what a big deal it was for a New York-based socialite and aspiring dress designer to make the cover of Newsweek. In those pre-Internet days, celebrity was mostly confined to actors, singers, and network news anchors. There were a few exceptions--Andy Warhol and Truman Capote, for example--and von Furstenberg joined their ranks when her Newsweek cover story landed in 1976.
For better or worse (better and worse is perhaps more accurate), there were not so many vehicles to propel the worthy (and unfortunately, the unworthy) to stardom like there are today. In 1976, there were just a few magazines (such as Newsweek) or an interview with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show that wielded such power.
For better or worse (better and worse is perhaps more accurate), there were not so many vehicles to propel the worthy (and unfortunately, the unworthy) to stardom like there are today. In 1976, there were just a few magazines (such as Newsweek) or an interview with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show that wielded such power.
Image Credit: A Signature Life and Journey of a Dress
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