There are many reasons to worship at the altar of Diane von Furstenberg, but here are the top 5 reasons to keep the faith:

1. Her spiffy flagship⿿with its sharp glass angles and impressive, 1-block circumference⿿gives the Meatpacking district back some gravitas. Next year she⿿ll put the final touches on a theater and gallery space which (hopefully means) some DvF films are in the near future.

2. Her sample sale is still on & going strong.

3. Immediately following a 24+hour journey from Shanghai (where she picked up an award for Best International Designer during the city⿿s fashion week) to Beijing and back to New York, the designer generously hosted 50+ American Express Centurion and Platinum members in her spacious studio. The intimate event⿿one of many those lucky Amex VIPS are privy to⿿featured an animated conversation between Instyle⿿s Hal Rubenstein and the Wrap Dress Doyenne herself, who in true jet-setter form, looked nothing short of spectacular even after the grueling trip.

4. She sprinkled these oh-so-quotable anecdotes throughout her informal mini-speech:

⿿The Meat Pack district was bad a few years ago, filled with lots of butchers⿿of every kind. Now it⿿s supposed to be the hip neighborhood and we have buses full of Japanese tourists that drive around and point to us, ⿿That⿿s where Diane von Furstenberg is!⿿⿿

⿿Growing up, I didn⿿t know what I wanted to do, but I knew what I wanted to be: I wanted to be the woman in the driver⿿s seat. That didn⿿t mean that I couldn⿿t be a passenger some days, or have a driver another, but I knew that I wanted to be the woman who could drive the car. I knew the feeling but not how I was going to get there.⿿

⿿I realized at some point that I would be better off if I were my best friend. That⿿s not to say that I wasn⿿t ever insecure, or that I didn⿿t have other important relationships, but I knew that always believing in oneself would be of great help.⿿

⿿Women are all the same. People always ask me what the difference is between American and European women is, and I tell them that they⿿re all the same. They want the same thing, they think the same things⿦The one big secret is that we can all give life and we all have to deal with men.⿿ (The statement was followed by a boisterous round of applause from the predominantly female audience.)

5. Now over 30 years strong in the fashion industry, von Furstenberg enjoys a loyal following few can compete with; Guests at last night⿿s talk came from as far away as Texas and California to hear shake DvF⿿s hand and hear her words of wisdom. Now if that kind of dedication isn’t enough to inspire devotion, I⿿m not sure what will.