Prince Egon von Fürstenberg was an aristocrat, fashion designer, socialite, and the first husband of the fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg. Though their marriage was short-lived, its effect on both Diane’s life and the fashion world proved remarkably long-lasting.
Prince Edouard Egon von und zu Fürstenberg was born in 1946 in Switzerland and was descended from a line of European nobility. On his father's side, Prince Edouard Egon von und zu Fürstenberg was born in 1946 in Switzerland and was descended from a line of European nobility.
According to Women's Wear Daily, on his father's side, he was a member of the important Austro-German princely house. His mother, Clara Agnelli, belonged to the influential Agnelli family of Italy, the dynasty running Fiat.
Egon von Fürstenberg often referred to himself as a “spoiled child” due to his family’s wealth and influence. He had stated that he attended his first couture show when he was 2 and could recognize a Pucci swimsuit by the time he was 4.
Egon made a name for himself in the fashion industry. He began his career in investment banking but turned to design, starting his own menswear label in the early 1970s. He also wrote two books, The Power Look and The Power Look at Home, which included fashion advice and lifestyle tips.
After his split from Diane Von Furstenberg, Egon later married an American woman, Lynn Marshall, whom he met in his Madison Avenue store.
He remained active in fashion up until the 1980s and ’90s, even with his health beginning to fail. He died in Rome in 2004, when he was 57 years of age. The precise cause of death was not publicly announced.
A look into Diane Von Furstenberg and Prince Egon von Fürstenberg's relationship timeline.
Egon von Fürstenberg met Diane Halfin at the University of Geneva when both were 18. Diane was the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Their relationship supposedly developed after a ski trip, and three years later they got married in 1969. The couple had a son named Alexandre.
"He gave me a ring, but I didn’t really believe he was serious, nor was I in a terrible hurry to get married. I remember telling him I would give him a son. I meant it to be seductive; instead, it turned out to be prophetic," She wrote in her memoir, Diane: A Signature Life.
Egon boasted about his bis*xuality and casual flings, and Diane talked about the loveless relationships. The article was shocking to the public and, more importantly, caused the end of their marriage. Egon eventually stated that the piece had “destroyed” their relationship.
After divorcing, Egon von Fürstenberg and Diane supposedly remained lifelong friends. They raised their two children, Alexandre and Tatiana, as co-parents, even having holidays together.
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