140
A
Top, $1,300, shorts, $1,150, both, Chanel. Necklace,
Foundrae, $2,850. Bead bracelet, $650, silk tie bracelet,
$1,240, both, Carolina Bucci. Watch, Rolex. Ring,
Effy Jewelry, $495. Talita’s own bracelets (left arm).A few weeks after her ELLE shoot in Malibu,
Talita von Furstenberg couldn’t be further
away from her beachy West Coast roots. She’s
prepping for midterms in a Georgetown Uni-
versity library. The 20-year-old American
fashion royal (her grandmother is Diane von
Furstenberg) is pursuing studies in social jus-
tice, rather than taking the expected design
route. “It may seem inconsistent,” she says.
“But I am as passionate about helping people
as I am about making them feel beautiful in
what they’re wearing.”
In April, she unveiled her capsule col-
lection, TVF for DVF, after growing up fully
immersed in the industry. (She began assist-
ing Von Furstenberg at her runway shows at
the tender age of nine.) For her first foray as
a designer, the Angeleno looked homeward
for inspiration: “Growing up in L.A. and con-
stantly being around nature and greenery
definitely played a role in my design process,”
she says. In fact, a camera roll of flowers on
her phone provided creative fodder—she
named each piece in the collection after one
of her favorite varieties.
“I am really happy with the simplicity of
the clothes,” she says of the line, which in-
cludes breezy sundresses and separates. “Ev-
erything has become so overdesigned. You
don’t need to think twice about throwing on a
TVF dress and walking out the door, or about
complications with how to style it, because it’ll
go with things you already have in your closet.”
And in true ELLE fashion, she demonstrated
how to effortlessly mix items high and low
with some of her favorite looks from the col-
lection for this shoot.
Fashion is in her genes, but will it be in her
professional future as well? “I’ve looked up
to my grandmother my whole life,” she says.
“She has successfully leveraged her business
to help and inspire many people. I hope to
follow in her footsteps—as a fashion designer
and social activist.” ▪