Virginia von Fürstenberg

This article is about the Italian artist and designer. For her aunt, the actress of the same name, see Ira von Fürstenberg.

Princess Virginia Maria Clara von und zu Fürstenberg (Virginia Maria Clara Prinzessin von und zu Fürstenberg; 5 October 1974 – 10 May 2023) was an Italian artist, poet, filmmaker, and fashion designer.

Virginia von Fürstenberg
Born	Virginia Maria Clara Prinzessin von und zu Fürstenberg (1974-10-05)5 October 1974 Genoa, Italy
Died	10 May 2023(2023-05-10) (aged 48) Merano, Italy
Spouse	Baron Alexandre Csillaghy de Pacsér (1992–2003; divorced) Paco Polenghi (m. 2004; divorced) Janusz Gawronski (2017-2020; divorced)
Issue	Baron Miklós Tassilo Csillaghy de Pacsér Baroness Ginevra Csillaghy de Pacsér Clara Bacco Dondi dall'Orologio Otto Leone Polenghi Santiago Polenghi
Names Virginia Maria Clara Prinzessin von und zu Fürstenberg
House	Fürstenberg
Father	Prince Sebastian zu Fürstenberg
Mother	Elisabetta Guarnati

Early life and family

Princess Virginia von Fürstenberg was born in Genoa, Italy on 5 October 1974 to Prince Sebastian zu Fürstenberg and Elisabetta Guarnati.^[1] She was a member of the House of Fürstenberg. Her paternal grandparents were Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg and Clara Agnelli.^[2] She was a niece of actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg and fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, the ex-husband of Diane von Fürstenberg. Von Fürstenberg was a first cousin of Prince Alexandre von Fürstenberg, Tatiana von Fürstenberg, Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the late Prince Christoph of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Career

Von Fürstenberg was a fashion designer and creator of the fashion label Virginia Von Zu Furstenberg.^[3][4][5][6] She made her fashion debut in March 2011 at the Teatro Filodrammatici in Milan.^[7][8]

In September 2011, von Fürstenberg debuted a theatrical work titled DISMORPHOPHOBIA that combined spoken word, fashion, film, movement, and dance.^{[9][10][11][12]} She debuted her second collection at Milano Moda Donna in Milan on 23 September 2011.^[13][14] She also wrote poetry, and at times combined her poetry and fashion design in some of her work.^[15]

In 2012, she collaborated with Tommaso Trak to shoot a film focusing on the life of her great-grandmother, Virginia Bourbon del Monte.^[16] In 2017, von Fürstenberg created an art installation dedicated to her mother titled There was a nice home, which was displayed at the Grossetti Arte Gallery in Venice.^[17]

Personal life and death

Von Fürstenberg married Baron Alexandre Csillaghy de Pacsér, a Hungarian nobleman, in 1992. Their son, Baron Miklós Tassilo Csillaghy, is an equestrian.^[18] Their daughter, Baroness Ginevra Csillaghy, has modeled for the Virginia Von Zu Furstenberg fashion line.^[19] She and Csillaghy de Pacsér divorced in 2003. In 2002, a year before her divorce was finalized, she gave birth to a daughter, Clara Bacco Dondi dall'Orologio, from her relationship with Giovanni Bacco Dondi dall'Orologio.^{[citation needed]} In 2004, she married Paco Polenghi with whom she had two children, Otto Leone Maria Polenghi and Santiago Polenghi. Von Fürstenberg and Polenghi later divorced. On 28 October 2017, she married Janusz Gawronski, a descendant of a noble and ancient Polish family. In 2020, the couple divorced.

Von Fürstenberg went missing in October 2022 and again in February 2023, both times missing person reports were filed with Italian police.^[20]

She died on 10 May 2023, aged 48, after a falling from an upper-floor balcony at the Palace Hotel in Merano.^[21][20]

References

1. Bigozzi, Andrea. "Virginia von zu Furstenberg diventa stilista di moda". MF Fashion. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
2. San Giorgio, Federico (5 October 2014). "I 40 anni di Virginia Furstenberg". morningcoat. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
3. "Ritorno nell'arena della moda per Virginia Von Zu Furstenberg" (in Italian). MF Fashion. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
4. Chiavacci, Ilaria (28 October 2013). "Virginia Von Zu Furstenberg, una collezione tra spiritualità e poesia". Vanity Fair (in Italian). Condé Nast. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
5. "Virginia von zu furstenberg sceglie Avenue PR". Fashion Magazine (in Italian). 26 March 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
6. "I 40 anni di Virginia Furstenberg" (in Italian). morningcoat.org. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
7. Cassola, Paola (31 March 2011). "Virginia von zu Furstenberg". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Condé Nast. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
8. "firstVIEW". firstview.com. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
9. "Grande successo per Virginia von zu Furstemberg – Internationalpost". internationalpost.it.
10. "Vestiti allo specchio:un'ossessione raccontata a teatro" (in Italian). lastampa.it. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
11. "Al debutto il lusso raffinato di Virginia Von Zu Furstenberg – Pambianco News". pambianconews.com (in Italian). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
12. "Virginia von zu Furstenberg" (in Italian). Vogue.it. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
13. Marsala, Bluermes Comunicazione Integrata – Gero. "La classe di Virginia von zu Furstenberg – Bellavia Moda a Porto Empedocle". bellaviamoda.it (in Italian). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
14. "L'arte di Virginia von zu Furstenberg – www.stile.it". 22 September 2011.
15. "Virginia von Furstenberg profile". larivistaintelligente.it. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
16. "La classe di Virginia von zu Furstenberg – www.stile.it". 23 September 2011.
17. Redazione (11 May 2017). "Virginia von Furstenberg – C'era una casa tanto carina". artribune.com. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
18. "Miklos Tassilo Csillaghy – LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR". globalchampionstour.com.
19. "La delicata DISMORPHOPHOBIA di Virginia von zu Furstenberg, da principessa a stilista – Studio DModa". 31 March 2011.
20. https://meaww.com/who-was-virginia-furstenberg-fashion-designer-plunges-to-her-death-from-five-star-hotel-balcony
21. Virginia von Fürstenberg, chi era la nipote di Gianni Agnelli morta a Merano. Accessed 20 November 2023. (in Italian)