Diane von Furstenberg, 77, puts on a smile for the cameras as she enjoys a night out at the theater with billionaire partner Barry Diller - just days after her former sister-in-law Ira died at the age of 83

• Diane, 77, was seen enjoying a night of culture with her husband, Barry, 82
• The couple were wrapped up for the outing at Joyce Theater in Manhattan
• Public appearance comes days after death of Ira, sister of ex-husband Egon 

Diane von Furstenberg and her billionaire husband, Barry Diller, have been seen enjoying a night of culture in New York City just days after her former sister-in-law passed away.

The 77-year-old Belgian-born fashion designer, who invented and popularized the wrap dress, was snapped walking out of the Joyce Theater on Tuesday night with Barry, who she wed in 2001.

Her public appearance comes just days after the death of her former sister-in-law, model and socialite Ira von Furstenberg, who was considered one of the earliest ‘It girls.’

Ira died aged 83 in Rome on Sunday, according to Italian media outlets.

The 77-year-old Belgian-born fashion designer, who invented the wrap dress, was snapped walking out of the Joyce Theater on Tuesday night with Barry, who she wed in 2001

Her brother, Prince Eduard Egon von und zu Furstenberg (known as Egon), was the first husband of Diane, with the pair married from 1969 to 1983. Despite their split, they remained close until his death in 2004 aged 57.

On Tuesday, Diane and Barry, 82, stepped out for a date night to see a dance performance choreographed by Twyla Tharp at the Joyce Theater.

For the occasion, the couple opted for more low-key outfits to protect themselves from the cold temperatures of Manhattan.

Diane went makeup free and her hair was loose as she rocked a green top with a black cardigan thrown over the top.

Around her neck, she wrapped up warm with a black-and-white striped scarf.

The look was completed with a pair of black pants and shoes to match.

In her hands, she was seen clutching a program from the performance.

Meanwhile her partner, Barry, who is a senior executive and chairman of IAC (which he also founded) and chairman of Expedia Group, struck a casual figure in a polka-dot button-up shirt, blue jeans and a gray hoodie paired with sneakers.

Her public appearance comes just days after the reported death of her former sister-in-law, model and socialite Ira von Furstenberg, who was considered one of the earliest ‘It girls’

On Tuesday, Diane and Barry stepped out for a date night to see a dance performance choreographed by Twyla Tharp at the Joyce Theater

Diane went makeup free and her hair was loose as she rocked a green top with a black cardigan thrown over the top

Ira died aged 83 in Rome on Sunday, according to Italian media outlets. She’s pictured with husband Prince Alfonso in 1957

Despite their split, Diane and Egon remained close until his death in 2004 aged 57. Pictured in the 70s

Diane posted two photos on Instagram from the night on Wednesday morning, with the caption: ‘The joy and talent of NYC!’

One photo was of a promotional poster for Twyla Tharp Dance and the other was an image of the choreographer herself.

The theater’s website describes Twyla as a ‘boundary-breaking creative vision, revolutionary choreographer.’

The run features ‘two world premieres’ with music from composer Simeon ten Holt whose ‘signature minimalist style intermingles with Vivaldi’s Baroque scores in The Ballet Master, a new work characterized by technical precision and joyful ease.’

‘In Brel, an homage to the Belgian vocalist Jacques Brel, Tharp’s command of wit and musicality shine in this new solo work. Her company, Twyla Tharp Dance, also offers a revival of Ocean’s Motion (1975), featuring music by rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry,’ the website continues.

‘The star-studded cast includes Gibney Company’s Miriam Gittens and Jake Tribus, L.A. Dance Project’s Daisy Jacobson, American Ballet Theatre’s Cassandra Trenary, New York City Ballet’s Daniel Ulbricht, and longtime collaborators Skye Mattox, John Selya, and Reed Tankersley, with guest performances by Herman Cornejo.’

Prince Egon and Diane shared two children together, Alexander and Tatiana, and wed after meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland at a birthday party when they were both 18 years old despite her admitting there was no attraction at first.

The pair split after they were profiled in New York Magazine in 1973 that was headlined: ‘The Couple That Has Everything. Is Everything Enough?’

In it the couple were portrayed as ‘both promiscuous and passion-devoid,’ according to InStyle.

‘The result was shocking and it destroyed our marriage,’ Diane would later pen in her memoir, The Woman I Wanted To Be, published in 2014.

‘Reading the magazine and seeing our lives exposed under a magnifying glass, I realized that that couple was not who I was. I didn’t want to be a European Park Avenue princess with a pretend decadent life.’

Infidelities on both parts and her career also contributed to the couple’s split. Their divorce was finalized in 1983.

She was by her ex-husband’s side when he died in 2004.

Prince Egon’s sister Ira was born in Rome on April 17, 1940, and was raised in Venice at the Villa Furstenberg.

Egon and Diane shared two children together, Alexander and Tatiana. Pictured in the 70s

Ira is pictured here in 1955 playing with her two brothers, Egon and Sebastian

During her incredibly colorful life, the socialite worked as a model and is thought to be one of the first ever ‘It girls,’ starred in several films and even became a published author.

At 15 years old, she attracted the eyes of the world when she married Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who was 30 at the time.

Life magazine described their now-controversial union as the ‘Wedding of the Year’ while Paris Match put her on its cover as the teenager was catapulted into the limelight.

After capturing people’s attention, she was photographed by Cecil Beaton on her 15th birthday, while Salvador Dalí made no secret of the fact he was desperate to paint her.

In 2019, she revealed his repeated requests to paint her nude never tempted her.

‘I was a little girl who just got married and was still in the honeymoon stage,’ she said.

After having two sons, Ira divorced her husband after five years of marriage. She went on to marry Brazilian businessman Francisco Pignatari from 1961 until 1964.

Following the breakdown of her second marriage, she did not remarry but continued to circulate in high society groups and became incredibly well-connected.

Among her close friends were Princess Margaret and Prince Rainier of Monaco – with rumors flying in the 1980s that she was in a relationship with the Monegasque premier.

It was widely reported that, in response to the rumors, Princess Margaret reportedly made the cruel quip: ‘Such a big girl for such a small country.’

As she rose to stardom in her modelling and acting career she also became friends with some influential figures in the fashion industry, including Karl Lagerfeld.

Although she had a successful fashion career, the socialite previously hinted that her true passion was acting.

Speaking to the Financial Times just last year, she said ‘in another life’ she would have continued to pursue acting.

She revealed that, when her first acting gig Matchless was released, her father ‘reacted very badly’ because she was ‘undressed on screen’.

She said: ‘I had to explain to him that my acting did not have the same power to make people flock to the cinema as my body.’

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