Vera Wang


Person of Chinese origin, Vera Ellen Wang is an American fashion designer. Her childhood passion was figure skating, but unfortunately could not success. Later, she changed her mind and opted fashion designing as her core profession.

Biography

Chinese immigrants who arrived in the United States in the middle of the 1940s gave birth to Vera Ellen Wang on June 27, 1949, in New York City. Florence Wu (Wu Chifang), her mother, was a translator for the UN; Cheng Ching Wang (Wang Chengqing), a graduate of MIT and Yanjing University, was the owner of a pharmaceutical company. Kenneth is Wang's only sibling. Wang started learning how to skate when she was eight years old. She trained with Peter Dunfield and Sonya Klopfer in Denver during the summer and at the Skating Club of New York throughout the rest of the year. She competed in the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships while still in high school and practiced with her partner, James Stuart. In the issue of January 9, 1968, of Sports Illustrated, she highlighted the article Faces in the Crowd. She started working in the fashion sector after she was cut from the American Olympic squad. Wang says skating is multidimensional and she continues to appreciate it.

Wang attended Friends Seminary, completed his education at Chapin School in 1967, continued his education at the University of Paris, and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in art history. Wang was introduced to high society as a debutante in 1968 at the International Debutante Ball held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Career

After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Wang was given the opportunity to join Vogue as an editor, making her the magazine's youngest editor. After spending 17 years at Vogue, she left in 1987 to work for Ralph Lauren for two years. She left her job at age 40 to start her own business designing bridal gowns. Vera Wang's Spring/Summer 2014 runway presentation at New York Fashion Week Public celebrities like Hayley Williams, Ariana Grande, Chelsea Clinton, Karenna Gore, Ivanka Trump, Campbell Brown, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff, Khloe Kardashian, and Kim Kardashian have all worn wedding dresses designed by Wang. Michelle Obama has additionally worn evening attire by Wang.

Nancy Kerrigan (1992 and 1994), Michelle Kwan (1998 and 2002), Evan Lysacek (2010), and Nathan Chen are some of the figure skaters that have appeared in Wang's Winter Olympic Games outfits (2018 and 2022). In 2009, Wang was honored for her work as a costume designer by being inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. The attire used by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders was created by her.

Vera Wang on Weddings, her book, was published on October 23, 2001. She received the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Womenswear Designer of the Year award in June 2005. The Savannah College of Art and Design presented Wang with the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award on May 27, 2006. Stars have appeared on the red carpet in Wang's evening wear on numerous occasions, including Sofia Vergara at the 65th Emmy Awards and Viola Davis at the 2012 Academy Awards. The Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award was given to her in 2013. Wang and the chain of department stores, Kohl's, signed a contract in 2006 to create the Simply Vera brand of affordable ready-to-wear garments exclusively for them.

NameVera Ellen Wang
Date of Birth27th June, 1949
BirthplaceNew York City, NY
ProfessionFashion Designer
BrandVera Wang
AwardsThe US Glamour Award for Woman of the Year, 2008

Retail

She started her own design studio in 1990, displaying her recognizable bridal gowns in the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Since then, she has opened wedding boutiques in New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. She has also grown her business by releasing lines of perfume, jewelry, eyeglasses, shoes, and home goods. The David's Bridal store introduced "White by Vera Wang" on February 11, 2011. From $600 to $1,400 is the price range for the bridal gowns. Wang made her debut in the home fashion sector in 2002 with the launching of The Vera Wang China and Crystal Collection. In 2007, she then unveiled her diffusion line, Simply Vera, which is offered only at Kohl's.

Private life

In a joint Baptist and Jewish wedding, Wang wed investor Arthur P. Becker in June 1989. They were both adopted, and they have two daughters. The couple announced their split in July 2012.

In culture today

Wang's paintings have been seen in a number of films and television programs.

The West Wing's third season episode "The Black Vera Wang," which centers on threats made against White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, features an evening gown designed by Wang. In the other TV show, The Newsroom, which was also written by Aaron Sorkin, Mac mentioned wearing outfits by Vera Wang for her wedding ceremony. Blair Waldorf appeared on the television show "Gossip Girl" wearing a Vera Wang wedding gown. The 11th episode of season five featured a cameo from Wang. Charlotte York chose Wang's wedding gown from the television show Sex and the City as her wedding gown for Trey MacDougal because she thought it was the ideal choice. Carrie Bradshaw used Vera Wang bridal gowns for her Vogue photo shoot in the Sex and the City movie. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway both wore specially created Vera Wang gowns in the movie Bride Wars. Additionally, Victoria Grayson, who is portrayed by Madeleine Stowe in the movie Revenge, dons a steel gray Vera Wang mermaid gown for her second marriage to Conrad Grayson (Henry Czerny). At Wang's Fall 2012 show, the dress was really displayed in black.

Filmography

Movies

First Daughter (2004) in the role of herself.

The September Issue (2009) as herself.

Television

Gossip Girl (2012) as herself.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2011) as herself.

Chelsea Lately (2011) as herself.

The Celebrity Apprentice (2008) as herself.

'Ugly Betty' (2007) as herself.

Books

Vera Wang, Vera Wang on Weddings, HarperCollins, October 2001 (ISBN 9780688162566).

Conclusion

Vera Wang, whose full name is Vera Ellen Wang, was born on June 27, 1949, in New York, New York, the United States. She is an American fashion designer best recognized for her chic and sophisticated bridal gowns and haute couture collections. Later, she expanded into other product categories such as menswear, jewelry, fragrances, eyeglasses, and home goods.

Updated on: 31-Oct-2022

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