Vera Wang

Known around the world as the premier authority on wedding gown design and wedding accessories, high end designer Vera Wang has been an integral part of putting American fashion on the map.

Vera Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York, New York. Raised in a wealthy family, Wang was afforded many unique opportunities including a chance to attend the Chapin School as well as the Paris based Sorbonne. Graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she earned her degree in art history.

While living in Paris, one of the world’s premier fashion capitals, Wang’s mother would often accompany her to fashion shows. This helped bring her natural draw to clothing design into greater focus.

Wang, however, was not always professionally interested in fashion. She actually trained as a figure skater, competing in the 1968 United States Figure Skating Championships. On January 8, 1968, her performance was good enough to warrant a place in Sport’s Illustrated’’s “Faces in the Crowd” issue. Put up against rigorous competition, she was not able to secure a place on the Olympic team, and so turned to her second passion: fashion design.

To that end, Wang worked at Vogue for sixteen years, serving as the senior fashion editor. When she was rejected as editor in chief (a position currently held by fashion legend Anna Wintour), Wang decided to team up with Ralph Lauren for the next two years, filling the post as design director.

By 1990, with nearly two decades of experience in the fashion industry, Wang finally opened her own salon. Located in the Carlyle Hotel in New York, the store already featured her now famous wedding attire. Paying homage to her figure skating roots, Wang even branched out to design competitive costumes for well-known skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan.

A favorite of the stars, Wang’s weddings designs have been sported by Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Garner, Mariah Carey, Uma Thurman, Sharon Stone, Sophia Bush, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and many others.

Commissioned for a variety of projects, Wang’s designs can even be seen on the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading squad.

A well rounded designer, Wang’s line has extended into high end fragrances, shoes, jewelry, and even a popular home line.

Inundated by awards, Wang was honored by the Council of the Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) with the prestigious Womenswear Designer of the Year award in June 2005.

Always one to stay in the popular eye, she also appeared as a guest judge on the hit series Project Runway opposite Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn.

Located across the United States, Wang’s boutiques can be seen in New York, Beverly Hills, Boston, and Waikiki.

In her personal life, Wang married CEO Arthur Becker on June 22, 1989. They are currently together and have two children, Cecilia (born 1990) and Josephine (born 1993). The family currently resides in New York.