Vera
Wang was born in New York in 1949, to Chinese parents who had
fled the Communist revolution. She had originally dreamed of
being an Olympic figure skater, but when she did not make the
team in 1968, she went to the Sorbonne, in Paris and to Sarah
Lawrence College in the USA, to study. She has a BA in Liberal
Arts.
In 1970, on graduating, Vera became the youngest editor ever
at Vogue magazine. She remained there for 17 years till 1987.
When she left Vogue, she worked with Ralph LAUREN for 2 years.
In 1990, she opened her own house on Madison Avenue, New York,
designing bridal wear and evening gowns. In 1994, she started
her own label.
These bridal gowns are what Vera Wang is famous for. She uses
rich fabrics such as silk lace and duchesses satin, in the tradition
of Paris couture and applies them to the simple shapes associated
with American sportswear, like the vest dress.
Her appreciation of surface decoration, particularly beading,
and the use of net to give the illusion of bare skin, have also
recommended her for the design of Olympic figure-skating costumes
- so bringing her back full-circle to her childhood dreams. Nancy
Kerrigan wore her costume in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Her clientele
list is very long, especially for Oscar night. She has made
wedding
dresses for numerous celebrities including
Mariah Carey for her wedding to Tommy Mottola in 1993. Cate
Blanchett picked up her Golden Globe for "Elizabeth" in
a beaded black Wang dress. Uma Thurman, Posh Spice, Alicia
Silverstone,
and Sharon Stone and Elisabeth Shue are all her loyal clients.
Spring/Summer 2003
Vera Wang presented her Spring/Summer 2003 collection at
the New York Fashion Week in September 2002, which was greeted
with aclaim.
Fall 2003
Vera Wang showed her Fall 2003 collectiion during New York
Fashion Week in February 2003. It was a lovely Asian-tinged collection.
She is very well known for her evening looks, but with this collection
she has clearly been putting some thought into daywear. She opened
with slim coats with an early 60's elegance. Other coats were
embellished with a glimmer of beads or origami-folded ribbons.
Wang
did her version of long and short sexy silk jersey dresses,
including one strappy number she called "Bondage".
Wang has solved the problem of achieving glamour and
sophistication without having old-fashioned or weirdly
new.
Spring/Summer 2004
During New York Fashion Week in September 2003, Vera Wang
showed her ready-to-wear collection for next Spring.
The show was full of understated separates and drop-dead gowns that are red-carpet
ready. Her stunning jersey goddess dresses in rich green and brilliant red
were the perfect foils to her diamond jewellery. She paired classic smocking
with the most feminine tops and beautifully cut tuxedo trousers. A totally
contemporary look that provided the perfect balance to her charming party dresses.
Fall Out from Jennifer Lopez Wedding Cancellation
Jennifer Lopez had told everyone that she was going to wear
Vera Wang's wedding dress, and Vera made and delivered a stunning
creation. Jennifer did not pay for it, as she said the publicity
Vera would get would bring in lots of business for her. However
when Jennifer cancelled the wedding, Vera was left high and dry
- no publicity, no payment - and the media reported that Jennifer
had made a ritual burning of the gown, so Vera couldn't even
sell it to someone else. Vera is out by about $20,000.
Fall/Winter 2004
Vera's Fall collection was shown during New York Fashion
Week in February 2004. Although her daywear is coming on strong,
Vera is well-known for her bridal gowns and her beautiful evening
dresses suitable for the Oscars and other red carpet occasions.
This season she shaped her chiffon confections with bias cuts
and hand-sewn beading or ruffles, accessorizing with pieces from
her own line of diamond jewelery.
Spring/Summer 2005
During New York Fashion Week in September 2004, Vera Wang
presented her Spring collection.
The
collection was full of lovely dresses and skirts with fine
detail and delicately luxurious fabrics. She used crepe
de chine, georgette and charmeuse,
muted gold lame, brocades, fuzzy cashmere and wafer-thin knits. Scatterings
of sequins and beads reminded us of her wedding dresses, but Wang is now strong
right into everyday life.
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