Junior Rasmussen
Vera Wang is a world-renowned wedding dress designer who initially pursued a career in figure skating. Wang began skating at the age of eight and went on to compete at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. However, after failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympics team, she transitioned into the fashion industry, working for Vogue and Ralph Lauren before launching her own bridal gown boutique in 1990. Wang has since designed wedding dresses for celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Gwen Stefani, and Kim Kardashian, and has also created figure skating costumes for Olympic athletes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Vera Wang |
| Date of Birth | 27 June 1949 |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Florence Wu (Wu Chifang) and Cheng Ching Wang |
| Education | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Career | Fashion designer, editor at Vogue, bridal wear designer |
| Known for | Wedding dresses, figure skating costumes |
| Notable Clients | Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, Nancy Kerrigan |
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What You'll Learn
Vera Wang's journey from figure skater to wedding dress designer
Vera Wang is a renowned fashion designer known for her elegant wedding dresses and lavish red-carpet gowns. However, her journey began not on the runway but on the ice as a figure skater.
Wang's love for figure skating started at a young age. At just six years old, she stepped onto the ice for the first time during a father-daughter trip to Central Park's sailboat pond. She began training at the age of eight, working with coaches Peter Dunfield and Sonya Klopfer in Denver during the summers and with the Skating Club of New York for the rest of the year. She even competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships with her pairs partner, James Stuart. Unfortunately, her Olympic dreams were dashed when she failed to make the U.S. Olympic team that same year, leaving her devastated.
Shifting her focus, Wang entered the fashion industry. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in art history and was hired as an editor at Vogue, becoming the youngest editor at the magazine. After 17 years at Vogue, she moved on to Ralph Lauren, where she worked for two years. It was during this time that she began her search for a wedding dress of her own, sketching until she found a design she loved. This experience sparked her interest in bridal wear.
In 1990, at the age of 40, Wang took a leap of faith and resigned from Ralph Lauren to become an independent bridal wear designer, opening her first bridal salon and boutique, the Vera Wang Bridal House along Madison Avenue in New York City. Her fashion-forward bridal gowns soon caught the eye of high-profile celebrities, including Mariah Carey, who wore a Vera Wang design for her 1993 wedding. Wang's designs also extended beyond bridal wear, with celebrities like Sharon Stone wearing her creations on the red carpet.
Despite her transition to the fashion world, Wang's figure skating roots remained an important part of her life. She returned to the ice as a costume designer, creating costumes for figure skaters competing at the Olympic Games, including Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, and Nathan Chen. Her contributions to the sport were recognized in 2009 when she was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
From figure skater to wedding dress designer, Vera Wang's journey exemplifies her passion, resilience, and talent for creating timeless designs that have left an indelible mark on both the ice and the runway.
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Celebrities who wore Vera Wang wedding dresses
Vera Wang is an American fashion designer who initially pursued a career in figure skating. She began figure skating at the age of eight and competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. However, after failing to make the U.S. Olympics team, she transitioned to the fashion industry.
Wang is known for designing lavish red-carpet gowns and wedding dresses, with her gowns being worn by numerous celebrities. Here are some celebrities who wore Vera Wang wedding dresses:
- Mariah Carey: Carey wore a Vera Wang design inspired by Princess Diana's wedding dress for her 1993 wedding to Tommy Mottola. The dress featured a full skirt and puffy off-the-shoulder sleeves, and Carey paired it with a long veil and a tiara.
- Victoria Beckham: Beckham wore a custom strapless corseted ballgown designed by Wang for her wedding to David Beckham in 1999. The gown featured a unique scoop neckline with pointed edges.
- Lisa Rinna: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and former soap actress Lisa Rinna wore a simple sheath with a V-neckline designed by Wang for her wedding to Harry Hamlin in 1997.
- Chelsea Clinton: Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton wore a sparkly Wang dress for her 2010 wedding to Marc Mezvinsky. The design featured a full gathered silk organza skirt, a draped tulle bodice, and an embellished belt.
- Vanessa Hudgens: Actress Vanessa Hudgens wore two custom Vera Wang dresses for her wedding to MLB player Cole Tucker in 2023. The first was a light ivory charmeuse bias-cut cowl neck slip dress with an open back, and the second was a gown with macrame lace and a silk A-line mousseline skirt.
- Issa Rae: The Insecure actress wore two custom Vera Wang looks for her wedding to Louis Diame in the South of France. The first was a romantic ivory strapless sweetheart neckline ball gown with Chantilly lace and crystal beading, and the second was an Italian silk crepe A-line reception gown with a plunging V-neck and a layered tulle skirt.
- Son Ye-jin: South Korean actress Son Ye-jin wore the "Camilla" dress from Vera Wang's Spring 2020 bridal collection for her wedding to actor Hyun Bin in 2022.
- Gwen Stefani: Singer Gwen Stefani wore a custom Vera Wang gown for her wedding to Blake Shelton.
- Ariana Grande: Singer Ariana Grande wore a Vera Wang gown for her first wedding to Nick Lachey in 2002. It was a sweetheart strapless lace gown.
- Kim Kardashian: Reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian wore a Vera Wang wedding gown for her wedding. Wang described the dress as "Cinderella with a very sexy body," reflecting Kardashian's curvy figure.
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Vera Wang's career at Vogue
Wang's time at Vogue was formative for her fashion career. She described it as a dream job and a great education, where she worked with fashion legends like Grace Mirabella, Richard Avedon, and current Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, whom she remains friends with. Wang's personal style during this period was eclectic, mixing high and low pieces from designers like Norma Kamali, Kenzo, Agnès B, and Saint Laurent. She also travelled extensively for Vogue, styling shoots and attending shows in Paris.
Wang's passion for fashion eventually led her to pursue design, and she left Vogue after being passed over for the editor-in-chief position. However, her time at Vogue laid the foundation for her success as a fashion designer, and she remains grateful for the opportunities it provided.
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Vera Wang's Olympic figure skating costume designs
Vera Wang is a world-renowned fashion designer known for her lavish red-carpet gowns and wedding dresses. However, before she found success in the fashion industry, she was a figure skater with Olympic dreams.
Wang began figure skating at the age of eight and competed professionally throughout her teenage years. In 1968, she placed fifth in the junior pairs competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, dashing her hopes of becoming an Olympic figure skater. Devastated, she turned to fashion, working for Vogue and Ralph Lauren before launching her own bridal gown boutique in 1990.
Despite her career shift, Wang remained connected to the world of figure skating. In the 1990s, she was approached by Nancy Kerrigan's coach, with whom she had skated, to design Kerrigan's costumes for the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. This marked the beginning of Wang's career as a figure skating costume designer, a role she has since described as “not for the faint of heart". She has explained that a single broken strap or caught sleeve could ruin a skater's entire Olympic performance, highlighting the immense pressure and responsibility she feels as a designer.
Over the past two decades, Wang has designed costumes for numerous Olympic figure skaters, including Michelle Kwan (1998 and 2002), Evan Lysacek (2010), and Nathan Chen (2018 and 2022). Her designs are known for their eye-catching and innovative nature, such as the "illusion craze" sleeves she created for Kerrigan's 1994 costume. In recognition of her contributions to figure skating through her costume designs, Wang was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Vera Wang's brand expansion beyond bridal wear
Vera Wang is an American fashion designer who initially pursued a career in figure skating. She transitioned to fashion after failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympics team in 1968. Wang worked for Vogue and Ralph Lauren before launching her own bridal gown boutique in 1990. She gained international recognition for her wedding dress designs, which have been worn by numerous celebrities.
Wang has since expanded her brand beyond bridal wear to include ready-to-wear fashion, accessories, fragrances, and home goods. In 2000, she launched her highly acclaimed ready-to-wear collection, which she describes as a way to express her own aesthetic and be more experimental. The collection includes a range of casual and dressy styles, such as cocktail dresses, blazers, and other items that weren't considered "bridal" at the time. Wang has also designed uniforms for the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders and created a less expensive line of ready-to-wear clothing exclusively for Kohl's department stores called Simply Vera.
In addition to her fashion lines, Wang has expanded her business with new product lines beyond garments, including glassware, eyewear, perfume, footwear, tableware, crystal, bedding, and a book, Vera Wang on Weddings. Her brand has also expanded internationally, with bridal boutiques in New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney, and her first Asian flagship store in Seoul, South Korea.
Wang's fashion and lifestyle empire is valued at over $1 billion, and she continues to lead her company's creative department and run the entire business. In December 2024, after 35 years in business, Wang sold her namesake brand to WHP Global, but she remains the Founder and Chief Creative Officer and has joined WHP Global as a shareholder.
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Frequently asked questions
Vera Wang.
Vera Wang has designed wedding dresses for celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, and Kim Kardashian.
Yes, Vera Wang has designed costumes for figure skaters such as Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, and Nathan Chen.
