Vera Wang

Born in China in 1949, Vera Wang grew up to be one of the most recognized and accomplished fashion designers of today. She moved to Paris with her family at a young age. Her mother regularly took her to Parisian fashion shows, which ultimately proved to be defining moments in her future career.

Vera's grandfathers, on both sides of the family, were powerful warlords and military generals, giving her a privileged position in China. Her father was a chemist. When the family moved to Paris, Vera was enrolled first in the Chaplin School and later at the Sorbonne.

As a young girl, Vera Wang had a great love of ice skating, and in 1968, at the age of 19 competed in the U.S. Figure skating championships. After failing to qualify for the Olympic team, she turned her attention to her true love, fashion and design.

In 1969, Vera Wang became the senior fashion editor at the prestigious Vogue magazine. For 16 years she worked at this magazine, fueling her career with the love of fashion that her mother had instilled in her at a very young age.

In 1985, Vera Wang left Vogue to accept a position as a designer with Ralph Lauren. For two years, she learned the art of fashion design, working along side the brilliant designer. During her tenure with Ralph Lauren, she picked up an enormous amount of knowledge along with techniques that would later catapult her to fame in the world of fashion design.

In 1990, Vera Wang left Ralph Lauren to open her own boutique. This small salon showcased her best designs, using her natural talent in the genre of fashion design she loved best: wedding gowns. Though Vera had received an education in many facets of the fashion arts, wedding gowns and bridal attire seemed to be her forte. Even today, her bridal dress designs are still being worn by some of the most famous and fashionable stars. In the hit television series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, the series' main character, Buffy, wears a Vera Wang gown in the show titled “Prom”.

Vera Wang has expanded her design lines to include jewelry, housewares, eyeglasses, shoes, and perfume. This year, the upscale fashion magazine “Kohls” plans to feature an array of these new Vera Wang creations, which are quite successful across a range of today's consumers.

Michelle Kwan wore one of Ms. Wangs' designer ice skating outfits during one event of the Winter Olympics. This was a huge compliment to Vera Wang, who had once dreamed of world fame in ice skating.

Vera now resides comfortably with her husband and two daughters, both of whom attend the same school that their mother did some fifty years ago.

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