Vera Wang – Innovative bridal fashion, romantic fragrances & Co – at the age of 71 en vogue!

Vera Wang – a well-known high-fashion name in the world of brides, fragrances and wedding cakes. The name Wang stands for the perfect symbiosis of innovative rebellion and timeless elegance – obvious opposites that she skilfully combines with every collection. Since the 1990s, she has been breaking all the fashion taboos of bridal fashion and is constantly setting new trends with black chiffon and pearl white tulle. All information about the success story of the 71-year-old fashion icon and her biggest collaborations are summarized here for you by CM Models.

Vera Wang – Dazzling career of an ageless fashion icon

Vera Wang’s career is unique. She is characterized by hard work, assertiveness and her idea to revolutionize the world of weddings and bridal fashion. Compared to other well-known designers, Wang’s international breakthrough was a long time coming:

A Chinese woman from Manhattan

The daughter of wealthy Chinese immigrants, Vera Wang was born in New York City on June 27, 1949. She spent her childhood mainly on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where she attended both the Chapin elite school and Sarah Lawrance College. Here she enrolled in art history after a flop career as a professional figure skater.

• 1949: Wang is born in New York City as the daughter of a Chinese couple
• Originally, Wang aspired to a career as a figure skater

From Vogue to Ralph Lauren

Her college degree was followed by a career as senior fashion editor of one of the most renowned fashion magazines of modern times: Vogue. After 15 years as a fashion journalist, she left the magazine to accept a position as design director with none other than Ralph Lauren.

A business woman becomes a designer

After a short time, however, the then 41-year-old Wang decided to make another career change and opened her first own bridal fashion boutique in the upscale Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York City. A year earlier she had married her longtime friend Arthur Becker and found that the number of bridal fashions was simply too limited. In order to save other women from their own bridal fashion dilemma, Wang now offered couture dresses from a wide variety of designers – from Guy Laroche to Christian Dior – in her boutique.

Over the years, not only her prominent clientele grew, but also her passion as a fashion designer and so Wang published her first own bridal fashion collection a few years later. Characteristic here: Streamlined and sophisticated wedding dresses for every type of woman.

• 1990: Wang marries and opens her first own bridal boutique

Cometlike ascent

In 1994 – four years after opening her boutique – Wang first attracted international attention when she designed a hand-beaded ensemble for the Olympic Games for figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. A short time later, her first collection of elegant evening wear followed. The name Vera Wang was no longer unknown and from now on adorned the front pages of various fashion magazines worldwide. Still always in the center: Your love for wedding dresses.

• 1994: Wang designs the outfit for figure skater Nancy Kerrigan

Established icon of fashion and pop culture

In 2002 Wang also conquered the world of perfumery and launched her first fragrance. Since then she has expanded her business and now designs lingerie, jewelry, household products and even desserts. In 2006, in cooperation with the department store chain Kohl’s, she published an affordable collection of everyday clothes called Simply Vera, which is still very popular today.

Wang is also always present on the red carpet. For years her designs have adorned the bodies of the cream-de-la-creme Hollywoods. Her dresses, which always combine modernity and tradition almost synoptically, are mainly worn at film premieres and award ceremonies. Her main clients are actresses like Halley Berry, Charlize Theron and Meg Ryan.

• 2002: The first perfume Wang’s appears
• 2006: The Simply Vera collection is born
• Today, Wang is considered one of the greatest fashion icons of our time

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A few of my favorite #METGala memories..??✨ XXV

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Interview with The New York Times – Video

Vera Wang talks about the beginning of her career, the pressure in the fashion industry and her love for her profession. Check out her interview with the New York Times here.

Subversive wedding dresses, sweet scents and sparkling rings

Must Haves from Wangs: Vera Wang is known for her bridal fashion, but since her international breakthrough she has also designed rings, fragrances, lingerie and evening wear. Check out the highlights here.

Wedding gowns of the extra class

When you think of Vera Wang, you think of one thing above all: wedding dresses. She is still considered a famous designer in her field and impresses wedding couples all over the world with each new collection. Her customers always enjoy dresses painstakingly created with the finest fabrics in the world and adorned with high-quality details such as bows and pearls.

What makes Wang’s clothes special

Innovative, elegant and yet timeless: Wang knows about the needs of her customers and thus manages to revolutionize the world of bridal fashion every time. Her dresses are timeless, refined and yet simple, sometimes traditional in white and sometimes rebellious in red. Wang also does not shrink from dark colors like gray or black. What was once considered unfit for the altar is now being made fit for the altar. Her designs are sometimes minimalist with straight cuts and a touch of tulle and sometimes richly decorated with embroidery and deep necklines. Beauty, innovation and elegance always come first.

So the fashion icon is not afraid of unconventional methods when it comes to realizing her visions. The most famous example: In order to break the status quo of the pearly wedding dress, her design team dunked each dress into a bathtub full of tea for a year. The result? Another critically acclaimed collection from Wangs.

Bridal Collection – A fairytale magic

Vera Wang Spring Summer – Of course we do not want to withhold her latest bridal fashion collection from you. And what reflects spring and its well-known spring feelings better than flowers? These were exactly the ones Vera Wang found the greatest inspiration for her new designs this year. Handmade flower appliqués made of various materials decorate the sleeves, petticoats and corsages. Tulle is also increasingly used here to achieve an almost flower-like illusion. The clothes remind a little bit of Alice in Wonderland. They are romantic and enchanting. Slightly dreamy and yet sophisticated and elegant. Wang’s aim here is not only to captivate the wearers of the dresses and their wedding guests. She is primarily concerned with individuality and the expression of different personalities, which is why the clothes look different from every angle, as Wang explains in an interview with the American women’s magazine Harpers Bazaar.

“No matter where you are – front, back, from the side – the dress contrasts in texture, tonality and proportions. It’s not easy, but this collection still feels effortless.” – V. Wang

Convince yourself here in the video of the magic Wang:

The price of haute couture

Starting at 2,000 US dollars, it all starts: Whoever decides to enter into the bond of life in a masterpiece from the house of Wang not only chooses timeless haute couture, but also its proud price: Most of Vera Wang’s dresses cost between 2,000 and 6,000 US dollars. They are sold at Wang’s Wedding Dress Boutique on Madison Avenue, as well as at the fashion houses Barney’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. The dresses are also available online. If you are satisfied with a second hand wedding dress, you will also find it on ebay and Amazon.

Extravagant scents

From lotus blossom to champagne: since 2002, the name Vera Wang has stood not only for elegant wedding dresses and evening wear, but also for extravagant fragrances. Their first signature fragrance for women was launched in 2002 and immediately enjoyed great popularity. The male counterpart finally followed in 2004, and most of Wang’s creations reflect her love of weddings and have inspired many a famous flâneur. Currently, more than 29 fragrances are on the account of the fashion icon – the top three of the most popular Wang fragrance creations: Princess, Be Jeweled and Lovestruck we have summarized here for you.

Princess: Homage to the modern princess

The bestseller of fragrances from the house of Wangs more than lives up to its name. Princess by Vera Wang came onto the market in 2006 and has been a bestseller ever since. The oriental-floral fragrance was created by Ilias Ermenidis and Harry Fremont and is dedicated to all the princesses of modern times. The royal menage of guava and tiare flower is accompanied by dark chocolate and sweetened with a touch of vanilla. All this is finally packed in an equally royal heart flacon with a crown as lid.

Be Jeweled: Fragrance composition elegant like jewels

Similarly popular is Vera Wang’s fragrance Be Jeweled, a fragrance created by flâneur Yann Vasnier in 2013. True to her romantic sweetness, Wang combines the scent of fruity pomegranate and flirtatious passion fruit with warm sandalwood and pink granulated sugar. The fragrance composition is spirited and playful at the same time, giving its wearer a touch of young elegance and joie de vivre. The perfume is entitled to the title because of its impressive flacon, which resembles a diamond, similar to the personality of the wearer herself.

• Base note: pink granulated sugar, musk, Australian sandalwood

Lovestruck: The sweet smell of young love

Urban and seductive at the same time, the fragrance of Stephen Nelsen and Doreen Doreen Bollhofer has been turning heads in rows since 2011. The fragrance is floral; composed of fruity tropical notes with a touch of musky romance. The aroma is protected in a pink crystal flacon decorated with a romantic bow. Random Fact: The face of the campaign here was our Gossip Girl favorite Leightoon Meester.

• Tangerine, Pink Guava

Romantic engagement rings from Wangs

Sparkling diamonds and 14-carat white gold: Although brides all over the world have been walking down the aisle in Wang’s fairytale creations for years, for a long time one of the most important symbols of the world’s most beautiful promise remained untouched by Wang’s magic: The engagement ring. Unique, timeless, innovative and iconic at the same time, Wang has now launched two collections and naturally we at CM Models do not want to withhold these from you.

“Creating a line of beautiful diamond engagement rings and bridal jewelry is a natural extension of my passion for designing bridal fashion” – V. Wang

The Love Collection: Sapphires as a sign of eternal love

In 2012, Vera Wang launched her first jewellery collection, which is still enjoying worldwide popularity today. In the old Vera Wang manner, these are not just any bracelets or necklaces, no – as always, these works of art from the house of Wang make the hearts of all brides and those who want to become brides beat faster. The collection, originally released under the name “Vera Wang LOVE”, includes a variety of engagement and wedding rings for the modern couple. Each piece of jewellery is delivered with a certificate of authenticity and has an exclusive engraving Wangs on the inside. Just like her fairytale dresses and romantic scents, her rings underline the timeless elegance of the wearer.

Her designs are remarkable – most of her artwork is in 14 carat white gold, and the innovative designer sometimes uses unconventional two-tone gold to meet the needs of risk-taking brides. The bands are always set with diamonds. In the centre of attention: a traditionally set diamond in the middle of the ring in a variety of cuts and shapes. Blue sapphire as a sign of loyalty and eternal love is also often used by Wang – an innovative break in style with a lot of meaning for the modern couple of modern times.

The Wish collection: playful rose gold

After the worldwide success of her first jewelry collection, it was only a matter of time before Wang decided to launch another ensemble of sparkling diamonds. In 2019, for example, she launched another collection of bridal jewelry on the market. Compared to “Vera Wang LOVE”, this one is only available at the American jeweller Jared and is entitled “Vera Wang WISH”. Most of the rings are still made of 14 carat white gold, although this time Wang often chose romantic rose gold. Compared to the previous collection, the bands of the rings are more playful and diverse this time. This means that in addition to the typical cuts and shapes, more unconventional diamond cuts in the form of hearts and flowers can also be found.

Wang’s biggest collaborations – everyday clothes and tuxedos

Over the decades, Wang has established herself not only as an innovative bridal fashion designer, but also as a popular collaborator. So her creative ideas also found favour in the world of sweets and tuxedos.

For the small purse

Kohl’s x Vera Wang: The American clothing chain Kohl’s and Vera Wang have been working together for over ten years now. Together they offer fashion that makes luxury accessible and at the same time brings elegance and style to everyday life. Starting with a few simple items of clothing for the small purse, the collection now also includes jewellery, shoes, handbags and accessories.

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Fact: Leopard print goes with everything. Shop the complete #SimplyVera #VeraWang look at Kohl’s.com ? @kohls

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For dessert fanatics

Ladurée x Vera Wang: After clothing, jewellery and home textiles, in 2018 the innovator Vera Wang finally entered the world of vanilla sugar: in collaboration with the French patisserie Ladurée, the first desserts from the house of Wangs were created. Here too, she remained true to her unique aesthetic. Her macaroons and cakes are decorated with glittering sugar flowers and pink cascade bows. As always, breaks in style and conventions are capitalized here. Brides can enjoy both white and black wedding cakes and dessert fanatics will also get their money’s worth with macaroons in the unconventional flavours of coconut cream and mango.

For the fashion-conscious groom

Men’s Warehouse x Vera Wang: In times of feminism and equality, the male counterpart to the wedding dress must not be forgotten, of course. And so, in 2014, groomsmen could enjoy Wang’s designs for the first time. Her tuxedo line BLACK by Vera Wang has since been available exclusively at the American tuxedo outfitter Men’s Wearhouse and offers a fashionable alternative to the otherwise classically cut tuxedos of the modern age.

Watch the commercial here Wangs:

Runway highlights – Dark lingerie and lots of tulle

The innovative spirit of Vera Wang can also be found in her ready to wear collections. Here we have put together some highlights of their latest collections for you.

Royale ruffles with a touch of edgyness

At the beginning of the year Vera Wang presented her current autumn/winter collection at the James B. Duke House in Manhattan. The young models strutted up and down the pompous foyer on large platform heels on a Chartreuse carpet personally laid out by Wang. Her collection this time consisted mainly of wicked boudoir pieces, corsets and pleated tulle. Asymmetrical ruched shirts are also increasingly common. Of course always in the style of Vera Wang: Romantic with a little bit of rebellion.

Romantic fragility and high heels

After a two-year break, the icon of bridal fashion is back with daring lingerie elements, transparent bra tops and loose chain mail. Loose and unlaced, tops and dresses were layered to dreamily wrap the models’ timid silhouettes. Romantic. Timid. Almost fragile, the models floated through the darkness on high heels.

More about Vera Wang

The history of the Wangs company is colourful, loud and diverse. Here we have once again answered the most interesting questions about Vera Wang and her fashion empire.

Q&A: The most frequently asked questions

When was Vera Wang born? What is she known for and who has she dressed in the past?

Vera Wang was born on 27 June 1949 in New York City.

What is the name Wangs is known for?

Vera Wang has been specializing in exquisite and innovative bridal fashion since 1990. Also well-known is her annual ready to wear collection, her evening gowns and her perfumes. Glasses, jewellery and tuxedos from Wang are also well-known.
Wang’s most famous clients include Kaley Cuoco, Kim Kardashian, Chelsea Clinton, Alicia Keys, Ivanka Trump, Victoria Beckham and Mariah Carey.

Where is Vera Wang’s bridal fashion boutique?

Since 1990, the bridal boutique Wang’s has been located in the upscale Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Most of their clothes can be bought on their official website. Her sunglasses are available in the online shop of the operator farfetch, her perfumes and Simply Vera collection at the American department store chain Kohl’s and her tuxedo collection for men at Men’s Warehouse. If you are interested in the unique jewellery from Wangs, you will find it at Jared.