Born and raised in New York City, Vera Wang is, without question, the preeminent couture bridal designer in the United States. She almost became a professional figure skater, however, competing professionally until she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College where she studied art history. In fact, it was a sequined costume she designed for skater Nancy Kerrigan for the 1994 Olympics that first brought her fame in international fashion circles. Her elegant, modern and streamlined couture wedding dresses stemmed from her own wedding dress, which she sketched and had custom made in 1989 when she couldn’t find anything to her liking. She opened her eponymous bridal boutique in the prestigious Carlyle Hotel with the backing of her father, who owned a pharmaceutical company. In 2005, sixteen years after designing her wedding dress, the CFDA selected Wang as the Womenswear Designer of the Year. In 2019 she celebrated 30 years in business with an extravagant show at New York Fashion Week and her collections, which now include gowns, lingerie, accessories and perfume, are worn by Hollywood elites Charlize Theron, Goldie Hawn and Halle Berry.

Born to privilege and raised in the Upper West Side, Wang began working for Vogue immediately after college and was swiftly promoted to Senior Fashion Editor, a title she would hold for 15 years. She was then recruited as Director of Accessories at quintessentially American fashion house Ralph Lauren. After breaking out on her own following her marriage to long-time beau Arthur Becker, she proved her business acumen time and time again with licencing deals and brand extensions—she even produced a line of desserts for French confectionary Ladurée, including coconut Chantilly macarons and wedding cakes with bows and draped layers like her dresses. Although she once described herself as a “fashion nun” to The New Yorker, never thinking she would marry and have children, she adopted two daughters when she was 41. They came to work with Wang and walked her runways as children, and she even made sure they wore custom Vera Wang outfits for every occasion, from prom to Hallowe’en.

Although she owns houses all over the world, including Paris and Los Angeles, she makes sure people know that New York City is her true home.