Vera Wang was born to wealthy Chinese immigrants in New York on June 27, 1949. She had a privileged childhood in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, attending several private schools and taking dance and figure skating lessons practically from birth. A graduate of art history at Sarah Lawrence College, Wang is internationally known as both a figure skater and a fashion designer.
Her figure skating career lasted through the 60s, where she twice placed at the U.S. Nationals. After graduating, she worked for Vogue magazine as a fashion editor (one of the youngest in their history) and later for Ralph Lauren as a designer. It was a combination of her networking, her father's money, and her innovative design that earned her the respect she has today.
The story goes like this: Vera wanted to marry her sweetheart, but was completely put off by the entire process. There just weren't any wedding gowns designed well enough to suit her exquisite tastes. So she designed her own wedding dress and had it hand-crafted by a tailor. Soon after, with the help of her father's finances, she opened up her own bridal shop on Madison Avenue. While she sold the work of other designers, she also created her own line of bridal wear and eventually branched out into evening gowns, casual wear, and figure skating costumes. Her boutique was a hit among the rich and famous, and today she is considered one of the greatest dress designers in the world.
Wang has designed original ensembles for Nancy Kerrigan, Meg Ryan, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, and Halle Berry. She describes her work as "traditional designs with modern influences that focus on subtelty, sensuality, and elegance."
Information from biography.com and her book, cleverly titled Vera Wang on Weddings (2001).