AN ENLIGHTENING EVENING WITH VERA WANG
By: Â Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: Â George Whylie Videographer: Â Maxine Nolan Â
The 92nd Street Y in New York City and MARTINI Sparkling Wines are in that fashion frame of mind again.
Coming right off of a very impressive Fashion Week, this latest event drew a crowd of well-versed industry professionals and socialites eager to listen to Vera Wang  speaking with fashion industry leader and award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis, at “Fashion Icons Talks with Vera Wang” hosted by MARTINI Sparkling Wines on February 19, 2013.
Vera Wang, a former figure skater turned designer, was thrilled to be the object of attention as she answered candid questions and posed with Fern holding her own magnum bedazzled bottle of MARTINI Asti which had her name embellished in silver Swarovski crystals.
There were many very influential guests making an appearance.  They consisted of Million Dollar Listing’s Ryan Serhant, Correspondent on ABC’s “The Chew” Chef Jason Roberts, highly respected designer Geoffrey Banks, businesswoman and princess Basma bint Saud bin Abdulaziz and Falguni & Shane Peacock, designers who are making a powerful name for themselves in the fashion world as evidenced by their latest collection presentation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Vera had some tales to tell like the time she accidentally wore mismatching shoes to a fashion industry get-together at the White House. Â Thinking that nobody might notice, she was mistakenly wrong. Â Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors will never let her live that one down. Â Vera has had a very challenging road to success growing up in New York City’s Peter Cooper Village. Â When her dreams of being an Olympic skater fell through, she found an alternative outlet for her creative energy….fashion. Â Vera reminisces, “I found my dream at 6 and was forced to quit at 19.”
Fern Mallis had many interesting questions for the successful designer of the hour stretching from her early years at Vogue, the design of her own wedding dress, the death of her father and the engagement and separation to her husband, Arthur Becker.   Vera was humble, sincere and most pleasant coming back with an answer for all questions.  What stands out in her memory was her first encounter with the esteemed Polly Mellen at Vogue.  As if it was taken right out of a scene from ‘Devil Wears Prada‘, Mellen looked at Wang and said, “My dear, what are you doing?  Go home and change right now! And get rid of the red nail polish!”  Polly had no mercy on Vera.  When Vera forgot a hat for a fashion shoot, Mellen kicked her out of a van in the pouring rain.  The lesson learned and advice to give to others from life’s experiences is to have a very thick skin, extreme dedication and lots of passion to apply to whatever you choose to undertake.
Where does Vera Wang go from here? Â She has done it all from a signature bridal business to a high-end ready-to-wear line to a variety of other products from fragrances to mattresses to eyewear to stationery to housewares to bath and bedding and costume jewelry. Â Could athletic clothing be in the cards in the near future? Â Vera seems excited to pursue this avenue since she does have some roots in athletics.
After the Q&A session, guests got to mingle and socialize with Vera Wang and enjoy complimentary sips by MARTINI Sparkling Wines including mini bottles of MARTINI rose’, asti and prosecco. Â It was another evening of enchantment in the fashion world.
PHOTO CREDITS: Â Alex Geana Photography
Comments are closed.