Thursday, July 12, 2012

Curse of the Vera Wang wedding gown?


Vera Wang, the wedding dress designer synonymous with romance, announced yesterday she is separating from her husband, Arthur Becker, after nearly 23 years of marriage. But apparently, the designer's own brush with divorce also extends to some high-profile Hollywood clients who have all walked down the aisle in one of her covetable dresses.
 From Mariah Carey to Heidi Klum and Jessica Simpson, a number of stars have entrusted the renowned designer with their special day, but it seems their marriages did not fit as well as their fanciful gowns. While there are many Vera Wang-wearing brides still married, such as Khloe Kardashian, who married Lamar Odom in 2009 in one of her designs, as well as Victoria Beckham, Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton who all wore Vera Wang and are still living in wedded bliss, many more have split.
 Mariah Carey married Tommy Mottola on June 5, 1993 in a Vera Wang sweetheart gown with a 27-foot train, however they parted ways four years later. Jessica Simpson wore a Vera Wang gown for her wedding to Nick Lachey in 2002, but the Newlyweds stars broke up in 2005. That same year Sophia Bush married her "One Tree Hill" costar Chad Michael Murray in Santa Monica, California in April 2005, and they split in September 2005.
 Jennifer Lopez walked down the aisle in Vera Wang for her wedding to Marc Anthony in 2004, who she divorced in 2011, meanwhile Avril Lavigne wed Sum 41's Deryck Whibley in a strapless organza gown in Montecito, California on July 15, 2006, and dumped him three years later.
 Elin Nordegren, who married Tiger Woods in October 2004, by the 19th hole of the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados, filed for divorce in 2010, and Kim Kardashian wed Kris Humphries in August 2011 wearing a custom made Vera Wang gown, but just 72 days later, the couple split. And though not pictured on her wedding day with Seal, Heidi Klum wore an ivory gown by Vera Wang which featured Chantilly lace and an empire waist. Earlier this year, the pair divorced.
 Ms Wang's own separation comes just two weeks before her 23rd wedding anniversary; the now 63-year-old designer was 39 when she wed Mr Becker, a computer executive who has become increasingly involved with the Vera Wang brand over the years.
 The president of Ms Wang's company, Mario Grauso, said in a statement, "Vera Wang and Arthur Becker have mutually and amicably agreed to separate. They remain devoted parents to their two daughters." According to WWD, Mr Becker has advised Ms Wang closely as her business developed from an Upper East Side one-stop bridal shop into a global multimillion-dollar brand, becoming more involved with the day-to-day operations of the business in recent years.
 The couple married at the Hotel Pierre in 1989 after becoming informally engaged in 1988 during a trip to Hawaii, and have two daughters, Cecilia and Josephine. At the time of their marriage, Ms Wang, also a former Vogue editor, was design director for Ralph Lauren women's accessories and at-home wear.
 In 2006, Ms Wang described her marriage as a surprise to New York magazine. She said: "I was the girl who nobody thought would ever get married. I was going to be a fashion nun the rest of my life. There are generations of them, those fashion nuns, living, eating, breathing clothes. But Ralph Lauren said, 'Get yourself a husband and a family.' Anna Wintour said, 'You have got to get a family going here. You've been single for three decades now.' So I married my husband. There are days I'm not happy I did it, but there are days I'm thrilled - I mean, he has always understood my nature, which is that it's always about product."
 When it comes to her own wedding dress, she scoured department stores and bridal boutiques but only found a "sameness to everything". Eventually Ms Wang gave up and hired a dressmaker to create her own gown, for $10,000. In 1990, she opened her own design salon in the Carlyle Hotel in New York, featuring her now trademark bridal gowns with financial backing from her father. The Vera Wang label quickly took off, earning praise from the fashion elite for its luxurious fabrics, exquisite detailing and modern interpretation of classic lines.
(Mail Online)

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