Can you believe that Vera Wang is 59?

vera_wang

I was flipping through a magazine (I wish I could remember the name, but I read so many magazines each week … it can get a bit blurry) that featured a number of designers featuring some of their favourite things. Vera Wang was part of the list. It took me a while to register on her age because I was so focused on the things she liked and didn’t like. When I saw that she was 59, I gasped in disbelief because Very Wang doesn’t look like she even in her 50s to be turning 60 in 2009!

I always like to read about the biography of women who turned their lives around and achieved success later in life because it’s incredibly inspiring and it shows that anything is possible at ANY AGE!

I’ve only known Vera Wang as a bridal designer and more recently as a clothing designer with her new affordable (and quite recession-proof) line Simply Vera available at Kohl’s in US.

What I didn’t know was that Vera Wang (born June 27, 1949) made the transition to become a fashion designer at 41!!!

Here’s a blurb from Wikipedia that made me say” bravo Vera … BRAVO!:

“Wang was a senior fashion editor for Vogue for sixteen years. In 1985, she left Vogue after being turned down for the editor-in-chief position currently filled by Anna Wintour and joined Ralph Lauren as a design director for two years. In 1990, she opened her own design salon in the Carlyle Hotel in New York which featured her trademark bridal gowns.”

This kind of statement wants me to stand at the top of a building with my fist in the air shouting:

“Ladies, don’t let turning 40 (or 35 or 45 or 60) stop you from reaching any of your goals because it’s never too late. Also, since we are living well into our 80s and 90s, imagine that if you do pursue your passion right now at this stage of your life, you’ll have many decades in front of you to enjoy that successful transition!”

Vera Wang has designed wedding dresses for many top A-listers in Hollywood and very wealthy socialites around the world so it’s always a treat for me to learn from any style and fashion tips she might throw my way.

Here are a few style tips from Vera Wang:

It seems that Vera Wang and I share many common likes when it comes to fashion. She likes things like:

*Fur (it might not be politically correct to wear fur, but I like them for fashion and practical reasons because I live in a part of the world where the temperature will hit minus 30 degrees Celsius in the middle of winter)

* Leggings (I personally don’t have the body shape to wear them)

* Cashmere sweaters (it’s been reported that Vera Wang owns about 1,000 of them … I have much (MUCH) less, but I’m growing my collection each year)

* Diamond bracelets for day and nighttime wear (Vera, I like the way you think)

Vera Wang also believes that women over 35 should “pay attention to your bags and shoes” … and I couldn’t agree more! You can take a dress or a suit that you bought a few seasons ago and really glam it up with current shoes and a killer handbag.

Vera Wang is my Celebrity Beauty Match Pick because she’s shown that you can start a whole new career in your 40s and have great success at it all the while aging with great style and ease!

Photo of designers Vera Wang (left) and Donna Karan (right) by Christopher Peterson