Vera Wang is the best-known name in wedding gown design today, and the rich and famous who wed in her gowns are too many to list.
Some of them include Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Uma Thurman, just to name a few.
So it’s no surprise that wearing a Vera Wang wedding gown down the aisle is dream of many brides, but it’s simply not an affordable dream for most.
But their dream did come true for 50 brides on Oprah Winfrey’s Ultimate Wildest Dreams season finale, which aired last week (on September 17).
The TV fairy godmother gave all 50 (gasping) brides in her audience a Vera Wang gown, while at the same time announcing the bridal couturier’s affordable White collection.
(It was a fitting finale, although it still doesn’t top flying her whole audience to Sydney for the season premiere.)
The new, cheaper Vera Wang collection will be available in department stores via David’s Bridal, the United States’ largest bridal store chain.
Each gown will cost US$600 (S$801) to US$1,400 (S$1,870), a bargain compared to her usual price tag of US$2,000 to US$7,000. Her Luxe collection starts at about US$6,000 to up to US$12,000, or US$15,000.
But are they just as good as her original collection? Vera Wang, who talked about the collection on a vodcast on Oprah’s website, said the detail to the design remains. The luxurious, yet simple lines of her designs are also still evident.
According to the designer, one of the dresses – princess-like, with a sweetheart neckline, jewelled waist and a full skirt of tulle, was inspired by Degas, who loved to paint ballerinas.
A number are re-makes of her signature dresses, or dresses she has made for celebrities.
A pink bias-cut organza gown she says, is inspired by Chelsea Clinton’s recent wedding gown, while there is a vintage-inspired high-neck lace creation reminiscent of what Ivanka Trump wore in October last year.
Although the collection is called white, not all the gowns are the pristine shade, and she took care to cater to different body types. For example, an empire waist cut with pink satin, which would suit different figures.
She said that all the dresses express a very different personality, and who the bride wants to be on that day, “but somehow brides manage to, really in the end, select the dress that most suits them for their wedding, and that’s the miracle of it all.”
She also said “there is great validity to real serious and great design at a price that is accessible to more women”.
Will they come to Singapore? It’s still too soon to tell.
Her gowns are only for sale, and not for rental, which is how most brides here prefer to do it. While one of her simpler designed can be bought for US$2,000 in US, to get one of her dresses in Singapore can cost up to $20,000 at The Link.
