Vera Wang built an empire dressing brides—but she's become a style icon herself. The 77-year-old just celebrated her June 27 birthday with multiple get-togethers in Paris.
Wang didn't start her bridal empire until she was 40. "I thought maybe it's just too late for me," she told CNBC's Make It in 2021. After struggling to find her own wedding dress, she designed one for her 1989 wedding to investor Arthur P. Becker. Vera Wang Bridal launched the following year.
What keeps her energized at 77? Not spin classes. "I always say to people I think I work really hard, and I think work is a great deterrent," she said. "It just keeps you occupied mentally, physically. It keeps you engaged."
The 5-foot-3 designer sold her namesake brand to WHP Global last December but remains Chief Creative Officer. In Paris for her birthday, she wore a backless LBD for dinner with friends, then a lingerie-inspired look later in the week.
Wang isn't shy about aging. "Birthdays should be celebrated and treasured," she told E! News in October. "A lot of my friends are scared. I say, if you get to this stage, you're really lucky. So you should celebrate it."
As she told Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the Wiser Than Me podcast in May 2024: "Every age has its unique time and beauty. It's not the same—it never will be—but you find your way through every stage."
