Vera Wang was born in 1949 to affluent Chinese immigrants. She lived a luxurious life in Manhattan's Upper East Side where she attended private schools and studied at the School of American Ballet. Wang was a very talented figure skater and competed professionally throughout her teens and even placed fifth in the U.S. National Championships. When Wang graduated from college, she went to work at Vogue and was already a Senior Fashion Editor by the age of 23. After 15 years at Vogue, she went to work for Ralph Lauren.