The Vera Wang Interview: Made of Honor - Essay Example

In her 2011 Harper's Bazaar article of the same name, Elisa Lipsky-Karasz takes a look at the more personal side of the iconic fashion designer. Through reflective interviews with the designer's special friends and the sentiments of other people around her, we learn a little bit more about the secretive pixie fashion designer whose designs are top-of-the-line choices for all red-carpet Hollywood events. The article tries to answer the question: Who is Vera Wang to those who know her? How has she affected the fashion industry? How did she get her start? Most importantly, what does the future hold for the House of Vera Wang?

Lipsky-Karaz's article is based on the premise that everyone wishes to know how Vera Wang went from fashion designer for Lothar's on 57th Street to the almost a billion dollars-a-year fashion powerhouse that she has now become. She provides factual information to help her theme along by interviewing those whom she feels know Ms. Wang best. These would be the people who saw her get her start in the business. People like fashion leader Michael Kors talk about seeing her when she was getting started in the business. Fashion editor Polly Allen Mellen also shared her insights into how Vera was shaped into the person she has become.

Part of what makes this article an excellent and insightful read is that Ms. Lipsky-Karasz never tried to interpret her interviewee's point of view. She simply told the story ad verbatim. No comments or suppositions. However, she did have an early “The Devil Wears Prada” moment at the start of the article, giving the reader a sense of fear for the little woman that was never to be given reason within the article.

By using Ms. Wang's personal interview tidbits whenever applicable, the writer gives credence to any assumptions that she has made about Ms. Wang. Thus making her interpretations pertaining to the actions of the fashion goddess acceptable and effective in an overall sense.

The author has obviously targeted the fashion-conscious women of the world who look to Vera Wang fashions as part of their lifestyles. The article tries and succeeds in pulling its target audience into the frenzied and often crazy world of fashion in that Ms. Wang thrives and excels the most.

Much as the article places a highly positive spin on Vera Wang the fashion designer and personality, it became quite obvious later on that the interview was turning into a fluff piece, without a negative comment ever being said about Ms. Wang. It is hard to believe that Ms. Wang had not made any enemies along her way to the top and it would have been nice to hear some opposition to her along the way.

The entire tone of the article is one of lightness and fun. This is a fashion stylist's dream article and serves its purpose to the hilt. The arguments made in the article were helped along by the tone that was set and allowed the personality of the writer to shine through as well. The writer has nothing against Vera, nor did she have an agenda in writing the story. She just wrote an engaging article that effectively used the ethos argument all throughout.