6 min read
Before Vera Wang was a fashion designer, she was a competitive figure skater and took part in the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She’s called the sport the “love of her life, even more than fashion” and has channeled that passion into designing some of the most memorable figure skating costumes of the past few decades (like Michelle Kwan’s elegant gold outfit for her 2002 Field of Dreams program), which won her an induction into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She even attended the figure skating competitions at this year’s Winter Olympics and was spotted in the audience by fans. ELLE caught up with Wang during the games to talk about the dichotomy of Alysa Liu, designing costumes for Nancy Kerrigan during her infamous scandal, and the scent she associates with skating.
How do you feel about Team USA’s run this season? Why do you think figure skating continues to capture the public’s interest?
Team USA had a lot of press coming into this Olympics. I can’t think of a team that had more pressure and hype, especially with social media. They handled it really well. To have that kind of intense focus—the only time I’ve ever experienced that was with Nancy Kerrigan and the Tonya Harding incident. That was unbelievable because I had just come to LaGuardia Airport and was flying out to have dinner with Nancy’s coach. He called me at the airport and said, “Don’t bother coming, because Nancy’s just been clubbed.” I couldn’t quite figure out why anyone would club a female ice skater in the arena. By the time I got to my apartment, every news channel had the story and it was the biggest story of the Olympics.
On the one hand, it helped get viewership for skating. On the other hand, it diminished skating in a way because it insinuated that there were people that weren’t the right caliber of skaters. I don’t know a skater who trains that doesn’t sacrifice everything: Parents have to keep three jobs to get ice time, the sacrifice of your body, social life, and development, and yet, so many other great things come out of becoming an athlete at that level. For me, figure skating at the Olympics is one of the purest sporting events that we still have. Everybody is getting along and competing peacefully, and striving to be better.
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Vera Wang (center) and her daughter Josephine Becker watch the men’s figure skating single short program at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
What do you think of the newer dressing styles for figure skaters?
They’re very pretty and well-made. Most of them are quite glitzy. In some way, they are on trend with what is on the red carpet. I see now that the girls are expanding into these very long, full skirts, and they lengthen the line. That is one of the things I’ve never really liked. I worry that it’s going to hurt the skaters’ jumps and their spins, but it seems to be a massive, massive trend. I always dressed Michelle Kwan, who liked a bathing suit, basically, with a little tiny skirt. There’d be no centrifugal force when she jumped, and for me, that was the code for years and years.
The men still look very influenced by Nathan Chen. I dressed him for his last Olympics and he used to wear one-piece suits that were very aerodynamic, like skiers. But I think he didn’t want them. So after three years, he finally got brave and said, “I don’t want a one-piece, I want a two-piece.” From then on, I started making pants and T-shirts, which worked better for him.
Who have been some of your favorites to watch?
I love Madison Chock and Evan Bates. I think they were divine. Those costumes were at a couture level; the construction, the concept that went with the choreography, and the music were a work of art. They were just perfection.
Alysa Liu is an original. She’s someone that is going to do it her way. There is no other way for her to be and that’s who she is to the core. She’s sort of like a rocker, with the hair. She’s breaking every rule. She’s a very, very hip girl and yet, her program, her music choice, has been so romantic, passionate, and personal. For me, that’s a great dichotomy and it almost makes you want to cry. There’s irony there where it should be. In all the arts, there has to be irony. If there’s no irony, then you’re just looking at stuff. There’s a freshness. It’s relief.
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Alysa Liu at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
What are the main fabrics that make up a figure skating costume?
I was the first one to use sheer illusion in sports. Now everyone is using it in evening wear and layering it into clubbing attire. But I first used it on Nancy Kerrigan for the Olympics. But anything that stretches is central to the design. It has to stretch everywhere and not just one way. It’s such an active sport. Just look at the extreme proportions. You really have to be able to move your arms. You’re on the ground spinning. They’re jumping in the air, and being thrown around in pairs programs by a guy at 30 miles an hour. If you don’t have stretch, it’s going to be dreadful.
You have a new fragrance out—how does it relate to your brand and what you’ve been seeing at the Olympics?
I certainly love the word love and it is the mantra of our company. I felt it was the right name and time, and the right mood. My newest fragrance is called Love, and it’s in the shape of a ring. We worked on it for six years. It launched in June and it speaks to issues that are very real right now and why we love the Olympics—you see people trying to get along while they’re competing against each other for just two weeks, which doesn’t seem to be happening everywhere else in the world.
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Nancy Kerrigan wearing Vera Wang at the 1994 Olympics.
The design is very unusual—the bottle is a massive ring. Why did that feel right for this scent?
We had an incredible designer and I really wanted to do a fragrance bottle that was not a gimmick, but symbolic. I myself have had about 40 fragrances, but I just wanted something that could become a collectible. It is something that could remind you that it is a piece to be saved. The key notes include the flower of the night, which only blooms one night a year. It also has tuberose, jasmine, and amber.
Is there a perfume you associate with ice skating?
Yes, there is. Bal à Versailles is a very, very old fragrance and was probably one of the most expensive ones in the world at that time. It was all essential oils and no chemicals. But my mother once put it behind my ears for me when I dressed up for a little dance or party. I sort of fell in love with it and I put it behind my ears every time I competed.
People are always talking about how youthful you seem. Do you have any particular wellness or skin care practices?
You know, I really can’t say there’s anything that unique. Someone makes my face up. Like most ex-editors, we don’t usually focus on ourselves that much—nail polish very rarely and very little makeup. Truthfully, rest is a very, very big part. It calms me. Another big factor is that I was always quite careful with the sun. I spent 16 years in a rink and there was no sun. I also made sure my kids piled the sunblock on. They hated me because it got in their eyes, but I did it anyway, and now they’re thanking me.
I also have regular meals—if not three, then five little ones. The body needs nourishment, and it does affect your skin, hair, muscle tone, and thinking. I know people comment on my weight but I really do eat, and I eat a little bit of everything, which is extremely Chinese. The Chinese rarely say, “No eggs, no fish, no beef, etc.” We don’t do pretty extreme diets. Your body will tell you what it wants. Does it want a burger? Does it need meat? Does it want fish? Does it want a baked potato? Or some pasta? I just believe in keeping everything pretty modest, and no extremes.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Shop Vera Wang’s Perfumes
Vera Wang Love Eau de Parfum
Vera Wang Princess Eau de Parfum
Vera Wang Princess Eau de Toilette
