Acclaimed designer Vera Wang has been conferred the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by Gérard Araud, the Ambassador of France to the United States, at a ceremony that took place at Les Invalides in Paris.

"This is an unimaginable honor, both as an American and a Designer, to be presented with this most prestigious award from the French Republic," Vera Wang said.

"Today we celebrate Vera Wang's lifelong friendship with France in the name of our deepest shared values: beauty, fraternity and humanism" said Gérard Araud, Ambassador of France to the United States. "French culture has been a strong inspiration throughout her life, and has influenced her work as both a designer and an accomplished and independent business woman."

About Vera Wang:

A native New Yorker who spent her career at the forefront of fashion, Vera Wang began a sweeping makeover of the bridal industry in 1990 with the opening of her flagship salon at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Today, the salon continues to showcase collections known for sophisticated drama, feminine detailing and a modern approach to bridal design.

In 2000, Vera Wang's enthusiasm for couture fashion resulted in the launch of her highly acclaimed ready-to-wear collection. The Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Vera Wang by naming her "Womenswear Designer of the Year" in 2005. Known for her nonchalant approach to style and luxury, Vera Wang's ready-to-wear collections resonate with her signature layering, intricate draping and exquisite attention to detail.

The Vera Wang brand reflects her vision to create a lifestyle that goes beyond core bridal and ready-to-wear, and into publishing, fragrance, beauty, accessories and home. These collections are positioned at the highest end of the luxury market. Driven by artistic, modern and luxurious design and style, couture-like quality and a high level of customer service, Vera Wang's collections hold impeccable customer appeal.

About the Order of the Legion Honor:

The Order of the Legion of Honor is the highest award bestowed by the French government. Founded by Napoleon Bonaparte to recognize outstanding achievement in the military as well as in the public and private sectors, the award recognizes those who have rendered over twenty years of eminent service to France or, more broadly, it commends persons whose achievements uphold France's ideals. 

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy promotes the best of French arts, literature, cinema, digital innovation, language, and higher education across the US. It brings artists, authors, intellectuals and innovators to cities nationwide. It also builds partnerships between French and American artists, institutions and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, through its bookshop Albertine, it fosters French-American exchange around literature and the arts.