Vera Wang's Daughters Grew Up To Be Gorgeous

Vera Wang's Daughters grew up to be gorgeous. Starting out as a fashion editor at Vogue, their mother worked her way up to having her own clothing line, as noted by Harper's Bazaar. And though she's known for her fresh and modern designs, there's so much more to Wang than her achievements in the fashion industry. For example, as a teenager, she was an extremely talented ice skater with dreams of going to the Olympics. She now enjoys spending her free time watching tennis and bonding with her family and friends. 

Two of the people Wang enjoys spending time with the most are her daughters, Cecilia Sloane Becker and Josephine Heloise Becker. Wang has raved about them for a variety of reasons, from their sense of style to their academic achievements. Wang clearly adores her "beautiful and accomplished" daughters! 

Though Cecilia and Josephine aren't the famous fashion icons of the family, fashion was still a huge part of their lives growing up. And since they first started strutting their stuff on the runway as children, Vera Wang's grew up to be absolutely gorgeous, inside and out.

Vera Wang has two daughters, Cecilia Becker and Josephine Becker, who she affectionately refers to as "Cesi" and "Jo." Cecilia was born in 1990 and Josephine was born in 1993. Wang adopted the girls when she was 41 with her ex-husband Arthur Becker, who she married in 1989. Though Wang and Becker split in 2012, (via The Hollywood Reporter), Wang has maintained a close relationship with both her daughters. 

As one of the most prominent fashion designers in the world, Wang never thought she would get married and have children. Wang revealed to New York magazine that she had always pictured herself becoming a "fashion nun...living, eating, breathing clothes." But after receiving some sagely advice from some of her colleagues, including Ralph Lauren and Anna Wintour, Wang eventually settled down. 

Because Wang was constantly working, her daughters were exposed to the fashion world starting a young age. Wang posted a throwback picture on Instagram holding baby Cecilia at their first Thanksgiving together, and though Cecilia was only 5 and a half weeks old, she was already joining mom at the office!

Being a native New Yorker herself, Vera Wang naturally raised both of her daughters in New York City. Wang watched Cecilia and Josephine Becker grow up in a "traditional family apartment" across the street from her own childhood home in Manhattan.

According to Vogue, Wang bought her childhood home in 2007, and renovated the classic 1920s Art Deco style apartment over the course of nine summers. She now enjoys the modern, minimalistic space that spreads over 7,400 square feet with her daughters. And like their mother, Cecilia and Josephine both think of New York City as their home. The sisters both live downtown now, and still enjoy spending time with their mother.

Though Wang has had many houses — in New York, Paris, and California — New York City is her primary residence. When Wang purchased a home in Los Angeles, she made it very clear to Harper's Bazaar that she wasn't leaving New York; California was simply the "yin to [her] New York yang."

Being the daughters of such a famous fashion icon, you might expect Cecilia and Josephine Becker to be dressed in designer clothes from head to toe. But Cecilia and Josephine didn't always wear haute couture. In fact, Vera Wang has frequently described herself as anti-glamorous, and believes a cute design is a cute design, regardless of the label. "Glam is not my middle name," she once told Harper's Bazaar. So like everyday teenagers, Cecilia and Josephine wore Abercrombie and Fitch and other "low-end fashion" that's popular with regular children and teens.

Wang also told New York magazine that she's found fabulous pieces for her daughters at everyday teen stores, and it made her question why she was designing certain pieces as a high-end designer. "I got these adorable Peruvian pullovers for my daughters at Abercrombie and you just, like, throw them on for $30," she said. "Everything has to scream special. If you're selling product that's expensive, by God it better look it."

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Cecilia Becker admitted that like most teenagers, she loves online shopping. But unlike most of her peers, she also gets opinions from Vera Wang about her outfits. And though Cecilia had heaps of designer clothes in her closet growing up (here's what you should know before buying Michael Kors, one of her favorite designers), and though she was essentially raised in the fashion industry, she still consults her mother about her outfits. "I'll know if it's a good or bad outfit right off the bat," Cecilia said. "She's very open, but she definitely has an opinion."

Cecilia realized her family was "different" when she was walking the runway with her sister as a young girl. Since then, Wang has helped her daughter dress for many important events in her life. Cecilia wore custom Vera Wang designs for everything from Halloween as a little girl to her prom and graduation outfits. 

Vera Wang's signature style has been described as modern and contemporary. And as Wang's career has progressed, she's focused more on her ready-to-wear lines and designs she feels real people would actually wear, as opposed to "a whole collection of dresses for socialites to wear once." Her designs often center around simple but chic, modern looks, "because that's how I dress," she told New York Magazine.

Additionally, Wang once told the The New York Times she feels pressure as a designer to "not reinvent, but for our brand to move on, to keep it moving forward." What else does the high fashion industry not want you to know?

Wang's designs may be cutting-edge, and though she's frequently surrounded by fellow top designers in the world, she still draws inspiration from her daughters. Wang told New York magazine she loves designing with Cecilia and Josephine Becker, and putting together outfits for them. Most importantly, she loves teaching her daughters how to dress up and dress down their looks. "I love the way they dress, so modern," she added.

Exposing her daughters to the fashion industry from an early age certainly paid off for Vera Wang, as it looks like Cecilia and Josephine Becker inherited their mother's knack for fashion. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Cecilia recalled wearing a wedding dress her mother designed for Halloween when she was only 3 years old — and refusing to take it off for days because she loved it so much.

Cecilia and Josephine's love for fashion hasn't diminished over the years, either. In a personal essay for Seventeen magazine, Cecilia admitted that her mother's signature style was "growing on her" as a teenager. Now, Cecilia and Josephine get to show off their style at events and photoshoots with their mother, and they both seem to know exactly how to dress themselves perfectly. Cecilia and Josephine's looks are ultra-modern, with lots of dark colors, layering, and minimalistic chic and girly accents (via Vogue). 

Though Vera Wang is obviously known for her designs, she has other interests as well. Growing up, Wang loved to figure skate, and only turned to fashion when she didn't make the Olympic figure skating team — though she's always loved fashion. In an interview for Seventeen magazine with her daughter, Cecilia Becker, Wang said she became a designer because it was a passion of hers. "I didn't have anything else that I loved as much as clothes," Wang said. 

Cecilia also said that while many people only see Wang as a designer or a fashion fiend, she notices and admires the "hard work and dedication she puts into every part of her business." 

Furthermore, Cecilia explained that her mother always encouraged her to work hard in school, and to "keep her options open" so she could find her own passion. "If your heart's attached to it, then your mind will be attached to it," Wang advised her daughter. "When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too."

Cecilia Becker considers the New York Junior League Ball to be a formative experience in her life. "My mom went to the same ball when she was a teenager," she told Teen Vogue. "I never had a Bat Mitzvah or sweet sixteen, so it was my special way to come of age."

Cecilia loved the experience, and most of all, the clothes. Vera Wang designed her dress, and Cecilia put tons of work into helping with the design. Since she'd never worn a glamorous ball gown before, she tried on different wedding gowns to get an idea of what kind of designs she would like. "I wanted to make sure we got it just right," she continued. 

Naturally, Cecilia looked gorgeous in a white, ball gown-styled dress, and wore matching custom white gloves and minimal jewelry to round out the elegant look. And most importantly, Cecilia told Vogue her parents were proud of her, and celebrated with her in style.

One of the perks of having famous parents is getting to go to all the exclusive, invite-only events most teenagers only dream about. However, when talking to Fern Mallis in a "Fashion Icons" discussion, Vera Wang recalled having her daughters in attendance for a huge turning point in her career (via 92Y). 

In 2005 Wang won "Womenswear Designer of the Year" at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, but her daughters almost weren't there to celebrate the moment with her. Wang told Mallis she didn't bring them because she didn't want them to cry if she lost (as they did when Michelle Kwan lost at the Olympics).

However, Wang was sitting next to her good friend Anna Wintour, who was taken aback when she learned Cecelia and Josephine Becker weren't there (via Page Six). Wang remembers Wintour telling her to "get your daughters here...I don't sit with losers." Wintour didn't know for sure Wang would win, but she clearly had a good feeling. "That was my moment," Wang said. "She actually sent for my children to come, it was the nicest thing."

Cecilia and Josephine Becker clearly have both beauty and brains. Vera Wang pushed both of her daughters to do well in school when they were young, and all their hard work and good grades paid off. According to Town & Country, both sisters went to elite, Ivy League universities. Elder sister Cecilia studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and younger sibling Josephine went to Harvard University, like Malia Obama.

Wang believes it's important to support her daughters in whatever they pursue because Wang's own parents were not always supportive of her. The designer told New York magazine when she first wanted to go to design school after finishing her undergraduate degree, her father refused to pay for her school. "He thought the chances of me making it as a designer were, like, less than zero," she said. 

Now, Wang can't wait to share her daughters' achievements with the world. For example, Wang shared a photo on Instagram from Josephine's commencement ceremony at Harvard. In the caption, she congratulated her daughter on her achievement and called it "a special day in the life of our family."

According to Vera Wang, her mother was always very controlling. Additionally, in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Wang said her mother was a "tiger mom," while Wang herself tends to be "a bit more hippie." But Wang also said, despite her mother's tiger mom tendencies, she always encouraged her to be her authentic self — even if she was a bit too involved at times.

Wang remembers the pressure to be perfect and live up to her mother's expectations, especially while in college and simultaneously training for the Olympics. She ended up exhausting herself while trying to do both, and didn't truly succeed at either. 

That was a big life lesson for Wang, who tries to be a more hands-off parent to her daughters. "I don't live through my kids," she explained. "But I do know what will happen in life, and I just want them well prepared." And even though neither Cecelia or Josephine Becker wants to follow in Wang's fashion-forward footsteps, as she told Seventeen, she's just happy that they're finding their path in life.

Though Cecilia and Josephine Becker are now grown and living on their own in New York City, they still love spending time with their mother. Additionally, as you might expect from such a prominent designer, Vera Wang has an extensive group of designer friends who she enjoys spending time with outside of work events. To that end, after renovating her New York home, Wang was excited to have friends over to celebrate along with her family.

Wang told Vogue she wants her friends and family to come over and party any time, and that's what they've done. Cecilia and Josephine also enjoy hosting with their mother, and always have a blast. Cecilia recalled a Halloween party, which she said was quite the affair, as they had tons of activities like a karaoke room and a photo booth that kept guests entertained for hours. That's just one way people celebrate Halloween around the world.

Josephine agreed that her mom's minimalistic pad is "a lot more comfortable than you might think just looking at it."

Neither of Vera Wang's daughters seem to be particularly fond of the spotlight. For one, both of their Instagram accounts are private, and they don't share much about their lives with the public. Cecilia only has a few thousand followers and a handful of posts on Instagram, and Josephine has even fewer followers than her sister; she also posts less than Cecilia on Instagram. 

Cecilia gave a handful of interviews with teen fashion magazines when she was younger, but she hasn't done many interviews since. It looks like the girls clearly value their privacy, which is understandable, given the fact that they've been in the spotlight their whole lives with their famous parents.

But despite leading their own private lives, Cecilia and Josephine are still involved in their mother's work. The pair have been spotted supporting their mother at work events (via Vogue), and occasionally pop up in interviews (via Vogue).