DESIGNER Vera Wang introduces line of home products

Imaginative designer may create extremely bold and graphic collection.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Vera Wang chafes at the perception that she just designs $25,000 wedding dresses.
Yes, she does make the occasional over-the-top couture wedding dress for fabulously wealthy celebrities. But she's been working on new products that bring Vera Wang designs out of the stratosphere -- and the clothes closet -- and into a more affordable atmosphere.
She has just introduced her new line of silver-plate flatware, barware and gifts, including a $60 pair of toasting flutes, $120 ice bucket and $80 martini shaker.
"It's really beautiful, and I think it's really practical," Wang said, her voice surprisingly deep for a tiny woman who once was a finalist to compete as an Olympic figure skater.
The barware is just the latest of Wang's creations to fight for a spot in our homes. She also designs china, eyeware, jewelry, men and women's fragrances and bath products, and even shoes and a line of clothing.
Plus, Wang points out, most of her dresses range from $2,000 to $6,000, which, while pricey, isn't outrageous in the world of wedding dresses.
"It's not David's, I'm not saying that," she said, referring to David's Bridal, the bulk dress store. Wang also designs a line of more-expensive dresses that she says are more traditional than her trademark slinky wedding gowns. Vera Wang Luxe gowns range from $7,000 to $11,000, she said.
New venture
Coming soon: Vera Wang towels, sheets, shower curtains, place mats.
It's all part of an effort to create a lifestyle, Wang said. A luxurious, sophisticated lifestyle, with a modern feel.
Does she aspire to become the new Martha Stewart, influencing America's tastes and styles?
Wang pauses.
"We're coming from such a different place, and we're such different people," she said, musingly. From the beginning, Stewart made her mark by giving advice, particularly about entertaining. Wang's advice must be inferred from her excruciatingly tasteful patterns.
"I started, first and foremost, as a designer," she said.
And those classic, platinum-etched plates shouldn't be thought of as restrictively sophisticated, she said. First, like her silver plate barware, the china can be washed in a dishwasher.
Mix and match
And, she said, she hopes people use the china and flatware flexibly, by mixing and matching complementary sets for a more fun, modern look.
"It could be used in a very traditional environment, or in a very modern environment," she said. "If you have a set of your grandparents' china, you can combine it with that." Still, as a woman with a flare for the dramatic, whose book "Vera Wang on Weddings" includes a white leather dress with daring cutouts, her china collection seems somewhat subdued.
"In the world of silver, it's pretty modern," she said. "There's a blend between the esoteric and the traditional." But she'll be striking out more in the future.
"The next collection will be extremely bold and graphic," she said.