Before Vera Wang became a national symbol for creativity and success, she was a talented and spirited fashion editor for Vogue Magazine. In 1981 she began featuring a new face in her glamorous editorial pages. Today artist Wanakee Pugh credits Ms. Wang for giving her a tremendous start that launched a successful twenty-year modeling career. Known in the 80′s simply as “Wanakee” she graced the covers of the country’s top fashion magazines and was regularly featured in publications such as Vogue, Self, Essence and Italian Bazaar. Some of her retail clients included Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Macy’s while beauty clients such as Avon, Revlon and Clairol used her image for television and print campaigns.
Throughout her 18-year career, she worked daily along side the era’s top models and was privileged to be photographed by the worlds best image makers, including Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Rico Puhlman, and Francesco Scavullo.
Micheal Douglas and Wanakee below
With Isabella Rossellini
