Who

The Venezuelan-born designer founded the company that bears her name in 1981.

Backstory

Born into an extremely wealthy family in Caracas, Herrera didn't need to worry about the trifling matter of a day job. She attended her first couture show at the age of 13 with her grandmother (it was Balenciaga), and after marrying and starting a family, she spent years as a well-heeled client, traveling to fashion shows in New York and Paris to order high-end couture. It wasn't until the age of 40, after four kids and countless appearances on Vogue's best-dressed list, that Herrera turned to design herself. One year after finishing her first collection in 1980, Herrera moved her family to New York, where she opened up a showroom and expanded her line. She also spent more than a decade as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's personal stylist. She's since introduced a diffusion collection, launched a line of bridal wear, accessories, and cosmetics, and opened stores across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Of note

Known for her elegant, minimalist designs, Herrera typically avoids both excess and trendiness; her tailored suits and evening dresses are popular with women who want to be seen as ladylike rather than sexy or avant-garde. Hollywood women love Herrera: Renee Zellweger, perhaps her most devoted fan, has worn Herrera gowns to the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and for her island wedding to Kenny Chesney. At the 2007 Oscars, Herrera was chosen by Jada Pinkett Smith and Kim Cattrall; Meryl Streep is a fan, while Katie Holmes has called the designer her "fairy godmother."

Herrera is mostly a hit with the critics—they gave her the CFDA Women's Designer of the Year honor in 2004—but Cathy Horyn was banned (along with her colleagues at the paper) from Herrera's shows after calling the fall '06 collection "remarkably irrelevant." The designer's temper eventually cooled, however, and she lifted the ban in time for February '08 Fashion Week.

Personal

Herrera has been married twice. Her second husband is Reinaldo Herrera, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. They have two daughters, Carolina Adriana and Patricia (now Patricia Herrera Lansing), a former VF fashion editor. Previously, she was married to Guillermo Behrens Tello, with whom she has two daughters, Mercedes and Ana Luisa. Home is an East 91st Street townhouse that the Herreras have lived in for more than a decade. (The living room features a Salvador Dali portrait of Herrera's father-in-law.) They also have a family property in Venezuela that dates back to 1590.

True story

Herrera was a social staple in New York (and Studio 54 regular) long before she moved to New York. A close friend of Andy Warhol's—she visited him frequently during the '70s—she once had him paint her portrait, which now hangs above the desk in her studio office.

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