Vera Wang asks daughters for advice

Vera Wang asks her daughters for advice before launching new products or designs.

The 61-year-old designer - who has two daughters Cecilia, 21, and 15-year-old Josephine with her husband Arthur Becker - jokingly refers to her children as "test-marketers" and says she trusts them completely to give their honest opinion on her work.

She said: "I have two test-marketers in my house, living with me. They are very good for me to bounce ideas off of. They make sure they let me know what's good, and what isn't good, and why I am doing this, and I think that's very real."

Vera has decided to re-launch her Lavender collection - which was badly affected in the global economic meltdown - as a capsule evening dress collection and is delighted with the new younger direction the designs have taken.

She told WWD: "The consumer wants to see newness constantly. I love the fact that it's young. I think there is a teenager aspect to me. It doesn't mean I can't be sophisticated but I have a very young thought process, and I feel very comfortable in this language."

The new capsule dress line is priced from $395 to $595 and will be sold exclusively in Neiman Marcus stores and online at neimanmarcus.com