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Carolina Herrera (b. 1939) began designing in 1981, but for many years prior to that she was known as a style setter, especially in her native South America. She was from an affluent family and that has caused her to be grouped with other wealthy designers of the 1980s as the Socialite Designers.

From the beginning, Herrera’s clothes have been feminine but comfortable. In 1986 she started a secondary line, CH by Carolina Herrera, which used less expensive fabrics than her top line, but that incorporated the same design details. In 1986 Herrera designed the wedding dress of Caroline Kennedy, which led to her starting a wedding dress label the following year.

The first Carolina Herrera Boutique opened in 2000 and today there are more than four dozen stores worldwide.

In 2018, Herrera presented the final collection under her own label and passed on the role of creative director to Wes Gordon.

Written by fuzzylizzie