Veronica Sheaffer has long had an eye for romance, glamour, and all things fashion. While it may have taken the designer a few years—and a stint in acting both in New York and Chicago—to figure out fashion was her true calling, Veronica had been playing with designs for as long as she can remember.
“(Fashion) is honestly I think my earliest passion as a child even, I was really drawn to glamour and romance and escaping into something else,” Veronica told Access Hollywood. “Even at like ten years old I was draping fabric on my friends.”
Eight years later, the future fashion designer moved to New York to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. “Even there, during our exam play, I didn’t like my costume so I got permission to make my own,” Veronica said.
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But it wasn’t until she moved to Chicago to pursue a career as a theater actor that Veronica truly delved into the world of fashion. A friend approached her and asked to start a clothing line together—an idea that at the time, seemed “ridiculous” to the 40-year-old designer.
“All this time I had been making my own clothes. And I thought that was a ridiculous idea because I had no training or knowledge of the industry or anything,” Veronica said of starting her first line. “But we gave it a go and it took off!”
And boy did it! The fashion designer now has her own label called Veronica Sheaffer, and has spent the last decade designing gorgeous custom bridal gowns in Chicago. Working with all types of bodies, preferences, and fabrics taught Veronica how clothes drape on different women—and she’s now ready to break into the world of ready-to-wear fashion.
Now competing on Season 18 of “Project Runway,” Veronica announced a launch of a spring ready-to-wear line to coincide with her appearance. The line features Veronica’s signature flowy romantic look—in particular, a versatile “Poet Blouse” that Veronica herself has worn on a boat in Monaco, during a dip in the water and then straight to dinner.
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Femininity and durability are staples of her designs that eventually caught the eye of “Project Runway” judge Christian Siriano.
“Christian was particularly kind to me and I feel like he really saw me as a designer immediately, he understood what I do and what my aesthetic is and his advice was to continue on in that and be confident in that aesthetic.” Both Veronica and Christian noticed that Veronica’s designs and approach were unique on this season, as no other current contestant quite captures the dreamy feminine look in the same way.
“He gave me the confidence to stay in that space and not try to be something else,” Veronica said of Christian.
Of course, Veronica also hinted that there are some “big personalities” on this season of “Project Runway.” Thursday’s episode will see designers using the upcoming movie “Cats” as a springboard for their looks.
We can’t wait to see all the purrrr-fect looks the contestants come up with!