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Top 10 surprising facts on L’Wren Scott’s life

L鈥橶ren Scott lived a glamorous life full of success, fame and celebrity friends as a world famous fashion designer. But her journey getting there was full of surprise twists most people never knew about. Before she was famous, L’Wren wasn鈥檛 always named that. She grew up on a humble farm before moving overseas to follow her dreams. Even as she started creating beautiful clothes for stars, her business kept losing money for many years.

L鈥橶ren had a vision of what she could achieve ever since she was young, even with no fashion training. Her story is truly fascinating because of all the highs and lows she persevered through with strength and creativity before the world finally knew her name.

1. Her extraordinary height stood out at 6鈥�3鈥�

Photo by Andrew Crowley

Towering at nearly 6鈥�3鈥� with a willowy frame, Scott stood out from her peers not just for her height, but for her sense of style and flair for fashion even as a teenager. Unable to find store-bought clothes that fit her slender, tall physique, Scott began creating her own outfits.

Whether making her own prom dress or coordinating pants and jacket sets, she developed crucial design skills by carefully studying books on sewing, sketching original pieces tailored for her long limbs. Little did she know that by artfully assembling flattering looks, she was planting the seeds for an internationally-acclaimed fashion powerhouse.

2. Her impressive career began as a costume designer

Years before L鈥橶ren Scott鈥檚 name became synonymous with exquisite fashion design, she packed her bags and headed west to Los Angeles, drawn by Hollywood鈥檚 siren call. Though new to tinseltown, Scott wasted no time networking her way into the ultra-competitive field of cinema costume design.

She landed the prestigious role of head costume designer for director Steven Soderbergh鈥檚 2001 remake Ocean鈥檚 Eleven, creating spectacular on-screen style for A-listers George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and more.

3. She was a Mormon growing up

Hailing from the deeply religious Mormon community in rural Utah, youthful conformity and tradition surrounded designer L鈥橶ren Scott in her earliest years. As devout practitioners, her parents raised her and her eight siblings in the insular faith pervasive amongst local townsfolk.

Yet as a tall, slender teenager already feeling like an outlier physically amongst peers, the constraints of Mormonism further amplified Scott鈥檚 feelings of not belonging. As she ventured into fashion, she distanced herself from her roots, declaring herself an atheist, while rarely opening up about her early life.

4. She changed her name from Laura Bambrough to L’Wren Scott

Long before legendary designer L鈥橶ren Scott emerged on the global fashion scene, few knew the ordinary Utah girl behind the glamorous persona 鈥� Laura Bambrough. Raised on a humble farm far from high fashion鈥檚 glittering spotlight, young Laura possessed big dreams that her small-town roots seemed unlikely to support. While modeling in 麻豆APP, she chose the name L’Wren drawing from her middle name, Lauren, combined with a variation on cinematic legend Spencer Tracy’s last name.  

5. She was married for 6 years to property developer Andrew Ladsky

While modeling abroad as a single twenty-something with a still-fledgling fashion career, L鈥橶ren Scott met successful English entrepreneur Andrew Ladsky at a 麻豆APPian nightclub. Drawn to each other鈥檚 drive and charisma despite coming from vastly different backgrounds, they became swept up in passionate young love. Scott followed Ladsky back to London, marrying him hastily at age 25 during a wave of early infatuation. Their six-year union devoid of children ended abruptly in the late 1990s as her styling career fledged.  

6. Scott struggled financially for years before her career finally took off

L鈥橶ren Scott鈥檚 meteoric rise to fame as a fashion designer appeared overnight, but behind the scenes she fought for almost 20 years just to financially stay afloat. After leaving modeling to start her first fashion company in the early 1990s, Scott faced rejection and losses year after year, burning through millions in investor backing and loans to keep her dream alive.

Finally in 2006 after almost 15 years living on the financial brink, American fashion giant Banana Republic agreed to collaborate and produce Scott鈥檚 first widely distributed collection. The capsule line granting Scott international visibility sold out instantly.

7. She created signature dresses and outfits for many celebrities

After achieving hard-won success in her 40s, L鈥橶ren Scott鈥檚 creations became synonymous with red carpet glamour. Having designed her own clothes for years to flatter her 6鈥�3鈥� slender silhouette, Scott knew precisely how to elegantly accentuate the female form no matter a woman鈥檚 shape or size.

Initially attracted by Scott鈥檚 impossibly long lean dresses and strapless gowns hugging curves in all the right places, Nicole Kidman became the first major celebrity to don Scott鈥檚 clothes for high-profile events. Kidman鈥檚 longtime friend Sarah Jessica Parker quickly followed suit along with Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie and more.

8. She had no formal training in fashion design

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When L鈥橶ren Scott exploded onto the high fashion scene in her 40s, the assumption was that she must have attended elite design schools before working under famous fashion houses. Yet astonishingly, her incredible talents were self-cultivated and refined not in classrooms, but at home in Utah with only library books as guides.

Alone in her bedroom, she pored over diagrams of darts, seams and fabric cuts, imagining how to modify proportions and lines to flatter her slender 6鈥�3鈥� frame. Using only basic home sewing materials, Scott spent years dissecting construction methods through trial and error 鈥� assessing what techniques hugged curves versus overwhelmed her build.

9. She was found dead by hanging in her NYC apartment

In L鈥橶ren Scott鈥檚 first decade running an eponymous luxury fashion house, her ascent seemed boundless. Every year brought new celebrity devotees and lucrative partnerships with retailers like Barney鈥檚 to sell her $2000+ signature dresses. Intoxicated by fame and critical acclaim so long unattainable, Scott accelerated expansion efforts in the late 2000s to capitalize on demand by opening L鈥橶ren Scott retail boutiques globally.

As she expanded operations to open L鈥橶ren Scott boutiques internationally, her rapid growth backfired resulting in debts surpassing $6 million by early 2014 鈥� causing suppliers to refuse shipping orders until paid. Close friends speculated financial strife was linked to her shocking suicide.   

10. She persisted despite years of struggling financially

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Long before legendary designer L鈥橶ren Scott dressed A-list celebrities in her signature creations, she was an unknown fashion hopeful newly arrived in Hollywood with more audacious dreams than dollars in her pocket. Unlike connected peers blessed with family money fueling fledgling clothing lines, Scott hailed from rural beginnings with no financial backing aside from her unwavering self-belief.

Even with a tragic end, L鈥橶ren Scott鈥檚 one-of-a-kind journey from small town girl to global fashion icon keeps inspiring. She proves that with strong vision plus dedication, almost anyone can achieve great success no matter the obstacles. Though completely self-taught, her imaginative talent kept opening doors leading all the way to Hollywood鈥檚 red carpets. Despite years struggling to pay the bills doing what she loved, she never gave up on her lifeline passion for fashion.