I design clothes for women to wear. I am not interested in shock tactics. I just want to make beautiful clothes”. In 1963, the year of this state-ment, Oscar de la Renta already knew his des-tiny: creating amazing clothings. Unique, refined and dreaming creations. Able to enhance the femininity of a woman, his garments are the symbols of a timeless elegance. His style marked the American haute couture so it reached the levels of the European one in matter of style, taste and sartorial perfection. Beloved by international high society ladies, Oscar de la Renta was able to charm his public with dreaming dresses full of an ancien regime mood reinvented according to modern standards of beauty. Wearing his crea-tion, every woman turns into a charming lady.
“Oscar completely understands who he is and who he’s dressing (…) He never tried to be avant-garde or difficult. He just does really good clothes, never overtly sexy but attractive, colour-ful and feminine”, said Anna Wintour. The words of the editor-in-chief of American Vogue catch the essence of Oscar de la Renta’s work; her foreword introduces the Assouline book “The to charm his public with dreaming dresses full of an ancien regime mood reinvented according to modern standards of beauty. Wearing his crea-tion, every woman turns into a charming lady.
Style, Inspiration and Life of Oscar de la Renta”, a monograph that traces the exciting history and career of one of the best American couturier of XX century. A journey around his private and professional life after the first monograph Assouline dedicated to him in 2002.
Born in Santo Domingo in 1931, Oscar Aristides Renta Fiallo studied in Spain; here he discovered his passion for fashion and soon started working for Cristóbal Balenciaga in Madrid, who, unbelievable, found de la Renta not ready when he told him he wanted to move to Paris, pantheon of haute couture.
But the young Oscar didn’t give up and in the French capital he first worked for Lanvin, laying the foundations for his career. At the beginning of the Sixties he reached New York City, he worked with Elizabeth Arden and Christian Dior-New York where, on Diana Vreeland’s suggestion and after taking over Jane Derby brand (1965) he successfully launched his ready-to-wear line.
This fact marked his entry in fashion world In 1993 he was back in Paris for modelling, confirming his unique talent and style.
Assouline’s book traces the history of his long-lasting career: 50 years of private and professional life of a style genius who always avoided sensuality in favour of a clean elegance.
His creations want to celebrate, without exhibiting, women’s femininity. Starting from this modus operandi, de la Renta won over women, charmed by a stylistic wealth fashion system unseen for centuries, since Belle Epoque and expert tailors times.
The most famous women wore his creations: from the queen of style, Jacqueline Kennedy, to the first ladies Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, with whom he had a true friendship relationship. “This man has been working for more than 20 years to turn me into a fashion icon”, joked Mrs. Clinton. According to her, Oscar de la Renta’s “name alone evokes elegance and timeless beauty”.
So beloved by celebrities, among his fashion lo vers, Sarah Jessica Parker, Oprah Winfrey and Mrs. Clooney, Amal Alamuddin. The couturier designed her wedding gown shown in Venice, one of his last creations before dying of a disease diagnosed in 2006.
A fashion designer who became a legend, able to create a refined world.
