Oscar de la Renta, 1932 – 2014

Last week came the sad news that one of the fashion world's most iconic designers, Oscar de la Renta, passed away aged 82 following a long battle with cancer. Since founding his own label in 1965, his name has become synonymous with glamour, and his designs have been worn and loved by an impressive list of ladies, from Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn to Sarah Jessica Parker and Taylor Swift.

Oscar's designs are both powerful and elegant, successfully capturing his Latin roots with a bold use of colour. Combine this with impeccable tailoring, reflective of his time in Paris in the early 1960s, and the up-town style of his life in New York, and you begin to understand why his work has such far-reaching and enduring appeal.

"Fashion is about dressing according to what's fashionable. Style is more about being yourself"
– Oscar de la Renta


So here are a few facts about a man who will be remembered and revered for many years to come:

• Born in Santo Dimingo on 22 July 1932
• Studied painting at the Academy of San Fernando aged 18
• Learned fashion design under Cristobal Belenciaga
• Was an assistant to Antonio Castillo at Lanvin in Paris from 1960-63
• Created his first perfume, Oscar, in 1977
• Artistic Director for Pierre Balmain from 1993 to 2002 – the first American designer to create haute couture for a Paris fashion house
• Third husband of former editor-in-chief for french Vogue, Francoise de Langlade, until her death in 1983
• Designed Amal Alamuddin's dress for her marriage to George Clooney last month
• Held dual citizenship in the Dominican Republic and United States

www.oscardelarenta.com