This is why many of them give him now their homage as Laura Bush made it in an immediate statement, Monday, saying: “We will miss Oscar’s generous and warm personality, his charm, and his wonderful talents.(…) We will always remember him as the man who made women look and feel beautiful.” In fact, it is recognized today that Oscar de la Renta and his peers, including the late Bill Blass, Roy Halston and Geoffrey Beene, defined American style.
De la Renta left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting in Spain, however being attracted by fashion. A dress he made for daughter of the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Spain landed on the cover of Life magazine. He then moved to France to work for couture house Lanvin. Later, by 1963, he was working for Elizabeth Arden couture in New York. 1965 was the year when he launched his own label “I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant,” he confessed trying to explain his big success. He devoted considerable time to children’s charity, helped fund schools and day-care centers in his native country.
In the U.S., he received the Coty American Fashion Critics Award twice, was named womenswear designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2000 and also received a lifetime achievement award from the CFDA.
