After battling cancer since 2006, Oscar de la Renta has sadly passed away. The 82 year old, originally from the Dominican, made his name in the early 1960’s when First Lady Jackie Kennedy frequently wore his designs. Since then he has dressed nearly every First Lady, including Michelle Obama, who recently wore one of his designs.
Naomi Campbell described him on her Instagram as a ‘gentleman of fashion’ and also shared a photo of herself during the early stages of her career on his catwalk ‘You made this dream come true!’
Karlie Kloss also shared her tribute to the designer on her Instagram, saying ‘The world lost one of the most extraordinary people that I have ever met. Thank you for helping me become the woman I am today and for always inspiring me to be better. There simply is no one else like you’.
Anna Wintour described the loved designer as ‘everything you could want a friend to be’.
In order to celebrate his life and achievements here are just a few of Oscar de la Renta’s most iconic and most unforgettable pieces (and a couple of my own personal favourites too!).
Jackie Kennedy at the 1962 Met Gala (elleuk.com)
Princess Diana at the 1990 Met Gala (elleuk.com)
Carrie Bradshaw- A whole episode of Sex and The City was based around her receiving one of his designs. A truly iconic piece.
Emma Watson at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiere in 2011(elleuk.com)
Going back so SJP- how can we dare to miss out this iconic gown, worn at the 2014 Met Gala. Complete with the beautiful red signature of the designer.
A few favourites from Oscar de la Renta’s Spring/Summer collection from Fashion Week this year. The second from the left is one of my favourite pieces of his.
This dress shows the absolute genius of the Oscar de la Renta design. From the Fall 2014 collection, this dress cannot be described as anything other than a triumph.
And finally, possibly the most recent success of the designer was Amal Alamuddin’s wedding dress. The human rights lawyer was married to George Clooney recently and wore this stunning piece designed by Oscar de la Renta. Famous for his wedding gowns, it was a spoken truth that Oscar made every bride who wore one of his designs look and feel beautiful.
Of course, these are just a select few, there are literally hundreds of other pieces that I would have loved to put on this article, but alas, you’ll just have to go and find them for yourselves! It is clear from the response of models, magazine editors and many others, that the legendary designer will be hugely missed.
Rest in Peace, Oscar de la Renta.