Oscar De La Renta was a gardener. Outside his home in the Dominican Republic, a vast terrace equipped with fountains, palm trees and sky-high hedges landscapes his villa. “You need to contain things in a certain manner,” he told Sara Medford of Architectural Digest, as he described the art of planting. “And in other areas you can just let go.” His clothes were also a sort of constructed chaos. Much like a flower, Oscar’s gowns bloomed, and like his garden, his patterning was unpredictable. His skirts bellowed from the waist and underneath a high-low hem could be felt a breeze, like one would feel on a hill in Summer. “Every season I’m inspired by women,” Oscar said, but it would seem as if all the prettiest seasons were inspired by him. Thank you, Oscar De La Renta, to you we owe Spring.
A wall full of lilies and a coat full of carnations. Spring 2015
“When I started, the woman went to the store to buy a dress. She saw it in pink and red, and then she remembered that the husband, who is probably going to pay for the dress, loves it in pink. So she buys the pink. Today, the same woman goes to the store and remembers the husband likes pink, and she buys the red.”
Met Gala, 2013
Pockets full of Rose Petals. Spring 2011
“I don’t like to see one tulip in one vase, I like to see ten thousand tulips in one vase.” Spring 2015
“Walk like there are three men are behind you.” Spring 2013
Isn’t she lovely? May 2014
As always, surrounded by flowers. Spring 2015