Renowned fashion designer, Oscar De La Renta has died, aged 82, following his battle with cancer.
The Dominican talent, known for his way with elegant evening gowns, rose to fame in the ’60s after dressing Jackie Kennedy. With his work seen on top stars, socialites, politicians and royalty in the decades since and till this day – including noted names Oprah Winfrey, Hilary Clinton and Princess Diana, as well as top models like Naomi Campbell and Gisele Bundchen – the designer’s name is synonymous with red carpet style and his death marks a poignant loss to the industry.
Supermodel Ms Campbell was among the first to pay tribute to De La Renta, posting pictures of herself wearing his work.
The model posted another of the pair together, captioning;
“The gentleman of fashion you will always be!!! RIP.”
British Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman said of De La Renta this morning;
“Of all the designers in the world, Oscar de la Renta was the most reliable at designing clothes that made you feel beautiful. He stuck to his conviction about how women should look – elegant, joyful, feminine – no matter how fashion changed, but his designs never felt old or hackneyed.
If you wore one of Oscar’s dresses you felt you looked your best, which is one of the reasons that he was so often a first choice for ball gowns, weddings and public appearances throughout the world.”
De La Renta had trained under Balmain and Lanvin early in his career, before launching his own label in in New York in 1965. The star’s last collection was spied on the catwalk at New York this last September, inspired by spring florals, and with that being his last collection – having recently handed the helm over to Peter Copping – there’s no doubt De La Renta’s final offering will be celebrated and treasured by all fast enough to add a piece to their collection.
Image source: Vogue.com, @Iamnaomicampbell
