Born in the Dominican Republic in 1932, Oscar de la Renta moved to the city of New York in 1962, at the age of 30. Since then he has gone on to represent the fashion industry as an ambassador for all things fashion in the United States. 30 years later, he was appointed as the official designer to Pierre Balmain, marking this the first time that a French haute couture had been offered to a designer from America. In choosing de la Renta, New York was being recognized for its contribution to the fashion world, and its growing status on the international stage.
Oscar de la Renta's designs have been the source of influence on numerous trends on an international scale. In the 1960s he created clothes that were a humorous take on the street designs of the time. His jackets contained denim, hot pants carried embroidered patterns and were worn under minidresses made from silk. Then there were the saris made from silk and designed in the popular psychedelic images of the day. Moving into the 70s, his take on Russian and gypsy inspired designs came in the form of shawls edged with fringe, peasant blouses and boleros, and long skirts. The 90s brought from de la Renta an era of glamorous and elegant evening clothes made for romantic nights out.
All along, as Oscar de la Renta evolved in his career, he focused primarily on silhouettes and shapes that were simple, yet he infused a lot of drama and flash to make his statement. He knew the femininity of his women customers, and several of his fashion designs have gone on to become classics today. He has been able to create and market ready-to-wear items for women, ever since he started his own fashion design company back in 1967. From the beginnings of those fashion designs, he moved his company on into the jewelry market, as well as linen, perfumes and a line of men's fashion. His reach extends beyond the Americas into Europe and Asia.
Long before Oscar de la Renta opened the doors of his own business, he had been a world traveler of fashion. In Madrid, Spain he learned how to sketch designs, and worked for several of Spain's top fashion houses. From this work he gained employment with Eisa, the couture line of Balenciaga. Moving on to Paris in 1961, he worked with the Lanvin-Castillo house, and when Castillo migrated his business to New York, de la Renta went with him, transferring on to Elizabeth Arden in '63 and eventually started with Jane Derby in '65. This company transitioned into Oscar de la Renta Ltd in '73.
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