Known as the red-carpet king, fashion icon Oscar de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father in 1932. He was the youngest of seven children.
He moved to Spain at age 18 to study painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid and ended up drawing garments for newspapers and fashion companies for extra cash.
Little did he know he was laying the foundation to a global fashion brand that would be worn by Hollywood socialites and presidential first ladies.
In a 2009 interview in Punta Cana, his hometown, he spoke about fashion, saying, “It’s never been heavy. Somebody might ask, ‘What is Oscar de la Renta?’ And you could say, ‘It’s a pretty dress.’”
He was not a man to brag about his works; his works spoke volumes for him.
“He had enormous zest, displayed in his fashion — the vibrant colors, the airy sleeves, the Turkish delight numbers that so appealed to his greatest champion, the editor Diana Vreeland.”
The legendary fashion designer passed away in 2014 in his home in Kent, Connecticut but his legacy still lives on. Here are some iconic Oscar de la Renta designs: