30 fashion designers you should know... #10

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

The story of Oscar de la Renta is one hundred percent American Dream. It is the story of a Latino boy who grew up with six sisters in the Dominican Republic, moved to Madrid at the age of eighteen (1950) to study painting, became an assistant to Balenciaga and ten years later plunged into the world of Paris haute couture at the side of Lanvin designer Antonio Castillo- and who finally, founded his own label in New York at the age of thirty-three. Since 1965 Oscar de la Renta has been designing glamorous gowns for American high society and has dressed four First Ladies. He is the president and creative director of a fashion business that despite the economic crisis had sales of 100 million dollars in 2008. It was not only talent but also his business sense that could be seen early on. His style is still reminiscent of the Paris school. Oscar de la Renta is known for precise, figure-flattering tailoring and for extravagant details such as ruffles and appliqué. Combined with his Latin American preference for strong colors and his typically American instinct for wearability. This is the secret of his enduring succes over several decades and may also be the reason why in 1993 Balmain knocked on his door. He became the first American designer to create haute couture for a Paris fashion house and benefited from the experience. "Fashion is only fashion once a woman puts it on."

Oscar de la Renta