Coral's Cove: In Memory of Oscar de la Renta

Yesterday the world lost an amazingly talented designer. Oscar de la Renta passed at his home surrounded by his family at the age of 82. In his years as one of the most sought after American designers he has dressed high profile clients from first ladies to Hollywood stars. Oscar de la Renta was famous for his beautiful, graceful, and elegant gowns and will forever be remembered for the glamour he brought to the world. His last runway show was NYFW this past September where he appeared at the end of the show supported by two of the models.

His career in the fashion industry began with an internship with Cristobal Balenciaga after he designed a dress for the the daughter of the U.S. ambassador which was featured on the cover of Life magazine. Following his time with Balenciaga, the designer moved to Paris to be an assistant at Lavin. In 1963 he then moved to New York City to work for Elizabeth Arden but moved yet agin two years later to to work for Jane Derby and launched his own ready-to-wear label. He also designed the couture collections for the French house Balmain from 1993 to 2002, the first American to head a French couture house.