Oscar de la Renta, the Dominican-born fashion designer who reshaped the public image of first ladies, society muses and red-carpet regulars with grand evening wear that celebrated Latin sensuality, European refinement and American versatility, died Monday at his home in Kent, Conn. He was 82.
A family representative confirmed his death but did not provide further details. He revealed in 2011 that he had a bout with cancer that year.
An astute businessman with an eye for vibrant color, de la Renta spent a half-century polishing his eponymous label into a global empire that sold perfume, accessories, furniture and, above all, elegant clothing.
He was the first Latino to be accepted into the ranks of Parisian fashion houses. Later as a U.S. citizen, he became the first American to design for a French couture house. All the while, de la Renta was building a brand that, in exclusive circles and in small-town bridal salons alike, was known by one word: Oscar.
De la Renta, whose dresses cost many thousands of dollars, was the master of entrance-making looks. Manhattan doyennes, Hollywood stars and Washington figures sought out his label. He designed then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s coral swearing-in ensemble in 1997 and first lady Laura Bush’s twinkling beaded inaugural gown in 2005.
“When I started designing clothes for women in the ’60s, my typical customer got dressed in a suit and had lunch with friends,” de la Renta said in 2001. “Today, she’s on the list of endangered species.”
Many of today’s customers now wake up in the morning and head to an office. De la Renta, through his well-cut pantsuits and jackets, goes along with them.
He didn’t only work for the elites: In 1980, he redesigned the Boy Scout uniform.
