Oscar de la Renta Dies Aged 82

Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta has passed away aged 82. His wife, Annette de la Renta confirmed this morning that he died at his home.

De la Renta studied under Cristobal Balenciaga in Spain, and later moved to Paris, where he worked for Lanvin and Balmain. He established his own eponymous label in 1965.

Oscar de la Renta was widely praised for his work as one of Jacqueline Kennedy’s official couturiers in the early 1960s, and he went on to design gowns for Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana. He also created the inauguration dresses of former first ladies Hilary Clinton and Laura Bush.

De la Renta’s designs were praised for their elaborateness and femininity, and have been worn on red carpets by the world’s most widely admired women for decades.

A new generation of fashion enthusiasts were introduced to de la Renta’s work through ‘Sex and the City’. The series’ central character, something of a fashion icon in her own right, Carrie Bradshaw, praised his work and in one episode became enamoured with a hot pink belted design she found in a magazine.

Most recently, de la Renta attracted global attention when he designed the wedding gown of barrister Amal Clooney (nee Alamuddin) for her wedding to actor George Clooney. The bride was photographed at her final fitting alongside de la Renta for a spread in Vogue magazine.

De la Renta was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. Last week he named for Nina Ricci designer Peter Copping as his creative successor for his fashion label.

Sophie Joske

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