Oscar de la Renta – the fashion designer, the book, and his perfume
Dear readers, there are a couple of global events that drew people’s attention earlier this year, and one of them, needlessly to say, is the inauguration ceremony of the US president back in late January 2025. As a style-conscious individual, my attention went to the style and ensemble of the key people during the ceremony, when I was reading an online article about it, there’s one designer’s name appeared twice, and just like that, it suddenly brought back some of the great memories about his work, and that is the late Dominica fashion designer, Mr. Oscar de la Renta.
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For those who are into high fashion, especially American high fashion and couture, the name Oscar de la Renta should not be a stranger to you. Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Oscar’s destiny with fashion started when he studied painting in Spain as a teenager, and he did some fashion drawing for newspapers and fashion houses for extra money, his sketches then caught the eye of the late US Ambassador to Spain, Mrs. Francesca Lodge, and she commissioned the then young Oscar to design a gown for her daughter, and subsequently, the popularity of his work opens many doors for him in the fashion field, firstly, landing on an apprenticeship in the renowned Spanish fashion house, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and later in 1961, became a couture assistant at the French couture house, Lanvin, in Paris working with the then-head-designer, Mr. Antonio del Castillo. The designer then moved across the Atlantic to New York City in 1963 and designed both ready-to-wear and couture collections for Elizabeth Arden before establishing his namesake label in New York in 1965.
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Served as the President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 1973 to 1976, then from 1986 to 1988, and then received his Lifetime Achievement Award from CFDA in 1990, the name Oscar de la Renta is indeed famous for his beautiful fashion and couture for women, who had dressed some of the most significant and stylish people from the past, including former US First Ladies, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton, to the present day’s socialites, celebrities and actresses such as Amy Adams, Sarah Jessica Parker and so on.
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Read up til here, perhaps some of you might ask: “How did this late Dominican fashion designer have anything to do with refined menswear, or even men’s lifestyle anyway?” Perhaps some of you might (or might not) know, besides the beautiful women’s fashion and couture, the Oscar de la Renta label has created a menswear collection, whether it’s in his main line, or the label’s second line “Oscar by Oscar de la Renta” (or “O” by Oscar de la Renta, which as far as I know, this second line has been discontinued already for quite some time.)
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Back in my high fashion retail career days, I remember that the very first piece of Oscar de la Renta’s menswear that I came across, was from a client who was in his 50s to 60s back in almost three decades ago, he was wearing his medium grey Oscar de la Renta mainline men’s classic jacket in fine wool, 2-button notch lapel in classic regular fit American cut, back then I was astonished by that jacket because that is the very first, ever, Oscar de la Renta menswear that I’ve ever seen in my life!
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I’ve been super curious to see what Oscar’s menswear collection looked like back in those days, especially for a young, enthusiastic men’s fashionista like myself, I have been craving such an opportunity as it’s hard to find Oscar de la Renta’s menswear in my city (perhaps it’ll make me happier if I was in New York City in Oscar’s boutique!), and even it exists, for sure it came in a heavy price tag. Since I wasn’t able to own a piece of Oscar’s menswear, I do find myself an alternative to own a piece of luxury glamour and elegant memorabilia by this remarkable fashion designer decades later.
The first one is the beautiful book titled “Oscar: The Style Inspiration and Life of Oscar de la Renta”, published by Assouline back in 2003, written by Ms. Sarah Mower with an introduction by Ms. Anna Wintour, this book put together the life of this Dominican fashion designer, from his inspirations, childhood, to some of the beautiful shots of his fashion and couture work in different eras, the behind-the-scene, and his style of living, some of the images are even from the designer’s personal archives, as well as taken by some of the most legendary fashion or style photographers including the late Richard Avedon and Peter Lindbergh, this book is the one that I was craving for about Oscar when it first published however I didn’t manage to get a copy back then, while I have left this book behind my memory for quite some time, only it reignites me again when I was visiting a vintage book store in Paris a couple of years ago, still, I didn’t get it that time only until during the pandemic, that I finally got it online by chance.
Since I got this precious copy at hand, even if it’s not a first-hand version, I still cherish it just like reuniting with a long-lost family member or old friend, to look back on some of the most glamorous and exquisitely designed fashion and couture by Oscar himself, to take a closer look to his timelessly classic style, in his impeccable classic attire, a well-cut suit jacket, crisp and clean shirt with matching tie, trousers and shoes, that expresses his uncompromising commitment about beauty, style and his creation, and it also shows how his style and tastes being translated to his work, even his way of living, in his home in Santo Domingo, how he entertained his esteemed and famous guests and friends, surrounded himself with artistic things that speak to him and his aesthetic; by the way, Oscar was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973!
This book also showed a snapshot of his philanthropic work and contribution to his home country; if you are also interested in this late designer’s life just like me, then I guess this copy should be a must-have in your bookshelves.
Besides the book that was mentioned, another thing that I’ve been secretly collecting about Oscar de la Renta throughout these years, is his perfume. There are more than 70 perfumes released under the name of Oscar de la Renta, even after the passing of the designer in October 2014, the brand still releases different perfumes up to this day. Now, perhaps I should start with the most signature one first – “Oscar”, which was the very first fragrance launched by the label, this fragrance was released in 1977 and created by French perfumer, Mr. Jean-Louis Sieuzac, this floral oriental fragrance was available in Eau de toilette, Eau de parfum, and Extrait de parfum.
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This perfume opens with opulent, feminine, and a bit velvety floral notes, that include Gardenia, Orange Blossom, Coriander, Cloves, Bergamot, and Peach, then rich floral notes quickly emerge such as Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lavender and Rose, the fragrance then dries down in woody aromatic notes include Patchouli, Lavender, Myrrh, Musk, Vetiver and so on. A rich, opulent, and powdery fragrance that reflects the high fashion glamour and elegance of the designer’s aesthetic during the late 70s, which makes one think of the delicate and beautiful detail of his couture work - his signature floral, layers of ruffles, impeccable construction with certain Spanish couture influence, wore by a glamorous and style-conscious woman who knows what she wants and knows how to appreciate beauty. This first fragrance was the best-selling perfume in the US back in 1977.
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Besides this iconic beautiful fragrance, there is a long list of fragrances launched throughout the reign of Oscar when he was still the designer of his label, including different versions of “Oscar”, then “Volupté” (1992), “Rosamor” (2004), “Esprit d’Oscar” (2011) from the “La Collection Oscar”, “Essential Luxuries” (2012) and so on, yet, the one that appeals me a lot, is the one called “Intrusion” (2002), this pleasant citrus floral fragrance has such a bright, crisp and uplifting appeal to me that reminds me of those high-end fashion designers’ aquatic perfume that was popular throughout the 90s, yet, giving certain modernity, minimalistic chic and sharpness to it. The perfumers behind this fragrance are the esteemed Mr. Alberto Morillas and Mr. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, it opens with uplifting citrus notes including Grapefruit, Neroli, Sicilian Bergamot and Star Anise, then the aquatic floral notes start to develop, including Lily, water, Jasmine and Gardenia, the fragrance then dries down in a soft and euphoric feel with notes included Musk, Amber, and Patchouli. I consider this fragrance as a unisex perfume, and I think it can smell relatively nice on a gentleman who has a more suave, youthful, and quiet-luxury appeal, wearing something well-tailored and light-weight in those neutral stealth-wealth palettes, even the perfume bottle is pretty appealing with its minimalistic and futuristic design!
For fragrances for men, the label has launched quite a few during the reign of Oscar, that included “Pour Lui” (1980) and “Oscar for Men” (1999), while the earlier one leaned on a more old-world masculine side with the intense aldehydic and leathery scent, it did create a perfect visual about the mannish classic style back in the 80s, on contrary, the latter one smells much fresher and modern compare with “Pour Lui”, it has a certain uplifting and energetic vibe to the fragrance, “Oscar for Men” opens with a citrus spicy top notes included Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Pepper, and Fir Resin, then it developed into something very gentle thanks to the floral notes included Jasmine, Lily, Lavender and Violet leaf, adding the aromatic notes such as Nutmeg and Cloves, the fragrance then dries down with velvety-woody notes included Sandalwood, Musk, and Vanilla, as well as the oriental, masculine elements into it included incense and leather. While I tried to imagine which one was the designer’s pick for his daily use fragrance, in the end, it gave me some idea about how a sophisticated “Oscar de la Renta” man should smell.
Since the designer’s passing in late 2014 that has saddened the fashion world, the fashion house of Oscar de la Renta still carries on the fashion legacy created by the late designer, with the young creative duo taking up the designing role of the label: Ms. Laura Kim and Mr. Fernando Garcia, their innovative and contemporary approach to carry on the legacy, while bringing a much younger, fresher, and up-to-date design to the women’s collection, the fragrance collection of the label also expand continuously with new fragrances launched in recent years, reflects the new creative aesthetic and design from the label’s fashion collection, with a much younger, modern femininity, and romanticism through these newly created scent.
While the label’s menswear is no longer produced, a fragrance named “Gentleman” was released in 2016, this aromatic fougere men’s fragrance is dedicated to the late designer with the bottle design inspired by a domino tile, which is his favorite pastime game, it also derived from Oscar’s nickname “Gentleman of fashion”, while I have not experience this discontinued fragrance exactly, my attention turned to the label’s more recent fragrance releases, for starter, the “Jasmine” (2016) of the “La Collection Oscar”, then the “Bella” series, with their earliest “Bella Blanca” which launched in 2018, and the most recent one - “Alibi” series, with their earliest “Alibi” Eau de parfum launched in 2021.
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As a perfume collector, the greenery sharpness and elegance of “Jasmine” really captured the high fashion chic and uplifting romanticism, it’s airy, luminous, and dreamy with the kind of out-of-reach beauty that appeals to me a lot. This fragrance starts with zesty top notes including Neroli, Bergamot, and Sicilian Lemon, then the euphoric floral notes start to develop, the bright and energetic Spanish Jasmine, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, and Ylang-Ylang, which creates a heavenly image in my head: a borderless land of white Jasmine under a bright blue sky, the elusive beauty, cleanliness, and elegance during the daytime; the fragrance then dries down with warm woody notes included white woods, Tolu Balsam, beeswax and Tonka bean. Undoubtedly, this fragrance works beautifully as a transitional perfume from winter to spring, even through the summer.
While the fragrances from the “Bella” and “Alibi” series, their olfactory notes are very feminine and pretty sweet in general, one of the things that I have to applaud is the bottle design, the bridal couture inspired 3D detail on the bottle of “Bella”, and the Art Deco-ish vintage cube-shape cigar lighter looking bottle of the “Alibi” fragrance, with the opulent sand-blasted gold and rose gold metal parts and clear glass bottle, this new generation of Oscar’s fragrances are such a beautiful piece even to look at and collect.
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Before wrapping up this long blog, I would like to share two videos here, one is an interview of Oscar de la Renta himself back in 1984, in which he talked about his fashion journey and so on, do take a closer look with the classic style of this late designer and see how impeccably the way he dressed and carry himself. Another one, is a documentary titled “A Sense of Beauty”, which captured the label’s prefall 2024 women’s collection development, from A to Z, by the current designer duo of the label, Laura and Fernando, let’s take a look at the effort and creativity from behind the scene, and see how it ignites your sensibility to high fashion elegance and beauty, or keeping you chasing and collecting, something that is tasteful and beautiful, to infuse these elements into your life and make you more sophisticated and elevated when it comes to the art of living.