Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective
“Fashion is only fashion once a woman puts it on.” – Oscar de la Renta.
The de Young Museum in San Francisco presents Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective, a special exhibition featuring over 120 pieces by the designer in collaboration with the house of de la Renta and curated by André Leon Talley (former editor-at-large of American Vogue). The exhibition celebrates the life and work of de la Renta spanning over the past 50 years, looking back on the outstanding legacy the designer left behind.
De de la Renta celebrated the influential women he dressed by creating designs that reflected the personalities of his devoted clients who provided him with inspiration and friendship. He dressed contemporary women, from first ladies to socialites and from Hollywood stars to fashion insiders, in elegant daywear and resplendent evening gowns.
An immense inspiration for the acclaimed fashion designer was his wife, Annette de la Renta, for whom he designed one dress exclusively every year. Curator and close friend André Leon Talley said of his relationship with his inspiration: “Whenever he had a question about a dress he asked himself, “Will my wife love it? Will Annette wear it?”
Born Óscar Arìstides Ortiz Renta Fiallo on July 22, 1932, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, de la Renta was the youngest and the only son in a family of seven children. Although far removed from the fashion capitals he would later dominate, de la Renta’s early life was filled with the vivid sights, sounds, and fragrant smells that were the earliest building blocks of what would become his signature style. He moved to the United States after completing training under Balenciaga in Madrid and working for Lanvin-Castillo in Paris. He gained traction as a designer after working on Elizabeth Arden’s made-to-order clothing line. His designs were especially known for the femininity and grace they exuded.
The exhibition separates de la Renta’s designs into several components, which include Spanish Influence, Eastern Influence, Garden Inspiration and Versailles. The famed dress designer was recognised for his great admiration for the Spanish culture, particularly bullfighting, flamenco designers, and artists such as Francisco Goya and Diego Velázquez. Many of the garments in the Spanish Influence component proudly display these influences, notably through details such as off the shoulder dresses, ornate veils, and large flowers used as accessories.
De la Renta also drew inspiration from other cultures such as the Middle East and Far East as shown in the Eastern Influence component. Ensembles include harem pants and luxurious caftans that are complemented with art objects such as monumental vases from the early 20th century, with intricate designs comparable to the detailed paisley designs on de la Renta’s dresses, and other works such as a Peacock screen by Robert Winthrop Chanler, which highlights the rich reds and deep yellows pronounced in the Eastern-influenced pieces he created.
The retrospective on de la Renta’s life and work highlights his deep appreciation for nature, his inspiration drawn from other cultures, and his great emphasis on elegance and grace—all eminent in the designs of his garments. Rather than solely display his evening wear, the exhibit works to not only clearly indicate his influences, but display his sought-after and magnificent day wear as well.
Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective is on now at the de Young Museum in San Francisco runs until Monday 30 May 2016.
Words by Perwana Nazif.
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