Oscar De La Renta

Oscar de la Renta's first fragrance, 1977's Oscar for Women, was introduced and remains a worldwide bestseller today. A number of fragrances for men and women have followed. Oscar de la Renta fragrances are produced in conjunction with L'Oreal. Find your next fragrance on sale here at emma.co.uk

Oscar de la Renta is a fashion designer born in the Dominican Republic in 1932. With an early talent for art, Oscar traveled to Spain to study painting at Madrid's Academy of San Fernando. Fascinated by Spanish culture and with a growing interest in fashion design, Oscar began drawing for fashion houses and landed a position with the leading couturier, Cristobal Balenciaga. In 1960 he moved to Paris and worked as a couture assistant at Lanvin.

After working in the glamorous world of haute couture for several years, Oscar's business sense led him in the direction of ready-to-wear. He traveled to the United States in 1963 and took a position with Elizabeth Arden (which at the time produced fashion as well as cosmetics.) By 1965, having gained some industry recognition through his work at Arden, Oscar was ready to launch his own fashion house.

Oscar's background in the Dominican Republic and his experience in the couture houses of Madrid and Paris express themselves in unique, colorful and feminine fashion with luxurious fabrics and attention to detail. The house was an instant success and Oscar won the 1967 and 1968 Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards. He was installed in the Coty Hall of Fame in 1973, and that same year began a three-year term as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Oscar de la Renta became an American citizen in 1971.

Oscar's success as a designer continued through the 1980s and early The 1990s. In 1993, while continuing to offer clothing under his own label, he accepted a position as chief couturier at Balmain. He is the first American to design for a French couture house. His tenure at Balmain continued through 2002. Upon his return to America, the Oscar de la Renta brand expanded to include accessories, home furnishings, and a retail division with stores worldwide. Oscar de la Renta fashions have dressed some of the most famous, powerful and glamorous women of the late 20th century, including three former first ladies.