"I am a happy fellow. I feel very privileged, lucky, that I have had a wonderful life and that I have been always allowed to do what I love." Oscar de la Renta
The fashion world lost one of the last of the true original greats today. Oscar de la Renta has left us and the world will be just a little dimmer. I wrote a blog post about him in May, and at the time, he seemed immortal. I have many of his vintage pieces and every year he stayed current without compromising wearable style. He will be remembered as a designer who made women feel beautiful, something many of today's designers forget about while trying to make their own name memorable and define their "look." He left a mark on this planet - a really beautiful one at that. If you don't believe me I think that the images of his work and quotes from the designer himself, speak for themselves.
"Fashion is illusion." Oscar de la Renta
"Fashion is non political and non partisan." Oscar de la Renta
"For a woman to feel fabulous today is first of all, to have an accomplished life and feel great about herself." Oscar de la Renta
"I like brunettes. Ava Gardner was the most beautiful person I ever met." Oscar de la Renta
"Never in the history of time has their been a woman in control of her destiny as she is today." Oscar de la Renta
"My role as a designer is to make a woman feel her very best and the most feminine." Oscar de la Renta
"What is important to a woman is her own sense of individuality." Oscar de la Renta
"Today, a woman knows, that today, even in her workplace, the power of her femininity is important." Oscar de la Renta
"The woman I dress today, feels proud, feels great about being a woman." Oscar de la Renta
"I think there are different types of designers. There are survivors, like me, and then there are designers who so strongly marked a period of fashion that they could never get out of it. And I think that in fashion, the most important thing is to move on."
RIP to a true Prince of the fashion world - I hope he has moved on to a beautiful place - odds are, he will find a way to make it even more so.