From Jackie Kennedy to Oprah Winfrey, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Jessica Chastain, de la Renta has dressed generations of celebrities.
His most recent commission was of course, Amal Clooney’s wedding gown.
Despite a love of feminine ruffles and slinky satins, the designer had once famously stated: “I hate pretty. It’s a very empty word. It gives a bad name to beauty,”
Not only revered by Hollywood circles, de la Renta rose to fame after dressing Jackie Kennedy. Other first ladies who came to love his designs included Nancy Reagan, Hilary Clinton and Laura Bush.
Born into a powerful family from the Dominican Republic, de la Renta soon moved to Spain to study painting before apprenticing with Cristobal Balenciaga. Soon after, he moved to Paris to work at Lanvin and Balmain before launching his ready-to-wear label in 1965.
He married editor of French Vogue, Francois Langlade, who died in 1983. He is survived by his second wife, philanthropist Annette Reed.
