Renowned fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died yesterday, he was 82. I have always been a serious admirer of Mr. de la Renta’s, despite the fact I have never owned one of his pieces. Reading Vogue and watching red carpets over the years, I always thought that when my red carpet moment came, there would be no other choice for me but Oscar de la Renta. While I have yet to have my red carpet moment, my appreciation for and love of Mr. de la Renta’s designs has not waned. Through his designs, Mr. de la Renta showed his understanding of the female form, and her desire to look beautiful. One of his most oft quoted comments was, “Always walk like there are three men walking behind you.”
His love for designing clothes was matched only by his love of his wife Annette and of gardening, particularly in his home country of the Dominican Republic. He and Annette could often be found on their hands and knees in the soil of their property in Punta Cana. More familiar with the climate and soil conditions on the southern shore of the DR in Casa de Campo, de la Renta had originally envisioned a lush, tropical, flowering garden here in Punta Cana. However, when the couple realized that the climate and soil conditions didn’t support that, de la Renta went on to design a contained jungle-like environment, with a series of garden rooms connected by pathways, gates, and living archways. So today, in memory of an extremely talented gentleman, I leave you with pictures of the de la Renta’s garden in the Dominican, a place that stands as a living and growing memory.
Photos via Architectural Digest
