Milwaukee FASHION

There’s no stopping Oscar de la Renta. The acclaimed designer first introduced his ready-to-wear label in 1965 and he’s still going strong. Over the years, de la Renta has received numerous honors including the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s 2000 and 2007 Womenswear Designer of the Year Awards and the CFDA’s lifetime achievement award in 1989. NY1 caught up with de la Renta at a pre-fall show held at a former church on Park Avenue.

He first showed at the space during Fashion Week last September after presenting his collections at the tents in Bryant Park for years. He says his pre-fall collection is just as significant as the other collections he produces. “The same amount of work that is put into the collection is put really into this collection,” says de la Renta. “These are not really collections that I have to fill-in.

We consider this collection to be as important as fall, as important as resort, as important as spring. Four collections a year, a constant flow of new merchandise.” “It’s the woman. You know… make a woman look at the clothes and fall in love with them,” says de la Renta.

“Make the merchandise that is feminine, because more than ever we are celebrating woman, we are celebrating her sense of femininity.” De la Renta says he’s also inspired by his native Dominican Republic and painting, which he studied in Madrid at the age of 18. Today, you can see those influences in his palette and prints.