The Passing of a Fashion Icon

Renowned fashion designer Oscar de La Renta died this Monday at age 82.  Besides dressing countless stars on the red carpet, Oscar de La Renta designed outfits for several first ladies including Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. According to The Daily Beast :

 "Oscar de La Renta's name is practically synonymous with "First Lady" fashion- his obituaries identify him as someone who "dressed" president's wives. But more than dress Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush ("fashion is non-political and non-partisan," he once said), de la Renta shaped, changed, and altered our ideas of what the First Lady of the United States should - and could- wear... he cultivated a sort of 'first lady' style that has dominated for decades: tasteful, impeccably made, and above all pretty."

Here are some of photos and articles commemorating his influence on the Washington catwalk.

Jackie Kennedy

www.susannavaris.com

Nancy Reagan

             

Hillary Clinton at the the Second Inaugural Ball for her husband

www.huffingtonpost.

Laura Bush and Cindy McCain both in Oscar de La Renta at the 2008 Republican National Convention

In the New York Times the article "Never Mind the Parade, What Did They Wear?" discusses the anticipation for Laura Bush wearing Oscar de La Renta as her second inaugural gown.

The Bush's were such big fans of the designer that they introduced "Oscar de la Renta: Five Decades of Style" at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas this summer.

Another New York Times article mentions the debate over Ann Romney's dress at the Republican National Convention. 

"The choice of what to wear on the convention stage was apparently the subject of much behind-the-scenes wrangling between Mrs. Romney and some of her husband's advisors... she told reporters that she was surprised to learn the political team thought it should weigh in on her fashion choices... In the end the de la Renta outfit won."

style.time.com

 A big fuss was made when Michelle Obama finally wore Oscar de la Renta. To the fashion world it seemed a slight to the designer that Michelle Obama did not wear Oscar de la Renta during her first five and a half years in the white house and, in fact, there were some snarky comments made on Mr. de la Renta's part on the subject. When Michelle wore a de la Renta dress to the cocktail party after the White House Fashion Education Workshop it made a statement. The New York Times says that "for the last seven years, the first lady's clothing has been the subject of intense scrutiny, which she has leveraged pretty effectively. She wore the de la Renta dress at the public event, in front of most of the United States fashion world. There's no way she wasn't aware of the messaging potential of the moment."