Oscar de la Renta, the fairy godfather of red carpets and couture, is celebrating five decades of design magic and what better city to enchant with his coveted designs than our very own Dallas?
It is undeniable that our world has a certain fascination with royalty. It is this fancy that causes every item that Kate Middleton steps out in to sell out in mere minutes, catapulting the designer to new heights of fame (L.K. Bennett should cut her a check). It is this allure that escalated then unknown artist Lorde’s crooning ballot about never achieving said sovereignty to the top of the music charts. And it is the mystique of royalty that captivates every young girl who grew up on the Disney tag line of princes and true love kisses.
While you may have retired your plastic tiaras and sparkle slippers from your younger years, don’t fret, because the fairy tale lives on — or at least the fashion from it.
The Dominican-American fashion designer founded his name-bearing company at the ripe age of 34, after having impressive gigs working for top design houses including Balenciaga and Lanvin. De la Renta has won countless awards and honors for his designs, including the Coty Award, then the US fashion industry’s “Oscars” equivalent, an impressive three times. Now, five decades into his remarkable career, it is impossible for there to be a red carpet or A-list event without one of his masterpieces making an appearance. Celebrities and socialites alike fawn over the man who works magic in his studio, producing craftsmanship, style and design like never seen before and creating royalty overnight.
De la Renta has a long list of impressive “nobility” clientele and these ladies gratefully handed over their custom designs all in his namesake for the exhibit that recently debuted at the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Country-pop princess Taylor Swift offered up her pink bow-backed gown from this years Met Gala. Texas heiress Lynn Wyatt contributed to the daywear portion with a long tunic and pant ensemble, which is one of the earliest pieces displayed in the exhibit. Reigning queen of Vogue Anna Wintour even allowed one of her Oscar creations to be shown, an iridescent silver gown.
There is an impressive nod to de la Renta’s designs for the royal families of our United States and the women that command them, the first ladies. Beginning with Nancy Reagan, styling the first ladies was a huge move for Oscar’s American career. Since then, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush have both developed an adoration for all things de la Renta. When Bush’s daughter, Jenna, was set to walk down the aisle with Henry Hager, there was no else she would have handle the bride’s dress but Oscar himself. Together, these three ladies have over fifteen pieces on display, comprising their own section of the exhibit.
Walking through this extraordinary exhibit, it is hard not to feel like you are in a real life fairy tale.
The display features over sixty pieces raging from the 1960’s to only months ago and each piece is so exquisitely different and crafted with such workmanship that swooning is simply not optional.
The designer has devoted his life to not only his designs and dresses, but more importantly to the women wearing them. The opening statement on the wall at the beginning of the exhibit features a quote from the designer that says: “I have always felt my role as a designer is to do the very best I can for a woman to make her look her best. Fashion is only fashion once a woman puts it on.”
Every gown is unlike the one next to each, each exuding its own sense of glamour, sophistication and romance. Oscar de la Renta does not simply design, he creates. He turns the wearers of his creations into the princess we all wish to be, minus the pumpkin and the magic wands.
So save it for a rainy day or head over right when you get to campus, but either way make sure you check out the Oscar de la Renta: Five Decades of Style exhibit before it leaves our beloved Dallas. Because fairy tales can’t last forever, and the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin Oct. 5.
