Oscar De la Renta: A Retrospective Beres, Sydney

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Oscar De la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic to a diplomatic family. In his

younger years, he drew fashion illustrations for money on the side. Eventually, he fell in love

with the art and wanted to become a designer of his own. He was mentored by Cristobal

Balenciaga in Spain and then went on to be a couture assistant in Paris at Lanvin. Eventually, De

la Renta went on to design haute couture for Balmain. The designer continued to dress celebrities

and distinguished women under his own brand until he passed away in 2014. De la Renta won

many awards including the CFDA Lifetime Achievement award and is now considered a

household name.

I found the era of De la Renta’s Russian influence to be very interesting because Russia is

not as common as an inspiration in the design world. The elements of fashion that were

incorporated into this this were full silhouettes, with gypsy-inspired bell-shaped dresses and long

fur coats. The details were intricate and had metallic threads, embroidery, and rich trims. The
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textures were embroidery and fur, as well as brocades and expensive wovens. The colors were

earth tones, very 70s but with a royal edge to them.

These fashions are evolutionary not revolutionary because De la Renta did not invent

these looks but put his spin on them. De la Renta drew inspiration from Russian brocades and

fur. He drew from history and recalled the court of Catherine the Great. Therefore, he built on

fashion that already existed instead of entirely creating something new. He did not create the

Russian look, he evolved it.

Above is one of the dresses within De la Renta’s Russian theme. The style is a gown

with a babushka. The colors are deep drowns and rich golds combined into a paisley-like

brocade. The texture is a rich embroidery and fullness due to the brocade weave. The details

include metallics, sequins, appliqués, and trims. The silhouette is a bell-shaped full skirt.

The rules of the fashion game are portrayed in this design by representing the covered-up

part of the process. No specific part of the body is being revealed, however the waist is being

accentuated. This contributes to the fashion game by moving fashion attention forward and

featuring a modest look instead of exposing part of the body, similar to the start of a new cycle.

This design is definitely something that has been adapted for the mass market. This

paisley, earth tones type of look has been done in all levels of fashion retail. I believe that this

was De la Renta’s Russian-inspired take on the 1970s. In the 1990s, when this piece was

designed, the styles of the 70s were becoming a trend. This is interesting because according to

Chapter 1, that is when De la Renta began designing, so he got to recreate what he had already

experienced through a fashion lens, with a personal spin on the decade.

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I thought that some of the dresses were very excessive. One example is the dress in the

garden theme area the was entirely filled with silk and tulle. There was so much of it that De la

Renta had taken this design element of fullness and amount of fabric to the extreme. The amount

fabric on the dress makes it very impractical to wear and although the headpiece is gorgeous it is

very large, clearly just a fashion statement. I do not believe that the designs could really get any

bigger than this and therefore the fashion will end in excess.

I thought that the exhibit was beautifully done and was surprised and thoroughly

impressed by the sheer volume of work that they displayed. De la Renta seemed like a designer

with incredible taste. I found it interesting that he was so versatile in his aesthetic that he could
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work for various fashion houses yet still maintained his signature look. I enjoyed the fact that he

drew inspiration from a variety of environments, given the collections versatility.

Although I personally do not have a particular interest in gowns, I found that the artistry

in the collection left me in awe. The details and hand-done couture work, the richness of the

fabrics, and the amount of work you could tell went into each piece was amazing. I do wish that

there were more looks like the one pantsuit that they had on display, but the designs were truly

remarkable.
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The main things that I saw and experienced that gave me a pause for thought was just

amazement of the copies amounts of time and dedication it seems went into to each look when

you look at the garment up close. The ambiance was refined. It was dramatic but in a subtle way

so that nothing seemed over the top. I really enjoyed the presentation of the garden theme. This

really reflected and complemented the designs because I feel like De la Renta’s designs also

contain that sort of dramatic yet refined flair.