Who

A timeless symbol of galas and awards shows and one of the few remaining members of the industry's old guard, Oscar de la Renta is still associated with glamorous women of all stripes, from card-carrying members of the AARP to younger style makers like Sarah Jessica Parker and Beyoncé.

Backstory

De la Renta's passion for fashion dates back to his childhood days in his native Dominican Republic: As a kid, he often put together outfits for his six sisters. At the age of 18, de la Renta left the island and moved to Madrid, where he studied art and worked as a fashion-illustrator for a newspaper to pay the bills. He soon transitioned to fashion and earned a job under famed designer Balenciaga, moving to Paris a few years later to take a job at Lanvin. In 1963 de la Renta arrived in the States to work with Elizabeth Arden in New York. Thanks to a high-powered circle of acquaintances including Vogue's Diana Vreeland, John Fairchild and Condé Nast editorial director Alex Liberman (not to mention de la Renta's girlfriend at the time, French Vogue editor Françoise de Langlade), when he went off on his own two years later, it didn't take him very long to make a splash. By the early '70s, he'd established himself as one of the preeminent couturiers in the country and was designing everything from coats to hot pants, although most of the attention was focused on the elegant, sophisticated eveningwear that became a fave with A-lists actresses and First Ladies alike. In the late '90s, de la Renta's empire expanded when he licensed his name and introduced a line of accessories including bags, shoes, and belts. The company branched out even further in 2002 when he unveiled the Oscar de la Renta Home Collection and tapped Miles Redd as creative director. His diffusion label O Oscar debuted in 2004, the same year he stepped down as chief executive officer and handed the reigns to his son-in-law. He remains chairman of the company.

Of note

De la Renta's sartorial influence on the world stage has lasted for more than three decades now. His opulent, womanly gowns have been worn by First Ladies like Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan (a red lace gown he crafted inspired her to make red her signature color), and the "very prudish" Hillary Clinton, who stopped wearing black and adopted a softer, pastel-heavy wardrobe in the '90s at the designer's suggestion. ("She has lovely shoulders and a very nice décolleté," he once said of Clinton. "Before I die, I'm going to get her in a strapless dress." We're still waiting.) He's become one of Laura Bush's favored designers, too, and fashioned her inaugural gown in 2005. But much has changed since de la Renta first made his name in the '70s. Almost all of the fashion icons who arrived on the scene during the same era (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein) have elected to cash in and either sell their companies or take them public; de la Renta, however, has decided to remain independent. But despite the sluggish sales of his lower-priced O Oscar line, de la Renta's high-end business has continued to thrive—he increased his overseas boutiques from seven to 45 in just the past two years—and he now generates more than $750 million in annual revenue selling gowns, perfumes, eyeglasses, and sheets.

Family ties

The company is a family affair: Step-daughter Eliza Bolen serves as creative director of licensing; Eliza's husband, Alex Bolen, is the company's CEO. Moises de la Renta—whom Oscar adopted from an orphanage in the Dominican Republic after he was abandoned and left in a pile of trash—is part of the business as well. He unveiled a screen-printed t-shirt at a de la Renta runway show, and now designs under the de la Renta name. Oscar has two other step-kids, Beatrice and Charles.

Personal

Oscar's first wife, French Vogue editor Françoise de Langlade, died of cancer in 1983. In 1989, he married Annette Reed (née Anne France Mannheimer) who was previously married to Samuel P. Reed. In addition to an Upper East Side apartment, the couple has a property in Kent, Connecticut, which de la Renta purchased more than three decades ago. They also have a palatial compound in the Dominican Republic.

In person

De la Renta is always attired in an immaculate suit and tie, a habit he's attributed to his own self-consciousness. "It's one of my very few complexes. I see people in a colorful shirt and I think, 'My God, I would really love to wear that,' but then I am afraid that when I walk into the door, the host will say, 'I'm sorry, but the Latin band walks through that other door.'"

Pet cause

The fashion icon has long been active in his native Dominican Republic. He helped establish two schools for underprivileged kids, which offer day-care centers, orphanages, medical facilities, and classes for the disabled.

True story

His popularity with political wives and A-list starlets has its downsides: At the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors, Laura Bush's staff realized that the First Lady and three other women were wearing the exact same red, $8,500 Oscar de la Renta dress. The First Lady quickly left the room to change her outfit before returning to the festivities.