Oscar De La Renta Dead at 82

Iconic fashion designer Oscar de la Renta passed away on home on October 20, 2014. The designer was 82 years old.

De la Renta was a favorite among first ladies, and designed gowns for Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. He’s also been seen on stars like Sandra Bullock and Penelope Cruz.

De la Renta started his career when he was only 18 years old. He left his native Dominican Republic to go to Spain to study art. While there, he realized his real talent lay in fashion design. It wasn’t until the wife of a US ambassador in Spain asked him to design a dress for her that he really took off. Before starting his own company, he worked for designers like Elizabeth Arden and Cristobel Balenciaga.

He took a step back from the De la Renta label in 2004 in order to concentrate on his designs, and was still a strong presence at New York’s Fashion Week.

He is survived by his adoptive son Moises, who is also a designer at his company, as well as his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen, who still manages to company for him, and his wife Annette De la Renta.

The cause of death was reported to be complications from cancer, which De la Renta struggled with for the past 8 years.