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HomeNewsArchivesFashion Icon Oscar de la Renta Was a Son of the Caribbean

Fashion Icon Oscar de la Renta Was a Son of the Caribbean

Oscar de La Renta and Debra Brown-DeLone in 1992. (Photo by Larry Ottley)Oscar de la Renta died Monday after battling cancer since 2008. The famed fashion designer continued to produce beautiful clothing right up to the months before he died.

In his more than five-decade career in fashion, he was a trendsetter, a famed creator of beautiful clothing and a son of the Caribbean, with a longstanding tie to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Born in the Dominican Republic, he dreamed of becoming an artist. And as he first left home to follow that dream, he stopped on St. Thomas in the early 1950s.

The U.S. Virgin Islands was the entry point for many people from the Caribbean hoping to follow their dreams in the U.S. De la Renta spent a few weeks on St. Thomas awaiting the approval of his immigration green card.

I was surprised to hear this chapter of Oscar de la Renta’s life when I interviewed him in September 1992. He was making a return visit to St. Thomas for the launch of his perfume “Volupte.” By this time he had made international fame and was respected around the world as one of the premier designers.

When he left his home in the Dominican Republic at about the age of 17, he could not have imagined he would one day create a dress for the daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Spain. The dress made the cover of Life magazine and launched him in the direction of a fashion career.

He dressed four American first ladies and was the designer that Nancy Reagan used when she needed a couturier dress during the Reagan Administration. First lady Hillary Clinton was also a fan of his designs.

The assignment to interview de la Renta on his 1992 visit to St. Thomas was unexpected. I had been doing freelance work for Pride Magazine, writing an occasional article on local personalities or issues. My assignments would come from the late Earle B. Ottley, publisher of Pride Magazine, or from his daughter Judith, who was editor. The Oscar de la Renta interview was the highlight of my freelance work. (The article can be seen here.)

When photographer Larry Ottley and I walked into the room that day, we were warmly met by a gracious and elegant man. Oscar de la Renta’s charm and charisma were palpable even at the first handshake. In describing him then, I wrote that he was "elegant, clean-cut, handsome and warm."

De la Renta was the epitome of class. During that interview, he spoke of his love for the Virgin Islands and how, while waiting out his green card, he stayed at the Shibui and Bluebeards Castle. In fact he said, he fell in love with a particular drink, the Pina Colada, which he had many of one morning without realizing it had alcohol in it. The result was that he became quite inebriated early in the day.

He spoke of his fond memories of St. Thomas during his short time here. He could not have been more than 17 to 18 years old at the time. He said that when he left for New York and then on to Spain, his focus was to become an artist. When the fashion house of designer Cristobal Balenciaga picked him up as an employee, a career in fashion took off.

He designed a dress for Jackie Kennedy in the early 1960s, and as his fame grew America claimed him as the “American Designer.” But the influence of the Caribbean could be seen in his designs. He spoke of this island influence in an interview with the New York Times when he said “… from my island side came my love for the exotic, for color and light.”

Oscar de la Renta, famed creator of beautiful clothing and exciting fragrances, started an orphanage in his island home of Santo Domingo. When asked about the orphanage, de la Renta answered, “to look at the child’s face and see a smile, is the biggest reward.”

He adopted a son from the orphanage in the late ’80s. In the ’90s he was honored as one of Santo Domingo’s most distinguished citizens. His love for Santo Domingo was evident in his answer to my last question in 1992. I asked if he would visit the Virgin Islands again. He replied that when he thought of taking a vacation, he goes home to his island.

On that visit to St. Thomas in 1992, there was a genuine sense of excitement as he mingled quite comfortably with the V.I. business community and guests at a reception held in his honor that evening.

He is survived by his wife, Annette Englehard Reed, his son Moises, three sisters, three stepchildren and nine grandchildren.

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