The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

Oscar de la Renta His Legendary World of Style A man of elegance, integrity and charm, Jada Brookes learns more about Oscar de la Renta in a book tribute to the designer. bitebookreview T he life and legacy of one of fashion’s champions, Oscar de la Renta who passed away in October 2014, is recorded in the book Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style by former editor-at-large for American Vogue André Leon Talley.This moving tribute contains contributions from editor-in-chief of American Vogue Anna Wintour, president and co-founder of Savannah College of Art and Design Paula Wallace, and Irani- an-American philanthropist Mercedes T. Bass with photography by Adam Kuehl. As Talley quotes in the opening page,“He loved seeing women in his clothes and it made his heart smile.” In her foreword, AnnaWintour describes the character of the designer born in the Dominican Republic and who adopted the United States as his home as:“Oscar loved being an American and an Ameri- can designer; he never concerned himself only with the rarefied circles of metro- politan New York…” Further on, she adds, “Whenever you see a woman in an Oscar de la Renta dress – whether she’s walking the red carpet or walking down the aisle – she always looks as com- fortable in her own skin as she does in whatever she’s wearing.” In PaulaWallace’s account, the president and co-founder of Savannah College of Art and Design recalls a time when she