Oscar De La Renta Dies at 82

Sandra Bullock
Actress Sandra Bullock attends the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 29, 2004, wearing Oscar de la Renta. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman attends the Omega Gala 'La Nuit Enchantee' at Gartenpalais Liechtenstein on March 23, 2013 in Vienna, Austria, in Oscar de la Renta. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)
Oprah Winfrey
De la Renta and Oprah Winfrey attend the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity' exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 . (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Allison Williams
Actress Allison Williams attends the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City, wearing de la Renta. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
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Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway arrives in Oscar de la Renta at the 18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards at Barker Hangar on January 10, 2013 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Penelope Cruz
De la Renta and actress Penelope Cruz attend the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Amy Adams
Amy Adams attends the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City, wearing Oscar de la Renta. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker attends the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City, in a de la Renta gown with the designer's signature on the train. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss, a recent favorite model of de la Renta, walked the runway at his last fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 on September 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Oscar de la Renta
De la Renta poses for a photo at the premiere of "Change Of Plans" at the IFC Center on June 8, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Oscar de la Renta, the Dominican-American designer best known for his classic and feminine red carpet designs, has died at age 82.

De la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic in 1932. He studied painting in Madrid, then apprenticed with Cristóbal Balenciaga, before landing a job with Lanvin in Paris.

He launched his own label in 1965. It didn’t take long for Jacqueline Kennedy to declare her allegiance. This began a legacy of dressing first ladies that included Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton. (Michelle Obama made headlines earlier this month by publicly wearing a gown of his design for the first time in her seven years in the White House.)

He designed Amal Clooney’s wedding gown, as well as countless red carpet gowns. His designs were renowned for their ladylike and classic elegance, making them a favorite among Hollywood stars. The women who appeared in his dresses most frequently included Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, and more recently, Karlie Kloss and Allison Williams.

De la Renta won two CFDA awards, as well as a CFDA Lifetime AchievementAward and two COTY Awards, ABC reports. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, but last year said he was “totally clean,” Fashionista reports. The Oscar de la Renta brand appointed a new creative director, Peter Copping, one week ago.

His son, Moises De La Renta, and his second wife, Annette Reed, survive him. In an appearance at 92Y in 2013, he said:

“You have to appreciate every single day that you’re alive. Life is a little bit like a garden — you have to find time to plant the seeds for beautiful flowers to grow. I’m having a fantastic time. But I must say that I would have never been able to go through what I went through without my family and wife.”

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