The Oscar de la Renta luxury label held its first fashion week show since the designer’s death in October, with his successor, Peter Copping, sending a bevy of luxurious, ultra-feminine looks down the runway on what he called “an emotional day for the house.”
De la Renta’s widow, Annette, as well as his many clients and fans — among them, singer Taylor Swift and supermodel Karlie Kloss — packed into the late designer’s showroom to see Copping’s debut collection. They applauded it warmly at the end, though it was clear that all missed the familiar sight of de la Renta emerging from the wings, on a model’s arm, with a huge grin on his face.
De la Renta died of cancer at age 82, ending a career in which he dressed first ladies, socialites and Hollywood stars for more than four decades. Only days earlier, he had hired Copping as artistic director, and a week before that, first lady Michelle Obama had worn one of his dresses for the first time.