Top Ten: Oscar at the Oscars
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 10:00PM 
"Fashion is about dressing according to what's fashionable. Style is more about being yourself."
- Oscar de la Renta
Jose here. Legendary designer Oscar de la Renta passed away yesterday at the age of 82. In a career that spanned decades, he became a champion for the curvy female shape, similar to those he had seen growing up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In what can only be described as an Almodóvar-ian experience, he spoke many times of how he grew up in a matriarchy, "I was surrounded by sisters. My childhood was all women", all of whom helped inspire him as he seeked a career in design under the wing of Spanish icon Cristóbal Balenciaga. By the mid-60's, de la Renta had become a favorite of Jackie O. and as his fashion empire grew, it became known for its devotion to old-style glamour. As gowns became narrower and more modest, de la Renta's remained opulent. It's no wonder he was always a fixture during awards season. Many actresses wore his curve-hugging, Spanish-influenced designs throughout the years, and recently he gave us some truly memorable moments at the Academy Awards, which is why to celebrate his work, we are doing the Ten Best Oscar de la Renta looks at the Oscars.
See the glamorous looks after the jump!
10. Fan Bingbing, 2013
9. Jessica Biel, 2009
8. Zooey Deschanel, 2014
The three ladies wore de la Renta at the famous Vanity Fair Oscar after party, and all of them showcase the couturier's obsession with pleating, bold patterns and full skirts (Biel's especially is a lovely throwback to the draping technique of Elsa Schiaparelli, who worked with Oscar's first wife Françoise de Langlade).
7. Sandra Bullock, 2004
6. Jennifer Garner, 2008
5. Cameron Diaz, 2010
Before becoming an Oscar staple for her highly regarded performances, Bullock was a charming presenter who never really got it completely right with her style choices. Enter this bridal de la Renta, which she appropriately paired with simple, very relaxed hair and makeup, which is similar to what fellow comedienne Diaz did when she wore de la Renta in 2010, they both look like surf princesses in couture.
4. Penélope Cruz, 2005
3. Jennifer Garner, 2014
De la Renta was the go-to designer of two of my absolute favorites. Cruz, who made her first noticeable fashion splash in canary yellow at the 2005 ceremony and Garner who wore him quite a lot recently, perhaps owing to that time he dressed her in breathtaking lace for the Emmys.
2. Amy Adams, 2013
This dress got a lot of flack for being too much like Penélope Cruz's Versace at the 2007 ceremony and while that may be the case, I'm a sucker for anything involving a corset and a feathered tail. Adams, who has always had trouble finding a unique style (either being too safe or just plain bad) has never looked better than she did in this powder blue creation.
1. Anne Hathaway, 2011
De la Renta was a master of movement. His dresses may not always photograph well, but to see them on the runway was always a delight in terms of how they added a flair of coquettish drama to whoever wore them. When Anne saved the Oscars from being destroyed by co-host James Franco in 2011, her best look was in this column Oscar de la Renta, which she was delighted to let us know did something special. She then shook and shimmied with abandon to prove her point, and boy, didn't we all want a de la Renta of our own to follow in her footsteps...
What were some of your favorite Oscar de la Renta dresses? Who is your favorite on this list?
Reader Comments (8)
Anne's!!!!!!!
Cruz.
I also like the one SJP wore to the Met Gala.
The man was a master. He even made Laura Bush look good.
I love his take on Carrie's tutu for Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2000 Emmy Awards.
and he really did get Cammie Diaz to present her most polished and put together Oscar ensemble in 2009. Love that look.
One of my all time favorite looks from Amy Adams is an ODLR dress that she wore to the 2013 Oscars afterparty. It was silver, fringe and so gorgeous i wondered why she didn't wear it on the main stage.
http://www.glamour.com/images/fashion/2013/02/oscars-afterparty-dresses-amy-adams-h724.jpg
Oscar de la Renta didn't scream haute couture but like Carolina Herrera, his dresses always exuded a simple elegance with a simple aim of making a woman look her best. Plus, a variety of women can wear his dresses compared to other labels where you need to be a certain age or weight. I always looked forward to his fashion shows because his work was always easy on the eyes and guaranteed to be pretty.
Penélope although that's not a particulary good picture.
I think his gowns are particulary difficult to pull of by women who are not models.
He was never my favorite but i'm glad to see him recognized this way for a send-off. I don't much care for these looks except LOVE the Hathaway shimmer and Fan Bingbing's stripes.
Amen to your top 3 definitely.
I don't get the comparison of Amy's dress and Penny's dress. But yeah I agree Amy looks amazing in this ODLR dress. One of my all time favorites.