Fashion

Andre Leon Talley Honors Oscar De La Renta

by Eliza Florendo

Oscar de la Renta taught me an extremely valuable lesson early on. He once said, "Fashion is about dressing according to what's fashionable. Style is more about being yourself." He championed this type of individuality and confidence and has made even the most beautiful women, from Gloria Estefan to to Sarah Jessica Parker, feel even more radiant with both his kindness and designs. And this February, his long-time friend André Leon Tallety will honor de la Renta's design legacy with an exhibit at the SCAD Museum of Art

According to WWD, the former Vogue editor pitched the idea to the designer's son in law and the chief executive officer of his company, Alex Bolen, shortly after de la Renta's death in October. Talley and de la Renta met back in 1974, when Talley was working at Interview magazine, and quickly became friends through de la Renta's first wife, Françoise de Langlade.

The exhibit will feature dresses worn by Taylor Swift, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush. More intimate pieces will also be on display, including dresses that de la Renta designed for his wife Annette, as well as his daughter's wedding dress. This exhibit, according to Talley, is his "interpretation of Oscar's legacy through his work and [Talley's] memory of it," he told WWD.

In addition to the exhibit, Talley is also working on a book titled Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style, which will be published by Rizzoli in September. The exhibit is set to run from February 5th through May 3rd in the gallery named in Talley's honor, as he is a member of the SCAD Museum of Art's school board.