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    Appreciation

    A favorite of first ladies and Houston's social set, Oscar de la Renta was always a gentleman

    Clifford Pugh
    Oct 20, 2014 | 11:47 pm

    An Oscar de la Renta runway show is always a highlight during New York Fashion Week. The clothing is remarkably crafted, with a big "wow" factor, and frightfully expensive; the setting is civilized, without the hordes of hangers-on at many other fashion shows: the models are gorgeous and the beloved designer with a perpetual tan, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, always shyly takes a bow at the end that is so quick that if you look away for a split-second you miss it.

    So naturally, there was a buzz of excitement about the showing of his collection on Sept. 11, 2001.

    But, as we all know now, terrorists struck the World Trade Center that day, and de la Renta, of course, canceled his show.

    "With what happened, showing a collection is of such little importance," he told me a few months later as we traveled in the back of a limousine from Bush Intercontinental Airport to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where the collection was shown for the first time after the attacks. "But nevertheless we had a feeling of defeat in a sense. You work so hard to try and put something together and then it did not happen. It's like a movie without an ending."

    As I wrote while working for the Houston Chronicle at the time, "(De la Renta) was so eager to see how the collection looked on a runway, with the same Caribbean backdrop and music planned for the original presentation, that he hopped a plane to Houston, saw the show, which was presented by Saks Fifth Avenue, and returned immediately to New York. 'This is the busiest time for me,' he explained."

    During his few hours in Houston, de la Renta charmed the audience, mingling with good friend Lynn Wyatt and other Houston women who are loyal customers. Then he was on his way, content that fashion could survive dark times and remain relevant with a picture-perfect movie ending.

    De la Renta died Monday night at his Connecticut home after a long bout with cancer. He was 82. The fashion world is mourning him while also celebrating his outsized impact on American fashion. In a career that spanned more than half a century, de la Renta was the favorite of first ladies on both sides of the political spectrum as well as social lionesses in Texas and across the nation.

    Designer to the stars

    De la Renta first made a name for himself when he designed for Jacqueline Kennedy in the early 1960s. Thirty years later, he became a close friend of Hillary Clinton, helping to transform her fashion image when he dressed her in a black velvet gown for the cover of Vogue in 1998. (Clinton was the first first lady to appear on the cover of the premier fashion magazine.)

    He was the go-to designer for Nancy Reagan in the 1980s and Laura Bush during the first decade of the 21st century, designing the winter white cashmere coat and matching dress that Bush wore to her husband's 2005 inaugural as well as the beaded gown she wore to inaugural balls that night.

    Retrospectives of de la Renta's work have been shown at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock in 2013 and at the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, where the exhibit closed October 5.

    Recently, de la Renta also made headlines when Amal Alamuddin wore a custom-designed Oscar de la Renta gown when she married George Clooney in Venice. And after six years in the White House without wearing a de la Renta creation, first lady Michelle Obama recently made a fashion statement in a black cocktail dress with blue embroidery from a recent de la Renta collection at the White House Fashion Education Workshop before many of the designer's peers.

    Throughout his storied career, Houston's social set continued to remain some of his biggest fans. Diane Lokey Farb and Pat Breen were regulars at his New York shows; Noelle Sakowitz, the daughter of Robert Sakowitz and Laura Sweeney, is de la Renta's textile development supervisor and young Houston designer Amir Taghi interned in de la Renta's New York studio one recent summer. At every big Houston gala, a sizable contingent of women wouldn't think of wearing anyone else but Oscar. He is so popular in the Bayou City that at one gala, three women showed up in the same Oscar gown.

    Earlier this year Houston Ballet Ball chair Shawn Stephens scouted out a magenta de la Renta gown with gold embroidery because it matched the Aladdin theme of the gala. "I watched the video (of the runway show) online and I thought, 'I have to have that dress,' " Stephens told CultureMap.

    The power of femininity

    Even though he was rumored to be in failing health in recent years, de la Renta didn't appear to be slowing down. Two years ago he revived his children's clothing line, showcasing it in a runway show before an unusually attentive audience of celebrity moms and their kids in his midtown Manhattan showroom during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

    "We started using some of our leftover fabric (from the womens collection) and started making dresses and selling them. And I said, 'Why not?' So we started doing it again. And we've been very successful," he told me after the show.

    He also was the first to reach out to John Galliano, inviting the disgraced Dior designer to work with him on his fall 2013 collection. Although de la Renta was widely criticized for lending a helping hand to Galliano, the collection was praised and some wondered if Galliano would become de la Renta's heir apparent. Instead, the designer turned to Nina Ricci designer Peter Copping, who just last week agreed to join de la Renta.

    Over the years, as women's roles in society changed, de la Renta's clientele expanded from the ladies who lunch and go to charity balls to include professional working women. His secret? The power of femininity, he said when we talked in 2001.

    "A woman knows that putting on lipstick and dressing and looking pretty in the workplace is important. And that is what I have always done best," he explained.

    He also said, even back then, that he had no plans to quit any time soon. "People ask me, `When are you going to retire?' I say, `The day I no longer feel that I have the passion for doing it,' " he said.

    Lynn Wyatt and Oscar de la Renta at the Best Dressed Luncheon in 2010

      
    Photo by Priscilla Dickson
    Lynn Wyatt and Oscar de la Renta at the Best Dressed Luncheon in 2010
    new-york-fashion-week
    news/fashion
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    BEAUTY BASH

    The Makeup Show returns to Houston in full glam for its 20th anniversary

    Gabi De la Rosa
    Jun 17, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Danessa Myricks Beauty
    Photo courtesy of Danessa Myricks Beauty/Instagram
    Industry pros and beauty lovers gather at The Makeup Show for product launches, live demos, and insider education from top makeup artists.

    Houston beauty pros, educators, and trend-obsessed makeup lovers rejoice The Makeup Show is making a glam comeback to the Bayou City this fall to celebrate its 20th anniversary after a four-year hiatus.

    This curated experience will take place from September 20-21 at the Hilton Houston Post Oak, bringing together the best and brightest in the beauty industry. Attendees will include everyone from makeup artists to brand owners, aestheticians, salon owners, photographers, models, and anyone who lives for the latest must-have product drop.

    In addition to showcasing a variety of innovative and prestige brands, including, Alcone Company, AppleDoll Beauty, Ashunta Sheriff Beauty, Danessa Myricks Beauty, Elora Lane, Kryolan Professional Make-up, MYKITCO, and Temptu PRO, the show will feature four educational stages. Attendees can learn from industry pros through educational talks and demonstrations. Keynote artists include Danessa Myricks, James Molloy, and Sheika Daley, with more names to be announced soon.

    The Makeup ShowAttendees can test out new products and mingle with beauty insiders during The Makeup Show’s exciting return to Houston September 20-21.Photo courtesy of The Makeup Show

    Attendees can access show-exclusive discounts, test out new tools, and chat with the brands’ founders and executives to better understand the artistry and science behind what's in their kits. This year, for the first time, The Makeup Show will debut its Community Stage, spotlighting rising talent and fresh perspectives from emerging artists in the industry.

    The Makeup Show tickets range from $36 to $55 and are available here.

    houston beauty eventsprofessional makeup artistsbeauty industry educationmakeup trade showthe makeup showthe makeup show houston
    news/fashion
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