The designer Oscar Aristides Renta Fiallo, otherwise known as Oscar de la Renta, passed away in October last year. His successor, the British designer Peter Copping, formerly creative director of Nina Ricci and for years before that right-hand man to Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, made his debut last night in New York.
Copping explained in a note left on every seat that he had taken the reins of the house more abruptly than had been planned. ‘I am immensely proud to have been chosen as the Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta. Unfortunately things did not go according to our plans and I never had the chance to work with Oscar, which is something I deeply regret.’
It was the same setting de la Renta always chose to show in. And the front row said it all: on one side sat the elegant de la Renta faithfuls, voluminously coiffed and clad in expensive furs – among them Barbara Walters, Nancy Kissinger and Annette de la Renta, the designer’s widow.
Facing them, twin besties Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss, immaculately decked out in de la Renta.
The collection was roundly praised for hitting just the right note – respectful and beautiful. From the opening neat boucle wool suits to the grand finale gowns, it was clear the house had made the right choice in Copping.
