Remembering Oscar de la Renta

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On the day an American icon passed away I found myself in the throws of living in one of his visions. It was quite a surreal experience to be dining with Mr. Oscar de la Renta’s friends at the luxury resort he co-owned and designed when news of his passing came to me through a social media alert on my phone. I read the comment out loud in disbelief and shock after spending a day speaking of him so often. Our dinner companions that evening had known and looked at us with great sadness when we discovered it at that moment. In a true act of elegance, they told us it wasn’t their place to make the announcement until his wife and family made an official statement. Such respect, a trait so few people excersie but was so elegantly found in Mr. de la Renta’s character.

We all shared Oscar stories from our experiences with him, I loved seeing how his warmth had affected their lives. For me, I took a moment to remember the first time I met him and getting a glimpse behind the scenes at the design house that makes every girl’s dream dresses. I feel so fortunate to have photographed him, created Cinemagraphs with his collections, photographed his ladylike pieces in fashion shoots, made memories with friends in Oscar, to having the insane honor of wearing his gowns on very special occasions.

We raised our glasses to a great man who did nothing but make women feel beautiful and teach us a thing or two about life.

{above- Coco Rocha has a quiet moment in Oscar, below more of my favorite Oscar moments}

 Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta  Remembering_OscardelaRenta_07 Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta  Remembering_OscardelaRenta_10 Photographer Jamie Beck remembers fashion designer Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta SS2015 | A Day with Oscar de la Renta | My Favorite Collection | Inside the Design Studio | Oscar’s Cinemagraph | Oscar in Paris | Coco & Oscar | Oscar’s Botique | Oscar’s Resort

Oscar de la Renta Boutique

Staying in the paradise imagined by fashion design legend can only mean there are going to be some glamorous fashion moments which we found at the resort’s Oscar de la Renta boutique and opened a whole new world of destination luxury shopping. Here it’s resort wear 365 days a year from darling garden dresses to a floating sea of chiffon caftans, perfect beaded mules that are effortless and comfortable for a resort but still put together and chic. They carried every color earring you need to make a true entrance for dinner, which we would call our “Elizabeth Taylor moments”. It’s funny, I’m typically very minimal with my jewelry but here  in this explosion of Caribbean color it felt right to wear a big bold colored jewels, obviously, Oscar knows how to dress a woman for resort life. At dinner Kelly was wearing a beautiful pair of coral ODLR earrings so glamorous when sparkling off the evening night light and when she took them off I had a horrible reaction at how sad she looked just “normal”. From that moment on we were dripped in Oscar’s crystals and jewels. Usually when I think of the brand I think strictly about fashion, about the iconic women he dressed, our version of American Royalty, that I forget about the home wares! Candles and picture frames,  beautiful ocean fish dishes he created from his inspiration of Punta Cana and all the beautiful objects that make a home feel truly special that ladylike way only Oscar de la Renta can do.

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Tortuga Bay

Tortuga_Bay_02The last time I had the joy of going on an all girls trip was right before I got married a couple of years ago. We found ourselves hypnotized in the rose scented air of Morocco and the rugs I brought from the souk lay at the studio as a constant reminder of that meaningful trip with friends. Now I have a new treasure to put away in the box of unforgettable memories, a journey to paradise.

Tortuga Bay, the luxury boutique hotel on the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic in an area called Puntacana, is known for many things- powdery white sand beaches that feel like you are walking on flour, beautiful warm aquamarine Caribbean water, ceviche that is out of this world fresh, but most notably, having the 13 luxurious beachfront villas in the private enclave designed by the elegant fashion designer Oscar de la Renta. I loved being there, in Mr. de la Renta’s home country, and discovering his essence in everything, in the white lattice work chairs, chic wicker canopy beds, embroidered pillows, all the ODLR bathroom amenities, charming hotel staff. You were living in the lifestyle of Oscar de la Renta which can only mean one thing: total beauty.

You walk off the plane on the runway, that warm sticky air licks you immediately and in what could only be ten minutes you are standing on your private balcony looking out at that perfect ocean forgetting where you even came from before. Our canary yellow villa, with your personal golf cart parked out front for “getting around”, was a beautiful compliment to green of the palms, blue of the sky and turquoise of the ocean. With an small and intimate number of villas comprising the property you can easily find yourself alone on the three mile stretch of white sand beaches which is what my soul needs sometimes living in a city where we all literally are on top of each other.

So what did we do with ourselves sans men?… We started the day paddle boarding at playa blanco. We took our golf carts to the Six Senses Spa for facials and massages. We laid in lounge chairs sipping coconut cocktails and marveled at the most stunning panoramic view of the setting sun’s sky, a wash of colors only comparable to a Monet painting.  There was five course dinner on the beach,  a tapas parade for lunch, a dinner at the dock accompanied by three Dominican musicians serenading us. Most of the food we ate was sourced locally, caught that day or grown in the resort’s garden which is all about their focus on sustainability. In the evenings after dinner we would all go for a midnight swim watching thunderstorms light up the sky in the distant horizon. Mostly though, we talked and laughed and stared in awe at a place too beautiful to explain, it can only be experienced.

I’m writing this on our flight back to New York where I will pivot into full autumn mode, layering, apple cider and watching the days get shorter and shorter. But, if I find myself cold one night I’ll think back on that golden sun sliding up on the horizon, flooding my suite in honey colored light and warming my soul with natural beauty.

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10 Fav Looks: Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta's Spring / Summer 2015 collection

There is no one on earth who makes a woman feel more beautiful than Oscar de la Renta,she said to the world. Sometimes I feel like I get in trouble because all I want is to get caught up and live in the romantic, beautiful world like the one ODLR has built these floral walls around. Every woman looks like a modern day Hepburn gliding down the runway and it’s all I can do to stay focused on taking the picture rather than getting lost in the garden party of dreams. High above Bryant Park to sound of classical music, we were all lovely ladies for Oscar’s moment in time…

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Top 20 Met Gala Moments

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Oh what a night! Here are my favorite red carpet arrivals from my Instagram takeover for  the Met Museum. It was gowns galore, celebrities, designers and muses, musicians at their best and anything / everything I could capture all from an iPhone 5s… isn’t technology wonderful? Here is what I saw, some of my favorite outtakes and intimate moments…life is glittery and magical when you are attending the one and only Met Gala…

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OscarPRGirl is not only setting an industry standard in etiquette but she is one of those women with a certain je ne sais quoi… and she has the most amazing walk I have ever seen.

This dress from Oscar’s resort show was my favorite piece, I call it the “if Marilyn were alive” dress.

Thank you Erika for your kind words and unwavering support, you are so good to me. xo

oscarprgirl:

once upon a time I met Jamie Beck. Last September she took this picture of me at FNO from outside of our boutique on Madison avenue. There is just something about her photos, you know? For me it’s like they make me hold my breath for just a second. At our Resort show last month, Jamie graciously agreed to take pictures. Here, the first I will post & most definitely not the last. Jamie, we love you, & thank you.