Legendary designer Oscar de la Renta, who passed away Monday night, once said, “I’m not interested in shock tactics. I just want to make beautiful clothes.” Best known for his breathtaking gowns that made countless celebrities, it-girls, and runway models look Cinderella-level stunning over the length of his five-decade career, de la Renta left behind a lasting mark on the fashion world. Below, we rounded up seven of our favorite looks of the designer’s career.
1. Sarah Jessica Parker – 2014 Met Gala
We loved the way this look combined two New York City icons—SJP and one of the most legendary designers to work and show in NYC. Oscar himself is literally present on the dress, his iconic signature placed at the end of Sarah Jessica Parker’s stunning, ladylike train.
2. Magdalena Frackowiak and Karlie Kloss – Fall 2013 Collection
Stunning gowns, like these that de la Renta dressed Karlie Kloss and Magdalena Frackowiak in for the finale of his Fall 2013 collection, were what de la Renta was best known for. The gold details on these dresses, paired with their bright color, are what made these gowns jaw-droppingly memorable.
3. Amy Adams – 2013 Oscars
Adams was a fairy tale-like vision of beauty at the 2013 Oscars in this intricate, tiered creation, which is just one of many examples of the dramatic power of de la Renta’s creations.
4. Shu Pei Qin – Spring 2012 Collection
De la Renta’s spring 2012 collection truly represented a significant new beginning for the designer, in which many of the looks were infused with a new, youthful energy. While the designer was known mostly for his longer gowns, we particularly love this feathered, fringe-y frock.
5. Beyoncé – Vogue March 2013
De la Renta truly made Queen Bey look like the royalty that she is in this stunning red ruffled dress that she wore in her March 2013 shoot for Vogue.
6. Taylor Swift – 2014 Met Gala
T-swift was a vision in sweet, demure pink at this year’s Met Gala. De la Renta’s couture-like creation (just look at that train!) had her on many of the Met Ball’s best dressed lists the next day.
7. Amal Alamuddin at her wedding to George Clooney
In one of his final projects, de la Renta created a lace fairy-tale wedding dress for what was the biggest celebrity wedding of 2014: Amal Alamuddin’s wedding to George Clooney. Alamuddin probably said it best when she told Vogue of de la Renta, “He is the man every woman wants to hug.”
Oscar de la Renta, you will be missed!