Being Blog

“The creative process never stops.” – Oscar de la Renta

Fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta, passed away yesterday at the age of 82 years old. I’ve always admired his classic designs and flair for elegance, color and beauty. Yet, in reading about his passing, I was educated more about his past and the fact that his father was not thrilled when his only son decided to pursue the arts. The Washington Post stated, “His father, who had come from Puerto Rico, owned an insurance business and expected his only son to follow him into the family trade. But his mother and six sisters lavished the boy with attention, and the family priest, a Spaniard, encouraged his aesthetic interests and bought him a set of paints. Against his father’s inclination, Mr. de la Renta enrolled in art school.”

I couldn’t help but wonder – what if Mr. de la Renta had decided to instead listen to his father. What if he had felt the pressure of following what was expected of him, especially in a Caribbean culture, and gone into insurance instead of art and design? What if his mother, sisters and family priest had not encouraged his artistic talents and fostered his creativity? The world would have kept spinning, but there would have been a little less beauty in it. And what our world needs more than anything is both beauty and for its inhabitants to follow their innate talents. So, many thanks to Mr. de la Renta for doing both.

“The qualities I most admire in women are confidence and kindness.” – Oscar de la Renta