Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Hot Pink and Feathered

by Kate Driscoll

Think Pink! Was the exhibit that showcases many designs made over the years with their different styles, but what they all had in common was that they were fashioned in the color pink. Oscar de la Renta was one of the designers that was shown in the Think Pink exhibit. His dress has a feather necklace and seemed to be attached to the translucent pink material that showed the shoulders and back of the mannequin. The materials of this dress are a synthetic net, ombré dyed, embroidered with a chiffon ribbon, sequins, and beads. This feather necklace seemed to stand out in an unflattering light in comparison to the rest of the dress. The see through top part of the dress lead into the main part with its many sequins and layers upon layers of fabric, both translucent and opaque. Rhinestones could have been a better substitute for the sequins though, adding some texture to the very flat dress. The transition from dark pink at the chest transitioning to a lighter pink at the hem of the gown was rather lovely. The dress reaches down to the floor. It was tied with a bow connecting the two halves of the translucent pink half-sleeved see through at the back of the gown.

              This dress was worn at the Hot Pink Party in April of 2010 that was raising money for Breast Cancer Research. The woman, Evenly H. Lauder, who wore the dress was one of the people that was raising awareness of Breast Cancer by making pink a universal color for the cancer. That is the reason she is wearing the pink dress to the party.

             Oscar de la Renta, the designer behind this gown, was born in the Dominican Republic on July 22^nd, 1932. When he was eighteen, Oscar went to the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid to study paintings. His dream was to become an abstract painter, but was attracted to the world of fashion design. He got an apprenticeship to Cristobal Balenciago, a big name in Spain because of his talent for fashion. After he got his first job in 1961 in Paris, he moved to New York and joined Elizabeth Arden’s label. Oscar then, began his signature ready to wear label in 1965. His designs before 1990 were distinguished for their silk prints, ruffles, and vibrant palette. This created a modern yet romantic look for women. After the 1990s, Oscar de la Renta decided to go in a different direction that still remained feminine and flattering, but was more suitable for first ladies like Nancy Reagan. He has been on many boards for the arts, not just being focused on fashion like The Metropolitan Opera.

          Oscar de la Renta is very successful in the fashion design industry, and it would make sense why some of his work is in a museum in honor of the feminine touch the color pink provides. Some fashions though are not everybody’s style however, and this dress may appeal to others, but not to me.