Editing Oscar de la Renta (section)

== Early life ==
De la Renta, the youngest of seven children and the only boy in his family,<ref name="nyt10-20" /> was born in [[Santo Domingo]], [[Dominican Republic]], to a Dominican mother, Carmen María Antonia Fiallo and a Puerto Rican father,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/america/2014/10/21/5445c23d268e3eb7138b4574.html|title=Muere el diseñador de moda Oscar de la Renta|website=elmundo.es|date=21 October 2014|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013120305/http://www.elmundo.es/america/2014/10/21/5445c23d268e3eb7138b4574.html|archive-date=13 October 2017}}</ref> Óscar Avelino De La Renta, owner of an [[insurance]] company. The Fiallos, De la Renta's mother's family, were embedded in [[Dominican Americans|Dominican]] society, and counted poets, scholars, businessmen, and top army brass among their members.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mower |first=Sarah |title=Oscar: The Style, Inspiration and Life of Oscar De La Renta |year=2002 |publisher=Assouline |location=New York |page=11}}</ref> Their origin in the island can be traced back to the foundation of [[San Carlos de Tenerife]] in 1685 by [[Isleños|Canarian]] settlers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Espinal Hernández |first1=Edwin Rafael |title=Oscar de la Renta: entorno genealógico |url=http://www.idg.org.do/capsulas/noviembre2014/noviembre201401.htm |website=Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía |publisher=Hoy |access-date=17 November 2014 |location=Santo Domingo |language=es |date=1 November 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021125/http://www.idg.org.do/capsulas/noviembre2014/noviembre201401.htm |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref>

A maternal uncle, [[Luis Arístides Fiallo Cabral]], was a doctor, lawyer, and architect, who received every degree the [[Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo|University of Santo Domingo]] could offer.<ref name="mower12">{{cite book |last=Mower |first=Sarah |title=Oscar: The Style, Inspiration and Life of Oscar De La Renta |year=2002 |publisher=Assouline |location=New York |page=12}}</ref> Another maternal uncle, [[Fabio Fiallo]], was a diplomat and poet.<ref name="mower12" /> On his father's side, De la Renta's great-great-grandfather [[José Ortíz de la Renta]] was the first mayor of [[Ponce, Puerto Rico]], elected by popular vote and who had the distinction of serving as mayor eight times, the most ever for the city.<ref name="mower2002">{{cite book|title=Oscar: The Style, Inspiration and Life of Oscar De La Renta|last=Mower|first=Sarah|publisher=Assouline|year=2002|location=New York}}</ref>

De la Renta was raised [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] in a protective family.<ref name="nymag02-10" /><ref name="nymag2005" /> His mother died from complications of [[multiple sclerosis]] when he was 18.<ref name="nymag02-10">{{cite magazine |url=http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/02/oscar-de-la-renta-william-norwich-interview.html |title=Oscar de la Renta on Taking in Galliano, the Women He's Known and Loved, and Why He Once Tried to Hit Cecil Beaton |magazine=New York |date=10 February 2013 |first=William |last=Norwich |access-date=21 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023145657/http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/02/oscar-de-la-renta-william-norwich-interview.html |archive-date=23 October 2014 }}</ref>

At the age of 18, he went to study painting in Spain at the [[Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando|Royal Academy of San Fernando]] in [[Madrid]].<ref name="nyt10-20" /><ref name="nymag02-10" /><ref name="cnn10-20">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/living/oscar-de-la-renta-death/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|title=Oscar de la Renta, legendary fashion designer, dies at 82|last1=Ahmed|first1=Saeed|date=20 October 2014|work=CNN|access-date=21 October 2014|last2=Ford|first2=Dana|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021032432/http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/living/oscar-de-la-renta-death/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|archive-date=21 October 2014}}</ref> For extra money, he drew clothes for newspapers and fashion houses.<ref name="nyt10-20" /> After [[Francesca Braggiotti|Francesca Lodge]], the wife of [[John Davis Lodge]], the [[United States Ambassador to Spain|U.S. Ambassador to Spain]], saw some of his dress sketches, she commissioned de la Renta to design a gown for her daughter.<ref name="nyt10-20" /> The dress appeared on the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine that fall.<ref name="cnn10-20" /> He quickly became interested in the world of fashion design and began sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses, which soon led to an apprenticeship with Spain's most renowned [[Haute couture|couturier]], [[Cristóbal Balenciaga]]. He considered Cristóbal Balenciaga his mentor.<ref name="Oscar de la Renta Sits for Q&A at the Design Leadership Summit">{{cite web |url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/make-it-a-melba-7266429?src=nl/mornReport/20131107 |title=Oscar de la Renta Sits for Q&A at the Design Leadership Summit |publisher=WWD |date=7 November 2013 |access-date=7 November 2013 |author=Feitelberg, Rosemary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104171826/http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/make-it-a-melba-7266429?src=nl%2FmornReport%2F20131107 |archive-date=4 November 2014 }}</ref> In 1961, de la Renta left Spain to join [[Antonio Castillo (costume designer)|Antonio del Castillo]] as a couture assistant at [[Lanvin (clothing)|Lanvin]] in [[Paris]].<ref name="Óscar de la Renta">{{cite web |url=http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Oscar_de_la_Renta |title=Óscar de la Renta |access-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615054251/http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Oscar_de_la_Renta |archive-date=15 June 2012 }}</ref>