Oscar de la Renta’s joies de vivre

By Deborah Fulsang

Over the course of Oscar de la Renta’s career—begun in sketching for the renowned Cristobel Balenciaga as an art student to assisting at the house of Lanvin, to the past 47 years creating couture, ready-to-wear, bridal, accessories and home products under his own label—the Dominican Republic-born designer has celebrated style, elegance and femininity. His latest venture, a six-bottle selection of fragrances dubbed the Essential Luxuries collection, carries on that same mission.

Each scent aims to capture a particular joy in De la Renta’s life: from the citrus and coriander, tobacco and patchouli to evoke the essence of the designer’s much-loved birthplace of Santo Domingo; to the mandarin, mint, sea-spray, driftwood and cypress essences that capture a moment on the beach at de la Renta’s Sargasso seaside home.

Each spritz captures a time and place dear to the designer, and for fans of Oscar de la Renta’s polished and graceful world—and of the gentleman himself—it is a reiteration that fragrance is, quite simply, an essential in a well-lived life.

Not sure which essential best suits? Here, a scent synopsis:

SARGASO: To capture a day on the beach of the Sargasso Sea: the warmth of the sun is expressed in notes of driftwood, Indonesian patchouli and cypress; and the sea-salty air in fresh aquatic green cucumber, fennel and Lentisque. Balmy and breezy.

SANTO DOMINGO: Smooth, smoky tobacco notes mix with the sunshine (Italian mandarin, cedrat and Italian bergamot) and the warmth of the island destination and De la Renta’s birthplace in coriander, geranium bourbon, patchouli. Tropical and warm.

ORIENTAL LACE: This oriental aims to distill the richness of De le Renta couture—its extraordinary fabric, lush colour and exceptional embellishments—with floral notes of the hoya carnosa bloom (grown at the designer’s Punta Cana home), honey and bitter almond, cocao and patchouli.

MI CORAZON: In homage to De la Renta’s love of family and gardening (“A garden is probably the most spiritual and pure of joys,” he has said), this white-floral perfume centres on plush ylang-ylang (a scent beloved by the designer and his daughter, Eliza) with tuberose and peach and a finish of cedarwood.

GRANADA: To capture De la Renta’s fondness for this island nation, we have a citrus-floral mixing Italian Bigarade and Italian Bergamot top notes with a heart of jasmine Sambac, black pepper and cardamom; and a drydown of Mate tea, beeswax and rose absolute.

CORALINA: This scent is named for the opalescent, ginger-hued stone indigenous to the Dominican Republic that has inspired many of De la Renta’s fashions, accessories and that has been a design element in his homes and boutiques. The classic floral mixes neroli, mandarin and bergamot in its greeting; violet leaf and mimosa in its heart; and galbanum and orris absolute for a green-and-earthy base.

Oscar de la Renta, Essential Luxuries Collection, $150 (100 ml) each, www.oscardelarenta.com; www.holtrenfrew.com
PHOTO: (RUNWAY) DAN LECCA