Oscar De La Renta

In December, long after the foliage has fallen from trees all over the country, the delivery of Oscar de la Renta's Resort 2014 collection will remind shoppers of the beauty of Spring.

The offering, presented Tuesday to small groups of editors in de la Renta's New York showroom, was covered in flowers of all kinds: violet blooms were attached to an acid green evening gown, while red bursts of flora adorned a sleeveless houndstooth peplum top, a half-sleeved cardigan, and an A-line dress.

That shape and others, like a balloon skirt in rose petal pink, the Watteau back on a strapless cocktail dress, and the many dresses with bateau necklines, recalled the spirit of '50s couture. But the buoyant color palette and the optimism were decidedly modern. A look at the collection, here in the gallery.

Photo courtesy of Oscar de la Renta

Here's a reason to celebrate: fashion mogul Oscar de la Renta, is now translating his iconic prints onto paper for our parties! Teaming up with Paperless Post, his new line of stationery showcases everything we've come to love about the designer's signature prints and extraordinary embroideries. His delicate Chantilly laces are now elegant wedding invitations, while bold patterns from his 2013 ready-to-wear line will inspire your next Summer soiree. It's almost impossible to settle on a favorite, but here are a few of the best — available on paper or digitally — that caught our eye.

By now the world has come to expect a refined romance from Oscar de la Renta's collections, but for his Spring 2014 Bridal line, the designer turned the stuff of fairy tales into reality.

"Every woman dreams of that day," the designer wrote in his show notes. "You have to go the extra mile and fulfill that dream to make something that a woman will fall in love with."

To that end, de la Renta sent out a series of highly decorated gowns that didn't feel stuffy or heavy-handed. His first exit, a pale blue silk organza dress festooned with silver bullion and floral sequin embroidery looked like a cloud, and a dress cut from Chantilly lace and a floral corded appliqué looked light as air.

The gowns were breathtaking, but what stole the show were four young flower girls dressed in little white dresses who elicited oohs and awws from the assembled guests when they came down the runway.

Brides looking for fresh-faced, classic makeup can end their search at Oscar de la Renta. Working with Mikey Castillo, makeup director for Le Métier de Beauté, the iconic designer wanted to create a woman in the vein of Grace Kelly — someone in "the bloom of her beauty," as Castillo put it. Satin eye shadows and barely there eyeliner created a graceful look that any bride can pull off on her own.

The look: Satin-finish eye shadows, rose champagne eyeliner, subtle pink hues.
The inspiration: A woman feeling most beautiful on her wedding day.
Key tips: Work your eyeliner tightly into the eyelash bed so you don't see a black line over the eyelid. This will keep your liner in place all day.

When it comes to fantasy wardrobes for our kids, Oscar de la Renta Childrenswear ranks at the top of the list. The brand's head of creative, Marissa Kraxberger, is a mom to two adorable, and (of course) superstylish tots. So when we had the opportunity to get her advice on all things pertaining to kiddie fashion, we jumped at the opportunity. In addition to her demanding gig at ODLR, Marissa is the voice of its beautiful new blog, George & Ruby, which (in her own words) is all about "the whirlwind of fashion and social media and sippy cups and Sesame Street." Right up our alley. Read on to learn Marissa's approach to dressing her own kids, and what you can learn from the fashion insider.

Just in time for Spring, fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is launching his first in-house home collection. With the help of Home Creative Director Miles Redd, Mr. de la Renta has created a truly personal mix of table-top and entertaining accessories. Serving pieces are accompanied by recipes from Mr. de la Renta's kitchen and hand-painted plates are based on ones made by the designer himself on a long-ago trip to Japan. Die-hard de la Renta fans will be delighted with an ikat dot motif from the 1970s that shows up, reimagined and repurposed, on napkins, and with plates inspired by fabric in more recent ready-to-wear collections. Inspired by the lifestyle of his native Dominican Republic, the line incorporates sea-creature motifs and, in a classic ode to outdoor living, a color palette of blue and white. Here are a few of our favorites.