Oscar Takes Manhattan
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

Even as fall descends upon New York, there’s a Caribbean breeze on Madison Avenue. Oscar de la Renta opened the doors to its first-ever freestanding retail shop last week. And with little touches like white plaster palm trees and coral stone from the Dominican Republic, where Mr. de la Renta was born, the 2,000-square-foot shop has a refined, yet cool atmosphere – very much in keeping with the clothing.
On offer are Mr. de la Renta’s ready-to-wear clothing collections, accessories, and perfumes. Eveningwear (starting at $2,950) is sectioned off in its own area, and shoes (average $495) get their own display on a mini catwalk. Sprinkled among the collections are in-store exclusives, such as new colors of cashmere twin sets (long sleeve shell $1,200) and shawls ($1,000), as well as a new version of the sexy white T-shirt ($150) that was the star of the designer’s runway show in September. All of the furniture in the shop comes from the Oscar de la Renta Home collection (available at Foremost Furniture, 8 West 30th St., 212-889-6347).
The move to open a shop was spearheaded by the company’s CEO Alex Bolen, and wasn’t entered into lightly. “We have always approached the issue of freestanding retail with caution,” said Mr. Bolen.
The label has long and fruitful relationships with major high-end department stores, but one of Mr. Bolen’s key initiatives is to grow internationally. “We need a retail model we can take overseas. We’re using it as a test case,” he said.
Oscar de la Renta, 772 Madison Ave., 212-288-5810.