Oscar de la Renta... Did you know?

Prior to his death earlier this week, on October 20, Oscar de la Renta was known for countless achievements. Here, a short list...

Born, in the Dominican Republic in 1932, he was raised alongside six sisters. Perhaps his first introduction to the fashion world began at home watching his sisters swap clothes and model outfits in front of the mirror. (Can't you just hear his sisters? "What do you think, Oscar? The red blouse or the blue?")

He moved to Madrid at age 18 to study painting. In Madrid, he became enraptured by the fashion industry and became an apprentice to Spain's most renowned fashion designer.

His fashion career officially began in Paris in 1961.

Two years later, he moved to New York and joined Elizabeth Arden.

He began his own fashion label in 1965.

In 1967, he married Franciose de Langlade, editor-in-chief of French Vogue, who introduced him to the movers and shakers of fashion society. He lost Franciose to bone cancer in 1983, a tragic loss.

In 1990, he remarried philanthropist Annette Engelhard Reed.

His fashion designs have been revered for decades, with several first ladies showcasing his creations. Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama have all donned Oscar de la Renta designs.

Until his death, due to complications of cancer, he was still designing and still giving back. He supported the arts and several philanthropic ventures.

But did you know...

Oscar de la Renta was an advocate for orphans?

Did you know he was an adoptive father?

Neither did I.

He founded an orphanage named Casa del Nino in La Romana, Dominican Republic and visited it often.

He even adopted a son in 1986, from an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. It's been said that his son Moises, now a fashion designer like his Dad, was "the light of his father's life."

Oscar with son Moises

Isn't that the heart of every adoptive parent?

Farewell, Oscar de la Renta. You certainly left the world a better place.