Interview: Oscar de la Renta's passion for fashion

Despite his many accolades and awards, designer Oscar de la Renta had no plans to step down. In fact, he was experiencing the best time of his life. "My work is a celebration of a woman's beauty and femininity," said de la Renta, who died today. "I make dresses for [women], and I want to make [them] happy."

Some designers use a woman's body to express their creativity through fashion, while others enjoy dressing them in flattering, timeless and feminine silhouettes. De la Renta struck a perfect balance between the two.

Long known as a designer to the rich and famous, de la Renta put a smile on the face of practically every single style icon.

Former US secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton, for one, has been a long-time friend of de la Renta's. For 20 years, he dressed Clinton at monumental moments of her life, from her husband's presidential inauguration to Clinton's first American Vogue cover.

"And despite his best efforts, year in and year out, he's never given up," Clinton said at the gala event in April where de La Renta received Carnegie Hall's seventh Medal of Excellence.

"To dress a first lady is an enormous privilege," de la Renta said in an interview with STYLE this year. "When you design clothes, you often think of a woman in general, but in this special case, that woman is larger than life. She will mean many different things to different people. She is an icon."

De la Renta's stellar clientele included not only first ladies but also Hollywood stars, socialites and more who favour his dresses at parties, on the red carpet and even down the aisle - Jenna Bush, daughter of former US president George W. Bush, wore an Oscar de la Renta wedding gown, as did Kate Bosworth, star of Superman Returns.

The design wunderkind also won numerous awards, including the Council of Fashion Designers of America's (CFDA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989 before twice taking home the CFDA's Womenswear Designer of the Year Award, in 2000 and 2007.

Speaking about all the prizes he has garnered, the modest designer shrugged and said: "I always say that I have the memory of a mosquito. I don't ever look back, but always look forward. My best work lies ahead of me."

The Dominican Republic-born de la Renta began his starry career in Madrid when he decided to learn painting at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. During his training in Madrid, de la Renta landed an apprenticeship at the atelier of Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga - who de la Renta still cited as one of his biggest influences.

"I still work today in the manner that I saw Balenciaga work," he once said. "A dress only becomes yours when you start manipulating it, which is what I do."