By Allison Zisko
The seaside and country homes of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta served as the inspiration for a new tabletop collection that debuted last month at Bloomingdale’s and other high-end department stores, as well as at Oscar de la Renta shops.
The collection, produced in house under the direction of creative director Miles Redd, marks a return to the marketplace after a roughly six-year hiatus. Previously the name was licensed to Richard Ginori for dinnerware and Lunt Silversmiths for giftware. It is meant to reflect the Oscar de la Renta lifestyle, which is centered on entertaining in a casually elegant way.
“It is a modern collection that really works in a variety of settings—you can dress it up or dress it down,” said Redd. “It is very versatile, depending on your mood. We wanted to create a collection that reflected Mr. de la Renta’s lifestyle at the sea—informal, but always elegant.”
The debut collection is called Island, inspired by de la Renta’s Dominican Republic home. It is executed primarily in shades of blue and white and gives an occasional nod to some of his recent ready-to-wear collections. Ceramic Brushstroke dinnerware mimics de la Renta’s own attempts at brushstroke painting after a trip to Japan, while the Dot and Dash pattern is reminiscent of a 1970s de la Renta ready-to-wear pattern. Both are handpainted and complemented by a dip-dye ceramic fish tureen, jug and platter (accompanied by de la Renta’s favorite recipes); teak wood accessories such as a cheese board and footed bowl; wooden handle flatware and chunky glass tumblers. The line is rounded out with various-sized Cadiz resin trays, a reference to the Moorish tilework found in the architecture of Cadiz, Spain; figural metal bar accessories; fabric and silverplated frames in various sizes; and, coming in April, scented candles.
This initial collection will be followed up this April by the City collection, a cocktail/barware story for holiday, and in fall 2013 with Country, a garden-themed spring line for 2014. Pieces in all three collections will be designed to mix and match with each other.
The Oscar de la Renta tabletop collection is unique to the market because of the combination of materials, Redd told HFN. “It has Oscar’s fashion sensibility of mixing high and low, of interesting handpainted finishes, beautiful colors and wonderful quality and craftsmanship,” he said.
Prices for the collection range from $38 to $46 for a dinner plate, $295 for the teak wood serving bowl, $595 for the large Cadiz tray (also available with a metal stand) and $145 for a 4-by-6 frame.