Balmain (fashion house) Pierre took over until 1992 working as director of ready-to-wear and haute couture. Possibly the most influential designer to take over at Balmain was Oscar de la Renta, who led the house between 1993 and 2002. Already a fashion veteran before joining Balmain, De la Renta brought a famous face to the brand Balmain. He lived in New York City most of his life, although he was born in the Dominican Republic and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1971. He fit into the Balmain design aesthetic, with an eye for detail and classic silhouettes. He, like Balmain, preferred
Annette de la Renta Annette de la Renta Annette de la Renta (born 24 December 1939) is an American philanthropist and socialite, the widow of the Dominican fashion designer Oscar de la Renta. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973. Born in Nice, France, as Anne France Mannheimer and nicknamed Annette, she is the only child of a German Jewish banker, Fritz Mannheimer (1890–1939), who died before her birth, and his Roman Catholic wife, Marie Antoinette Jeanne Reiss (later known as Jane Engelhard, 1917–2004). Annette's German-born maternal grandfather, Hugo Reiss, was a prominent German Jewish businessman in