Oscar de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to a Dominican mother, Carmen María Antonia Fiallo, and a Puerto Rican father, Óscar Avelino De La Renta, owner of an insurance company. The Fiallos, De la Renta's mother's family, were so embedded in Dominican society that they could count poets, scholars, and businessmen, as well as top army brass among their members. Their origin in the island can be traced back to the foundation of San Carlos de Tenerife in 1685 by Canarian settlers. A maternal uncle, Luis Arístides Fiallo Cabral, was a doctor, lawyer, and architect, who received every degree the
Carolyne Roehm Carolyne Roehm Carolyne Roehm (born Carolyne Jane Smith on May 7, 1951) is an American author, businesswoman, socialite, and former fashion designer. Roehm was born in Missouri to a middle-class high school principal and a schoolteacher. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1973. Following her graduation, she moved to New York City. Following her graduation from Washington University, Roehm moved to New York City to work at Kellwood Company, a women's clothing manufacturer. Roehm started her high fashion career working for Oscar de la Renta as an assistant and model