Oscar de la Renta

NEW YORK — Oscar de la Renta, the worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites and Hollywood stars for more than four decades, has died. He was 82.

De la Renta died at home Monday evening in Connecticut surrounded by family and friends, according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter, Eliza Reed Bolen, and her husband, Alex Bolen.

The late ’60s and early ’70s were a defining moment in U.S. fashion as New York-based designers carved a look of their own that was finally taken seriously by Europeans.

De la Renta’s specialty was evening wear, though he also was known for chic daytime suits favored by the women who would gather at the Four Seasons at lunch. His signature looks were voluminous skirts, exquisite embroideries and rich colors.

Most recently, Amal Alamuddin wore a de la Renta-designed wedding dress when she married George Clooney. First ladies Laura Bush wore an icy blue gown by de la Renta to the 2005 inaugural ball and Hillary Rodham Clinton wore a gold de la Renta in 1997. On the red carpet at the Academy Awards, Penélope Cruz and Sandra Bullock were among the celebrities to don his feminine and opulent gowns. His clothes even were woven into episodes of “Sex and the City.” with style icon character Carrie Bradshaw dropping his name — and comparing his designs to poetry.

De la Renta left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting in Spain but became sidetracked by fashion. The wife of the U.S. Ambassador saw some of his sketches and asked him to make a dress for her daughter — a dress that landed on the cover of Life magazine.

That led to an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, and then de la Renta moved to France to work for couture house Lanvin. By 1963, he was working for Elizabeth Arden couture in New York and in 1965 had launched his own label.