Carla in Oscar de la Renta black cocktail gown. Photographed by Arthur Elgort 1992.
''Carla Bruni looks as though she owns, and plays, the grand piano on which she is perched. It is all part of the de la Renta image: shophisticated, lavish, grown-up. The svelte black bodice, which sweeps into a softly gathered skirt, is finished with flat bows on the shoulder. Known for ornamentation and extremely feminine silhouettes, de la Renta has cultivated clients among the rich and beautiful with whom he socializes. Following brief apprentices in Europe, de la Renta went on to design for Elizabeth Arden in New York, where his idealism of touches of European glamour applied to conventions of American dressmaking was crystallized. In 1993 he returned to design Balmain couture, while satisfying the chic American women who see de la Renta as a designer who makes flattering dresses and sophisticated suits, with a special gift for dress-up and evening glamour''. -Phaidon Editors, 1998