Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died this past Monday at the age of 82. He meant a lot of things to a lot of people. He had an empathy, warmth, and grace towards women that stood out in an industry that is often cold, catty and narcissistic. As a passive bystander, “fashion” always seemed more about the designer than about women. Any time spent watching fashion-oriented reality TV will lay this reality bare with its vortex of megalomania and diva-like tantrums. My lovely wife Heather shares this sentiment. She worked for Target Corporation in their beauty and fashion division. There, she interfaced mostly with handbag designers, and she too lived the drama.
So, what does Oscar de la Renta have to do with the narrow little universe that is plastic surgery? Well, I will start with a quote:
Oscar de la Renta had a simple fashion philosophy.
I am not interested in shock tactics. I just want to make beautiful clothes,” he once said. “My job as a designer is to make a woman feel her very best.
That resonates with me. It reflected his focus on women and not his art. He did not want his creations simply to be draped on a woman for display purposes like some manikin. The clothes were secondary. The same should be true of plastic surgery. In the not too distant past, much of cosmetic plastic surgery seemed fixated on “shock tactics.” Big boobs. Big butts. Surgeons and patients alike focused on an exaggerated, almost pornographic wow factor. That is not art. Oscar wanted “to make beautiful clothes.” I want to make women beautiful, and I want to do it in a natural and unassuming way. More often than not, this means a restoration of beauty that has been lost.
A second and important corollary to beauty restoration is making a woman ‘feel her very best.” As a plastic surgeon, how do you do that? Well, by focusing on the relationship and not simply the procedure. I have had numerous patients complain about previous surgeons who were cold and uncaring, particularly after money had been spent and the procedure was done. This reality becomes particularly obvious when things go wrong. A persons true character is often revealed when things don’t go as planned. A surgeon’s true worth is often revealed in how they handle problems. If their focus is truly in the right place, they will handle patients with the same grace and warmth that Oscar handled the many stars that wore his clothes. You know Oscar treated women this way based on the many testimonies that have bubbled up with his passing. I hope similar testimonies will emerge when I pass. RIP.
Dr. Andrew Gear is a Plastic Surgeon in Charlotte, NC specializing in breast augmentation, breast reduction, brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, face enhancements, and liposuction. His practice Providence Plastic Surgery is a boutique Charlotte cosmetic surgery clinic with leading Charlotte plastic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Gear.
Our Charlotte plastics office is a Charlotte area plastic surgery facility specializing in breast augmentation, breast reduction, brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, face enhancements, and liposuction in the South Charlotte area. Delivering premium natural plastic surgery and natural cosmetic surgery services to clients in Charlotte, Ballantyne, Matthews, Pineville, Waxhaw, and all of North Carolina and South Carolina.
