Fashion and PR Celebrate the Life of Oscar de la Renta

Last night, the fashion world suffered a major blow with the death of Oscar de la Renta, legendary designer turned celebrity in his own right, who lost his longtime battle with cancer at the age of 82.

While every major media outlet has run retrospectives on the man and his career, his company’s communications team has been quietly respectful. This morning Erika Bearman (aka OscarPRGirl) posted the above photo on Instagram and linked to the company’s home page, which featured a handwritten note from his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen (who serve as the company’s executive VP and CEO).

Full letter after the jump.

Colleagues —

We write to let you know that Oscar passed away last night at home in Connecticut surrounded by family, friends and more than a few dogs.