Flower Man Fashion design star Oscar de la Renta made his third visit to Naples—and a rare personal appearance—to support the Naples Botanical Garden with a runway fashion show of his Spring collection. Marissa Hartington brought de la Renta to the Hats in the Garden event to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the gardens. Hartington has carried de la Renta’s collections at her couture fashion boutique, Marissa Collection, for several years. Surrounded by fans and hundreds of women wearing his designs, de la Renta gave a few moments to NI between bites of white chocolate bavarian and raspberry jelly with a cruncy praline layer and rosewater and raspberry sorbet created by The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. You have had a long relationship with Marissa. Can you tell us a story? I really love Marissa tremendously. I admire her esthetics and hard work. What she has done is unbelievable. These things don’t happen by accident, but with passion, devotion and loyalty. What she has created here is really so unique. She and the city have grown together. Naples is an extra-special place to live. It’s not provincial, and her great store could be anywhere in the world. You are an avid gardener. What’s your favorite flower? It depends. I have two gardens, one in the Dominican Republic, and one at my home in Connecticut. In the Dominican Republic, the trees and bushes bloom when we are not there, so for me, it’s much more about scents—jasmine, bella noche, ylang ylang, which is not really a beautiful flower, but has a nice scent. In Connecticut, my wife hates flowers. I love flowers. We all have our areas. She cares more about trees. She likes a green garden, and works very hard at a woodland garden. I’m more about structured gardens. Did you always garden? When I bought my property [Connecticut] in 1971, I asked a famous English landscaper, Russell Page, for help. He did a lot of the great, great gardens. I met him in England. I had never done any gardening, and I needed advice. Near my home is the White Flower Farm, where you can get different landscaping schemes from a book. I cleared a little piece of land, maybe 15 feet, and planted the plot with plants. I was so proud of my little garden. He arrived and said, “What is that?” I said the people who I bought the property from had done it, and I left it. What do you think of the Naples Botanical Garden? Being in Naples is such a special treat for me. I love gardening. It’s extraordinary that this is happening here. When you walk in a garden, you can’t have a single bad thought. It’s a continuation of life. Future generations will enjoy the splendor of a tree that is planted now.
