Oscar-Worthy

MOISES DE LA RENTA CUTS HIS OWN SWATH

As an adolescent. Moises de la Renta made it clear that he didn't enjoy academics. "I used to get into a lot of trouble. I'm rebellious." admits the soft-spoken 20-year-old. But when he went to work for his father. Oscar de la Renta, the fashion business piqued his interest.

Last year, he and his business partner, Ruben Rivera, printed up some T-shirts.

The elder de la Renta paired a jeweled T-shirt with a pink silk skirt in his spring collection. The look earned kudos from the fashion press and gave birth to a new business. "My father's clothing is much more uptown," explains Moises, who is now designing under the "Moises de la Renta for Oscar de la Renta" label. "Mine is edgy, downtown. urban definitely rock 'n' roll. What I'm tr>ing to do is bridge that gap."

His fall collection, available in September at Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, and Oscar de la Renta, will range from a taxicab-yellow denim trench coat to jeans and T-shirts.

The buzz now building around Moises' work seems the perfect ending to the fairy-tale story of a most unlikely childhood. The buzz now building around Moises' work seems the perfect ending to the fairy-tale story of a most unlikely childhood.

And these days, relations with Dad are much better than when Moises was going through his "stupid teenager stuff," as he puts it. "1 consider him my best friend and mentor." Moises says. "Now he's my partner in business, too."

LESLIE BENNETTS