COMPLETE COLLECTION

PARIS, January 23, 2001

By Armand Limnander

There is nothing more important to Oscar de la Renta than giving his international clientele exactly the type of clothing that they have come to expect—and his faithful followers will have no trouble finding plenty of options at Balmain this Spring.

For informal luncheons there are piped gabardine and linen suits with fitted waists and pencil skirts cut just above the knee, double-faced cashmere coats, and a relaxed ivory shantung caban. Classic proportions and smart details like embroidered cuffs and collars

But everyone knows that show-stopping evening dresses are what de la Renta is famous for (it's a shame he missed President Bush's inauguration ball by just a few days). The gamut of eventful gowns he showed ran from a slinky white satin crepe skirt with a feathered top to a feather-trimmed tulle-and-muslin extravaganza. It all amounted to a veritable smorgasbord of possibilities from which to pick and choose; clearly, de la Renta would never dream of limiting his ladies.