In the news: Oscar De La Renta

On October 20^th, 2014, fashion designer and style icon Oscar De La Renta passed away. In honor of his legacy, National Public Radio interviewed Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan. After listening to the radio program, answer the questions below:

Oscar De La Renta Was About Making Women Look And Feel Their Best

Givhan tells NPR’s Steve Inskeep that ultimately, women “want to feel pretty”. Do you agree with this statement?
Beatrice Lodge is fitted in a debutante dress by fashion designer Oscar de la Renta in 1956.

Inskeep states that De La Renta’s early years seem “so far from the world of music stars and first ladies and high fashion” and that “he seems to have come a long way”. Can you think of any other well-known people who came from very different backgrounds?

Givhan says that “one of the magical things about him…that you don’t really see anymore”was his charm and sense of propriety. For example, in their last interview “(De La Renta) apologized because he had taken off his tie. I mean, who does that?!” Do you think this attitude set De La Renta apart from others in the business? Is it an attitude that is largely nonexistent these days?

Look at a few of the fashion designs from De La Renta. Do you like the style? Why or why not?

Words (and phrases) to know: ‘in the dark’

This idiom means to be kept without information.

Adam has know all along just how serious their money situation is, but he’s kept Lauren in the dark because he didn’t want her to worry.
Voters complain that the government wants to keep them in the dark about that is really going on.

Notice that the pronoun is always inside the phrase: “to keep them in the dark” (not “to keep in the dark them“).

Are you superstitious?

A superstitious person believes in stories or traditions that have no explanation. Here are a few common superstitions you’ll hear in English:

knock on wood (by knocking on wood, you prevent something bad from happening when you’ve just mentioned something good)

“So far I’ve done really well on each of my biology exams…knock on wood.”

jinx (Very similar to ‘knock on wood’)

“What a nice day for our hike…and not a cloud in the sky!”

“Don’t jinx us! Now it’ll rain for sure!”

beginner’s luck (A person does well on their first try)

“Adam’s won almost $200 in his card game, and he’s never even played before. Amazing!”

“Oh, I bet it’s just beginner’s luck. Just wait.”

bad luck comes in threes

“First my alarm didn’t go off this morning, then I spilled coffee on myself and now I’ve missed the bus home. Like they say, bad luck comes in threes…”

13 (The number is thought to be unlucky)

“Did you know that many American elevators go from the 12^th floor to the 14^th, and skip over the 13^th? It’s thought that the 13^th floor would be too unlucky!”

In your own words…

Tell us about some of the superstitions in your country. Are they very similar to these?