Who

A longtime presence in fashion and society circles, Annette is the wife of septuagenarian fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.

Backstory

Anne France Mannheimer was born in Germany, the daughter of banker Fritz Mannheimer, who passed away before her birth. Annette and her mom moved to the States in the 1940s and she was later adopted by her mother's new husband, a wealthy minerals industrialist in New Jersey. A tycoon husband of Annette's own came along in 1960 when she married magazine publisher Samuel Pryor Reed, the grandson of Remington gun tycoon Samuel F. Pryor. The couple divorced two decades later, and Annette officially became Mrs. de la Renta in 1989 following a lavish ceremony at de la Renta's compound in the Dominican Republic. These days, de la Renta is one of the most active socialites on the New York charity circuit: She's a longtime supporter of the Metropolitan Museum, New York Public Library, and Morgan Library.

Drama

Annette was in the news throughout 2006 and 2007 when she came to the defense of her longtime pal Brooke Astor who, the authorities have alleged, was abused by her son Anthony Marshall. Since Astor's death in August 2007, Annette has continued to be involved in the legal battle over her estate.

Personal

De la Renta has three kids from her first marriage to Samuel Reed—Eliza, Beatrice, and Charles—and it's Eliza and her husband, Alex Bolen, who now run the de la Renta fashion powerhouse day to day. (Oscar still provides the creative inspiration.) She also has an adopted son, Moises. The couple—who are estimated to be worth $100 million—divide their time between an apartment on the Upper East Side, a large spread in Connecticut, and an estate in the Dominican Republic.