At a stage in his life and legendary career where he could easily kick back, relax and rest on his laurels, you likely won't hear the words "retirement" or "slowing down" escape the lips of Oscar de la Renta any time soon.

"I think that every day for me is a learning process," said the 77-year-old designer in an interview at a downtown hotel Wednesday, looking relaxed in a tailored navy suit as he sat on a lush velvet sofa.

"People ask me, 'When are you going to stop doing what you're doing?' I say, 'The day when I will think or say that I have learned it all, then (is) the day I should stop.

"Every day, there is a new challenge. I am very curious and I like to be exposed to new things and different things."

With a career in fashion spanning more than a half-century and a brand encompassing ready-to-wear, fragrances, accessories, a home collection and bridal wear, it seems there is no area that remains uncharted by the iconic designer.

De la Renta's designs have been a longtime favourite among the political and Hollywood elite, donned by the likes of former U.S. first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush and A-list actresses such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Cameron Diaz.

The Dominican-born American designer said in observing the changes in fashion over the years, one of the most notable ones from his vantage point is the evolution of the consumer.

"The woman that I'm making clothes for today is such a very different woman than the woman that I started making clothes for when I started my career," he said.

"This is a fantastic, exciting time to be dressing a woman. Never in the history of time have women been as in control of her destiny as a woman today," he added.

De la Renta said he sees the empowerment of today's women as a "tremendous source of inspiration," and noted the strides they've made transitioning into the workforce.

"It has taken men 2,000 years to (get) where we are now. To women, they have done it in the last 40 years," he said.

In the beginning, he noted that women dressed in pantsuits because "they felt that to be in a so-called 'men's world,' they have to dress a little bit like a man and dress in an austere manner."

"Today, a woman knows that even in the workplace the powers of her femininity, dressing like a woman, feeling like a woman, it's important."

De la Renta said he is also excited to once again have ownership of his fragrances. In December, his company received its fragrance licence back after settling a legal dispute with L'Oreal.

De la Renta said he thinks of the fragrance as being "an invisible dress" and said he sees the association of a signature scent with an individual as an important one.

"Sometimes people have a misconception about fragrances, and they say that there should be a fragrance that you use when you play tennis, another fragrance when you go out in the morning, another fragrance when you go out at night," he said. "I think actually how a fragrance should work for a woman is that this is not my fragrance that I created - this is you. This is what you're identified with."

De la Renta said there are plans to relaunch his fragrance, Oscar, created in 1977, in addition to launching other new scents. He also didn't rule out a possible foray into cosmetics.

"I am known for my sense of colour, so if I put you in a red dress or whatever, why should I not take care of the colour of your face, too?" he said, motioning to his cheeks, flashing a smile. "I think it's a natural evolution for me."

Asked for words of advice for up-and-coming designers, de la Renta has a clear credo: Work hard, understand the consumer, and "don't believe in your fame."

"You become famous because your product becomes well-known. It's not about yourself, it's about what you do," he said.

"It's about women, in this particular case, identifying with you because they like what you're doing. I think that's what creates a brand."