When I decided to get married at 40, I couldn't find a dress with the modernity or sophistication I wanted. That's when I saw the opportunity for a wedding gown business.

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They never ask the celebrities why they don't wear their own clothes on the red carpet.

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It's a remarkable exercise to sit and look at your own work over the years.

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Fashion to me has become very disposable; I wanted to get back to craft, to clothes that could last.

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I've been designing since I was 8. I started sketching dresses I could wear when skating. I was always involved in all aspects of skating, not just the technique, the choreography, the music, but the visual aspects, too - what I should wear.

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My normal routine is pretty much putting out fires all day.

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Service is a prerequisite for anything relating to luxury. That makes it (shopping) sensual and pleasurable.

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Fashion offers no greater challenge than finding what works for night without looking like you are wearing a costume.

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I never thought I'd be successful. It seems in my own mind that in everything I've undertaken I've never quite made the mark. But I've always been able to put disappointments aside. Success isn't about the end result; it's about what you learn along the way.

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I see myself as a true modernist. Even when I do a traditional gown, I give it a modern twist. I go to the past for research. I need to know what came before so I can break the rules.

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