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

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I always see where I didn't do things the right way. I only see the heavy lifting. That's a bit of my wisdom, if you want to call it that.

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A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her clothes.

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I used to get tons of letters that said, "I'll never get to wear you," or "I'll never get married in one of your dresses," or "I'll never have an evening gown like the one I saw on the red carpet." I thought that was sad, because you give your life to this and you end up reaching very few people. So that was a major goal for me - to be able to reach and encourage more women, to encourage them to express themselves and be what they want to be.

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I work with structure, but I go outside the box and give it my own spin. I adore the challenge of creating truly modern clothes - where a woman's personality and sense of style are realized.

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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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When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.

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My closet is organized by tops, pants, and outerwear, but not a lot of dresses. Gowns are in another room because I don't often dress formally, even though I design gowns. Like most designers, I have a uniform, and mine is a legging.

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Don't be afraid to take time to learn. It's good to work for other people. I worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn.

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My mother was extremely controlled, sort of flawless. And I always tend to be a bit more hippie.

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