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.

---

I see myself as an arbiter of taste.

---

Design is about point of view, and there should be some sort of woman or lifestyle or attitude in one's head as a designer.

---

I've always tried to push myself technically and to push myself visually. That's been part of the journey.

---

I think fashion is intensely personal. It should be. It should give a woman a creative outlet, it should give her a little bit of an escape, and it should give her a little bit of individuality that she can add to her life. I don't mean redoing your entire closet. I mean that a great shoe or a great handbag or a great top or a great coat or jacket can change everything.

---

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

---

People get very trapped where they are. When they hear "fashion" they get intimidated, particularly at the upper end because it's so elitist. If you can bring your own concept or your viewpoint and translate it not down but out, then you're really successful in the truest sense.

---

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

---

Success isn't about the end result; it's about what you learn along the way.

---

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

---