I love a black wedding dress.

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

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Every woman hates her own body. I don't know a woman who doesn't . . . well, I do know a few who love themselves but in the case of most women it's like, "ugh." And when I dress a woman, my design intention is to give them an attitude or a grace, no matter whether it's a wedding gown or ready-to-wear.

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I am not the sort of woman who would wear high heels with a bathing suit. Let's get that straight right now.

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

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When you love something, every day goes by in 10 minutes.

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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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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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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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