Fashion should be fun. It shouldn’t be labelled intellectual. Don’t dress to kill, dress to survive. I always say: To be well dressed you must be well naked. Men don’t want another man to look at their woman because they don’t know how to handle it. Success isn’t about the end result, it’s about what you learn along the way.
I love things that age well – things that don’t date, that stand the test of time and that become living examples of the absolute best. I love a black wedding dress. There is always an emotional element to anything that you make. Money doesn’t buy elegance. You can take an inexpensive sheath, add a pretty scarf, gray shoes, and a wonderful bag, and it will always be elegant. If you cut a painter’s hands off, he’d still feel the urge to pick up a brush.
It should be natural, and that’s how I like women to look. I like them to feel comfortable and look organic. My breakfast is very important. Fashion moves so quickly that, unless you have a strong point of view, you can lose integrity. Give me time and I’ll give you a revolution. I design from instinct. It’s the only way I know how to live. What feels good. What feels right. What is needed. Give me a problem and I will approach it creatively, from my gut.
I think there is something about luxury – it’s not something people need, but it’s what they want. It really pulls at their heart. Fashion is a very stressful place to work because of the demands of doing the shows – no one expects a writer to produce two books a year on the dot – but it’s also a very toxic place to work. I don’t like trends. They tend to make everybody look the same. I always say: To be well dressed you must be well naked. I can design a collection in a day and I always do, cause I’ve always got a load of Italians on my back, moaning that it’s late.
Delete the negative; accentuate the positive! My job is to bring out in people what they wouldn’t dare do themselves. My aim is to make the poor look rich and the rich look poor. Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury. If I had the power, I would ban leggings.
Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it. I like the irony in my work. Sometimes the simplest things are the most profound. We live in an era of globalization and the era of the woman. Never in the history of the world have women been more in control of their destiny. Fashion never stops. There is always the new project, the new opportunity.
I’ve always tried to push myself technically and to push myself visually. That’s been part of the journey. My customers are successful workingwomen. Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them. The great thing about fashion is that it always looks forward. Everything I do is a matter of heart, body and soul.
