I don’t like trends. They tend to make everybody look the same. I love my beauty. It’s not my fault. I’ve treated the waistcoat as if it were a corset, so that it becomes the first layer in the process of putting clothes on the body. There is constant motion between layering and revealing. Dressing up. People just don’t do it anymore. We have to change that. Attention to detail is of utmost importance when you want to look good.

Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them. I sometimes feel that a pattern is almost a fashion statement in itself. 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. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have a place to escape to. I never look at other people’s work. My mind has to be completely focused on my own illusions.

I try to contrast; life today is full of contrast… We have to change. I still appreciate individuality. Style is much more interesting than fashion, really. I am not interested in the past, except as the road to the future. Jeans represent democracy in fashion. Never in my wildest dreams did I entertain the idea that I would become a fashion designer.