“I like the gritty parts of fashion, the design, the studio, the pictures.”

I don’t live through my kids. But I do know what will happen in life, and I just want them well prepared.

When brides ask me, “What’s the best advice you can give me on my wedding day?” I always have the same answer: “Be yourself.” Someone’s marrying you, they love you for who you are, and they don’t want you to be someone else.

I’m not really a girl who likes to go out to lunch or cocktails or store openings.

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

In the end, it’s not about failure, it’s about how much you love what you do.

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

Ready-to-wear is what I’ve wanted to do since the beginning. I’m not a girl who spends my life in a ballgown

I’m only waiting for Lindsay Lohan’s fashion collection to come out. Ten years from now, there may be no real designers left.

It takes tremendous will to compete in any athletic endeavor, so it meant going to bed early and getting my homework done in advance. I had to sacrifice things, like a social life, to be a skater at 15. But I loved skating so much that it was worth everything to me.

Brides today are increasingly sensitive to the tastes, feelings and finances of their attendants.

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.

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

I was struggling to find a way to make evening clothes more deconstructed. I like to think that I translated the Latin concept in a more modern way. I don’t think that I was that literal.

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

The way a dancer can bring the crowd to its feet with a drawn-out, well-executed pirouette is the excitement I wanted to capture with this design.

In the dream world of Matisse and the gritty reality of American frontier, the diversity of women in our society offers the chance for greater exploration and even greater inspiration.

If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It’s looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style.

Fashion is everything. Art, music, furniture design, graphic design, hair, makeup, architecture, the way cars look – all those things go together to make a moment in time, and that’s what excites me.

As a fashion designer, I was always aware that I was not an artist, because I was creating something that was made to be sold, marketed, used, and ultimately discarded.

Our life is like a block of ice which is melting away every moment. Before it spends itself, devote it to the service of others. Education in Human Values is designed to prepare everyone for this life of dedicated service.

I help design my own tennis clothes.

Ever since I was young I loved making things and being part of the design process.

I find a lot of inspiration in street style and watching women walk, the way they wear things and what they’re wearing.

Through my travels, I find inspiration in street style and how young women create their individual looks and identity.