I'm more eclectic.Maybe I'm minimalist in the respect that I love black...black for the winter, white for the summer, you know? But I love artisanal things.
I do remember how sexy my collection was after I first got involved with Stephan [Weiss]. That's one thing I don't have in my life now and...if anything, that's one thing I would love.
That's a journey I've been on for many years. I mean, being a working mother, realizing that I have to make and find my balance.
When I see a non-yogi [benefit], that's when it really affects my life.
I did Urban Zen for myself, to make clothes for me and my friends, a similar philosophy to when I started Donna Karan. Except this time I hope it will stay that way so that I will be able to support young designers and mentor them.
I'm not a fan of Donald Trump. To be perfectly honest, I don't think violence is the answer to anything and I think, hopefully, she [Hillary Clinton] will be our president.
I worked with a writer, Kathleen Boyce. It was a wonderful experience...but I didn't expect that the last chapter would be the last chapter of Donna Karan. That was probably the biggest shock.
I also miss the support that I had of so many people. You know I'm a very Ma and Pa operation right now, and I was used to having everything working for me. It was a similar situation when I left Anne Klein and started Donna Karan. All of a sudden I was working in my apartment and it was, "Oh my god, what am I doing?"
Usually I do a practice in the morning first and then meditate. I'm fortunate that I can do it in a car, in a bus, in a plane.
When I came to Delhi first and said, "This is not India. And then I was taken to Varanasi and there I loved, loved the culture. It was a beautiful journey. The way the people dressed - even the poorest people, and the fabrics! With vegetable dyes, and I was fascinated by the color. But in the end I loved the men - all in white - so many shades of white. And I said, "What am I going to do? A color collection or a white collection?" I finally did a neutral white collection.
If you look at the world today, there are as many solutions as there are problems. I think that is a big part of creativity. That's why I started Urban Zen. Because I wanted to dress and address people.
There was a time when we would pick up Women's Wear Daily and couldn't wait to see what it read. And now, you get it five minutes later on your iPad or your phone! The same has to apply to fashion.
[The consumer] shown new styles in the moment, but she's not going to get them for another six months - and I think that's very confusing for her. She feels she's seen it all by the time it comes around. She's also a little bored. She's really into [snaps her fingers], "Wear-now-buy-now."
You look at the world situation, look at London, Paris, Italy, it is all basically the same as the U.S. Then you look at other places such as India, Bali, with warmer climates, you know the Southern climates, they are very different. I think there is a time and place for everything and in Australia, for example, it is completely the opposite. I don't think we can be designing for that customer per se.
Now the industry is looking at the change in a very real way - to find ways of talking to the consumer much faster. Everything we have is changing with communication - from fashion to newspapers.
I don't feel burdened, but I do feel a little frustrated. Because I see the problem, and I can see the solution - but there are two strongly different points of view on this - like the Republicans and Democrats.
Personally, I don't use fragrance, and only use essential oils. Stephan [Weiss] said, "Donna, we have to do fragrance - fragrance will last forever - fashion goes up and down. And I said, "I love Casablanca lilies, I love the smell of your neck and I love suede. If you can combine these three together, we can discuss it."
Sometimes it takes a germ of an idea, which takes a long time to digest.
I love working in the markets, I love working with fabric. So I'm not that conditioned to one thing.
I spent two weeks at the Sadhguru's [Jaggi Vasudev]. It was a wonderful experience. It was very different from what I normally do - earlier I used to do Ashtanga [yoga] all the time.
There's such a void in the medical system. When my husband was sick, it became very apparent to me that the nurses were doing the doctor's job, and the doctors were doing the disease job, so no one was caring for the patient and the loved one.
You have to keep your eyes and heart open - there are always new things to discover, new problems to solve.
I love skiing, I love the sun, I love my children, I love my grandchildren, I love my family and friends... and whatever I haven't done.
Business, numbers, negotiations, all that stuff I wouldn't go near.
Basically, I was a hippie and still am a flower child.
