I get so much inspiration from my travels, but I also started an exercise where I write down so many words every week. Then I begin crossing them off. We create a grid of words and also images, but words for me are more ample because you can interpret them your own way.
Brazil is not what you see but what you feel. Once you spend time here - a week, two weeks - you get in the vibe. It's really intoxicating.
I don't listen to music when designing. We create in silence. I go through a torturous process because everything has to be precise and right.
I didn't even have a portfolio, but I went to Tom Ford the next morning. He said, "I'd love you to come in with me. Get a lawyer." It was quite exciting, obviously, because it was a complete departure. But mind you, what he was looking for was the exact opposite of what I thought. My first collection for him was Cher-inspired. It was flower trousers, California, hippie cool, all the stuff I did at Oscar. It was making me sick. I wanted to see the other side of the spectrum. Tom was always very secure about the way he did things, so it was quite interesting for me.
Each season I strive to design a forward-thinking and effortless collection with a very clean minimalist aesthetic.
When a sketch comes into this three-dimensional form and everybody contributes, it's really fantastic.
I wanted to be involved with fashion, though I didn't know what being a designer meant.
You can't compare us, but I do think that Calvin Klein influenced his way of working. Calvin created this whole aesthetic with imagery - the whole sex thing. I can see that Calvin influence on his work. What Calvin has created is untouchable. My legacy, whatever it is I'm doing here, is miniscule compared to what he has done. It's just like an update deal.
Being sexy is not about what's on show, it's all about suggestion, or insinuation. I'm interested in the way a garment hangs on a woman's body and the way it moves when she moves.
My resolution is to make positivity, thankfulness and happiness my new mantra.
I hate to sound esoteric, but there is something about a house that leads you to that one chair, that one corner, where you just sit and feel comfortable.
My birthday is May 10. I'm so Taurus, you would not even believe. All the Tauruses I know have this connection to the earth and the environment. We are very curious people, very loyal, very aware of and respectful of our surroundings. Also we're stubborn, but that's our way. We understand what we want, which is not bad.
I just hate people who are lazy. To be on my team, you have to have energy and a sense of wanting to learn. That really excites me.
I came to New York in 1986. My father didn't think it was a good idea. I didn't know how I found it, but I went to Hunter College. I had no money and I couldn't speak English.
All the Tauruses I know have this connection to the earth and the environment. We are very curious people, very loyal, very aware of and respectful of our surroundings. Also, we're stubborn, but that's our way. We understand what we want, which is not bad.
I could never before say that I loved color or that I understood color. But Oscar de la Renta opened up a side of my brain.
I hope the average woman feels she needs practicality but with a little bit of fantasy. Otherwise it's just not fashion.
I don't love reading so much, but I love book shopping.
I never liked sleeping; I always think I am missing something.
Mid-'80s in New York was fantastic. I remember my first Gay Pride parade in the city. Where I grew up was very sheltered, so when I got to the city, there was this freedom and so much happening. At the same time, there was this pressure of AIDS and everything else. New York is so different today.
I have no tolerance for boredom. I spend so many hours in the office, and I still love it.
Milan, for me, is a city of discovery. You can find some amazing gardens behind some great houses; I also love finding beautiful galleries and incredible shops, but you have to explore. And the food is amazing.
I'm not an artist. I'm a fashion designer of clothes.
People don't really go to museums in Rio. I shouldn't say it's not sophisticated, but, you know, they go to the beach.
My parents had a factory, so I was linked to the textile and fashion industry.
