Success isn’t about the end result; it’s about what you learn along the way.
A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her clothes.
In the end, it’s not about failure, it’s about how much you love what you do.
I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.
Don’t be afraid to take time to learn. It’s good to work for other people. I worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn.
When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.
When you love something, every day goes by in 10 minutes.
I never thought I’d be successful. It seems in my own mind that in everything I’ve undertaken I’ve never quite made the mark. But I’ve always been able to put disappointments aside. Success isn’t about the end result; it’s about what you learn along the way.
It’s hard to balance everything. It’s always challenging.
My normal routine is pretty much putting out fires all day.
It’s a remarkable exercise to sit and look at your own work over the years.
Fashion to me has become very disposable; I wanted to get back to craft, to clothes that could last.
Fashion offers no greater challenge than finding what works for night without looking like you are wearing a costume.
Design is about point of view, and there should be some sort of woman or lifestyle or attitude in one’s head as a designer.
It’s important to view fashion as personal and creative – even for brides. 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, they want you to be who you are. If you never wear blue eye shadow, why would you put it on on your wedding day? If you wear your hair simply, why would you suddenly dye it a different color and get a big ‘do? To me it’s about respect and self-understanding and honesty.
A bride should look at everything she possibly can…just so she can experiment and see what makes her really feel beautiful or glamorous or classical or whatever she desires to be on that particular day.
I see myself as a true modernist. Even when I do a traditional gown, I give it a modern twist. I go to the past for research. I need to know what came before so I can break the rules.
I’ve always tried to push myself technically and to push myself visually. That’s been part of the journey.
Every woman hates her own body. I don’t know a woman who doesn’t . . . well, I do know a few who love themselves but in the case of most women it’s like, “ugh.” And when I dress a woman, my design intention is to give them an attitude or a grace, no matter whether it’s a wedding gown or ready-to-wear.
When I design a wedding dress with a bustle, it has to be one the bride can dance in. I love the idea that something is practical and still looks great.
Although in skating you compete with other people, anyone who achieves a certain level of success is first and foremost competing against themselves. And for me the idea that I could always do better, learn more, learn faster, is something that came from skating. But I carried that with me for the rest of my life.
I am not the sort of woman who would wear high heels with a bathing suit. Let’s get that straight right now.
Even the most understated ceremony involves a certain respect for ritual and pageantry. No one plays more of a significant role than the bride’s 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 love a black wedding dress.
