Everyone wants to be young and skinny. This is awful. Curves are marvelous. Wrinkles are hypnotizing. Why not just be happy with who you are?

To be a fashion critic is easy because you just say, 'I love it, I hate it,' but life is more than love and hate.

Some days I feel like a piano: kind of short, always in black & white, always expected to produce music.

H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.

I am very sensitive to the smells and sensations that are part of perfumes because they remind me of things: moments from the past, people, events.

How do you stand out as a fashion ad campaign? By using people off the street it does generate buzz.

Wear flats. You're short. It's much cooler not to pretend.