For me, Lancome was more than just a brand. There was something very nostalgic about the name, about the whole story.

It was not the story of design or clothes, it was the fantasy of women that made me want to work in fashion.

I always say that women are very strong and men are powerful. But beauty gives you both strength and power. I never think of it. It's just one of those natural things. It's the only thing I know how to do.

Run away from laziness; work hard. Touch intuition and listen to the heart, not marketing directors. Dream.

Yves Saint Laurent gave women power, Chanel liberated them and when I joined Lanvin, I thought 'what do I bring to women? One day, I received an SMS from a friend in New York - she was in a taxi on the way to court to face her arsehole ex-husband, and she said to me 'Alber, I am wearing a Lanvin dress, and I feel so protected.' That to me was the biggest compliment I ever received. To have a 500 gram piece of silk make her feel protected - that made me very happy indeed.

I do sport at the gym a few times a week, but I hate it. Work is my only remedy. I feel so twisted and horrible in the morning, but then I go to the office and I start feeling better. Work is my Tylenol. Extra-strength.

I created the peplum so you can eat in it. You can have a dessert, you can have another sandwich.