I think I'm a global citizen. My parents came from China, were educated in France and emigrated to the United States. And I think that opened up my mind to be able to live and work anywhere.

When punk really started to happen, it was a reaction against the disco craze of the time.

I knew since the age of four that I wanted to be a clothing designer. I read an article in LIFE magazine about two young ladies that graduated from Parsons School of Design, and when they graduated they went to Paris and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor opened a boutique for them. So I thought, "Oh, I just have to go to Parsons, that's all."

I’m always about optimism and exuberance. It’s what I feel about fashion.

I love the fact that fashion always changes, and I hate the fact that it always changes.

There are always different influences each season. It could be a person, it could be a piece of furniture; it depends on what I'm obsessing about.

When I look at designer books I am sometimes puzzled why they don't share their inspiration, when it's obvious somebody had such great inspiration.