For me, haute couture is a necessity. I never would have done this job were it not for haute couture. It is a comfort, a security. I almost feel it is our duty to continue. Haute couture is France. We have to keep all the skills and craftmanship alive.

For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.

I am still in love with couture because it is just two months from drawing pad to runway so everything on the catwalk is hot from the oven.

If I was a fashion designer just following trends or designing for celebrities, I would not be fulfilled.

I am always anxious to know what has happened while I've been asleep.

I'd experienced the '40s and '50s by looking at my grandparents' old clothes, books, and magazines

The exchange by e-mail is more intimate than conversation - you allow yourself to say things you otherwise wouldn't.