I've been really into a light, bright playfulness that's been missing. I looked at these '60s and '70s photos of Jackie O. She went to Capri every summer, but she was always a little more playful, a little more colorful, than she was in 'normal' life. And it was exciting to see her a little bit "off duty." The colors are from awning stripe umbrellas, from a really clear ocean, and from ripe citrus.

Working in a salon, you look at trends all day long. You're looking at color all the time, what new products are coming out. You're a part of the fashion industry, especially if you're working in a higher-end salon.

These kids are more savvy. They know what people are wearing instantly. It's brutal. We're the ones sending the dresses and we can barely keep up; these kids see it before we do. So we know they're plugged in. Now they can forget that for a few hours. Just go big with ideas! Experiment!

There are still places to go, there are still dinners, there are still parties, and you can still get dressed up. That's part of having fun in fashion.

When you're an adult designer, you're either running a business or you're helping someone else's business run. Either way, that's a lot of pressure.

And even with traditional fashion models, where it's their job to be a certain size and a certain proportion, you have to make adjustments once you see your clothes on a real live person. Now imagine doing that with more sizes, more proportions. You really have to play with every piece. So timing is a big part of it. You have to make the time.

A bad investment is going for quantity over quality. If you're trying to be careful with your wallet, especially with the economy right now, you have to choose staple pieces.