Before my sister, Sara, and I went to bed at night, my mom would show us books on Manet and other artists. Even then I was always really interested in how the women looked in the images.

The biggest compliment to me is being able to dress so many different women from so many different backgrounds.

I don't know if I've ever had a muse per se. I would say that the woman I'm inspired by exists more in my sketchbooks. She exists in my head.

I've always been intrigued by things that insinuate femininity, so in my designs, something like a flower is never about the fact that it's a flower. It's more about what that repetitive motif implies.

When I was a little boy, I was fascinated with how women looked and carried themselves.

I love when people wear flowers in their own way, like when I see someone wearing a floral dress with brogues and a jacket. It's incongruous.

My first introduction to fashion probably came through television: I was obsessed with Elsa Klensch, who used to cover fashion for CNN.