Today, people no longer go out with a total look or ensemble taken straight from the runway. Customers mix and match between labels and between price points. The idea is to create something for yourself: what you want, and how you want it. I realize that shoppers want more flexibility and choice now.

Retailing has become fiercely competitive. Today there are many large global fashion companies who have opened up mono-brand stores in major cities around the world. When I first opened my boutique in New York, in 1985, there were almost no other European luxury brands present with their own stores. Now Fifth Avenue is packed with huge stores from major Italian and French labels.

The human body is something that I truly love, above all else.

I think that everyone has the right to fall in love at any age. But in life you have to learn how to control your emotions. You must know self-discipline.

I sensed that women wanted to be a little different. My fluidity gave them a way of interpreting their bodies in a more personal, individual way.

Anyhow, even though I have this home theater, I love going out to the movies. Movies are meant to be experienced together.

My aesthetic is about simplicity, elegance, and comfort, whether that is interpreted in a man's suit or a track suit.