I can not forget Melina Mercouri in black dress at 'Never on Sunday'.

If it's too fashiony, it's not interesting to me.

My eccentricity became direction.

People are so codified - it's sad.

When I first started to do fashion shows I didn't have the budget to hire top models so I would cast women who inspired me, and ask them to walk how they walked. I was doing a mise en scène, which for me was normal. I love for people to see my clothes, but it was more about the attitude of the girls. The revues of the late 19th century/early 20th century were very much a reflection of what was happening in society and politics, and for me that is also the role of the fashion designer.

Clothes became my attraction and obsession early. I wasn't so interested in dressing myself because I was not my object of desire.

The great thing about American women is their energy and the way they love to dress. French women don't really dress; they are too conservative, as it's always a question of money. In America, women are powerful and strong, determined. If they want to be an object, they choose to be in control.