I can say, let's go to the DNA of the brand and find something that I can introduce into my work. It's part of the patrimony of fashion.

More than anything, I'm designing for a woman of today. I want to be a witness of my time.

Fashion is a playground up until a certain age. But then you have to find your own signature and your own style.

Naturally looking at something will become so important in your aesthetic. For that, you have to be disciplined, too, in the way that there is a moment to catch and there is a moment to express. The moment to express has to be so pragmatic, because you have to build the clothes; you have to be very, very specific about how you want to describe to other people, for the color of the fabric, the way of sewing things, putting things together.

First, at a certain point, I wanted to have my own magazine, but I never could. Why? Because I am not commercial enough. The people who would have been able to give me my own magazine, they were not insulting me, but they would simply say, "It wouldn't work for you." And that was a big disappointment to me.

It was time to come up here and retire with my wonderful husband, and my children and my grandchildren, and make that change. I'm not good at hanging on. When I make a decision to cut it off, I have to cut it off completely. I'm not good at, "Oh, I'll stick around and consult a little bit." I'm not good at that and I don't want to do that. I don't think you get anywhere doing that. I mean, I don't, although other people might. But that's not my personality. It's not my id. I have to make the break and be a good sport and adjust to it.

I put pressure on myself to propose something new - I think it's the minimum that you can do as a fashion designer.