I don't design clothes, I design dreams.

And I'm excited when I find somebody stimulating to talk with. That's one of the great treasures in life.

Sometimes when I walk into one of my own stores, I look at the display and say, "This looks so good - I want to buy it." Yet other times I walk in and the displays and mannequins will be all wrong, and I don't want to buy anything. When a customer walks into a store, she's looking for inspiration. So I'm tuned in to people, and I care about what they need and who they are.

What I do is about living. It's about living the best life you can and enjoying the fullness of the life around you- from what you wear, to the way you live, to the way you love.

My father was an artist. When life was harder and he couldn't get jobs, he painted houses, but he was artistic. When I went to see his work, it was special. Somewhere along the line, I felt I was special. I didn't know why.

Books open windows to the world and have the power to transform lives.

Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It's not about brands. It's about something else that comes from within you.