I always had to fight. I still do, believe it or not. When I had to go backstage. Even in Paris, I remember Billie Blair - a great model at the time - had to sneak me in by telling people I was her hairdresser. But her hair was so short, practically shaved. I said, "Couldn't you say I was your makeup artist?"

When I did my first story for Italian Vogue for Franca Sozzani, she gave me something like 47 full pages, and I was like, That's all? I didn't know any better.

I walked exclusively on the sidewalks. I was a city girl. I've never been countrified.

Somehow Annie Flanders from the SoHo News heard I was doing pictures and was headed to Paris. She saw my worked, liked it, and asked me to take pictures for her paper while I was there, but told me I would first have to buy a real camera - 35-millimeter. I got a little book that taught me how to load film. I read it on the flight to Paris. Hours later, I found myself at the top of the Eiffel Tower with Yves Saint Laurent and Andy Warhol. It's all been downhill since then.

I was always fascinated with people and places and seeing things I didn't know about.

Jack Geisinger. He passed, but we were friends up until the end. We took a dress design and apparel class, and I realized that I didn't like it, mostly because I couldn't sew very well. I then change over to textile design, where I could draw and paint. It was perfect for me. I got to the height of my career as a textile designer. I was working with people like Donna Karan, Jean Muir, and Scott Barrie.

I always had to fight. I still do, believe it or not. When I had to go backstage. Even in Paris, I remember Billie Blair - a great model at the time - had to sneak me in by telling people I was her hairdresser. But her hair was so short, practically shaved. I said, "Couldn't you say I was your makeup artist?"