Tamara Mellon Quotes

There have been moments in my career when I've had to be tough and I've had to step up to the plate - but usually that's because a man has underestimated me. But other than that, I wouldn't say I'm a tough person.

I just can't see myself as a trophy wife. I can't imagine not having my own life.

It doesn't matter what you are wearing-if you have good shoes and a good bag, you'll look right.

If I wasn't in fashion, I would have been a psychiatrist.

My mother and I never got along, not even when I was a child.

Direct to consumer really gives you control of your business completely.

I don't really understand what the public perception of me is. I think public perception and reality are two wholly different things.

My worst date would be with someone nervous who has nothing to say. I like people who inspire me.

What I hate is leather leggings and an ankle boot. I hate the line.

You never know. Down the road you can do a lot of product categories. But I think you really have to build your core first and for people to know you and respect you for that.

It's amazing how much resilience you can have when you're passionate about a project that you're doing.

People who are over-educated become risk-averse.

I have Vie Luxe candles in every room. In 2006 I spent the month of August in Sardinia, and the scent reminds me of the wonderful time we had.

Men always look smart in a well-fitted, tailored suit. Conversely, they can be incredibly handsome in jeans combined with a cashmere jumper or a beaten-up leather jacket or even just a cotton T-shirt.

I tried to put direct to consumer through a wholesales channel - the industry was just not ready to adapt and change. The other issue I had was with Jimmy Choo.

My daughter is my passion and my life.

A magazine feature can reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers for a fashion brand. The way to reach a billion? Dress the actresses competing for attention at a highly televised event.

What we're doing is giving her new exciting fashion things every month.

I always knew I wanted to make my own way; I never wanted to be dependent on my father.

I don't believe in doing collections anymore.

The truth is that we all have lives that are complicated. We all get hurt by people we love sometimes. It's laughable to believe that anyone is immune. The important thing is how you behave.

The reality is that I spent years in the factories in Italy when I first set up Jimmy Choo. Today, everyone who has a job at Jimmy Choo, I've done their job - right down to the cleaner.

My motto is: feel the fear and do it anyway.

Its important for women to work. They need to keep their independence, to keep earning and being challenged.

I often get the question from people, "well how can you sell luxury at that price?" What I'm explaining to everyone is I'm still paying the same factory cost as I paid when they were $800. I pay the same as my competitors who are in the luxury space pay, I just don't mark them up as much because I haven't put them in a wholesale channel. I don't have to put that extra margin on them.

A little jewellery on a man is OK, although he should never wear too much. Every man should always have a great watch.

I actually have more shoes than anyone will ever know.

I think it takes 30 years to build a luxury brand.

The thing about Uggs is that they're so comfortable. Once you've worn them, you don't want to go back.

I went back to the factories that I worked with at Jimmy Choo because they don't work for Jimmy Choo exclusively.

I'm always impressed by confidence, kindness and a sense of humour.

I had to put the company through a reorg, raise a new round of financing, and sort of press the restart button. But my feeling was that I wasn't going to be bullied. I wasn't going to let them take me down. I had to pull myself together and move forward.

If a woman gets tough in negotiations, she's difficult, whereas a man would be considered a brilliant businessman.

I always said I was determined to own a truly global brand. I didn't buy Jimmy Choo just to have a couple of shoe shops in London, did I?

My business savvy it’s instinct. Everything I do is just really my intuition, and every time I go against my intuition, it’s a mistake. Even though I may sit down and analyze and intellectualize something on paper, if I go against my gut feeling, it’s wrong.

The next few years is really going to be focused on shoes.

As a Business Ambassador, I am delighted to help both new and established British designers receive the recognition they deserve in the global fashion arena.

In the past there were two things that motivated me then: independence, and passion about what I was doing. And those are still the things that motivate me now. I still have that passion for creating a product. And I will never be dependent on a man. I will never be dependent on a husband or a boyfriend or a father. That's one thing that's really important to me.

There's this sort of migration west at the moment, a sort of energy that's definitely moving to LA.

I don't believe in delivering four times a year and then also delivering things that are not season appropriate.

I have a personal motto that I live by, which is feel the fear and do it anyway. If you fail, you get up and you keep trying again.

Everything I do is just really my intuition, and every time I go against my intuition, it's a mistake. Even though I may sit down and analyze and intellectualize something on paper, if I go against my gut feeling, it's wrong.

The city [ LA] is kind of going through an interesting transition; sort of renaissance time where there is so much going on here. I think it's really exciting to be here.

When someone asks about a career in fashion, I say start at the bottom. If you want to start a business, you have to know it from the ground up.

Everyone in my office wears it all winter, it's our uniform because it's the easiest thing to wear.

[My consumer] is a combination of people who would have shopped with me when I was at Jimmy Choo and then also because of price point, there is a broader audience now that we can reach.

Everything we're doing means there is a much bigger audience that we can reach.

It felt like strappy sandals were looking really old lady-ish; really dated and not cool.