I do think I know more about clothes than any 500 designers, because there's nothing like wearing them. You buy them, you study them, and you start to understand how they're crafted.

I wanted to define the vocabulary of a wedding both visually and intellectually. The book is about more than weddings or wedding dresses. It's a metaphor for women's lives, their creativity.

I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.

Success isn't about the end result; it's about what you learn along the way.

I don't live through my kids. But I do know what will happen in life, and I just want them well prepared.

I see myself as a true modernist. Even when I do a traditional gown, I give it a modern twist. I go to the past for research. I need to know what came before so I can break the rules.

Fashion to me has become very disposable; I wanted to get back to craft, to clothes that could last.