I see myself as an arbiter of taste.

Brides today are increasingly sensitive to the tastes, feelings and finances of their attendants.

I think fashion is intensely personal. It should be. It should give a woman a creative outlet, it should give her a little bit of an escape, and it should give her a little bit of individuality that she can add to her life. I don't mean redoing your entire closet. I mean that a great shoe or a great handbag or a great top or a great coat or jacket can change everything.

I was stigmatized by being a bridal designer for a long time. I am amazed I have been able to move beyond it. I had really all but given up trying, but I did it because it was my lifelong dream.

All those years of skating and dancing have carried over. I can't design anything without thinking of how a woman's body will look and move when she's wearing it.

I was a total fashion insider who became an outsider when I did bridal.

I do speak Mandarin, and I also relate to the hunger that China has for culture and architecture and style.