I’ve never mentioned this, but when I was at Parsons teaching, the other design disciplines, they don’t like fashion design. They see it as very nineteenth-century.
I will say that the high road can get so high that you can get a nose bleed, in which case you have to get off the high road.
People believe that if you’re concerned about the clothes you’re wearing and the larger aspects of your appearance, that it’s anti-intellectual. I say “Hogwash!” The clothes we wear send a message about how the world perceives us.
People come up to me and share very personal and intimate things with me, and I am so touched by all the trust they have in me.
I would never dream of telling people how to dress. but I do say to them, however you are dressing, accept responsibility for it. And also, unless asked, I don’t judge. And if asked to judge – I would approach it socratically, I would approach it with questions.
Life is a collaboration, it’s not a solo act.
I don’t believe in the scraping of stuff. Take the existing condition, offer up a diagnosis for what’s wrong, and a prescription for making it work.
What’s interesting about textiles is that they are determined about three seasons in advance, that’s why when you walk into a store you think “Gee, everything looks about the same.”
I really cherish having my private time and being alone and being able to decompress. It’s my own version of meditating.
If you are going to be catty, you have to be careful with whom you do it, and in what manner! It’s the kind of behavior that is best kept behind closed doors.
I pretty much stay true to myself and try to find the good in people and not be snarky.
When it comes to Project Runway, for me the most memorable look ever presented goes back to season one, episode one, when Austin Scarlett created a ravishing cocktail dress out of cornhusks. It was really amazing.
Whenever people tell me they don’t know how to get inspired, I say “What’s the matter with you?! I could stay in my apartment and be inspired!”
As I’ve matured, I’ve developed more confidence in pattern mixing and in having a slimmer fit and in taking some risks, and I enjoy it!
The fit of jeans can be worlds apart from brand to brand. If you can find the right fit, skinny jeans can be very flattering.
Being in the moment is everything. So being in the moment for me is just letting the narrative play out, listening to the designers and giving them helpful feedback about what they’re doing.
The pervasive idea is that if you’re a man in the fashion industry, you’re gay until proven otherwise. And of course there are lots of men who aren’t. But people make certain assumptions.
And I’m the first one to tell people to break the rules. But you can only break the rules once you know what the rules are. The other thing is, fashion is the last design discipline to actually have academic texts and historical analysis.
The clothes we wear send a message about how the world perceives us.
I’m very budget-minded myself, and it serves me well.
It’s not an area where designers want to focus or pay attention – women who are larger than a size 12.