In order to be responsible, you need some discipline in your life.

I studied at a university in Florence and finished my degree. My mother was very strict about this recipe: You need to get your degree.

I love Alexander McQueen. I like the construction of his suits. I think it's fantastic.

It's very important for a brand to have an identity through the years, but it's very important as well to evolve because times change so fast.

I'm a designer, and I work very hard at that. People sometimes want to put down fashion by saying it's frivolous or superficial, but it's not that way at all. It's actually very hard work.

During the eighties and nineties, people wanted to be chic, elegant, bourgeois.

It would be very easy for us to do a collection that everybody would like and not criticize. But criticism is a part of life. You have to take it.

I understand that the rule of fashion is to change, even as a successful designer - you do not want to be stuck in the same rut.

You can never forget the time you're living in because the past is the past and it will never come back. So to adjust your philosophy and creativity in fashion to the time you're living in is the most important thing.

I don't like my physique at all.

I know who the Versace woman is, because I wear the clothes myself.

I love anyone who breaks the rules, and musicians always break the rules - in an aggressive way.

My mother didn't want me to be in fashion. She was in the fashion business, so was my brother, and she thought it was too crazy for me. She wanted me to be married with children, to be independent, yes, but not to have a crazy life.

People are always surprised when they spend time with my children by how normal they are. They're polite. They're well mannered. They're very down to earth, in a way.

My muse changes all the time because I think every designer is a bit of a muse for themselves in a way - they just don't want to say it.

For so long Versace couture was identified with celebrities and music, which I love. But at the same time it could overwhelm the clothes.

Sometimes big designers are afraid that people won't recognize them if they change that much.

When I work, I wear pants usually because I want to be comfortable. I wear dark colors, especially in winter, because I don't want to concentrate on myself but on what I'm working on. Because I really, really love clothes, I can start to think too much about myself. It's distracting.

Showing your femininity should help your career and not go against your career. Dressing like a man, using the suit to look powerful - that was the '80s, and that didn't help women.

At that time of the supermodels, celebrities didn't want to be in fashion; they thought they were more intellectual and interesting than anyone in fashion.

Some say the economy means that you have to persuade people to invest in clothes - to buy less things but more expensive things. I disagree - invest in jewelry, or a house, maybe, but not in fashion.

When I meet celebrities, I have to know what they are like and only then can I design. The clothes have to fit their personality.

Something has to change in the world. Without change, young people will have no future.

I wake up at about the same time every day. I sleep well and wake without an alarm clock.

As with most things in my life, I believe you should try to enjoy yourself and never feel like you are a slave to a routine.

Gianni created the whole thing. I came later and helped him.

How do I keep young? Haven't you heard? I sleep every night in the deep freezer!

I find older men more attractive than boys. I need a man who can teach me a thing or two.

I don't even know what my natural colour is. Natural? What is natural? What is that? I do not believe in totally natural for women. For me, natural has something to do with vegetables.

I'm like a little kid when it comes to music. I mean, the music is always blasting wherever I am that people always knock on my door and say, 'It's too loud!' But I think music gives so much inspiration.

Women should be sure of themselves because women have a lot of capacities. We can achieve so many different things that men cannot. I think women are stronger.

I have an image of what a British gentleman looks like, and that image finds real expression in Prince Charles. He is beyond fashion - he is an archetype of style.

Women are all the same; we want to be smaller in the waist, longer legs, slimmer. I design for women and their defects, to make them better.

Lady Gaga is the present and the future. She is the most revolutionary and inspirational artist. She is fearless and daring.

I think people need to see Prince live to really understand how remarkable he is.

The three biggest fashion mistakes are cheap suits, shoes, and shirts. Spend your money on something good.

Die and born again, die and born again. It's the story of my life.

To define the era we live in is very difficult. How do we define it? We define it by music.

Some men look great unshaven; others just look like they forgot to shave. Beards and mustaches can be really distinctive if you go for an earthy, rock-and-roll look like the Kings of Leon or the Killers.

Fashion needs fresh blood, and London is the most creative place for that.

Richard Avedon is a true genius of photography and one of the greatest artists of our time.

The man of the millennium is much more liberated than the man of the '90s.

I have long been a fan and enthusiast where art is concerned.

For me, music gives a voice to fashion.

I love the mix of people who hang out at nightclubs now. Their individuality is an inspiration to me. The music they listen to, the clothes they wear and the way they wear them defines a street style that I love.

The body should be reconfigured by the clothes, never again the other way round.

In order to be responsible, you need some discipline in your life. For a while I lost mine.

I think there was a time when I was too strict and controlling. I think I asphyxiated my children.

We all retire one day. If we want to, if we don't want to.

Hollywood is a very inspiring place.