Donatella Versace Quotes

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.

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.

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

I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the first pattern, and then she had people working for her. So I grew up in an atelier, watching people all around me sewing. I was fascinated.

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

Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream.

Hollywood is a very inspiring place.

I do think that exercise is important, not only to keep you in shape but also for your state of mind. However, I am not fanatical about it.

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.

You can't pretend that everybody likes Versace. It would be boring. It's better to create a reaction than to create no reaction. That's dangerous.

Let's just say beauty inspires me. But I like all beauty - I think it really comes from the inside out.

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.

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.

It's no good being too easily swayed by people's opinions. You have to believe in yourself.

Powerful women intimidate men. If she's a really well-known woman, she has a career, she's famous - in that case, men are really afraid.

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

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.

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

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

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

I think men know to seduce women though words and conversation and nice gestures. That's much sexier than when a man uses muscle.

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

Fashion is not frivolous.

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

I think people need to see Prince live to really understand how remarkable he is. He has always been inspiring because he is never afraid to break rules or barriers or invent something new - and if you love fashion, then you need to be able to do that.

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.

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

I was a fashion addict by the time I was 11 years old. I'd wear a miniskirt and patent-leather boots.

In fashion, women have more sensitivity, more sense of the body, so they know how things fit and feel. Yet there are not many women who study fashion. It's ridiculous.

A business woman needs a successful mix of design and practicality.

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.

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.

For me, music gives a voice to fashion.

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.

The first thing I do each morning is get out of bed and give my dog, Audrey, a hug. She's a Jack Russell. I think having an animal is a wonderful thing, particularly dogs. They are great levelers, there's no nonsense with them, and they just want simple affection.

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.

You couldn't define the '80s when the '80s were happening. We kept changing. We had shoulder pads, then we didn't. It was revealing, and then it was decoration. It was a lot of things at once. It was defined when it was over.

I like to eat. Definitely. I love sitting around a table with my friends. But I don't know how to cook anything.

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.

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

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

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.

For me the safety pin is about rebellion, and I'm punk in the soul.

My style is not that big. I wear heels, tight pants, and I wear diamonds.

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.

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

Fashion is all about happiness. It's fun. It's important. But it's not medicine.

In mythology, the Medusa can petrify people with a look - which is a good thing, I think. But the Medusa is a unique symbol - something strong. It's about going all the way.