Donatella Versace
I like perfume and flowers.Collection: Valentines
I think glamour all the time. I wake up in the morning and I'm already thinking glamour.Collection: Morning
Let's just say beauty inspires me. But I like all beauty - I think it really comes from the inside out.Collection: Beauty
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.Collection: Design
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.Collection: Design
A business woman needs a successful mix of design and practicality.Collection: Design
Lady Gaga is the present and the future. She is the most revolutionary and inspirational artist. She is fearless and daring.Collection: Inspirational
Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream.
It's no good being too easily swayed by people's opinions. You have to believe in yourself.
Elegance is always in style for men. There are all different kinds of elegance. It can be silk, it can be a T-shirt.
Fashion is a weapon that you can use when you need it.
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.
The three biggest fashion mistakes are cheap suits, shoes, and shirts. Spend your money on something good.
Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.
I've learned how to appreciate what I have. And it's a lot. I'm very lucky.
Something has to change in the world. Without change, young people will have no future.
During the eighties and nineties, people wanted to be chic, elegant, bourgeois.
I find older men more attractive than boys. I need a man who can teach me a thing or two.
I think my own look makes people think I'm tough, but when they get to know me I'm very different.
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.
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.
Many young people don't know what Versace represent. I want to show what makes Versace an iconic brand.
Fashion is all about happiness. It's fun. It's important. But it's not medicine.
In my life I had no other choice than to become a strong person.
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.
To define the era we live in is very difficult. How do we define it? We define it by music.
I have long been a fan and enthusiast where art is concerned.
I have worked with wool all my life as a designer. There's so much more to it than knitwear - it's an amazingly versatile material and can be used in so many different ways from chic to rustic.
I always wear high heels - I simply feel naked without them.
In fashion, only sexy won't go out of fashion.
I'm a feminist. I want to fight, but I don't see many people with this desire to fight for something. Women don't help each other, especially in fashion.
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.
Richard Avedon is a true genius of photography and one of the greatest artists of our time.
In order to be responsible, you need some discipline in your life. For a while I lost mine.
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.
I don't like my physique at all.
Scent is very important. Strong fragrances suit some men, while citrus types suit others. I like my men to smell fresh and woody, but also like a man.
In Italian there is an expression: We don't sleep on the fame.
For me, music gives a voice to fashion.
For me the safety pin is about rebellion, and I'm punk in the soul.
The suit does not represent the businessman anymore. Nor does the loud shirt represent the rock star. The same man can now wear both.
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.
Die and born again, die and born again. It's the story of my life.
Gianni created the whole thing. I came later and helped him.
I like to eat. Definitely. I love sitting around a table with my friends. But I don't know how to cook anything.
I don't like balance. Balance is not a word you can use in Versace fashion.
Sometimes big designers are afraid that people won't recognize them if they change that much.
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.
If I could dress anyone, I'd like to dress the Queen - she can handle anything. I'd put her in black - she never wears black - and add a little leather, maybe. A little rock n' roll.
For so long Versace couture was identified with celebrities and music, which I love. But at the same time it could overwhelm the clothes.