Elegance is always in style for men. There are all different kinds of elegance. It can be silk, it can be a T-shirt.
Donatella Versace
Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.
Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream.
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.
Fashion is a weapon that you can use when you need it.
My style is not that big. I wear heels, tight pants, and I wear diamonds.
I think glamour all the time. I wake up in the morning and I'm already thinking glamour.
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.
To be Catholic puts a lot of fear in you. It's a great religion, but also one that can limit your experience. You fear experience because everything is a sin.
Fashion is all about happiness. It's fun. It's important. But it's not medicine.
Let's just say beauty inspires me. But I like all beauty - I think it really comes from the inside out.
You can have small moments of happiness in life. You certainly can't expect years and years of it.
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.
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.
It's no good being too easily swayed by people's opinions. You have to believe in yourself.
On a hanger, no dress is sexy. It's just fabric on a hanger.
A business woman needs a successful mix of design and practicality.
I've learned how to appreciate what I have. And it's a lot. I'm very lucky.
I always wear high heels - I simply feel naked without them.
In Italian there is an expression: We don't sleep on the fame.
I know who the Versace woman is, because I wear the clothes myself.
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.
The body should be reconfigured by the clothes, never again the other way round.
For me the safety pin is about rebellion, and I'm punk in the soul.
In my life I had no other choice than to become a strong person.
For me, music gives a voice to fashion.
Lady Gaga is the present and the future. She is the most revolutionary and inspirational artist. She is fearless and daring.
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 find older men more attractive than boys. I need a man who can teach me a thing or two.
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.
During the eighties and nineties, people wanted to be chic, elegant, bourgeois.
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.
In fashion, only sexy won't go out of fashion.
Fashion is not frivolous.
I don't like balance. Balance is not a word you can use in Versace fashion.
In order to be responsible, you need some discipline in your life. For a while I lost mine.
The suit does not represent the businessman anymore. Nor does the loud shirt represent the rock star. The same man can now wear both.
I think people need to see Prince live to really understand how remarkable he is.
In order to be responsible, you need some discipline in your 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.
Something has to change in the world. Without change, young people will have no future.
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.
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.
Sometimes big designers are afraid that people won't recognize them if they change that much.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Plus-sized women shouldn't think of themselves as a size. They should think of themselves as women with rich goals in life. Size doesn't mean, really, anything. You can carry your size with pride and dress in a way that you like.
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.
