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

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

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

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 –...

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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...

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

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.

Fashion is not frivolous.

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.

I don’t like balance. Balance is not a word you can use in Versace fashion.

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...

Elegance is always in style for men. There are all different kinds of elegance. It can be silk, it can be a T-shirt.

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.

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...

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...

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...

For me, music gives a voice to fashion.

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

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

Feminism is dead in the world. It comes from another time. 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...

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

You can have small moments of happiness in life. You certainly can’t expect years and years of it.

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...

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

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

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

In my life I had no other choice than to become a strong person.

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.

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.

In fashion, only sexy won’t go out of fashion.

When my mother did fittings for her clients, I was hiding, looking at these beautiful ladies try on these fantastic clothes. I was dreaming as a small child to try these clothes on myself.

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 don’t even know what my natural color 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

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

I’ve learned how to appreciate what I have. And it’s a lot. I’m very lucky.

Fashion is a weapon that you can use when you need 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...

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.

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.

New York is full of creative people, not only in fashion.

I think my own look makes people think I’m tough, but when they get to know me I’m very different.