Donatella Versace Quotations

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

I think glamour all the time. I wake up in the morning and I’m already thinking glamour.

The suit does not represent the businessman anymore. Nor does the loud shirt represent the rock star. The same man can now wear both.

Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

On a hanger, no dress is sexy. It's just fabric on a hanger.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 don't see anybody categorized as a 'fashion diva,' except for me! And I like that. I am thought of as a diva because I wear an evening dress and I take care of my look when I go out. I go to parties regarding business, not for fun. And that's why they call me a 'diva.'

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.

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.

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

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 always wear high heels - I simply feel naked without them.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Many young people don't know what Versace represent. I want to show what makes Versace an iconic brand.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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

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'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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

For me, music gives a voice to fashion.

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

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

I know who the Versace woman is because I wear the clothes 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 think my own look makes people think I'm tough, but when they get to know me I'm very different.

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

In Italian there is an expression: We don't sleep on the fame.

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.

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

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.

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.

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'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, 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.

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.

There are too many beautiful and talented women ?and let's not forget the men ? to choose from.

She needs a vacation. She's worked so so hard for so many years. She's a young girl and she's a little tired.

My favorite pantsuit is done in cherry color and all this is a very classic fabric with, like, a bustier, ... Very, very sexy.

For me, she is easier to relate to and more relevant than a model, and of course she looks simply beautiful in the clothes.

I would love to dress everyone...but what all these actresses this year have in common is great style, lots of personality and that star quality that makes the red carpet come alive.

It's good to see the children be creative. It's the pleasure of the future.

My main influence is - it's music. It lifts the spirit. I am always listening to music. And sometimes what inspires me is a little sound or some small arrangement. I really do listen to music continuously all day long - very loud, so people can't stand to be around me anymore.

I think sex is part of life, like eating and breathing.

I go from a full working day to making sure I am home for dinner with my kids. I couldn't do that in a 10cm mini skirt but I am not going to resort to sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

A business woman needs a successful mix of design and practicality. I look for that special piece that sets the watch apart from the norm. I want to have something unique that differentiates itself with style and glamour.

Fashion is not frivolous.