Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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'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.

I like perfume and flowers.

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

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.

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

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

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'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.

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

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.

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.

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 don't like my physique at all.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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