"I'm a very restless person. I'm always doing something. The creative process never stops. "

"I wanted this, I wanted to do this, but my work is me, and it has to be right. "

"If you want to establish an international presence you can't do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris. "

Oscar De La Renta creates beautiful and classic designs that amaze and inspire all. Originally from the Dominican Republic, he moved to Spain at age 18 and soon after acquired an apprenticeship with Spain's most renowned couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga (another fashion name icon of admiration). Oscar De La Renta's name alone speaks of style and class; I leave you here with some of his words.

"Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with colors. "

"Now is the most exciting time in fashion. Women are controlling their destiny now, the consumer is more knowledgeable, and I have to be better every single day. "

"We're dealing with sophisticated customers. What's most important to these women is individuality. I have to create things she'll want to wear, no matter who she is. "




"I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant. "

"Dressing up. People just don't do it anymore. We have to change that."

"I'm an accomplice to helping women get what they want. "

John Galliano, a designer of great beauty, unique decadent style, and some delightful words as well. He is quite the character himself- transfered into his designs, that you can see in his creations and hear in his words. Someone who stands out with such bold statements as him is worth recognizing if not for curiosity alone.

I think his designs are not only gorgeous but incredibly inspiring. I admire his talents and boldness. Also, you can tell he is having fun which makes it even more inspirational. There is something to be learned here.


"Women are women, and hurray for that."

"My dresses are very reasonably priced, for dresses that are cut on the body. "

"Yeah, that's what I'm working for. The couture house of the future. "

"But I'm going to be a real good boy and take it day by day and try to concentrate on what's most important to me, and that's offering women a service. "

“Personality begins where comparison ends.”

"But if I have a lot of imagination, I could tell myself whatever I wanted, you know. I handle myself quite well. I'm kind of fascist with myself, you know. There's no discussion. There is an order. You follow it. "

I always find it interesting to hear what a designer has to say in words since they say so much in their designs. Karl Lagerfeld is no exception; and I will leave you here with some words from the man himself.


"I like today and perhaps a little future still, but the past is really something I'm not interested in. So, as far as I'm concerned, I like only the past of things and people I don't know. When I know, I don't care because I knew how it was. "

"I wanted to become a cartoon artist, a portrait artist, and an illustrator. This was my first idea."

"I'm not a marketing person. I don't ask myself questions. I go by instinct. "

"No, I'm not a French designer either. I'm from nowhere. I'm a European, old European is all I am. "

"Yes, and I can sit down on a white piece of paper and work because I don't believe too much into inspiration, only I'm waiting for inspiration, work and then inspiration may come. It's a little too easy to say that. "

"This is what I think is modern. It's like wearing a couture jacket with a pair of jeans."

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. "

A man who has made an incredible impact in my life and continues to do so through his remembered acts and words is our fortieth President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. What an incredible man; his words continue to inspire me no matter how often I see them.

"Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States."

"Facts are stubborn things. "

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."

"Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. "

"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."

"Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives. "

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."

"Man is not free unless government is limited."

"Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music."

"Well done is better than well said."

More great words from Benjamin Franklin.

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

"Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor."

"Drive thy business or it will drive thee."

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

"Genius without education is like silver in the mine."

"The world is changing and so is fashion."

"The creative universe begins with its essentiality, and, whatever path the imagination takes, ends with its purity. "

More luxurious words from Giorgio Armani; enjoy.

"I think at the moment everyone wants to render women more sexy, ... I want to render a woman more sexy, but dressed, with the form, the cut, the proportion, the length of the leg."

"Androgynous today means that men and women have the same attitude towards what they want to wear, ... It's not unisex dressing, but more the idea that you can see a jacket on a woman in this show, which you can just as easily see on a man."

"An ordinary person can simply walk into a shop and feel that they can participate in helping the needy by simply buying a perfume."

"There are always protests, whether you do something good or bad. Even if you do something beneficial, people say you do it because it's advertising."

I love the T-shirt as an anti-status symbol, putting rich and poor on the same level in a sheath of white cotton that cancels the distinctions of caste."

"You can see from my retrospective show that many products reflect the Chinese inspiration."

"I find that fashion recently has been a little too hasty. Oftentimes it's put together quickly to catch the attention of the media, and I didn't want to do that."

“The difference between style and fashion is quality.”

“It's all about good taste,”

Giorgio Armani's contribution to fashion is represented beautifully in his designs. Classic and fabulous, the wearer of his clothes feel instant power and confidence of themselves.

I've always adored his collections as so much is stated from the simplest of his silhouettes, and the construction of them which makes you feel like you are in the best of your own skin is absolutely heavenly.

Along with is fashion are some great words from the man himself; reflect, indulge, and enjoy.

“It would be very hard for me to do things somebody else's way,”

“I design for real people. I think of our customers all the time. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories that are not practical.”

“You won't notice the top models in the show. You won't be able to recognize them. ... It's about having this one concept, this one woman.”

“Actually I am very glad that people can buy Armani -- even if it's a fake. I like the fact that I'm so popular around the world.”

This next quote from Giorgio Armani is probably one of my favorites; it is a great one.

“The products that are moving out of the stores the fastest are those that are most expensive.”

“Women want to be sexy, so ... I will make them sexy.”

"Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days."

"There are three faithful friends - an old wife, an old dog, and ready money. "

Benjamin Franklin in his own words; there is nothing I feel I need to add here, simply for you to reflect upon and absorb as you go throughout your day.

Sometimes we simply need to be reminded of the effects those in our lives may have, and take greater power in the choices we make for ourselves.

"A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges. "

"Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none."

"Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing."

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."

"Anger is never without Reason, but seldom with a good One."

"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery. "

Some lovely inspiring words from Yves Saint Laurent; in his memory.

"Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it."

Isn't elegance forgetting what one is wearing?

Dressing is a way of life.

“A designer who is not also a couturier, who hasn't learned the most refined mysteries of physically creating his models, is like a sculptor who gives his drawings to another man, an artisan, to accomplish.”

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

"Why isn't it Japanese, and why must it be?"

I adore food and when it comes to chefs Masaharu Morimoto is one of the most inspiring to me. In his book, he tells a story of how after dining a guest came up to him and asked about the food. They were expecting something traditional, and his creations were magnificent, but not what they expected of the man. When the guest approached him and asked about it, saying they thought it was supposed to be Japanese cuisine at his restaurant, he answered

"Why isn't it Japanese, and why must it be?"

I love that; it can be applied in so many places as well. We all too often limit our ideas on a subject. Ideas can be expanded, and are not limited to simply our first impression of a subject. There is more than meets the eye.

There is another story he shares of a customer asking if they may cut a piece of sushi in half.

Each piece of sushi is masterfully created and well thought out for each flavor and texture, it is intended to be enjoyed in the manner it was created for. His answer to her was great.

"Of course you may cut it in half, as long as you put both pieces in your mouth to eat at the same time"

or something to that effect, the exact words may differ but the message is the same.

"“Nobody is here to fulfill your dream. Everybody is here to fulfill his own destiny, his own reality.”"

“If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinion for or against.”

"Truth cannot be defined, although it can certainly be experienced. But experience is not a definition. A definition is made by the mind, experience comes through participating. If somebody
asks, "What is a dance?" how can you define it? But you can dance and you can know the inner feel of it. God is the ultimate dance."

"Experience life in all possible ways --good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don't be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become."

"Falling in love you remain a child; rising in love you mature. By and by love becomes not a relationship, it becomes a state of your being. Not that you are in love - now you are love"


-Osho

“To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior.”

“People who say that life is not worthwhile are really saying that they themselves have no personal goals which are worthwhile. Get yourself a goal worth working for. Better still, get yourself a project. Always have something ahead of you to ''look forward to'' / to work for and hope for.”

“What is opportunity, and when does it knock? It never knocks. You can wait a whole lifetime, listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all. You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny. You prepare yourself to recognize opportunity, to pursue and seize opportunity as you develop the strength of your personality, and build a self-image with which you are able to live / with your self-respect alive and growing.”


Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a man who needs no elaboration as his own words do justice. Psycho Cybernetics is a must for anyone wanting to achieve anything out of life- it is all here for you.

But don't take it from me, take it from the man himself. It will make all the difference.

“Study the situation thoroughly, go over in your imagination the various courses of action possible to you and the consequences which can and may follow from each course. Pick out the course which gives the most promise and go ahead.”

Lio & The Game Of Life

Because sometimes you don't need the words to be said, the image does it all for you and more. I adore Lio, and the expression in this one in particular makes me smile every time. I love everything about it.

Inspiration- absolutely. Not to mention getting the thoughts in your head and making them come out aloud. With images it can be viewed multiple times with different meanings, or different takes.

Lio may be a bit dark in its humor, all the more reason to love it. It is such a true voice displayed without being held back for the approval of others. Quite an inspiration indeed.

It is a comic without text bubbles; one that gets its response through a natural reaction itself. Quite fun and much to the delight of my inner child. This is a must "read."

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous. "

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress."

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."

Coco Chanel spoke well beyond the mere appearances of fashion. There is so much more to be seen and understood from the clothes that we wear.

After all, it is about the person wearing the garments more than the garments themselves- they must be sending the same desired message.

You must always be true to yourself and give yourself the best possible outcome for life's opportunities. To be classy and fabulous is to be true to who you are at all times- speak what you believe and behave how you think as seen appropriate and fit. It is not about saying what you "think" others approve and believe to be "classy", especially if it is something you do not understand or approve of. Don't be fooled into becoming some molded idea of expectation- one, it will never be believed, certainly if you do not believe it yourself, and two, you lose sight of who you are and what is meaningful.

"Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."

I love this- it is so true and so often times ignored or carelessly dismissed. Don't let your beliefs be buried inside your mind never to be explored for fear of the doubt of others. Let them be revealed aloud with the power of your belief to hold them- you will grow and further to new visions and successes from it. There is no room to grow if you keep it trapped inside. You must be able to think for yourself.

Also, if you come across a barrier, there is always a way around it. You may need to change your perspective or back away and look at the scene from a distance. Things become more clear from such a point of view.

"Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions."

It is absolutely true, and perhaps why I adore it so. I can get into further depths with this, and perhaps will do so at a later time.

"All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea. "

"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

These are the great words of Napoleon Hill- a name synonymous with prosperity and success. No matter how often I hear or see these words, they have a great affect on me each and every time.

Often times I discover new things and meanings from the same words and messages I have read over and over again; this is especially true when it comes to the words of Napoleon Hill.

Think & Grow Rich is an incredible book that is a must read for those looking to obtain personal success, his knowledge is absolutely timeless and incredibly valuable.

It puts you in the right perspective and mind set to accept and achieve success.


"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed."

"Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive."

"The starting point of all achievement is desire."

"There are people who have money and people who are rich. "

"There are people who have money and people who are rich. "

I believe this so much I feel the need to say it twice. You can be wealthy and not yet have the money, though when you are wealthy the money comes. With my love of fashion comes Coco Chanel and her many words of wisdom, and so I bring them to you here as she has stated them in such a lovely manner.

Money only further emphasizes what you already are and believe; if you think money will suddenly absolve you and bring you happiness you will have many demons to face.

Don't be misguided though, I think of money as a very positive, happy, and positive thing- for it does emphasize what you are and already believe. All the more reason to be rich before your wealth.

And by that, I mean to be happy and eager to grow before your wealth. If you are the seed, money only strengthens what you intend to grow, be it a positive or negative creation. This creation is one you set far before the wealth, and so the truly rich and prosperous achieve this first.

Here are more words of guidance from Coco Chanel for you to take as you will.

"Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity. "

"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."

"Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future. "

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."

"Tell me what kind of food you eat, and I will tell you what kind of man you are."

My love for Gastronomy and Brillat-Savarin go hand in hand; and it is because of that I wish to start my inspirations for luxury with some of his words.


"The pleasure of the table belongs to all ages, to all conditions, to all countries, and to all areas; it mingles with all other pleasures, and remains at last to console us for their departure."


"The universe would be nothing were it not for life and all that lives must be fed."


Often times it is the simplest moments we hold dearest to us, and yet just as often we do not give proper recognition of our gratitude to these instances.

Imagine when you were a child and how your eyes delighted and the slightest little item- it may have even enticed such a curiosity that it has lead you to where you are now.

Chances are something has come to mind that once attracted you, made you smile, made you want to discover more and become more than you already are. However small it might be, all the better so long as you are aware of it and grateful for it.

More words of Brillat-Savarin to come, in the meantime I will leave you with these delightful words of a very brilliant man.


"A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman who has lost an eye."



Could not have said it better myself, bravo Brillat-Savarin, bravo.