Top 70 Donatella Versace Quotes

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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.’

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.

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

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

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

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

I like perfume and flowers.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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’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.

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

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

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.

Hollywood is a very inspiring place.

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

Fashion is not frivolous.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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 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 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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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

I don’t like my physique at all.

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

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

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