I got to train with some of the best and have critics like Oscar de la Renta and Calvin Klein. As a student under Calvin Klein, my project was to make a coat, and then years later, I was hired at Calvin, by Calvin, to design coats for him. It came full circle!

When I graduated from Parsons School of Design, the dean at that time said I would never be a designer. Obviously I didn't listen.

Many of my clients have become close friends, and that informs the clothing I design for them. Julianna Margulies was introduced to me by her publicist many years ago, and we've been good friends ever since.

When I was about 13, I met the coolest, chicest young woman I had ever seen. She was a neighbor of mine who became a fashion designer and had a small design studio. She taught me so many things about style and fashion. I had always loved making things, so when she told me about her career in fashion, I knew I had found my path.