Zac Posen

“The first time I went to the Met Ball, I was 16. I was an intern there and saved up to buy a staff ticket to the party. That was my favorite experience going. It wasn't the red carpet; it was the experience of being there for the first time.”

“The practice of patience in crafting and process is a virtue that needs to come back.”

“As a designer, I'm not interested in trend.”

“One of my fantasies is to produce 'Auntie Mame' as a play.”

“The biggest thing politically within fashion is that the clothing should be displayed on different body shapes.”

“I believe that creativity is an important human experience and element in the same way as sleeping, eating, having sex.”

“I always end up in the kitchen at restaurants. At events or parties, too, I like to see where my food is prepared or made. I like the theater of it.”

“Obviously, I like very beautiful food, because I think as delicious as food has to taste, it also has to look very beautiful - the process of presentation is very important.”

“Some of the best kitchen discoveries come about through total kitchen disasters.”

“Sometimes, late at night on the set of 'Project Runway,' I've been known to pop an interpretive dance.”

“Everybody wants to be a star right now, to be heard, to have a voice, so you have to give the confidence for people to have that ability - and give them the wardrobe to become a star.”

“I think that maybe growing up and being dyslexic early on, the visual quality of cookbooks specifically was something very enticing to me.”

“I'm a SoHo born-and-raised kid. So my parents dragged me to lots of museums, and for birthdays and any kind of celebration, we'd go to the theater.”

“I am totally unattached to material items.”

“I like to vegetate when on vacation given my busy schedule when I'm at work.”

“When I first got to Brooks Brothers, my mom told me she remembered how upsetting it was trying to find professional clothes in the eighties. Suits would either be over-stylized or frumpy, so she said, 'Make sure it's tailored properly.'”

“I just think when you are dressing a celebrity, for me, I'm hopefully adding a moment. I always say, 'What role do you want to play?' when we start a fitting.”

“I try to push design boundaries using new draping and fabric manipulation techniques every time I approach a new design.”

“I'm interested in the opportunity that people can self-create using social media and the online dialogue. Before social media, you needed to have a lot of personal funds to break through to hire the right people and build a presence to start a line. It gives the opportunity and platform for people to be discovered.”

“To be able to buy a plant and plant it, that's a luxury to me.”