You have to have doubts. I have collaborators I work with. I listen, and then I decide. That's how it works.

I wanted to dress the woman who lives and works, not the woman in a painting.

I was an observer. I liked to listen rather than openly express myself. This trait is something that I've retained over the years.

During a fashion show, I want the clothes to speak. The effort I put into my work must be respected.

I dress in my 'uniform,' or my own dress code, which reflects my personal method and work ethic. My belief is that my plain T-shirt - I have about 40 of them - or blue sweater helps focus others' attention on me and on what I say.

When I started Giorgio Armani in the mid-'70s, I realized that women needed a way to dress that was equivalent to that of men - something that would give them dignity, an attitude that would help them handle their work life.