Harper's Bazaar caught up with "seamstress" (as she describes herself) Carolina Herrera who reflected on her privileged upbringing in Venezuela, her husbands and daughters, and 30 years in the fashion business.
On dressing Jackie O.:
"When I started, she came to me, and I dressed her a lot for those last years. It was fun to have her there and a great inspiration. She was so natural and knew exactly what she wanted and what looked good on her....Jackie had a great sense of history and responsibility for what and who she was. She said, 'I am nothing. He was the president. I was only the first lady, so I don't have anything to say.'"
On Andy Warhol:
"Andy [Warhol] and I used to see each other all the time with Bianca [Jagger] then. When he did my painting, I went to his Factory, and he took 40 or 60 Polaroids....He was quiet, but he did say key things in a very funny way. Andy seemed to be very timid, shy, but he liked being very successful. I remember when he wanted to be a fashion model. He was cast in a Halston show. Bianca and I were in the audience, and when Andy walked in and saw us there, instead of going backstage, he stopped and said hello to all of us. That was the end of that."
On her first runway show in 1981:
"It was a madhouse. I had live music, a pianist playing Cole Porter songs. I thought it was divine, but there were many problems. Some of the models' looks weren't even finished. Iman's hem wasn't done, so we had to use pins, but she was so happy to work with the pins, and she looked fabulous."
Take a look at Carolina photographed by Victor Demarchelier for Harper's Bazaar. And for the full story and more images of the designer through the years, head over to HarpersBazaar.com.
