As career designer fashion

A conversation among Carolina Herrera, John Simon, and John O'Sullivan.

JO'S: How did you start as a designer? CH: When I showed my first collection in 1981, the whole fashion world was going mad on layer after layer of very loose skirts and free blouses -- and no shapes. I came out with a collection that was all fitted. It was very feminine -- women showing their figures -- so everybody looked at it. It was really quite glamorous. That first collection had one distinctive feature -- big sleeves. Everyone asked me: ''Why big sleeves?'' I replied: ''Well, they are not that new. They have been a fashion feature from Elizabethan times, or even the Middle Ages, up to the Gibson Girls.'' All I did was to adapt them to modern times. They were successful because women liked these big sleeves framing their faces. JO'S: Do your designs come from your subconscious? Or are you consciously inspired by other designers? CH: I was always a great admirer of -- Balenciaga. For me Balenciaga is designing. The simplicity of his line, the way he cuts, he is timeless. But there are many others -- Schiaparelli for instance. Among contemporary designers, I like Armani very much, for his simplicity. I used to dress by Armani a lot. And I adore Saint Laurent, for his classicism. He will never be out of fashion.