Quotes from Derek Blasberg

I used to sleep in the T-shirt I wore during the day and whatever ratty old gym shorts I could find on the floor. But one year for Christmas, someone gave me a very chic, comfortable pair of pajamas from Brooks Brothers, and I realized the error of my ways.

One of the perks of my job as a fashion journalist is the travel opportunity.

I know it's not particularly tech-savvy of me to suggest a camera that doesn't have a touchscreen, but I think when it comes to candid shots of nights out with friends, there's nothing better than a disposable camera.

I try to wear a watch all the time, because I think guys get the short end of the stick when it comes to jewelry and accessories. A watch is a very chic men's item, and you're sort of wasting it if you just look at your cell phone.

I moved to a city and joined a sort of fast crowd. A lot of people who grew up in the city sort of aren't aware of manners and other ways of life and 'common decency.'

With her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' Rooney Mara gave fashion fans a new Gothic-chic muse.

I use a Blackberry. I'm so behind on mobile communication technology, I think a smartwatch may be too far a leap.

I don't have some sort of moral dilemma with coming as a guest to an event or a fashion show.

Some of my best friends here in New York have pasts I have a hard time reconciling with the people I'm close to now. But I wouldn't change them - or their pasts - for anything in the world. Their experiences are what made them the people they are today.

For me, in a world full of armies of stylists and makeup artists, what I think truly makes a fashion icon is how a girl dresses when she's off duty and she has to put her own looks together - no small challenge!

Temptation is as old as time; or at least, the history of temptation extends as far back as the moment Eve gave Adam that serpent's apple. But what sets the lady apart from the tramp is the ability to acknowledge she needs to clean up her act - and then, of course, the fact that she actually does clean up her act.

Although it's not something I'm particularly proud of, I'm willing to admit that, in addition to whiling away the long stretches of time in the air and waiting in airport lounges reading the 'New Yorker' and 'New York Times' on my Kindle, I've picked up the occasional tabloid magazine.

I grew up in the Midwest, so I have sort of an honorable moral code. But I moved to a city and joined a sort of fast crowd. A lot of people who grew up in the city sort of aren't aware of manners and other ways of life and 'common decency.'

Turning the heat up on the red carpet while still looking like a lady isn't as easy as it sounds. Too much va-va-voom, and a girl can look like she just stepped out of 'Jersey Shore.' Too little, and she'll look like a sister wife.

I try to go home to Missouri every couple of months. I do that because I like my family, of course, but my mom doesn't know who Carine Roitfeld is. And as much as that horrifies me, it's a good way to keep your feet on the ground.

Jess is not only a successful actress but also has a line of eco-friendly products called Honest that's become a million-dollar business. Jessica Alba an undercover businesswoman? That's my favorite kind of style - the kind with substance.

I feel like I have been portrayed as if I was standing outside Cipriani hoping someone picks me as their plus-one.

I think the sort of person you want at a party is someone who is self-aware, polite and has a basic knowledge of table manners. And that goes for both men and women.

I stumbled upon the 3x1 shop because it's a few doors up from the 'V' magazine offices on Mercer. The store is intense: They can take your measurements, and the sewers are right there behind glass making what amounts to a couture pair of jeans.

Even on vacation, Rihanna's easy breezy chic is not complete without a red lip.

Still teenagers, Harry and Peter Brant II have never disappointed when I've seen them out and about in New York, Paris, and Venice (Which is where all schoolkids go on field trips, right?) They're not afraid of wearing brooches, capes, embroidery, and even a dab-bing of makeup.

Sometimes I wish that Anna Wintour didn't know I existed.