The Fashion Questionnaire

What makes the world's top fashion designers tick? Michael Specter's 'The Fashion Questionnaire', a collection of Q&As with 21 fashion luminaries, attempts to find out. Here are some of their answers, paired with looks from their Spring 2008 collections. TOMMY HILFIGER - Your favorite color: Navy blue, always. The collection you will never forget: My first, in 1985. Your favorite fashion accessory: A sense of humor.

NICOLE MILLER - Your symbol of high fashion: A martini. The style you most dislike: Flats.

KARL LAGERFELD - Your favorite model: Claudia Schiffer, really ... Your fashion motto: Long live the next ... collection.

MICHAEL KORS - Your favorite designer: Halston. The style you most dislike: 1980s shoulder-padded power suit.

VALENTINO - Your favorite color: Red. The collection you will never forget: The last one.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA - Your ideal bag: Small with big bills inside. Your favorite designer: Myself.

CAROLINA HERRERA - Your symbol of high fashion: The extravagance of details. Your favorite color: All colors except iridescent ones

DONNA KARAN - What is your present state of mind? Urban Zen. Your favorite decade in fashion: 1930s

JOHN GALLIANO - The fashion faux pas you can tolerate most: When it's obvious that they made loads of effort but somehow it still went all wrong. The fashion faux pas that you tolerate least: When no effort has been made.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG - Your historical muse or icon: Marlene Dietrich. Your contemporary muse or icon: Angelina Jolie.