An Interview with Oscar De La Renta
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's Fashion Week in New York. Live pictures now straight from the runway. We get the latest from CNN's fashionable Jason Carroll -- Jason.</s>JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. We're backstage. Well, actually now, we were backstage. We now in the front of the house with Oscar De La Renta. The show has just ended. Mr. De La Renta, joining me right now. A fantastic show. Tell us about what your inspiration was for fall 2004.</s>OSCAR DE LA RENTA, DESIGNER: Women. It's all about women. This is most exciting time in history for a woman to be a woman, because there has never been ever a woman as in control of her destiny as a woman now. I always keep saying not for us...</s>CARROLL: Good for them, yes.</s>DE LA RENTA: But this is the century of the woman, you know. It's great for somebody who create clothes to be designing clothes now.</s>CARROLL: Well, the clothes are certainly beautiful. I know that you're waiting for the first lady. She is obviously a fan of yours. She'll be talking to you just few moments from now. Also, Billy Joel here as well, Donald Trump. How important is it for to you have these recognizable faces paying homage to your clothes?</s>DE LA RENTA: It is important, but what is important at the end is the clothes themselves, you know, because that's what people come for. If you have a lot of personality and very ugly clothes...</s>CARROLL: What's the point, right?</s>DE LA RENTA: We were talking a little earlier about there was sort of a little bit of drama here on the runway at one point, Kyra, one of the models went down, she fell down, and I think a lot of us wanted to help her up, and she popped right up.</s>DE LA RENTA: I saw it on the video, and I really felt bad for her. Because for these girls, the one thing is that she's so young, and she just can spring up very quickly.</s>CARROLL: She was agile, right?</s>DE LA RENTA: She was agile. I feel bad for her. Because for them, it's working so fast and doing -- you can't imagine, you know, we show, I don't know, about 55 dresses in less than 12 minutes, you know, on this set. It's very challenging (ph) back there.</s>CARROLL: It is. I know that a lot of girls get nervous when they come out. Also, describe what Fashion Week is like for those people who are unfamiliar with Fashion Week. Tell us what this whole spectacle is like for you from the design point of view?</s>DE LA RENTA: Well, first of all, being in New York, this is the greatest city in the world. And Fashion Week does something really quite extraordinary. First of all, it brings a lot of people into the city. And just for us New Yorkers -- even with my accent, I am a New Yorker -- to say how proud and how great we feel of our city. That's wonderful. And this is a big moment for the city.</s>CARROLL: Mr. De La Renta, Oscar De La Renta, thank you so very, very much. Wonderful collection.</s>DE LA RENTA: Thank you.</s>CARROLL: Thank you.</s>DE LA RENTA: Again, Kyra, we're going to be here all week, folks like Mr. De La Renta showing you the very best from the runway, so you'll have to stay tuned to see what else we've got to bring for you -- back to you.</s>PHILLIPS: Jason, I'm just wondering what's it like to be in the front row, corner seat, as every beautiful woman strolls right by you?</s>CARROLL: You know, that's as close as I'm ever going to get. It's never going to happen to me again. This is all that I could get, you know. You have a to take opportunities when you can grab them, Kyra. No, it was truly -- It was beautiful. It was really interesting to see these girls. And I got to tell you, these girls, you got to give it up to them, you think it's easy walking down here, like I said, one of the girls went down. They're wearing these long dresses and the heels are like this high. It's not as easy as it looks, you know, but just a beautiful experience all the way around.</s>PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm sure, you're just the man for the job, Jason Carroll. Thank you.