The Proust Questionnaire with Carolina Herrera

Countless people uphold that Carolina Herrera is the epitome of femininity, grace and wit. If you forget the whole class and privilege thing, listening to her could make old world style and manners seem relevant today. Vanity Fair recently got her input for their Proust Questionnaire and her answers certainly testify to her likability.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfection does not exist—only God is perfect.
What is your greatest fear?
The loss of memories.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Envy.
What is your greatest extravagance?
The waste of time.
What is your current state of mind?
Sunny but with a few clouds here and there.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Virtue.
On what occasion do you lie?
Whenever I have to … it is called manners.
Which living person do you most despise?
Anyone who abuses a child.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
A man has to have sensibility, wit, mystery, tolerance, and strength … Romance also helps.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Loyalty.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“If.”
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Fortunately, my husband.
When and where were you happiest?
In many stages of my life.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To be able to read the minds of other people.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would like to have much greater knowledge.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My children.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Carolina Herrera.
What is your most treasured possession?
My imagination, which allows me to create a world of fantasy.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The suffering of someone you love.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Curiosity.
What do you most value in your friends?
The ability to make one laugh.
Who are your heroes in real life?
The unknown people who make the world safer: nurses, researchers, doctors, teachers, etc., etc.
What is it that you most dislike?
Cruelty.
What is your greatest regret?
Things that I could have done but didn’t. (Ed.: Incidentally, also the definition of regret.)
How would you like to die?
In peace, with my eyes open, waiting for the next great adventure.
What is your motto?
“Always leave room for fantasy.”