Gown But Not Forgotten

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I think a lot of people were moved last night by what you said about your mother and how she used to tell you that you'd never amount to anything. Are you in touch with her now?
We don't really speak very much. I've spoken to her once or twice. We have very different viewpoints on things. I think it's for the best. Maybe one day there will be a relationship with us. I have an amazing family of friends. They're my surrogate mother. We're all artists. We give each other what we need. That's my family. I have a goddaughter who is amazing as well. In my first show she couldn't walk yet, but in my second show she walked holding my finger.

That's so sweet! She's going to be very excited to have you as a godfather when it comes time for her high school prom.
I look at life and my experiences, and I've seen so much, and I would love to give that back to anyone. I look at children now, and I remember what I went through as a child.

Did you move around a lot as a child? You mentioned on the show last night how difficult it was to be torn away from this group when you were just settling in.
Yes, we did move around a lot. You pick up and have to make new friends. But now I've lived in New York for 10 years. It's been an amazing place for me.

Where exactly is that accent from?
I was born in Taiwan, but I've lived all over: Hong Kong, Australia, California, Hawaii, Georgia. I speak seven languages: Spanish, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, Japanese, and English.

No wonder I couldn't place it. Do people come up to you on the streets now and just ask you to speak?
Once upon a time, many, many years ago, I worked at a restaurant. Women used to offer to take off their clothes if I would read them the menu. It was hilarious.

Are you still in touch with the other contestants?
When I went to the New York premiere, I had a chance to see the other contestants. We just kind of said hello. We didn't really catch up and did our own thing. It was nice in the working environment the first couple of episodes because there was a lot of camaraderie. Everyone was really excited to see what everyone else could do.

From watching upcoming scenes, it seems like things will quickly devolve. Maybe you got out at the right time.
I would have liked to have been a little bit more involved. I would have liked to have won — let's be honest. In two shows I had a chance to show what I could do as a designer. I'm grateful that mainstream America can see that I'm really devoted to what I love. It's very organic for me, very real. Each one of my gowns is like a child to me. It's a piece of art.

What are you up to now?
Right now I'm in the process of doing two couture gowns — one for an A-list celebrity; another one is a B-, C-list celebrity. I've been in talks with a ballet company in New York to do costumes. In 2008, I'm going to be releasing a series of 13 short films. Hopefully soon I'll be working on a theatrical show. I'm auditioning now. I'm going to be fine. I'm incredibly motivated. In the next five years I'm going to see my name along Donna Karan and Helmut Lang. There's no question in my mind.