KAREN ELSON

Trends come and go, and style evolves. It's important to have pieces of jewelry that are timeless and look chic despite ever-changing fashions.

I think Jennifer Lawrence is a brilliant role model for young girls, not some of the models that I see on the runway.

I feel Dress for Success is basically about empowering women who were in a disadvantaged situation. The act of wearing a suit when she's walking in the door, it's so powerful - it's about gaining control of their lives and situations.

You don't just wake up one morning and decide to become a singer-songwriter.

I had a diary full of lyrics and whatnot and a little voice recorder of guitar riffs.

At some hotels, I feel like I have to be dressed to the nines - perfectly eccentric - to walk out the door.

It's time to give back; you know, I've lived in this beautiful world of fashion for so long, and it's time to really get my hands dirty and get in the trenches and see the world for what it really is.

I knew I had more in me than just standing up and having my picture taken... Being in the studio, I have to have an opinion.

I'm a fan of creating the mood and vibe with flowers, candles, and music. I love making my guests feel like it's not formal and they can relax in my home.

I would go home and be this insular girl who listened to music and brooded in her bedroom.

As scary as it is, I like making real, direct eye contact with people from the stage. In a sense, it's like modeling: that feeling of locking in and projecting some kind of emotion to try to captivate people.

Even though I have lived in the States since I was 18, in my head I am still very British, and I do have this romance for towns in Middle America that nobody gets to see.

I was always the weirdo at school.

I've been in a New York City-based cabaret for the past seven years called The Citizens Band. It's possibly one of the most brilliant things I've ever been involved with.

I just love vintage. I have far too many vintage dresses.

I am obsessed with the Great Depression and with former showgirls - and the Victorians - the idea of wistful, dark romance.

If I wasn't a model, I would never have been around interesting musicians, even had the financial capabilities to say, 'I don't have to work right now. I can sit and make my record.'

If a model is going to make some shoes, she's going to make them comfortable.

I constantly have a devil on my shoulder telling me that what I'm doing is really horrible, and then somehow the lightning strike happens, and everything comes together.

Research on the Internet, research what people say about the vintage stores, look online to see if customer service is good because that's really important. Also to see online what other customers say.

I tend to sort of over-accessorize, but to feel empowered, I strip it all down and become minimal so that it's almost counterintuitive.

I feel like somehow I'm living my life mentally in reverse. It's taken me to my 30s to feel relaxed and comfortable in my skin. I think I'm going to be dancing on tables when I'm 50. I really hope I am.

I was always singing as a kid. That's honestly all I've ever wanted to do.

As a model, I am at the mercy of everybody else. It's much more of a situation where I go to work, put the clothes on, get in front of the camera, and then go home. But in that process, I never really have control over any of it.

I've been writing songs since I was at least 20. That's what I wanted to do before I became a model.