DONNA TALK: Donna Karan sure knows how to charm a crowd. On Monday, she took to the stage for the French Institute Alliance Française’s Fashion Talks series hosted by Pamela Golbin, curator in chief of 20th Century and Contemporary Fashion at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris. Karan discussed her early days at Anne Klein, the launch of Donna Karan New York, DKNY and, most recently, Urban Zen. She also told the audience at the jam-packed Florence Gould Hall that, in these times, “it’s about being conscious at shopping. We have a big responsibility in fashion.”

Karan also talked about everything from going public (“Not one of the highlights of my career,” she admitted. “For a minute, the stock was up”) to selling her business to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (“It’s been an amazing experience”). Her favorite designers include Azzedine Alaïa, Yohji Yamamoto, Karl Lagerfeld and Rick Owens, and she would like to dress Tilda Swinton and Michelle Obama. Fashion Talks will continue next month with Catherine Malandrino on March 20 and Diane von Furstenberg on March 23.