Here’s a bunch of quotes – from Christopher Bailey to Agyness Deyn – from Elle’s October issue

Elle‘s October issue hits shelves today, armed with interviews from some of the most influential faces in fashion. So many are its highlights, in fact, that we didn’t know which were best to feature. So we featured them all.

Here’s a bunch of quotes – from Christopher Bailey’s “un-model-y” Burberry types to Agyness Deyn’s “awkward” sexiness and this month’s guest editor, Gucci’s Frida Giannini, who shares a hilarious story of finding confidence after winning an argument with Madonna – for you to consume over your coffee.

Christopher Bailey on the women who inspire him and the Burberry brand:

“Sometimes at Burberry, we get negative comments because our stars might not be conventional ‘model-y’ types, but that doesn’t matter to me. You know it can still be magical and inspiring and it can still excite you and make you see things in a different way, but it’s not untouchable and it’s not exclusive. I hate that thing of excluding people, I feel very uncomfortable with it.”

“Probably the biggest challenge for me in the fashion industry is that I’ve never been able to have a muse. I’ve always wanted one, but I kind of don’t believe in it. A muse implies that there is one person who you feel is the person and I just don’t. I find that every person is so complicated and complex.”

Agyness Deyn on why she took a break from modelling and being a tomboy:

“I just suddenly couldn’t see where Agyness the model ended and where I started. It was so enmeshed and I was so busy that that’s all I was doing for ages. I lost my sense of self.”

“Because I’ve been such a tomboy my whole life, that part of myself – tapping into being sexy – was never an option. I’m always a bit awkward around anything like that, like putting on heels and looking hot.”

James Franco on how he came to admire his mother:

“I idolised men, but I didn’t admire any women. I lost myself in books by men who often hated women. They were the figures who inspired me and who I tried to model myself on. Their influence has never worn away, but a greater admiration has taken its place – for someone who has been there all along.”

Frida Giannini on finding confidence:

It was the battle with Madonna over the décor for the event [a Unicef fund-raiser in New York in 2008] that had fuelled her confidence and nailed her shyness to the wall.

“I had to organise everything with Madonna at her house in London. We met to discuss dishes, forks, candles, flowers. But then she had this idea to bring over statues from Malawi,” says Frida.

“And Frida had other ideas,” interjects Galimberti [Jenny Galimberti, Gucci UK communications head].

“I didn’t want to be so literal,” declares Frida.

Which, according to Galimberti, led Frida to say something to Madonna along the lines of, “Just because I am from Rome does not mean I want to build the Colosseum in every location that I go to.”

Frida won the argument, for the record. Catch the full interviews in this month’s Elle, out today.