Marc Jacobs discussed his work and his life at the the French Institute Alliance Francaise's designer talks last night. He's been interested in fashion since the days of back-to-school shopping outings, he told the crowd, with one notable exception: "My cat was sick and I wanted to be a veterinarian. That was at age eight and it was a passing moment."

Jacobs was interviewed by the Museum at FIT's deputy director Patricia Mears, who asked him to explain his design philosophy. "I love things that are banal," Jacobs said. "I love clichés. I like things that are awkward. I like imperfection. But what that means within a given season, I don't know."

After the panel, we had a chance to ask the designer his thoughts about the Terry Richardson controversy. Some background: last week, model Rie Rasmussen accused the famed photographer of abusing his power when he obtains his sexually-charged photos, Page Six reported. The news item set off a flurry of blog posts, including models' stories, defenses of and condemnation for Richardson. By the end of the week, Richardson posted an apology via his Web site.

We asked Jacobs whether sexy photo shoots with young models should be more closely monitored by the fashion industry. "I've worked with Terry and Terry has asked me to do some crazy things," Jacobs said. "I know that those pictures will exist if I do them. But I'm a big boy and I can say no."

Jacobs said he hadn't heard about the controversy, but added that Richardson is "not ill-spirited."

Talking more widely about the industry, he added: "If a girl is underage, maybe the girl's agent or chaperon should be present on the shoot. That's the hard part. Who's to blame or who's to watch?"