Fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger admits that not all his bold design choices have paid off. “In the ’90s, I was chasing the modern minimalist trend, so I tried to make the line more modern and sleek,” he says in a candid cover story for Haute Living New York. But, “My customers completely pushed back. They really wanted to stay with preppy, colorful, cool designs. It was hard to rebound from that, but if I hadn’t tried it, I would always wonder. Luckily, I got it out of my system, made the mistake, and came back to who I really am.” He also recounts in the profile with his wife — the fashion designer and his muse, Dee — that a fan recently confused him with a different preppy New York icon, Ralph Lauren. “We were at Harlow restaurant recently,” Hilfiger recalls, “and a guy came up to me and said, ‘I just got into town, and I ran right to your store and bought a bunch of shirts — and that’s all I wear. I love your shirts . . . I love the horse.” Always keeping his cool, suave Hilfiger said, “I smiled politely and said, ‘Oh, thank you very much.’ ”