Since parting ways with Lanvin, Elbaz has “traveled the world after the tragedy,” as he candidly described his departure from his old gig during a talk at the Parsons School of Design this week. (Oh, and he’s also joined Instagram , in case you missed it.)“I can’t really count to five the [number of designers] with the skill, imagination, ability to dream, the craft, the reference to the past but also an eye to the future as Alber,” Julie Gilhart, fashion consultant and Parsons board member, said during her introduction of the designer. Elbaz talked it out at the event with two of his good friends in the industry: Gilhart, who spent years as a buyer at Barneys, and Kim Hastreiter, cofounder and co-editor of Paper. Besides his immense talents as a designer, Elbaz is one of the most charismatic, self-effacing, and funny personalities in the business — so, unsurprisingly, this wasn’t a standard-issue Q&A.For starters, Elbaz brought a big brown shopping bag filled with boxes of tissues. Why? Because of a Facebook comment from one Parsons student about how she was excited to attend and expected to need tissues during the designer’s talk. Elbaz also handed out big bags of candy: “Nobody has sugar anymore!” he exclaimed. “I think sugar is very important for the brain, especially when you create.” Below, check out a dozen morsels of utter realness from Elbaz’s Q&A.