ExpectingWords.com - Helping expecting couples find the right words at the right times

On December 3, I had the privilege of participating in It’s Time to Talk Day, an event in New York City sponsored by Liz Claiborne, Inc. and partners to encourage public dialogue about domestic violence and teen dating abuse.  I interviewed a handful of talented people that day (I will blog about those interviews later), but today, I want to share my surprisingly candid interview with Tim Gunn from Project Runway, who is the Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne.

You rose to fame as the charming mentor to the designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Then you created your own TV show, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. Where did the idea for your TV show come from?

My TV show Guide to Style came from my book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. Abrams imprint had asked me to write a makeover/self-help book and I didn’t want to do it.  So many fashion books and shows preach about the right and wrong pants and such.  You see people being dressed by stylists and then they leave, now what?  I’d rather help someone who thinks she is in a fashion rut and needs help getting unstuck.  I don’t care how people dress, as long as they accept responsibility for it (unless someone is bearing midriff on a city street).  I can’t shop for someone.  I will shop with, not for.  People ask me if I want to do follow up visits with the guests on my show to see if they stuck with the change.  I tell them, “no” because I don’t care if they stuck with it.  It’s their choice, their freedom.

In your show you said that everyone should own an “essential 10” articles of clothing.  Do you own more than your essential 10?

Of course.  Those are building blocks, the foundation for a wardrobe, not the only 10 items you should have.  And each person’s essential 10 should be personalized.  For instance, everyone should own a blazer, but should it be form fitting?  That’s up to you.  What kind of fabric should it be?  It depends on where you go and what you do each day.  I am not a fashion dictator.  I am a fashion therapist.  I don’t tell people what to wear.  I help them find their own style.

Do you always wear a suit?

No.  I don’t always wear a suit.  I was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center recently because I was meeting a female army veteran who I was to take shopping.  I wore a sport coat and tie (the tie was out of respect).  Actually, I did my research before I went there and found hundreds of pictures online of George Bush visiting the center and he wore a suit every time.  I didn’t want to look like him.

How long were you at Parsons School of Design?

24 years.

Are you in contact with any past contestants from Project Runway?

Lots of them.  We have a burgeoning alumni association.

How do you feel about designers who don’t want to make clothing bigger than sample sizes?

I think it’s reprehensible!  I believe in dressing real people.  Women of any shape and size can look great. Look at opera divas. They look great.  Also, the sample size women’s market is limited.  Given the economy today, it doesn’t make sense to limit your market.  Furthermore, it’s a very limited design challenge.  Designers need to work harder to make clothes for all sizes.  It’s a fallacy in thinking that a clothing item can simply be re-sized for petite or plus size.  The item needs to be re-conceived, not re-sized.  There are some great plus size stores.  Lane Bryant is wonderful.  It’s not like the Lane Bryant you used to think it was.

Do you think the trends toward skinnier and skinnier models and making sample sizes only are contributing to low self-esteem in women? And since today’s event is about bringing public attention to the problem of domestic violence, do you think that the low self-esteem may lead women to stay in abusive relationships or lead girls down the road of anorexia or bulimia?

Definitely.  And I think red carpet pictures contribute too.  Red carpet clothes are like wedding dresses.  It’s not the way they regularly navigate the world.  It’s a special event and yet those photos in tabloids, or even in regular magazines nowadays, are all over, as if this style and perfection is normal.  It’s not.  I heard a quote from Kate Moss, I think it was “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” and I thought “Oh, my god!”  You don’t have to be skinny to look great.

Since many of my blog readers are pregnant women or new moms, I have to ask you what you think about the celebrity trend to lose the baby weight and look perfect in a matter of weeks.  How are real people supposed to match that?

They can’t match it and shouldn’t.  Celebrities have a regimen of tons of trainers and chefs.  The rapid weight loss is not DNA, it’s paying for services.

Thank you for your time.  I enjoyed this interview.  I’d like to leave you with a copy of my book “Instant Persuasion: How to Change Your Words to Change Your Life” (Penguin).

Thank you, Laurie, and I’ll give you a copy of my book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style.  [Tim signed it for me: Dear Laurie, THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT WORK!!]

What do you think about the trend toward sample sizes?  How do you feel about yourself when you see the red carpet pictures or read about a celebrity who lost the baby weight in four weeks?

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 8:40 pm and is filed under Life-Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.