Lessons Learned From Tim Gunn

I recently had the opportunity to spend an entire day working on a fun project with Tim Gunn. After forcing myself to take a deep breath and remember that he is a normal person (albeit a major icon as far as style goes) and getting past the things like "my mom said to tell you hello!" I was able to spend some time picking his brain and also observing him just being, well, Tim. I learned a few things along the way - so here they are - lessons learned from Tim Gunn.

No Divas, please. We're talking about Tim Gunn here. He IS a giant, ginormous, huge, big deal. However, you will never meet a more genuine, classy, kind man than Tim (and yes, he told me I could call him Tim, so, I will).  During lunch, the crew offered him one of the few chairs available and he insisted that they stay seated and enjoy the break while he stood up and ate a sandwich. He asked that I call him Tim and not Mr. Gunn because we are "colleagues" (in my dreams!). He went out of his way to be kind to every single person in that room, and did not waver from that once in the 6 hours that we were all together.  Now THAT is what I call classy.  

No Style? No Excuse! Tim said that people run from him everywhere that he goes, saying things like "don't look at me - I was in a rush this morning!" or "I'm so sorry that I look like this." According to Tim, there really is no excuse for a lack of style. If you aren't going to put effort into your appearance, then fine, but don't make excuses for it later. Either you make an effort with your appearance or you don't. End of story.

The Golden Rule: Style, Proportion, Fit. I asked Tim what the one piece of style advice that he would share with women would be.  He said that the golden rule is always style, proportion, and fit. Women should shop for clothing that fits their personal style, body proportion, and make sure that it fits their body shape. Being on-trend only works if it fits you properly - follow Tim's Golden Rule and you can't go wrong.

It's Okay To Wear White At A Second Wedding. Well, Ivory.  A lot of people have asked if I plan on wearing white to my wedding, even though it's my second wedding.  I asked Tim his opinion on what was proper - and he said he thinks I should wear whatever dress I want because it's MY day. Of course, he followed it up with a suggestion that I not wear white - not because it's not proper but because "pure white looks terrible on everybody".  Point taken!  Is it time to go dress shopping yet?

Style Is Ever Evolving.  Tim was wearing a plaid suit, a checkered shirt, and a checkered tie. He admitted that 5 years ago he wasn't as comfortable stepping out of his comfort zone in a pairing such as that one, but as he has grown, so has his style.  Tim taught me that it's ok to slowly work on your confidence and to tweak your style from time to time - try something new when you're comfortable and you may find a new look that you feel just fabulous in!