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For Tim Gunn, everything's about finding the right fit

File photo (2009)

Fashion guru Tim Gunn is all in favor of spending good money on shoes - just make sure they're not Crocs.

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By CLOE CABRERA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2009

As soon as I arrived for my interview with fashion guru Tim Gunn, I started to get nervous.

I was wearing my nicest pair of jeans, a long tunic and some cute heels.

Still, "nice" and "cute" are in the eye of the beholder. And the beholder was Tim Gunn, scene-stealing star of six seasons of "Project Runway," chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. and the genteel voice of sartorial reason. He was dressed beyond nice, of course, in a dapper, pinstriped suit from Banana Republic.

Gunn extended his cheek and offered two air kisses. Then he peered over his glasses, put a finger on his cheek (yes, just the way he does on "Runway") and said, "You look familiar to me."

What? I met Gunn two years ago when he was in Tampa hosting a Liz Claiborne holiday fashion show at Dillard's at International Plaza. I couldn't believe he remembered me. I gushed.

This time, Gunn was at the University of South Florida, speaking to students as part of the University Lecture Series. A standing-room crowd of more than 900 turned out.

But I got him all to myself for about 20 minutes. I asked Gunn how it feels to be a superhero. And then it was his turn to gush.

"Who wouldn't want to be a superhero?" he said. "I'm just thrilled."

A new comic miniseries from Marvel, called "Models, Inc.," features Gunn solving fashion crimes while wearing an Iron Man suit.

"Most superheroes fight good and evil," he said. "I don't have any superpowers, but I get to fight crimes against fashion."

It's a tough battle.

"If getting fashion right was easy, everybody would look fabulous," Gunn said. "Regrettably, everybody does not."

And the biggest fashion offense, in his opinion: Clothes that don't fit properly.

"There's no excuse for it," he said. "No woman should be dowdy and dumpy in clothes that don't fit well."

And if he could wield his power to remove one item from closets around the country, he said it would have to be Crocs.

"Who would have ever expected the ascendency of Crocs?" he asked. "I get the comfort part, but when I look down, I see a hoof."

The style guru also had a few choice words for actress and designer-wannabe Lindsay Lohan, a celebrity guest on "Runway" this season, who recently was appointed artistic advisor of French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro.

"Insane!" Gunn gasped. "I thought it was a really sad publicity stunt, or the board of directors was smoking crack."

Following his talk at USF, Gunn took questions from the audience about shopping on a budget and making good choices.

Here's his advice:

• Dress professionally, yet in a manner that is age-appropriate.

• If you have to spend money on one thing, spend it on a good pair of shoes.

• Choose clothes that fit your individual body shape.

Gunn says the size of your clothes matters less than three other attributes: silhouette, proportion and fit.

"When you have those, you'll look fabulous no matter what you're wearing. It's true for women, and it's true for men as well."

The former Parsons School of Design dean also offered students advice on transitioning their college clothes into job-appropriate attire.

"It is simply a fact that when you transition from college to the workplace, it's a change," said Gunn, who is a guest style contributor on the "The Dr. Oz Show."

He added that wardrobe helps determine whether or not an employee is taken seriously at a new job, as "the clothes you wear send a message about how you want the world to perceive you."

He also told students that whatever path they choose in life, they need to make it work for them.

"You never know where life is going to take you," he said. "Be prepared for everything, and have the gusto to create your own opportunities. I believe a lot has to do with taking the task at hand and doing it at 1,000 percent."

Season 6 of "Project Runway" ends Thursday. Gunn said Season 7 begins Jan. 14.

Until we meet again, Tim: Carry on!

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tampatrib.com

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