With a resume that includes two hit reality series on Bravo and a best-selling book, style expert Tim Gunn has become a household name and an admired authority on all things fashion. Gayle talks with Tim about his continued success, the moment he fell in love with fashion and his advice on achieving great personal style.
When he's not taping Tim Gunn's Guide to Style or Project Runway, Tim serves as fashion chair at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City and chief creative officer for Liz Claiborne Inc. Having worked in fashion for more than 20 years, Tim says his newfound recognition as a television star is surreal but exciting. "When this happens to you after you turn 50, it's the most thrilling thing in the world," he says. "You think, 'I've been a regular citizen of the world, and suddenly I'm this TV person.' How cool and fantastic and amazing is that?"
Tim says he can recall the precise moment he first became enamored with the world of fashion. He was 10 years old, and his mother and grandmother took him and his sister to see My Fair Lady at the movies. "It was the 'Ascot Gavotte'—that black-and-white scene…it was transformational," Tim says. "I rose out of my chair by three or four inches. I still get chills thinking about it now!"
Since then, Tim has pursued his passion and shared his style advice with countless people along the way. When it comes to dressing, Tim says the biggest mistake women make is wearing ill-fitting clothes. Most women could fix this problem by having garments altered, he says. "Just cinch things in, have them follow your natural silhouette," he says. The key to great style, however, is to know who you are. "The clothes we wear send a message about how we want to be perceived. … Know who you are and project what that is," Tim says.
