Tim Gunn's Guide to Manly Style
Fashion expert and Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn learned one very important lesson from his last round of Oprah Show man makeovers. "Everyone knows a man who needs a makeover," he says.
In fact, The Oprah Show received thousands of emails from women begging for some serious fashion interventions. "Men feel that they have a license to let themselves go," he says. "[They think]: 'I'm a guy. I don't have to worry about all of these things.'"
Tim has one simple message for the men of America: Yes, you do. "I've become so aware of the critical importance of grooming," he says. "Your wardrobe can be fabulous, but if everything happening around [your face] is a big, hot mess, it doesn't matter."
In fact, The Oprah Show received thousands of emails from women begging for some serious fashion interventions. "Men feel that they have a license to let themselves go," he says. "[They think]: 'I'm a guy. I don't have to worry about all of these things.'"
Tim has one simple message for the men of America: Yes, you do. "I've become so aware of the critical importance of grooming," he says. "Your wardrobe can be fabulous, but if everything happening around [your face] is a big, hot mess, it doesn't matter."
When Miles married his wife 30 years ago, he was a clean-cut guy. Now that he's retired, his daughters say he's a dead ringer for Santa Claus. "He's an amazing guy. Super husband, father and amazing grandfather," says his daughter Michelle. "He just needs a little help in the fashion department."
That includes his wardrobe of Harley-Davidson shirts. "Miles is an individual about whom his family said he looked like Santa Claus," Tim says. "I thought he looked more like a character out of Dungeons & Dragons."
That includes his wardrobe of Harley-Davidson shirts. "Miles is an individual about whom his family said he looked like Santa Claus," Tim says. "I thought he looked more like a character out of Dungeons & Dragons."
Tim teamed up with celebrity groomer Diana Schmidtke to take Miles' style out of the North Pole. "He's working a Harley biker kind of look, and we respect that," Tim says. "We didn't want to completely take away who Miles is at his core."
The first thing Tim and Diana agreed on? The beard had to go. "I have to say Miles was very open to this—nervous, a little trepidatious—but very open," Tim says. "When she started to take away the hair on the face, we began to see this incredibly handsome, powerful guy emerge."
Diana says any man can actually pull off facial hair if he's willing to commit to grooming it. "When it comes to the beard, what's most important is that you don't let it go," Diana says. "You have to maintain it on a daily basis. You have to trim away the stray hairs. You have to mold it into a shape. It's kind of like having the right haircut."
Miles loves his new look—clean face and all. "I'm feeling great," he says. "I hadn't seen my lip in like 30 years."
Jacket: beige leather, HugoBoss.com; shirt: Roundtree & Yorke short sleeve, Dillards.com; shirt: Roundtree & Yorke merlot button down, Dillards.com; T-shirt: Tommy John, Nordstrom.com; denim: Levi's 501, Dillards.com; belt: Ralph Lauren Polo, Dillards.com; boots: Too Boot, Dillards.com.
The first thing Tim and Diana agreed on? The beard had to go. "I have to say Miles was very open to this—nervous, a little trepidatious—but very open," Tim says. "When she started to take away the hair on the face, we began to see this incredibly handsome, powerful guy emerge."
Diana says any man can actually pull off facial hair if he's willing to commit to grooming it. "When it comes to the beard, what's most important is that you don't let it go," Diana says. "You have to maintain it on a daily basis. You have to trim away the stray hairs. You have to mold it into a shape. It's kind of like having the right haircut."
Miles loves his new look—clean face and all. "I'm feeling great," he says. "I hadn't seen my lip in like 30 years."
Jacket: beige leather, HugoBoss.com; shirt: Roundtree & Yorke short sleeve, Dillards.com; shirt: Roundtree & Yorke merlot button down, Dillards.com; T-shirt: Tommy John, Nordstrom.com; denim: Levi's 501, Dillards.com; belt: Ralph Lauren Polo, Dillards.com; boots: Too Boot, Dillards.com.
Stepping inside 67-year-old Lee's closet is like going back in time. "When you enter my husband's closet, you will probably hear the theme song from Shaft," his wife, Laquita, jokes.
Whether he's wearing see-through shirts or blindingly colorful suits, Lee thinks he dresses to impress."He'll come out, do his little swagger and say, 'Don't I look good in this?'" she says. "And I'm like, 'No.'"
Tim's ready to bring Lee into the 21st century. "This is a guy who really likes to dress up and cares about his appearance," he says. "But appearance from what decade?"
Whether he's wearing see-through shirts or blindingly colorful suits, Lee thinks he dresses to impress."He'll come out, do his little swagger and say, 'Don't I look good in this?'" she says. "And I'm like, 'No.'"
Tim's ready to bring Lee into the 21st century. "This is a guy who really likes to dress up and cares about his appearance," he says. "But appearance from what decade?"
Tim proves Lee can be a snappy dresser without polyester. "We know that Lee likes to dress up, and we were trying to in some ways pay homage to his '70's looks," he says. "We wanted a look that was sophisticated, that was polished, that didn't take him into those matchy-matchy suits he was doing before, the craziness of it. So we used separates to do this."
Lee says he's ready to leave his old look in the past. "It's great," he says. "I never thought I would come into the 21st century with this."
Jacket: Boss, Dillards.com; shirt: Equilibrio, Nordstrom.com; tie: Thomas Pink, Nordstrom.com; pocket square: Murano, Dillards.com; belt: Roundtree & Yorke, Dillards.com; pants: Calvin Klein 'Dylan' in medium gray, Dillards.com; shoes: Johnston & Murphy, Dillards.com.
Lee says he's ready to leave his old look in the past. "It's great," he says. "I never thought I would come into the 21st century with this."
Jacket: Boss, Dillards.com; shirt: Equilibrio, Nordstrom.com; tie: Thomas Pink, Nordstrom.com; pocket square: Murano, Dillards.com; belt: Roundtree & Yorke, Dillards.com; pants: Calvin Klein 'Dylan' in medium gray, Dillards.com; shoes: Johnston & Murphy, Dillards.com.
Lee may have been trapped in the 1970s, but Peter's look is downright prehistoric. "Living with him is like living with a caveman," says his daughter Sarah.
Sarah says her dad wears hockey jerseys for special occasions and his jeans are filled with holes. When Sarah asks Peter if he's ready for a change, he laughs. "If you got Oprah to do a makeover, sure, you can do whatever you want," Peter says. "But, no, that ain't gonna happen."
Surprise! When Tim gets his first look, he says Peter's wardrobe is sending one message loud and clear: "I live in a cave and I'm proud of it."
Sarah says her dad wears hockey jerseys for special occasions and his jeans are filled with holes. When Sarah asks Peter if he's ready for a change, he laughs. "If you got Oprah to do a makeover, sure, you can do whatever you want," Peter says. "But, no, that ain't gonna happen."
Surprise! When Tim gets his first look, he says Peter's wardrobe is sending one message loud and clear: "I live in a cave and I'm proud of it."
Peter's first stop is the salon. "We cleaned up the ear hair. We cleaned up the nose hair," Diana says. "We got rid of his long hair, and we gave him a little rinse at the end to just punch up his color, and he was great."
Tim says he was so impressed by Peter's grooming that he rethought his original wardrobe choices. "We wanted something that really highlighted the fact that Peter lost about 35 years," Tim says. "That's a 42-year-old man who was looking 70. And look at him now—he looks like he's 28."
Now, Peter says he's perfecting his GQ pose. "I love it," he says.
Shirt: Murano, Dillards.com; T-shirt: Tommy John Second Skin, Nordstrom.com; pants: Perry Ellis City Fit khaki, Dillards.com; shoes: Frye Oliver Chukka boot, Dillards.com; glasses: SeeEyewear.com.
Tim says he was so impressed by Peter's grooming that he rethought his original wardrobe choices. "We wanted something that really highlighted the fact that Peter lost about 35 years," Tim says. "That's a 42-year-old man who was looking 70. And look at him now—he looks like he's 28."
Now, Peter says he's perfecting his GQ pose. "I love it," he says.
Shirt: Murano, Dillards.com; T-shirt: Tommy John Second Skin, Nordstrom.com; pants: Perry Ellis City Fit khaki, Dillards.com; shoes: Frye Oliver Chukka boot, Dillards.com; glasses: SeeEyewear.com.
Akua says her doctor husband, Ahmses, needs a makeover—stat! "He wears scrubs everywhere," she says.
He even bought pink scrubs to match his daughter's homecoming dress and wore scrubs on a vacation to Egypt. "Two years ago, my husband was asked to do a photo shoot, and there he is with [a dress] shirt and then the scrub bottoms with black socks and sandals," Akua says. "You can't make this up."
He even bought pink scrubs to match his daughter's homecoming dress and wore scrubs on a vacation to Egypt. "Two years ago, my husband was asked to do a photo shoot, and there he is with [a dress] shirt and then the scrub bottoms with black socks and sandals," Akua says. "You can't make this up."
Tim has just the prescription to cure Ahmses' scrub addiction . "We were taking the doctor out of the hospital but not the hospital out of the doctor," Tim says. "We essentially wanted scrubs alternatives here, and that's what we decided to do. A less structured men suiting so that there was ease and comfort—no tie—so that this is a way that Ahmses can navigate the real world outside of the hospital environment and still look like who he is."
Ahmses says Tim's makeover made him realize he was using his scrubs to hide his true self. "Now I feel confident to just be who I am," he says. "I have the confidence now with this to fulfill my destiny being a medical inventor and making the world a better place. "
Jacket: Calvin Klein Stonal jacket, Dillards.com; pants: Calvin Klein Stonal pants, Dillards.com; shirt: Calvin Klein, Dillards.com; belt: Roundtree & Yorke, Dillards.com; pocket square: Murano, Dillards.com; Boot: Clarks Desert boot in gray, Nordstrom.com.
Ahmses says Tim's makeover made him realize he was using his scrubs to hide his true self. "Now I feel confident to just be who I am," he says. "I have the confidence now with this to fulfill my destiny being a medical inventor and making the world a better place. "
Jacket: Calvin Klein Stonal jacket, Dillards.com; pants: Calvin Klein Stonal pants, Dillards.com; shirt: Calvin Klein, Dillards.com; belt: Roundtree & Yorke, Dillards.com; pocket square: Murano, Dillards.com; Boot: Clarks Desert boot in gray, Nordstrom.com.
In 24 years of makeovers, The Oprah Winfrey Show has never met a cowboy quite like Dusty.
To raise money for breast cancer awareness, Dusty attends fundraisers wearing a huge pink bra—with back hair exposed for all to see. "I said I was a 44D, but apparently bras can say one size and be a different one," he says.
His girlfriend, Darlene, says she's ready to see him in something more modest. "Dusty's doing a great thing, but I'd really like to see him in something other than a bra," she says.
To raise money for breast cancer awareness, Dusty attends fundraisers wearing a huge pink bra—with back hair exposed for all to see. "I said I was a 44D, but apparently bras can say one size and be a different one," he says.
His girlfriend, Darlene, says she's ready to see him in something more modest. "Dusty's doing a great thing, but I'd really like to see him in something other than a bra," she says.
Tim takes Dusty's look from fundraiser to functional. "[There's] just the nuance of the pink as opposed to a head-to-toe pink look which Dusty was doing," he says. "He can still emblazon himself with the breast cancer aspect while navigating the real world."
Dusty jokes that he's not used to wearing so much clothing, getting his back waxed was no laughing matter. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he says. "But I don't think I'm going to be doing it every week."
Still, Dusty has nothing but gratitude for Tim and his makeover team. "I want to thank you guys," he says. "I have so many friends, too many friends, fighting breast cancer, and this is for them."
All pieces from Dillard's. Vest: Perry Ellis; shirt: Murano; tie: Daniel Cremiuex; pocket square: Murano; denim: Levi's 501; belt: Murano; boot: Frye's Oliver.
Send in your style questions for Tim Gunn!
Carson Kressley's on-the-road makeovers
Dusty jokes that he's not used to wearing so much clothing, getting his back waxed was no laughing matter. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he says. "But I don't think I'm going to be doing it every week."
Still, Dusty has nothing but gratitude for Tim and his makeover team. "I want to thank you guys," he says. "I have so many friends, too many friends, fighting breast cancer, and this is for them."
All pieces from Dillard's. Vest: Perry Ellis; shirt: Murano; tie: Daniel Cremiuex; pocket square: Murano; denim: Levi's 501; belt: Murano; boot: Frye's Oliver.
Send in your style questions for Tim Gunn!
Carson Kressley's on-the-road makeovers
Published 05/05/2010