After becoming reality TV royalty thanks to “Project Runway”, Tim Gunn has continued to impress with his own Bravo reality show “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” and the new Lifetime show “Under the Gunn”. As a fashion mentor and a designer expert, Gunn always has wisdom to impart. Some of Tim Gunn’s best quotes can be found in his books, “Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style”, “Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work, Gallery”, “Shaken, Not Stirred” and “Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible“.
Enjoy some of Tim Gunn’s best quotes, that showcase elegant tips on dressing and manners, which always reflect Gunn’s natural elegance. After decades in the fashion industry, Tim has refined both his style and his life philosophy, and these quotes showcase his wisdom the best.
Tim Gunn on life and team work: “Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration, and we all need to assemble around us the people who care about us and support us in times of strife.”
Tim Gunn on manners and choices: “Take the high road. No matter how much strife, and consternation, frustration and anger you might be confronted with – don’t go to that level.”
Tim Gunn on NYC: “If I had to choose a single destination where I’d be held captive for the rest of my time in New York, I’d choose the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
Tim Gunn on fashion choices: “Everyone has a best feature, so find clothes and accessories to accentuate those, whether it’s your shoulders or your long legs!”
Tim Gunn on teaching: “I learned quickly that if the student’s perception is that you’re not listening to them, and not understanding them, they discredit you.”
Tim Gunn on criticism: “I’m honest about expressing my opinions. At the same time, I’m diplomatic in how I do critique things if I have a negative response.”
Tim Gunn on the fashion industry: “Fashion was in a crisis up until the mid-’90s and, when it came out of the crisis, it was a very different place. It was a place that nurtured and cultivated young entrepreneurial designers.”
Tim Gunn on manners: “I am a stickler for good manners, and I believe that treating other people well is a lost art. In the workplace, at the dinner table, and walking down the street – we are confronted with choices on how to treat people nearly every waking moment. Over time these choices define who we are and whether we have a lot of friends and allies or none.”
Tim Gunn on constructive criticism: “There’s one thing I will not do, ever: I will never talk to you about things you cannot change. It plants a negativity in the head of a designer or the student, and it’s a distraction.”
Tim Gunn on style: “I have my mantra about silhouette, proportion, and fit. I believe that when they are in harmony and balance, you’ll look great in anything.”
Tim Gunn on politeness: “I have heard women complain about men holding doors for them, as if it is inherently offensive and implies that they are weak… I would hold a door for anyone… It has to do with noticing our fellow human beings and saying, “I recognize that you’re on this planet, and I don’t want a door hitting you in the face”.”
Tim Gunn on party planning: “I like having at least one person around who is widely disliked among your crowd of lovely people. You never know who’s going to get along with whom, but you do know people need someone to gossip about later, and you don’t want it to be you.”
Tim Gunn on critiquing: “My manners also came from when I was in college and began participating in critiques. You have to speak with someone respectfully about their work and be honest and open, without hurting them.”
Tim Gunn on the Kardashians: “I just think the Kardashians have an absence of taste and I don’t think that that should be perpetuated. I’m sorry I’m sounding like an old farty, snob, but it bothers me.”
Tim Gunn on the values of the industry: “I would certainly rather the industry not go broke, but if that’s what it takes for everyone to acquire some values and lose that sense of entitlement, maybe a little belt-tightening wouldn’t be so tragic.”
Tim Gunn’s most important advice for any fashion designer: “Make it work!”
