Stylish, Tasteful, and Fashionably Gorgeous
Categories: Entertainment , Nonfiction
Anyone who has watched Bravo-TV's Project Runway knows that the name Tim Gunn is synonymous with tasteful criticism and witty critique. So many times I enjoyed his choice of words and delivery, giving aspiring designers the exactly right dose of "Make it work" encouragement...or was that a challenge?
Joy of joys, Tim has written a book for us, A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style (2007). In it, he expounds on fashion and how to find the right look for each of us. In his learned, cultured, yet approachable and unpretentious way, he forces a look at who we really are and enables us to dress ourselves in a flattering yet totally honest way.
And, happily, Tim Gunn's new television show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, will premier on Bravo this Thursday evening.
Fashion is evidently important to the public at large. The fashion magazines are enormous this month! Vogue ("840 pages of fearless fashion!"), Elle (592 pages), and InStyle (618 pages) magazines are thicker and heavier than ever. Unfortunately, so am I. Oh, well! Glorious browsing!
Whether we want to admit it or not, our clothes say a lot about us. How we wear what we wear is our impression on the world. If your clothes are saying the wrong thing about you and are misleading people, there are more books to help you pull your wardrobe together and face the world looking like yourself.
Ready to Wear: An Expert's Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe (2004) is immensely helpful in guiding you through the clothes you already own and adding to them for a personalized, remade wardrobe that suits your personality and your figure.
Some of us are not too happy about how our clothes look on us, but the problem is really what is inside the clothes. Sue Fleming (is she a genius?) has written a book to address this problem. Fashionably Buff (2007) gives exercise pointers to help us look our best in our favorite clothes. She has also written Buff Brides and Buff Moms, in the interest of all of us looking and feeling our best.
As far as working with yourself "as is", Trinny and Susannah Take On America (2006) is a fun and funny take on dressing yourself. These ladies have a British TV show "What Not To Wear", and have been helping real people look their best with their honest and sometimes bluntly frank method.
Happy browsing, and remember what they tell the models on the runway: You wear the clothes, don't let the clothes wear you.
