Tim Gunn's Guide To Style!
After much happy anticipation, Tim Gunn's Guide To Style (Bravo, Thurs. 10 p.m. EST) premiered last night. A fashion makeover TV show, it stars my future gay celebrity husband, Tim Gunn, former Chair of Fashion Design at Parsons/The New School in NYC and mentor of the designers of Project Runway. It was great! I knew I'd love it for the sheer volume of Tim Gunnity, regardless of show quality, but it really was enjoyable to watch. And not just because of all the opportunities to gleefully cry, "I love you, Tim Gunn!" and offer running commentary on behalf of the contestant such as "Tim Gunn is coming to my apartment!", "Tim Gunn is averting his eyes as his co-host goes through my underwear drawer!", "Tim Gunn just accidentally tugged down my dress as he explained where the hemline should fall!" and "Tim Gunn is dabbing away tears at our emotional conclusion!"
In the tradition of What Not To Wear, the premise of Tim Gunn's Guide To Style is that each week, Gunn and supermodel co-host Veronica Webb select a candidate (I believe they're self-nominated) in need of help with her clothing style (or lack thereof) and teach her how to choose clothes that suit her figure and personality, in addition to providing her with a few pairs of shoes, money for the initial Manhattan shopping trip, a haircut and makeup instructions. If future episodes resemble last night's, TGGTS goes a little further by first taking the guest for an undergarment fitting and later bringing her to one of Tim Gunn's many fashion designer friends so she can select a high-end dress for herself (Sifting through the racks with a contagious grin on her face, last night's contestant exclaimed, "I've never been in a store like this in my life!").
This is all part of a self-esteem-building process intended to help the contestant feel comfortable in her body so she can wear her new clothes-or any clothes-with confidence. For at least the first episode, that includes attending a session with a Ben Affleck-esque "life therapist" (no, not therapist, but I can't remember the term they used) in which the guest dons a belted garbage bag, does a runway walk and recites, "I cannot control how I am perceived. I can only control how I am presented" while looking at her reflection in two distorted mirrors and one regular full-length mirror. ... Yeah, that was the weird part of the hour. But it seemed to work for her.
The comparison to What Not To Wear may not be fair, but since it is unavoidable and TGGTS comes out ahead in every way, I'm going to continue in bullet-point format with Things I Like Better About This Show Than WNTW:
- Less humiliation. In the beginning, the hosts of TGGTS don't descend upon the unsuspecting fashion victim, plunk her down in front of a room of family and friends, and watch video footage of all her fashion faux pas while everyone laughs at her, as hosts Stacy and Clinton do on WNTW; rather, Gunn and Webb call her to say they'll be coming over (a terribly contrived setup, but still better than the alternative) and then look at what she's currently wearing plus a set of photographs of what she wore on the previous five days. Instead of placing her in the room of the 360-degree mirrors and pointing out all her flaws, they simply have her try on some of her favorite outfits and critique them. They are generally more constructive than taunting. Which isn't to say that they're always tactful or nice; Webb poked fun at the girl's bras as they rifled through her underwear drawer, Gunn had some choice comments about her old clothes and some of the stuff she tried on at the store, and they both facepalmed in the frequent snippets where they're in the studio talking to the camera. But compared to WNTW, it was very toned down (and funnier).
- More discussion. Both shows address the girl/woman's insecurities about her body and talk about why she made the fashion choices she did (didn't like the way things fit her, didn't want to spend the time or money, didn't know how to dress properly for a change in career, etc.). On WNTW, though, the hosts don't go out of their way to discuss these things, whereas on TGGTS, they seem more interested in opening a dialogue rather than simply trashing the outfits. Case in point: Last night, as Tim Gunn sorted through the contestant's wardrobe, he tried to get her to articulate why she banished certain clothing items to another closet, never to be worn. Was it because she didn't feel comfortable in dresses? Was she angry at herself? Did she not want to be noticed? Why?
- Not everything gets thrown out. On WNTW, the hosts have the contestant bring every item of clothing she owns to the studio, where Stacy and Clinton proceed to throw everything in a big trash can (which is donated to charity), never to be worn by her again. This always seemed a little extreme to me, especially when the women protested that some items fit fine or had sentimental value. TGGTS chooses a more moderate approach in which clothes are divided into four piles: keepers, menders, donate, and trash. Each contestant is only allowed to keep a certain number of items, I believe. Of course, they'll probably all put more items in that pile than they should, but Gunn and Webb were patient last night, and when everything was sorted, they went through the keeper pile with her, paring it down to only a few pieces, which she then agreed to put aside because she could do better when they shopped. Give the woman a choice, I think, and she'll be much less antagonistic and/or traumatized.
- Education and inspiration. On WNTW, Stacy and Clinton pick out complete outfits that they feel compliment the woman's body type and present them on mannequins, from fitted jackets and sleek pants to skimpy heels and accessories. The woman is then told to go out and emulate these models, with little concession given to her own tastes (and in fact, on several memorable occasions, they steamroll over what she wants, saying it's childish or out of date). One of the best things about TGGTS is that Gunn works with the contestant to explain what would work with her figure and to learn what style she likes best. In last night's episode, he and Webb first took the contestant's measurements and applied them to a 3-D computer modeling program that shows a figure with her body proportions. He was then able to dress it in clothes with different necklines or skirt lengths or what-have-you so the woman could see with some distance what looked best on her figure. Then he showed her four celebrities who have/had her body type, from Audrey Hepburn to Jessica Alba, and asked her which fashion sense inspired her the most. In that way, they were able to go shopping with specific guidelines in mind for what would not only look good on her but also make her happy.
- 10 Basics. WNTW sends the contestant off with a few thousand dollars and very little direction. TGGTS has a list of ten basic pieces that form the foundation of a wardrobe (plain black dress, white blouse, work outfit, dress pants, day dress, casual wear, trench coat, etc.); the goal of the shopping trip is to purchase one of each item.
- Help when shopping. Instead of sending the contestant out into the pre-selected stores in a way that seems designed to make her screw up while Stacy and Clinton watch, happily cringing, from the studio, Webb and Gunn accompany her on her trip, let her pick out what she thinks will work, and then critique the selections as she tries them on in the dressing room. While, again, the hosts weren't always kind about it, the contestant nodded at what they said, started to make her own critical judgments, and smiled as she said that she was learning as much from what she was doing wrong as what she was doing right. Even when she started showing signs of discouragement that so many of things she'd picked out didn't fit, she looked better when Tim Gunn pointed out that "shopping should be an enervating, exhausting process" and Webb added that it was really a good thing that she was picky, because it meant she wasn't settling as she'd been doing before. It's exactly what I've always wished WNTW would do-be supportive from the beginning.
- Less repeated footage. I can't stand when they show you a preview of what's coming up after the commercial break, and then they show you a recap of what happened before the commercial break, so that by the end of a forty-minute show you've only got thirty minutes of unique footage. WNTW does that constantly. TGGTS only did it once, before the final clip. I hope it stays that way.
- Better hosts. Last but not least, eh? Here's the truth: Stacy annoys the hell out of me. She's obnoxious and mean and catty, and yes, sometimes funny, and often right about what looks good on people, but I dislike watching her or listening to her, and that really detracts from my enjoyment of What Not To Wear. Plus I disagree with what she wears, which isn't a good sign. Clinton's okay most of the time, playing the sidekick with occasional one-liners. But Tim Gunn. How I love Tim Gunn, from his sense of fashion to his sense of humor. I haven't yet gotten a handle on Veronica Webb (or her fashion sense); sometimes she argued amusingly with him over differing tastes (at one point she wanted the contestant to try leggings, and he flinched away with a "gah" sort of noise), sometimes she was helpful; she had some good lines, but seems to play more off Gunn than anything else. Maybe she'll come into her own as they do more episodes.
The end was also lovely, when the contestant came out for a private little fashion show with her husband and family. The show chipped in and got her husband a platinum-and-diamond ring to give to her, since they married young and their money was tight. He gave a little speech when he handed it to her, talking about how wonderful it was to see her so confident and happy, and everyone in the room teared up. Because of the way everything had been handled on the show leading up to this, it felt fairly true rather than forced or sudden or overdone. (Then they flew her mother in who'd just had surgery, and everyone really lost it.)
I freely admit that I am one of the fashion senseless.* I never learned how to put together outfits beyond "shirt + pants + shoes = leave the house," I don't shop in expensive clothing stores, and it's only because of occasional viewings of WNTW that I'm now learning what kinds of things might look best on me and what might be considered too young a look. So I identify with a lot of the contestants, and that is probably part of the reason I take offense at some of the things that are said and done to them on these types of shows (by which I mean WNTW, because that's the only one I've ever seen before TGGTS). And last night, I felt that I would've nominated myself for TGGTS if I could've (I think they've filmed them all already and are just airing them now before the new season of Project Runway starts). Not only was the contestant treated better, but I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and see things on a computer model and consider celebrities with my kind of figure and have personal expert shoppers explain things to me in a dressing room for a day. Point is, if I were on a fashion TV show, I'd want it to be this one.
*Keep this in mind, deelaundry, when I snap a photo of my favorite outfit for the meme. :)
And, yes. I taped the show because I didn't think I'd be able to stay awake through it, but happily did, and now I'm glad I recorded it because I think I might actually want to watch it again, which is more than I can say for any episode of WNTW. And I will be watching next week to see if the quality remains high. The end.
In the tradition of What Not To Wear, the premise of Tim Gunn's Guide To Style is that each week, Gunn and supermodel co-host Veronica Webb select a candidate (I believe they're self-nominated) in need of help with her clothing style (or lack thereof) and teach her how to choose clothes that suit her figure and personality, in addition to providing her with a few pairs of shoes, money for the initial Manhattan shopping trip, a haircut and makeup instructions. If future episodes resemble last night's, TGGTS goes a little further by first taking the guest for an undergarment fitting and later bringing her to one of Tim Gunn's many fashion designer friends so she can select a high-end dress for herself (Sifting through the racks with a contagious grin on her face, last night's contestant exclaimed, "I've never been in a store like this in my life!").
This is all part of a self-esteem-building process intended to help the contestant feel comfortable in her body so she can wear her new clothes-or any clothes-with confidence. For at least the first episode, that includes attending a session with a Ben Affleck-esque "life therapist" (no, not therapist, but I can't remember the term they used) in which the guest dons a belted garbage bag, does a runway walk and recites, "I cannot control how I am perceived. I can only control how I am presented" while looking at her reflection in two distorted mirrors and one regular full-length mirror. ... Yeah, that was the weird part of the hour. But it seemed to work for her.
The comparison to What Not To Wear may not be fair, but since it is unavoidable and TGGTS comes out ahead in every way, I'm going to continue in bullet-point format with Things I Like Better About This Show Than WNTW:
- Less humiliation. In the beginning, the hosts of TGGTS don't descend upon the unsuspecting fashion victim, plunk her down in front of a room of family and friends, and watch video footage of all her fashion faux pas while everyone laughs at her, as hosts Stacy and Clinton do on WNTW; rather, Gunn and Webb call her to say they'll be coming over (a terribly contrived setup, but still better than the alternative) and then look at what she's currently wearing plus a set of photographs of what she wore on the previous five days. Instead of placing her in the room of the 360-degree mirrors and pointing out all her flaws, they simply have her try on some of her favorite outfits and critique them. They are generally more constructive than taunting. Which isn't to say that they're always tactful or nice; Webb poked fun at the girl's bras as they rifled through her underwear drawer, Gunn had some choice comments about her old clothes and some of the stuff she tried on at the store, and they both facepalmed in the frequent snippets where they're in the studio talking to the camera. But compared to WNTW, it was very toned down (and funnier).
- More discussion. Both shows address the girl/woman's insecurities about her body and talk about why she made the fashion choices she did (didn't like the way things fit her, didn't want to spend the time or money, didn't know how to dress properly for a change in career, etc.). On WNTW, though, the hosts don't go out of their way to discuss these things, whereas on TGGTS, they seem more interested in opening a dialogue rather than simply trashing the outfits. Case in point: Last night, as Tim Gunn sorted through the contestant's wardrobe, he tried to get her to articulate why she banished certain clothing items to another closet, never to be worn. Was it because she didn't feel comfortable in dresses? Was she angry at herself? Did she not want to be noticed? Why?
- Not everything gets thrown out. On WNTW, the hosts have the contestant bring every item of clothing she owns to the studio, where Stacy and Clinton proceed to throw everything in a big trash can (which is donated to charity), never to be worn by her again. This always seemed a little extreme to me, especially when the women protested that some items fit fine or had sentimental value. TGGTS chooses a more moderate approach in which clothes are divided into four piles: keepers, menders, donate, and trash. Each contestant is only allowed to keep a certain number of items, I believe. Of course, they'll probably all put more items in that pile than they should, but Gunn and Webb were patient last night, and when everything was sorted, they went through the keeper pile with her, paring it down to only a few pieces, which she then agreed to put aside because she could do better when they shopped. Give the woman a choice, I think, and she'll be much less antagonistic and/or traumatized.
- Education and inspiration. On WNTW, Stacy and Clinton pick out complete outfits that they feel compliment the woman's body type and present them on mannequins, from fitted jackets and sleek pants to skimpy heels and accessories. The woman is then told to go out and emulate these models, with little concession given to her own tastes (and in fact, on several memorable occasions, they steamroll over what she wants, saying it's childish or out of date). One of the best things about TGGTS is that Gunn works with the contestant to explain what would work with her figure and to learn what style she likes best. In last night's episode, he and Webb first took the contestant's measurements and applied them to a 3-D computer modeling program that shows a figure with her body proportions. He was then able to dress it in clothes with different necklines or skirt lengths or what-have-you so the woman could see with some distance what looked best on her figure. Then he showed her four celebrities who have/had her body type, from Audrey Hepburn to Jessica Alba, and asked her which fashion sense inspired her the most. In that way, they were able to go shopping with specific guidelines in mind for what would not only look good on her but also make her happy.
- 10 Basics. WNTW sends the contestant off with a few thousand dollars and very little direction. TGGTS has a list of ten basic pieces that form the foundation of a wardrobe (plain black dress, white blouse, work outfit, dress pants, day dress, casual wear, trench coat, etc.); the goal of the shopping trip is to purchase one of each item.
- Help when shopping. Instead of sending the contestant out into the pre-selected stores in a way that seems designed to make her screw up while Stacy and Clinton watch, happily cringing, from the studio, Webb and Gunn accompany her on her trip, let her pick out what she thinks will work, and then critique the selections as she tries them on in the dressing room. While, again, the hosts weren't always kind about it, the contestant nodded at what they said, started to make her own critical judgments, and smiled as she said that she was learning as much from what she was doing wrong as what she was doing right. Even when she started showing signs of discouragement that so many of things she'd picked out didn't fit, she looked better when Tim Gunn pointed out that "shopping should be an enervating, exhausting process" and Webb added that it was really a good thing that she was picky, because it meant she wasn't settling as she'd been doing before. It's exactly what I've always wished WNTW would do-be supportive from the beginning.
- Less repeated footage. I can't stand when they show you a preview of what's coming up after the commercial break, and then they show you a recap of what happened before the commercial break, so that by the end of a forty-minute show you've only got thirty minutes of unique footage. WNTW does that constantly. TGGTS only did it once, before the final clip. I hope it stays that way.
- Better hosts. Last but not least, eh? Here's the truth: Stacy annoys the hell out of me. She's obnoxious and mean and catty, and yes, sometimes funny, and often right about what looks good on people, but I dislike watching her or listening to her, and that really detracts from my enjoyment of What Not To Wear. Plus I disagree with what she wears, which isn't a good sign. Clinton's okay most of the time, playing the sidekick with occasional one-liners. But Tim Gunn. How I love Tim Gunn, from his sense of fashion to his sense of humor. I haven't yet gotten a handle on Veronica Webb (or her fashion sense); sometimes she argued amusingly with him over differing tastes (at one point she wanted the contestant to try leggings, and he flinched away with a "gah" sort of noise), sometimes she was helpful; she had some good lines, but seems to play more off Gunn than anything else. Maybe she'll come into her own as they do more episodes.
The end was also lovely, when the contestant came out for a private little fashion show with her husband and family. The show chipped in and got her husband a platinum-and-diamond ring to give to her, since they married young and their money was tight. He gave a little speech when he handed it to her, talking about how wonderful it was to see her so confident and happy, and everyone in the room teared up. Because of the way everything had been handled on the show leading up to this, it felt fairly true rather than forced or sudden or overdone. (Then they flew her mother in who'd just had surgery, and everyone really lost it.)
I freely admit that I am one of the fashion senseless.* I never learned how to put together outfits beyond "shirt + pants + shoes = leave the house," I don't shop in expensive clothing stores, and it's only because of occasional viewings of WNTW that I'm now learning what kinds of things might look best on me and what might be considered too young a look. So I identify with a lot of the contestants, and that is probably part of the reason I take offense at some of the things that are said and done to them on these types of shows (by which I mean WNTW, because that's the only one I've ever seen before TGGTS). And last night, I felt that I would've nominated myself for TGGTS if I could've (I think they've filmed them all already and are just airing them now before the new season of Project Runway starts). Not only was the contestant treated better, but I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and see things on a computer model and consider celebrities with my kind of figure and have personal expert shoppers explain things to me in a dressing room for a day. Point is, if I were on a fashion TV show, I'd want it to be this one.
*Keep this in mind, deelaundry, when I snap a photo of my favorite outfit for the meme. :)
And, yes. I taped the show because I didn't think I'd be able to stay awake through it, but happily did, and now I'm glad I recorded it because I think I might actually want to watch it again, which is more than I can say for any episode of WNTW. And I will be watching next week to see if the quality remains high. The end.