You know, my sweets, one of the things I LOVE about Tim Gunn is that he seems to find inspiration from everything around him. The man is so fresh. He’s impeccably turned out, a wonderful, generous, and loving mentor, a great teacher, and just a DOLL, okay?
TIM GUNN CAN WE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HAVE LUNCH?
I have a monster crush on TG: he is one of my heroes. The talent on “Project Runway” this season is totally substandard and I watch only for the pleasure of seeing Tim Gunn do his thing. J’ADORE the man (yes, yes, yes, Francophiles, I know that’s not proper French).
So anyway, how much fun is this article about 17 films that inspire Tim Gunn?
SO much fun. There are some expected picks in there (“Funny Face,” “Funny Girl,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” but “Pee-Wee Herman’s Big Adventure?” That’s what’s so great about Tim Gunn. He’s fun.
What movies inspire you in the fashion sense?
I think of films like “Bonnie and Clyde” (trench coats, berets, Faye Dunaway being killer gorgeous), “Room With a View” (who didn’t want to be Helena Bonham-Carter after seeing that?), “Reds” (didn’t love the flick, but loved the clothes and wanted to be Emma Goldman — a role I actually later played!), “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar” (Miss Vita Boheme is still one of my favorite all-time characters), “Auntie Mame” (one that is also on Tim Gunn’s list, how could it not be?), “My Favorite Year” (love the men’s clothing, especially), “Pennies From Heaven,” (Bernadette Peters in her sad little depression-era schoolmarm dresses contrasted to the glamour of the musical numbers), oh, I could go on and on!
I tend to love period pieces but not showy period pieces (I love them but they don’t connect to me personally). I love little details like Vivien Leigh’s gloves in “Gone With the Wind” or Olympia Dukasis’ overcoat and hair-do in “Moonstruck” and Lily Taylor’s aprons in “Household Saints” or Salma Hayak’s headscarves in “Frida” or Patricia Clarkson’s red lipstick in “The Untouchables” or the fur collar on Catherine Zeta-Jones’ coat in “Chicago.”
I was watching a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers marathon last spring and thought, “Oh, how I would LOVE to wear those clothes — not so much the feathery dance numbers, but those gorgeous satin pieces with the 24 gored skirts and the plunging backs…even the pants she wore in “Follow the Fleet” — and of course, Fred was sartorial splendor!
Rebecca. Love the clothes–and Laurence Olivier, of course.
I just read his relatively new book and I’m struck with how similar your desired outcomes are with his, PB-you both advocate hard work, decorum, and self care! you should call him, and he should do some clergy makeovers with you. You could have your own show!!