From Bad to Fab: Some Fashion Candidates We'd Like Made Over on Tim Gunn's Show

Ho hum, the third installment of Tim's Guide to Style has come and gone and I was, well, as unimpressed as Trixie from Kora in Hell. I enjoyed the first two shows, but after a third formulaic installment I've become BORED with the predictable format. While JeAnne and Rebecca were a bit drab before, and while Tim and Veronica helped them to concentrate on purchasing stylish, well-fitted outfits, I'm predicting that after two more shows we'll all have trouble recalling one woman from the next.

So here's my teensy suggestion for improvement: Ask Tim and Veronica to do a more memorable make over. How? You ask yourself. Well, choose some truly worthy candidates, for starters:

Britney Spears: Anything Tim and Veronica do with her will be an improvement.

Mariah Carey: Tim and Veronica could concentrate on helping her dress for her age and size.

Amy Winehouse: While girlfriend has a strong look, it tends to descend to the traileur trashe side of life. I think Amy can look fab and cutting edge at the same time.

Courtney Love: Even Tim and Veronica would be challenged by her.

Pamela Anderson. 'Nuff said.

Skeletal model: Why are they always making over the "fat" girl? Why not make this walking stick look normal through choice of clothes and makeup until she gains a few healthy pounds? Now THAT would be a memorable makeover!

Ode to Tim and Veronica

Oh, Bravo, how could I have doubted thee? You, inventor of Project Runway and believer in fashion, created a show worthy of our wonderful Tim. You paired him with Veronica Webb. That was sheer genius.

And then you let wit and fashion fly. Be still my beating heart. Finally a show worthy of pre-Project Runway jitters. Here are some samples of statements we can look forward to for weeks to come:


Veronica:
"That rut is so deep it’s like magma down there."

Tim:
"[Her wardrobe is] so egregiously bad, that things can only improve."
"I'm feeling woeful."
"This is a whole lot of nasty."

Rebecca, the lingerie expert, to Rebecca Pennino, wearer of a whole lot of nasty:
"She’s got a great body; and a great ass."
"Thank you Rebecca."
"You’re welcome, Rebecca."

At the Hair Salon:
"You've got a shade of orange here that doesn't happen in nature."

Tim:
"Everything about fashion is about silhouette, proportion and fit."

Bravo! Brava, Tim!! And hurrah. This show leaves me feeling verklempt, and I adore you. Oh, and yeah, the women DO wind up looking more stylish.


Read the reviews here:

Entertainment Weekly Article

US Magazine Article

Dayum, Tim's Leaving Parson's

He'd better stay with Project Runway

I'd feel so naked on the show without him.

Like an empress without her clothes.

Whatever would I do?Vanity Fair Photo, Pamela Hanson

I need a job and I know fashion! Pick me to replace him if he goes. Pick Meeee!

Noooo. Pick Meeee!

A link to the Women's Wear Daily announcement can be found here.

Leaving Parsons

Onward and upward in my career, dear fans!

I'm leaving Parson's and going to Liz's place
(Claiborne, that is.)

Carry on!

(Breaking News from WWD)

Making Tim Gunn's Wish Come True

Here's Tim Gunn's comment in an article in instict: "When asked about whom he would choose as a Leading Man, Gunn responds with another of the small screen’s most debonair personalities in recent years. “Anderson Cooper,” he says.

Well, here's how they look together. Scrumptious!



(This post in no way means to imply that Mr. Cooper is gay: It simply means to say that both men are equally glorious in their own way.)

Eye Candy for Christmas

For Christmas I present the incomparable, the sartorial, the articulate, and the handsomest of men, be he gay, straight, young, or old ...

Parson School's Chair of Fashion Design and Project Runway's voice of reason, the inestimable Tim Gunn!

Crave to read more about Tim? Here are some links:

In addition to the Bravo Project Runway and Fashion Forward websites, find regularly updated Tim items on the Queen of Project Runway Blogs: Blogging Project Runway.

Hysterical PR updates are found on Project Rungay.

In addition, find more interviews and insights:

TV Guide articles
TV Clips

instinct

The Runway Scoop
Seattle Times article

Chicago Tribune

Out.com, Part 1

Out.com, Part 2

People Magazine

Pop Matters

Reality Blurred

A Socialite's Life

Washington Post

Podcast Junkie: Rating Tim Gunn's Project Runway Podcasts

I listen to my Ipod every day as I walk my energetic terrier an hour in the morning and after work. Within months of its purchase, I found myself listening to the same songs from my CD collection over and over again. At the same time I missed catching the morning and evening news. So I began searching for a variety of free sources of music, news, and entertainment.

I am now a Podcast Junkie. At the start of each week I download 15-18 hours of podcasts into my Ipod. I might take 3-5 days to listen to my selections, which include NPR shuffle, Slate Magazine, Real Time with Bill Maher, Grey’s Anatomy, Tim Gunn’s Podcast, Dog Whisperer, The Lonely Planet—you get the drift. Name a topic, including book titles, and I’ve probably downloaded it!

For the techie neophyte, here's another nice feature about podcasts: You don't have to download a podcast into your MP3 player in order to hear it. Select an episode, double click on the words, and listen while you work on your computer.

In Podcast Junkie I'll be critiqueing my favorite podcasts using the following rating system:
Two ear buds: Highly Recommended
One ear bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud : Don’t bother downloading

My first podcast analysis is about Tim’s Take, a Project Runway podcast by the inestimable Mr. Gunn.

Tim’s Take

Download Frequency: Once a week, after the last new Project Runway broadcast . Archives of Series 2 & 3 can still be downloaded from http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway. (PR One is not available in podcast form. )

Podcast Duration: Variable, up to an hour

Content: Tim’s analysis of the designers and the results of that week’s challenge. (Click here to listen to a sample from PR2, Episode 2, Clothes Off Our Back Episode.)

My Critique: This is Tim Gunn at his best, recapping Project Runway shows and adding colorful details to the design challenges that are absent from the taped show. In addition, Tim’s expert judgment and analysis about the design process and fashion provides valuable insight about each episode, inadvertently (or deliberately) revealing his relationship with the designers. We also learn what really goes on behind the scenes with the judging.

Rating: Two Ear Buds