The One Thing Tim Gunn Recommends for Finding Your Own Personal Style
This simple trick will help you hone your look.
If you open your closet door every morning and aren't excited to wear any of it—and if even a visit to your once-favorite stores leaves you feeling uninspired, you may be stuck in a style rut. It's those times when you suddenly aren't sure what look you're going for, and getting dressed in the morning becomes even more challenging than it used to be. Is your look preppy, or boho, or Scandinavian-inspired minimalism? The sheer number of choices can be overwhelming if you're not sure what you like. So, to figure out what the best course of action is when you find yourself in such a situation, we asked a fashion expert for the one trick to always being the best-dressed person in the room: Tim Gunn.
"I believe we each benefit from having a fashion icon," Gunn told us while at a Command™ Brand pop-up shop in New York City this week. What's a fashion icon, you ask? Gunn goes on to explain: "Someone who's look we not only resonate with, but whose body shape is like ours, whose coloring is like ours, and ideally, whose age is approximate to our own." Choosing someone who's similar in age and look to start is important, because otherwise you may be emulating fashion choices that won't look or work the same when you try wearing them yourself. By picking someone who looks similar to you to start, the chances are better that the colors and silhouettes that they gravitate towards will also look great on you.
Always one to practice what he preaches, Gunn revealed to us that even he has a fashion icon—in fact, he has two! Cary Grant and George Clooney. And once you choose a fashion icon, it's not just about using them as inspiration for your own wardrobe, but also wanting to live up to the expectations that they set. As Gunn explains: "I was on the red carpet for the Oscars one year, and George Clooney came up to me and said, 'I'm sorry to do this, but I have to,' and he straightened my tie. He said, 'I've heard you say that I'm your style icon, and I want your tie to be straight.'" For most us, if our style icon is a celebrity (whether it's Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kahling, or Meghan Markle), our chances of running into them may be pretty slim, but as Tim Gunn's red carpet story illustrates, it's best to always dress as though your style icon is watching. And when it doubt? Make it work!
