On Sat., March 26, Tim Gunn, co-host of Project Runway and chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., will host a free fashion show at the Ross Park Mall featuring Juicy Couture, Kate Spade New York and Lucky Brand Jeans. City Paper spoke with Gunn by telephone about the show, sizing and a certain shoe.
What can people expect at the show?
We don't just parade models down a runway and let people take it all in. We have a live commentary because we pull product from the stores, and that varies. But it's really about educating the audience: How do you make these looks your own, or transition an item three different ways? We talk about sizing, prints and patterns, colors.
Then we have a Q&A; people can ask anything. Women will pull a jacket back and say, "Tim, look how thick I am in the middle -- how do I mitigate this?" I'm so touched by how open and frank people are, because they know that we're not going to make fun of them -- we're there to help. I'm always saying, "If getting fashion right were easy, everybody would look fabulous."
Have people become too casual?
It's not the items that they're wearing, it's the size of the items they're wearing -- what I call the "comfort trap." If you want to dress to feel as if you never got out of bed, then don't get out of bed! I hear it all the time: "I dress to feel comfortable." Well, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, but your clothes should fit you. The more volume your clothes have, the more volume you appear to have.
How can we get the fashion industry to start making clothes that are properly sized?
Oh, that's another huge horrible situation -- the lying, deceptive shell-game of vanity sizing. American retailers want you to think that you're smaller than you are. Our refrain is always: "Try it on. Make no assumptions about sizes."
If you had a magic wand to vanish one fashion item ...
I would like to rid the world of Crocs. They're just so hideous, and they make your foot look like a hoof.
1 p.m. Sat., March 26. Nordstrom Court, Ross Park Mall, North Hills. 412-369-4401
