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Tim Gunn's guide to summer

Print | Comments () Posted by Christopher Muther June 16, 2010 10:14 AM

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You'll find that it's easier to get secrets out of the Department of Homeland Security than it is to get a fashion trend report out of Tim Gunn. While this may be stretching the truth just a touch, Gunn, the dapper host of "Project Runway" and creative director of Liz Claiborne, is reticent to say much when pressed for style trends for spring and summer.

"I'm so loathe to recommend that people go out and buy things that they may not need or want," Gunn said recently when he was in Boston. "The classics are back, thankfully, and I remind people of my ten essential items that belong in every women's wardrobe [found in his 2007 book "A Guide to Quality, Taste, & Style"]. If you're missing one of those, go out and get them"
That list includes basics such as the black dress, jeans, a day dress, and the any-occassion top. Gunn says he's hesitant to recommend that women jump on board trends such as the military look or gladiator sandals, because it simply may not flatter them.
"There is an anecdote I tell with some frequency because I find it to be so preposterous," he says, peering over the top of his glasses. "I was with Nina [Garcia] on 'Good Morning America' about a year ago, and we were asked about must-have trends. Of course I'm tight-lipped, thinking I have to go into my whole speech about how I don't believe in talking about it. But Nina jumps in and says 'It's the gladiator sandal! Get out there and get a gladiator sandal.' Now, how many women do you know who can really wear a gladiator sandal?"
After a bit of prodding, we manage to coax a few spring trend suggestions out of Gunn, along with a caveat that he does not want any woman to feel like an style outcast if her personal tastes do not match his suggestions.

Continue on for Gunn's summer favorites....

1. The trench coat -- "Classic style is back, and nothing is more classic than a trench coat, or, as I say in the book, the trench-ish coat"

2. Color is in -- "But make no assumption about color. When it comes to color, you have to look at it with your own skin tone. Wear a color that you're comfortable with. Don't buy something simply because you see it everywhere. "

3. Blazers -- "This was seen on the runway, and it's also one of the items on my list. That doesn't mean it needs to be a boyfriend blazer. It can be a really fitted blazer in any color that suits you. It doesn't need to be a Thurston Howell III blazer."

4. Classic styles are in -- Even with additional prodding, Gunn was fairly tight lipped on what other classic styles are in, so we will fill in the blank here with an easy-to-adopt style that is broad enough for most women. Nautical is a big influence this spring, and it can be worn in very subtle, or very literal ways with stripes, navy, and reds.