Nashville Fashion Week, sponsored by Lexus, was held March 20-24. Nashville Fashion Week is a celebration of Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and the city’s array of creative talent. Now in its second year, the week long celebration, hosted events such as runway shows throughout the city, expert industry panels, and in store events around town, at local retailers and boutiques.
Once the Nashville Fashion Week schedule was posted online, I got my calendar out and I began notating all of the events I had to go to! Then I saw it… Tim Gunn was hosting a fashion show at The Mall at Green Hills on Saturday March 24th. I didn’t really know what to expect, all I knew is that I couldn’t miss it… It was free, dedicated to fashion, and I would kick myself if I missed seeing Tim Gunn in my home town! I imagined a loud food court, packed full of people, a small introduction by Mr. Gunn followed by a mediocre fashion show. I was wrong on all accounts and was truly blown away by the experience that was had.
Once the Nashville Fashion Week schedule was posted online, I got my calendar out and I began notating all of the events I had to go to! Then I saw it… Tim Gunn was hosting a fashion show at The Mall at Green Hills on Saturday March 24th. I didn’t really know what to expect, all I knew is that I couldn’t miss it… It was free, dedicated to fashion, and I would kick myself if I missed seeing Tim Gunn in my home town! I imagined a loud food court, packed full of people, a small introduction by Mr. Gunn followed by a mediocre fashion show. I was wrong on all accounts and was truly blown away by the experience that was had.
If the name Tim Gunn doesn’t ring a bell, it’s probably because you’ve avoided all things fashion and/or you live under a rock. The rest of us fell in love with Tim Gunn as the mentor and co-host of Bravo’s hit TV show, Project Runway which debuted in 2004. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Project Runway is a reality show, which focuses on fashion design and each contestant competes to produce the best runway look with restrictions on time, materials, and theme. Since its premier, Project Runway has since changed networks and the 10th Season is set to air this summer on Lifetime.
Gunn’s career didn’t begin on Project Runway, in fact, Gunn was a faculty member of Parson’s School of Design in New York, from 1982-1989, he then served as their associate dean until 2000, and from 2000-2007 he served as the design department chairman. He began Project Runway in 2004 and has since become a monumental name in the fashion industry. Gunn has penned two books (Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style and Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons to Making It Work) and in 2007 he became the Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne Incorporated (which recently changed its name to Fifth and Pacific Coast). He has hosted his own television show (Tim Gunn’s guide to style), and just recently, Mr. Gunn became the co-host of ABC’s new talk show, The Revolution.
Gunn’s career didn’t begin on Project Runway, in fact, Gunn was a faculty member of Parson’s School of Design in New York, from 1982-1989, he then served as their associate dean until 2000, and from 2000-2007 he served as the design department chairman. He began Project Runway in 2004 and has since become a monumental name in the fashion industry. Gunn has penned two books (Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style and Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons to Making It Work) and in 2007 he became the Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne Incorporated (which recently changed its name to Fifth and Pacific Coast). He has hosted his own television show (Tim Gunn’s guide to style), and just recently, Mr. Gunn became the co-host of ABC’s new talk show, The Revolution.
When I first arrived at The Mall at Green Hills, I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t even sure of where exactly the show was going to be so I just followed the sound of people. I turned the corner around Tiffany’s and there it was, in the center aisle between Kate Spade and Lucky brand jeans. There were about 150 white chairs popped up, a white runway, and a white back drop listing the participating company’s names. The entire set up was visually appealing and everything seemed extremely well planned and put together. The crowd began pouring in and everyone was patiently awaiting the show.
The fashion show started promptly and Tim Gunn was serving as the host by introducing pieces from the Spring 2012 Collection’s of Juicy Couture, Kate Spade New York, and Lucky Brand Jeans (which are all Fifth and Pacific Coast companies). After each model went down the runway, he analyzed the individual pieces and discussed how to avoid any fashion faux pas. He did this with the charm and humor one would expect after watching him on TV. This spring it’s all about color and each of the pieces that went down the runway were right on trend. Tim discussed how larger prints should be avoided or only worn by modelesque women. He stressed the importance of fit and keeping one’s outfit’s proportional to one’s body type ! He even asked one of the models to tuck in his shirt because men’s shirts are meant to be tucked in and “it would just look better”. The show lasted about 40 minutes and there were about 15 looks that went down the catwalk. What I really enjoyed about listening to Tim Gunn speak, was his ability to make fashion work for everyone. He knows that fashion is all about individual expression and what may be trendy or in style isn’t for everyone. He isn’t as worried about the ‘fashion hierarchy’ and WHO someone is wearing. It was more about HOW they were wearing it and HOW it makes that person feel.
After the show, the members of the audience were invited to ask Gunn questions. The inquiries varied from style advice to questions about the past winners of Project Runway. He answered all of the questions with ease and really interacted with audience members. A young girl in the audience asked him, “How do you know if a color is right for you?” He answered, “I have a chin test. Put the clothing up to your chin, and if the color makes your skin glow, it’s a good color for you. If the color washes you out, you should avoid it!” I definitely had to pen that piece of advice and file it away under tricks and tips of the trade!
So why did Tim Gunn choose to come here to Nashville? Gunn states, “It’s important that Fashion Week takes place in cities across the country, not just in New York City. Nashville has developed its own version of Fashion Week supporting local talent, and I’m thrilled to be part of it”. It was an honor having him be apart of our fashion week and It was truly incredible to witness, one of the best and most well known fashion mentors in the industry here, in Nashville, dishing out style advice to anyone who would listen! The fashion show went above and beyond all of my expectations and I wish you could have been there to witness it yourself.
