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1984a83
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I am a stickler for good manners, and I believe that treating other people well is a lost art. In the workplace, at the dinner table, and walking down the street--we are confronted with choices on how to treat people nearly every waking moment. Over time these choices define who we are and whether we have a lot of friends and allies or none.
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Tim Gunn |
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8e1fbad
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To cheer myself up, I try to remember the difference between short-term and long-term success. Living a good life and making a real mark on society is a marathon, not a sprint.
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Tim Gunn |
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66b8d28
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Perhaps you like to torture yourself by trying on some jeans from a few years ago to see if you can button them. Clothes do not exist to humiliate their owners. Please do not force garments into performing psychological tasks for which they were not designed.
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Tim Gunn |
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1219a11
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I love the word 'fashion.' That's why I'm using it in the title of this book. Fashion is about change and about creating clothes within a historical context. To me, dismissing fashion as silly or unimportant seems like a denial of history and frequently a show of sexism--as if something that's traditionally a concern of women isn't valid as a field of academic inquiry. When the Parsons fashion department was founded in 1906, it was called '..
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history
sexism
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Tim Gunn |
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88414ff
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Speaking of high-end shoe designers, in 2011 it was fascinating to see the design company of Christian Louboutin try to stop the company Yves Saint Laurent from producing high heels with red soles, claiming that Louboutin was the originator of the red sole. Louboutin lost, and I was glad. He was not the first person to paint a sole, and I am wary of patenting a color, like Tiffany blue. Why should we grant that entire history to Louboutin a..
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trademarks
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Tim Gunn |
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2869b84
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Good manners lead to better relationships, more career success, and less personal stress. Manners are a relief, not a terrible obligation. It's my belief that etiquette isn't cold and formal; it's warm and flexible. I am very con- cerned with manners, but I am not a robot. Manners are simply about asking yourself, What's the right thing to do? I deeply believe that if we all have this simple question in our minds, we will do right by one an..
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Tim Gunn |
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4bd7949
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One of the hardest things for a teacher is to know when to keep quiet and when to let go. It is a terrible thing to hold someone back from success, or to insist on sharing credit, or to tie someone to your apron strings. We need to have faith that we have done all we can, and then we need to kick our birds out of the nest.
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Tim Gunn |
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7e71e19
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In 1916, Infants' and Children's Wear Review insisted upon pink for boys and blue for girls. In 1939, Parents magazine claimed that pink was a good color for boys because it was a pale version of red, which was the color of Mars, the war god. Blue was good for girls because it was the color of Venus, and of the Virgin Mary. So, pink for girls is a relatively recent trend, and utterly random.
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fashion
gender-stereotypes
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Tim Gunn |
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2701817
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Now we get to the Karma thing: You make yourself so vulnerable by not tipping well or treating people in the service industry with respect. Not only is it wrong to treat another human being like that, but there's a practical consideration: They're standing between you and eating. Without waiters, nothing comes to your table and nothing goes away. Aren't you worried that they'll put rat poison in your food, or at least spit in it? pages 86-8..
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Tim Gunn |
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99509e4
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Until the twentieth century, the T-shirt's role was strictly to form a barrier between a man's body and the more valuable clothing he actually wanted the world to see.
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Tim Gunn |
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946934a
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The bulky caveman boot certainly has a modern heir: Uggs. I feel they are aptly named and don't belong in this millennium, but I realize I'm in the minority on that.
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Tim Gunn |
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acc4491
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A T-shirt is a T-shirt. Spending hundreds of dollars on it doesn't elevate it. He was under-dressed, even if his casual outfit did cost more than my suit and tie. I once had another fashion victim tell me, 'This T-shirt cost twelve thousand dollars!' What difference does that make? If that's the message you want to send about yourself and your fashion sense, you should wear the price tag, or that should be the message on your T-shirt: 'Hi. ..
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money
fashion-victims
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Tim Gunn |
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f1f2b49
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Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly." --Epictetus"
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Tim Gunn |
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2d7f727
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Whether they come from Brooks Brothers or a thrift store, the sweaters we wear have a magnificent ancestry. Their history spans the worlds of Irish fishermen, French knights, World War I soldiers, busty Hollywood 'sweater girls,' and the television saint Mr. Rogers. That history lives in each garment. By being aware of it, we can better appreciate what we have.
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sweaters
fashion
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Tim Gunn |
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3029717
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I try to phrase criticism in the nicest possible way, but I also never lie. If people ask, I assume it's because they want to know. People are not dumb about these things; they can tell when a compliment isn't sincere.
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Tim Gunn |
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f6491ac
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But when (as will inevitably happen) mature women are again seen as sexy, it's likely that the maxi and midi will make their triumphant return as sexy garments. Fashion
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Tim Gunn |
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c86a218
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Would I be more comfortable in a business meeting wearing my pajamas? No! It would feel, honestly, very weird. I would think, Where's my IV? When do I take my next meds?
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pajamas
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Tim Gunn |
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f8e80f0
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I don't particularly like entertaining. I know I should, but I just don't.
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Tim Gunn |
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af1184b
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People use texting and e-mail for everything, but it's not appropriate for somber situations. If you win an Oscar, tweet away, but if you're talking about a death or an illness, you need to use more formal channels. For example: You can promote an employee via e-mail, but you can't fire him. You can ask someone out by e-mail, but you can't break up with her. Happy occasions can be casual. Sad or serious ones require a personal touch.
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Tim Gunn |
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3eb8e2a
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I also have no problem if you want to find a cave and have someone roll a boulder in front of it.
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cave
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Tim Gunn |
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50c6572
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I'll give you some life advice," I said. "The first piece is: Listen and listen intently when you're being spoken to about something. The second: Take the high road. When presented with frustration or anger or discontentment with a situation or a person, don't reduce yourself to that level. Don't get into a conflict in that moment. You'll feel better about yourself for it." Well, to my surprise, this created a near frenzy in the room. The s..
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Tim Gunn |
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a73003c
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In my typical way, I declined to respond, saying that I didn't want anyone to run to a store just because I endorsed a trend. Besides, a trend is good only if it works for you, your wardrobe, and your lifestyle.
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trends
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Tim Gunn |
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a27b18d
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Borrowing from cultures without understanding the fundamentals can yield some pretty weird and wholly illogical perversions.
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Tim Gunn |
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fbf7d83
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Until the sixteenth century, men--priests, academics, judges, merchants, princes, and many others--wore skirts, or robes. For men, the skirt was a 'sign of leisure and a symbol of dignity,' writes Quentin Bell. This is still true for men in high positions. After all, can you imagine the Pope, or Professor Dumbledore, wearing trousers? Have you ever seen a depiction of God wearing pants?
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skirts
gender
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Tim Gunn |
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fe08f20
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Although there are few things easier than throwing on a dress, something about them communicates that you have made an effort.
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Tim Gunn |
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584a0e2
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I don't believe in texting while dining, sending one-word e-mails in lieu of formal thank-you cards, wearing shorts to the theater, or settling for any of the modern trends that favor comfort over politeness, ease over style. Manners are simply about asking yourself, What's the right thing to do?
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Tim Gunn |
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0e3d708
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Doing as many makeovers as I do, I've learned a few things about what makes women feel better about themselves. The starting point is usually getting a new haircut. I don't want to generalize, because every case is different, but I think it's best to err on the side of styling your hair shorter the older you get. In my opinion, it's generally not a good look for women over thirty to have hair way below their shoulders.
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Tim Gunn |
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a6b59c9
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I love cooking. I cook for myself every day. I like the ceremony of it. It takes me into a different zone. I make a lot of pasta. But cooking for a crowd of five or ten or, heaven forbid, twenty? No, thank you. I don't like feeling like a slave to the care and feeding of my guests.
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Tim Gunn |
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7ea1ca7
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Honestly--and maybe some of you can relate to this--I just can't stand the pressure of being responsible for hosting a memorable (and not in a bad way) evening. Martha Stewart, bless her heart, intimidates me. That level of entertaining is so over my head: What do you mean, you didn't dig up your own potatoes for this dish? You didn't make the doilies? The plates didn't just come out of a kiln? I love Martha, but it gets ridiculous.
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Tim Gunn |
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6ed5e78
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Entertaining shouldn't be about showing off. It's all about making people feel comfortable and setting a stage for everyone to have a good time, make new friends, and have stimulating conversations. You want to leave a party thinking: If I hadn't gone to that, I never would have met this wonderful person, or had that delicious meal, or felt that sense of camaraderie with the people I met at the dessert table. You don't want anyone looking a..
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Tim Gunn |
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e03a080
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To be a good houseguest, you should be as independent as possible. You should buy groceries or take your hosts out for dinner. Pick up after yourself. Pretend to have a good time even if you're not. Say, 'I'd like to make a dinner reservation tonight. What's your favorite restaurant?' Try not to break anything. Be quiet.
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Tim Gunn |
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f404ff7
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Taking the high road is always the best way to go. You feel better about yourself, and the world feels better about you.
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Tim Gunn |
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5d1636a
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Every one of Dad's colleagues would eventually commit suicide, most by gunshot to the head, and every woman in their circle except for my mother would become a dysfunctional alcoholic. But in the fifties, they were all riding high.
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Tim Gunn |
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b451a1e
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The color, the shape, and the texture--none of it is accidental. Every item we wear has a glorious (or sometimes not so glorious) history, and that history extends back years--centuries, even--before Oscar de la Renta's 2002 collection.
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Tim Gunn |