Reddit reviews Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style (Tim Gunn's Guide to Style)

I know you mentioned wanting replies especially from working designers or fashion majors. I'm frankly neither of those, but in true Reddit fashion wanted to give my opinion anyways since I'm a fan of 2 of the 3.

First, let me describe my style evolution. My mom was a tomboy who wore no makeup and kept her hair short so she wouldn't have to bother with styling it. I grew up without knowing how to apply make-up properly and while I rebelled and had long hair, it was all one length and it went down to my waist. Styling my hair, to me, meant putting it into a pony-tail.

Fashion was a similar issue. My mom was overweight, and wore men's clothing, usually cast offs from my dad or my brothers (who were all pretty big guys.) What did I wear? You guessed it, I wore t-shirts (guys) and jeans, despite being unhealthily thin. I made small attempts at looking girly, but it was either an abysmal failure or created such as stir of shock and surprise that I always immediately regretted wearing anything frilly or cute.

As an adult, I joined the military. This meant my non-make-up wearing was a plus (less time getting ready prior to watch, etc.) and was forced to either keep my hair short or to put it up. I prefer to have long hair, so I mastered a simple, but severe, bun. Also, wearing uniforms 7 days of week while underway meant not having to worry about fashion.

On my days off, I basically had a dress code I had to follow while overseas (button up, collared shirts or blouses that covered shoulders, stomach, and were conservative.) So my style upgraded to polos and jeans. Occasionally I would wear a really nice button up silk blouse. Dresses were rare and of the "clubbing" style that I would wear once, feel awkward in, and then let a friend permanently borrow it.

I've been out of the military for 6 years now and I've had a nightmare time of trying to experiment with business casual, nice dress clothes for after working hours, etc. It also doesn't help that after battling a lifelong eating disorder and a (recently discovered, thanks Reddit!) genetic medical disorder, I've ballooned up in weight, gaining 60 lbs in the last 6 years.

Needless to say, I'm a fashion wreck. I'm a hodgepodge of outdated ideas of what I think is fashionable and how to dress to my body type. Then I started watching "What Not to Wear." While I won't say its the greatest show on earth, it has helped me to start identifying my issues and to try to experiment and try on things I haven't before.

As to "Project Runway", the best thing this show has done for me is to introduce me to Tim Gunn. He has a little book about style that has led to me getting properly fitted for a bra, get my work clothes tailored (I never realized I was actually a petite when it comes to arm length!) and not hate myself for how I look.

So now that I've addressed my issues concerning those 2 shows, I'll go back to your original question. As prior military, I hate, hate, hate when they completely screw up aspects of military life. I know certain details are deliberately misinformed for national security purposes. However, and in particular, showing officers as doing everything in a unit boils my blood. Most shows have 10 officers as characters and 1 enlisted person (maybe.) In reality, in most situations you have 1 officer and 30 enlisted doing the work. Its actually considered the job of a good senior enlisted person to keep the officers OUT of the workplace and as uninvolved as possible. In a well run shop, the officer is there to take care of the command politics and to back-up the senior enlisted.

I think anytime you have a show that portrays a particular industry, you're going to find that the details annoy the heck out of those who are in and actually know about that industry.

TL;DR: Team Mondo because I think purple stripes and green plaid can work together in amazing ways and Kenley can go suck on a polka dot

Aside from getting new things, a big thing you should remember is to eliminate the old in your closet, if you haven't done so already.

Tim Gunn actually wrote a few chapters on how to clean out your closet and solidify your style in this book, A Guide to Taste, Quality, and Style that you may want to check out. It's really great and gives some practical steps on how to do it. You might even need a friend to help you clean out your closet and chuck/donate clothes that no longer fit the new style you're going for, so that you don't run the risk of keeping it and wearing it again. I myself know how hard it is to get rid of something that is actually hideous and I never wear, for sentimental reasons. So it's good to have a friend to help do what you can't, haha.

From what I read from it (I skipped between chapters), I think what you are looking for could be the Tim Gunn book http://www.amazon.com/Tim-Gunn-Guide-Quality-Taste/dp/0810992841 I found it very sensible in all the issues you bring up.

http://www.amazon.com/Tim-Gunn-Guide-Quality-Taste/dp/0810992841

Sorry for the double post, I'm a posting idiot :/