Customer Reviews

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work is a real jewel. For those of you who have seen Tim Gunn on Project Runaway, on talk shows like Bonnie Hunt or in other venues, his voice comes out strongly in the book. Gunn radiates warmth and a genuine spirit--seemingly an oxymoron in the cut-throat fashion world.

Which just proves that nice guys can finish first--that you need not be nasty, mean or impolite to climb to the top in any profession. With 18 rules, this book shows you how you can succeed in life--while being nice.

Gunn doesn't believe in luck to succeed--he believes in hard work, skill, dedication and creatively. One of his phrases that he uses on Project Runaway in in life is: "Make it work". He says: "You should use what you have on hand to transform your situation." In other words, if you wait until everything is perfect before proceeding, it ain't gonna happen!

He believes in politeness and in being kind to others. This book, he writes, is a "manifesto for kindness, generosity and integrity."

What I like about this book most is that, unlike so many recently published, Gunn emphasizes hard work, perseverance and creatively to reach goals--not magical thinking. Obviously, not all of us will reach the level of success that Gunn has. Bit the book is motivational, fun (the dishing--delightful!) and a guide to good living.

I also like the fact that he tells us that the world owes us nothing. There are far too many people who feel, for whatever reason, that they are entitled. Gunn does NOT like these people....These are usually the same people who are rude to waiters and other people (something Gunn rails against. Yes! I used to wait tables and couldn't stand people who were rude just because.)

Highly recommend.

While this is not a fashion/lifestyle book, you may be interested in it because you are a fan of Tim Gunn. If so, I recommend

Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. As an interior designer, I would also like to recommend Harmonious Environment to add some style and beauty to your home!


Love the book!

Tim Gunn, from 'Project Runway' has written a book filled with tidbits of advice about life, love, celebrities, family and how to be your own person. It is an easy, fun book to read. Tim is a man of his word, he gives it to us straight, and tells the truth to whomever is asking. He doesn't play games, and the interesting stories of celebrities may be a seller for this book, but his advice and stories of his life are the real gold.

Tim grew up in Washington, D.C., the son of the ghostwriter for J. Edgar Hoover. The stories he could tell, and he does give us a few. One interesting bit is the day he and his sister were invited to see Vivian Vance in J Edgar Hoover's office. Tim loved Ethel Mertz from 'I Love Lucy' and was ecstatic at the meeting. A lovely lady but upon reflection she had a similarity in looks to Mr Hoover. Could it be that the rumors that Mr Hoover liked to cross dress were true, and Vivian was in reality the lovely J Edgar Hoover? Tim's dad never told any stories from his life with the FBI. His dad died from Alzheimer's disease, and his mother is still alive and driving him crazy in a loving sort of way. Tim knew at a young age he was different. He suffered from a stutter and was picked on. At one time he attempted suicide, and this opened the door to therapy, and that may have been a saving grace for Tim Gunn. Tim moved to New York and started his career in fashion. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design, and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its Chief Creative Officer.

His most famous role is that of on-air mentor to designers on 'Project Runway', and that role has led to Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. He is such a leader of fashion advice and style that he is in great demand. Personally he would prefer to stay at home. He is a loner and loves his life. He had one great love, and that turned out badly. He is not sure that he won't meet someone, but he is happy with his life as it is. He has a sister and a niece, Wallace, whom he adores. The book is filled with amusing incidents with celebrities, e.g Issac Mizrahi and the 'Diva from Vogue', Anna Wintour. He likes Martha Stewart but thinks her daughter is perpetually angry. Tim Gunn believes in being nice to everyone unless someone cuts him off. He offers much good advice and gives examples-one issue that I wholeheartedly agree with is the manner is which we treat waiters and wait staff. To be mean and surly shows off your true personality, and those who under tip are sometimes the worst. The book is divided into chapters, and the heading sets the tone for the chapter. Tim Gunn has led a life of hard work but filled with such a quality of fun and good times. He is well respected and always well dressed. He is a handsome man and has the air and tone of someone who would be such a good friend.

Tim said in a recent interview for the 'Daily Beast' "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. In the fashion industry and the entertainment industry, there's a class system. I find it offensive. ... If one were to sit with me in a quiet little bistro somewhere, one would get these stories out of me pretty quickly. It's not as though I needed a sodium pentathol and a glass of room-temp gin to do it." His book is the quiet little bistro, and we have heard the stories. The dirt gets all the attention, but Tim Gunn's life and advice is the real book. As Tim Gunn frequently says 'Carry On'.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 09-07-10

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

92Y - Tim Gunn in Conversation with Budd Mishkin (March 11, 2008)

As stated in the product summary, this is book is part memoir, part observations about life.

I am not a big TV watcher, but I got hooked on watching Project Runway around 5 years ago. Part of the reason was Tim Gunn. There is something so fundamentally decent and kind about that man, and you cannot help but feel affection towards him.

I am usually a fiction reader, but I picked up this book and started reading it and couldn't put it down. It's not simply clever commentary on fashion and etiquette but also replete with Tim's observations about such subjects as varied as child rearing, schooling, and therapy.

And did I mention it's laugh-out-loud funny? I must've woke my husband up a dozen times with my outbursts. One of the parts that really had me cackling were Tim's descriptions of eating (from foreign foods that have animals that are still alive and crawl off your plate) to the topic of vegetarianism.

If you are a fan of Tim Gunn, I don't have to sell you on this book - you'll probably be interested in reading it. And yes, he does dish on some of the designers as well as the judges. But I do believe that anyone could benefit from reading this - his decency, his honestly, and his integrity shine through every page. For those of you who are familiar with Tim Gunn, and for those of you who aren't, here's just a brief quote from the book that so well catches his wit and personality:

"I hold doors open for women, and I also hold them for men. When I'm at Macy's, I don't let the door slam behind me when I walk through. It has nothing to do with gender. I would hold a door open for anyone.

Would I hold the door for a dog? Okay, may not, because a dog shouldn't be at Macy's."

Recommended.

I picked up Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Lessons for Making It Work as a gift for a friend who is a big fan of Project Runway, the show on which author Tim Gunn serves as a mentor. I've only seen an episode or two of the show myself, but when I started thumbing through the book before wrapping it up, I ended up sitting down and reading the whole thing. Gunn and his collaborator Ada Calhoun have penned an eminently readable and very entertaining book outlining Gunn's rules for living a life of integrity.

Gunn argues that those rules - working hard, treating others with respect, knowing when to speak up and when to keep your mouth shut, etc. - are not now and never will be out of fashion. Into his rules, Gunn has woven a number of great anecdotes centering around Project Runway and around some well known names in the fashion and entertainment industry, helping to keep the overall tone of the book light and amusing.

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Lessons for Making It Work isn't the type of book I usually read - fiction is more my thing - but I found it both a lot of fun and nicely inspiring. Even though I wasn't familiar with Gunn before reading this, after finishing, I felt I had come to understand the essence of the man and to admire the manners and methods that guide his life. It was nice to read something from someone with whom I apparently share a good many values and who can eloquently communicate them without sounding the least bit preachy!

Recommended.

I downloaded a sample of this book on my Kindle, and had to buy the whole book right away. It's a charming read that's almost like spending an evening with Tim. I didn't buy it to read his golden rules so much as I did just because I like Tim Gunn so darn much and wanted to see what he had to say. I'm glad I did--what an enjoyable read! Even if you care not a whit about fashion, you will like spending time with Tim Gunn.

I can't go on ENOUGH about how much I love Tim Gunn and this book. As a woman who lives in NY and has worked in the fashion industry for many years, I can tell you the industry is as superficial and harsh and egotistical as its reputation suggests. And it sometimes clouds the fact that fashion at its core is art. Tim reminds me of that. He is inspiring, but I digress.

What I REALLY love about this book, and Tim Gunn, is while practically being the King of Style or Fashion (if there was such a thing), he is so humble and down-to-earth. And first and foremost I believe an educator at heart. This isn't more evident than in this book. He really cares to educate and not judge; this book was never preachy at any point but honest and straightforward. He is intelligent but very relate-able and real. He is a perfect liaison between high class style and taste, and the everyman.

I purchased this book for my e-reader and upon finishing it, immediately regretted that I hadn't purchased a hard copy to pass on to several of my friends and family. Especially younger family. Young people especially would so benefit from this book. I felt the advice was not only relevant to, but necessary for people entering the real world. The words "make it work" don't just apply to the Project Runway workroom but to life as well.

But young or old, if you love fashion or couldn't care less, the anecdotes and stories about his life and other celebs in this book are priceless - hilarious and moving, I was never bored. For those who have ever felt like they didn't quite fit in, many of his personal stories will resonate. I really enjoyed this book and found it very valuable. And if I ever see Tim Gunn on the street I am going to tell him that I love him, as embarrassed as my boyfriend will be.

What Would Tim Gunn Do? You'll know the answer to that after reading this! Tim Gunn has put together a highly readable book that is all at once an autobiography, a plea for better manners, and a gossipy little tell-all that will have you laughing aloud at times. New York fashion icons; Project Runway behind the scenes; popular celebrities; even J. Edgar Hoover get mentioned. But, Tim's own personal story is probably the most compelling reason of all to read the book.

A fun, intelligent, and at times painfully honest book. I wasn't prepared to like it as much as I did. An inspiring read.

Tim Gunn is, from start to finish, from his marrow to his crisply pressed blazer, a gentleman of the first order. Here's to a man who sets a higher standard, yet helps us see that we are able to achieve them.

From the moment I viewed Tim Gunn on a re-run season of Project Runway, his poise, charm, politeness, and creative thinking immediately captivated me. Being able to know and understand his world and thinking through this book has already proved to be inspiring and helpful in my own life. Gunn exuberantly portrays his views on how one should act to be their best self in this upbeat and thoughtful reflection. Supplemented with his real-life, yet nearly unbelievable life experiences, Gunn is able to illustrate so many of life's disappointments, faux pas, and tough situations. Though many would take this book to be all about fashion advice and style, Gunn sets that all aside to explain his beliefs on issues like manners, grooming, family, conversation, and even classic movies that portray gumption. Additionally, he points out the importance for adventure and inspiration in each individual's life.

Gunn recounts stories of his upbringing, education, and adulthood transitions. It was surprising for me to learn of his meager beginnings as a struggling student, fighting to find his identity. Furthermore, I also found it intriguing to learn that his beginnings were not in the fashion industry, but in the field of teaching 3-D modeling. I loved his account of creating White House Christmas decorations!

I absolutely love that Gunn doesn't hold back when relating experiences with his family, specifically his interactions with his mother. Through the account of an argument that escalades into a choking fit, Gunn explains the importance of sticking to your "guns" and standing up for yourself. His eloquent and quirky renditions of his day-to-day experiences in the fashion industry were enough to throw me into hysterical laughing. He even tells his version of the controversial story of Vogue Editor in Chief, Anna Wintour, being carried down several flights of stairs by her bodyguards in an effort to avoid an elevator.

Tim Gunn tells it like it is, but in a wise and respectful tone. His years and conglomeration of exposures both ordinary and extraordinary events are expressed in a jubilant, brilliant, and thought-provoking manner. Though he has grown to fame, he has held his character and views that allow him to decipher things as they really are. Individuals of any caliber would benefit from reading this guide, wherein they will discover inspiration for bettering themselves each day. It can comfort the un-confident, beautify the ugly, and bring reasoning and class and chivalry back to the surface of a casual and crude world.

I don't know that anyone who reads this book could be unaffected from the charming and charismatic Tim Gunn. Learning his "golden rules" will beautify and elevate your character and life.

Tim Gunn's Golden Rules is brilliant in its honesty, compassionate, and encouraging. It is a fun read and offers great advice. I would love to have him as a mentor and this book is helping to fulfill that wish!