I love Tim Gunn. I was really surprised to not fall head over heels in love with this book. I suspect this has to do with the genre. I don't tend to read self help books. And as much as it pains me to say I found some of his dishing about past PR contestants to be contradictory to his always try to take the high ground advice. I think secretly I either wanted the book to be full of dishy gossip or etiquette tips. It didn't feel right to have both. That said did I mention I love Tim Gunn? ( )

Gunn hits the proverbial nail of hte head once again, as he provides a unique and much-needed perspective on modern manners and life in general. Some may see this genre as antiquated, but Gunn's wit and saavy advice are sorely needed to impart some harsh truths about how many people live in the modern age. I might not agree with all of Gunn's advice (sometimes we have a right to be bitter and cynical), but it was none the less a highly informative and enjoyable read. ( )

Tim Gunn hereby displays his "golden rules", which are chapters often adhering to old-school etiquette. It's not strict as "respect your elders", but are often somewhat coherent, nice and strict. The book, as a whole, is quite interesting as Gunn has a few very valid points (in my view) and, strangely enough, from a gossipy view contradicts himself as far as not talking pap about people is concerned. Anonymity is mostly not kept, especially when he quotes examples that go against his rules, which mostly is from episodes of "Project Runway"; he often mentions "taking the high road", but sometimes veers from it, methinks.

His style of writing is simple, clean, mostly coherent and entertaining, for instance:

Usually people think of me as a surprisingly nice person as fashion people go, but occasionally someone will corner me on the street and say: “You’re so mean!” Often this is because people mistake me for Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear—which I’m sure would disturb him to no end, because I could be his grandfather. When I determine that’s the case, I say, “I think you have me mistaken for—” Then they’ll interrupt and say, “I’ve been watching that show for years!” And I will say, “Then you really should know I’m not Clinton Kelly.”

I quite liked some of the rules where he simply and strongly states what he believes in:

With a certain amount of maturity, we can set up our own constraints. That’s a lot of what education is about—letting people set those assignments for us so that when we graduate we can start to set them for ourselves. Even now that I’m in my fifties, I still face certain situations where I have to admit that I need some rules to help me figure out what I should do. Bosses should think of themselves as fulfilling this kind of boundary-giving function that school and parents do. They need to be clear about expectations and rules so everyone knows when an employee is doing well or not doing well. And when expectations are not met, there should be logical consequences, whether that’s the loss of the job, a decrease in salary, or something less drastic. There is no reason, in any case, ever to yell. And yet we’ve all seen it: bosses who lose their tempers constantly.

And:

When the news is happy, e-mail is fine. You can e-mail congratulations about babies, weddings, anything. But when it’s not? If it’s a death or other bad news, you have to be more formal. I wasn’t the only one who was a little horrified by Ashton Kutcher’s reference to his former girlfriend Brittany Murphy’s death. He wrote on Twitter: “2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon.” 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.

...and we also have some tips that I think are quite insane, e.g. where supply/demand should be understood:

One little technology-taming tip, If you, too, are surprised by typos: I like to print out things I’m working on to read them on paper before I send them off. You miss a lot of things on the screen that are apparent when you’re looking at them on the page. Yes, there is the environment to think of, but—to paraphrase a certain celebrity on the topic of her fur coat being dead when she got it (“I didn’t kill it!” she said)—the tree’s already been taken down.

...or he's just downright funny:

Going to church was not my favorite thing when I was young. From a very early age, I was very suspicious of our priest. My parents thought I was crazy and just trying to get out of going to services, but I said, “No, there really is something weird about that man.” Indeed, one day when I was nine or ten, the priest was up at the pulpit. He went into a silent prayer and … never came out of it. After a few minutes the ushers realized he’d left the plane of reality the rest of us were on, so they had an intervention and took him away. And yes: I smiled very smugly at my parents all the way home.

The book turns a little dull about half-way, but regains strength appx. 70% in, where Gunn unveils his personal life in many ways, not least where his family life is involved. About his personal life:

When people hear that I haven’t had a boyfriend since 1982, they often whisper, “Does he not have sex?” That’s right! You know, much of my one long-term boyfriend’s “I’m over this” was about not having the patience for me with regard to sex. I’ve always been kind of asexual. So now I can’t even consider sex without thinking about him and his disapproval. Talk about something that will make you lose the urge. That breakup was a cold shower to last a lifetime. Could I get psychiatric help and resume some kind of sex life at some point? Probably. But it’s a little late for that. And frankly, I am happy being celibate. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had thoughts. I am a human being. But I love my life and don’t feel any need to change it. Getting used to being alone was hard, but now that I’ve made a life for myself alone, I really like it. It’s been years since I’ve been interested in anyone. And I really think if you don’t need it, you don’t need it. As hard as it is for a lot of my friends to believe, I really am happy alone.

His life-affirming and positive words shine through:

What do they say: Do what you love and the money will follow? It’s always been true for me. I had no expectation of personal success through this show. I never expected there would be a second season, much less a seventh. And I never expected to get famous in a million zillion years. While we were making Season 1, I just thought, If nothing else, this is going to be great cocktail-party-conversation fodder.

All in all, the book is part modern etiquette - the bits about using gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, et.c. are brilliant - written in a snappy, elegant, funny and modern way. Simply understood. The parts about where to draw lines in life are also to be saluted. It could have been edited better, but at the end of this book, I felt even more respect for Gunn having read this book, and that comes from somebody who's seen every episode of "Project Runway" so far. ( )

Fluffy fluffy fluff. I kind of love Tim Gunn, and it was delightful reading. His editor should have worked harder to keep everything organized, though. Maybe she did work really hard and he's just a nightmare to edit, I don't know. But lots of the chapters had anecdotes that didn't really fit together. But still, the book is kind of like hanging out and chatting with Tim Gunn, so it gets props for that. ( )

A fun, fast, gossipy read that I picked up due to dg's comments at BookBalloon. I've had quite a week, with in-laws and holidays and assorted school-related mini-dramas, and I wasn't quite ready to go back to Parrot and Olivier yet. I enjoyed the juicy bits of this, but the format--Tim Gunn presents his rules for life--necessitates a somewhat self-righteous tone, and so Gunn comes across as more arrogant and judgy in prose than he does on television. ( )

My daughter and I are big fans of "Project Runway" and Tim Gunn is one of my favorite things about the show. His manner is always so gentlemanly. He is honest, but kind. The book would be wonderful on tape, but only if Mr. Gunn were to narrate it himself.

His rules of behavior are what one would expect. His examples are hilarious (most times). He has so many stories of how NOT to behave which feature the creme de la creme of high fashion.

You will also learn a lot about Mr. Gunn's family and personal life, much of which is somewhat surprising given Mr. Gunn's status in the fashion and TV world. He was extremely shy, bullied, almost no self-confidence and he studied sculpture -- not fashion in school.

Overall, an enjoyable book. ( )

A gossipy, short but somehow sprawling book by Tim Gunn, guru of Project Runway. Reads like he talks, so if you're a fan of the show, you'll hear him speaking in your head. Talks about his life, the show, dirt on various fashion industry folks, and his recommendations on getting on with things. I liked it quite a bit, but your mileage may vary. ( )

I love Etiquette books and I love Tim Gunn. This book was entertaining and interesting to read! ( )

A fun, fast, gossipy read that I picked up due to dg's comments at BookBalloon. I've had quite a week, with in-laws and holidays and assorted school-related mini-dramas, and I wasn't quite ready to go back to Parrot and Olivier yet. I enjoyed the juicy bits of this, but the format--Tim Gunn presents his rules for life--necessitates a somewhat self-righteous tone, and so Gunn comes across as more arrogant and judgy in prose than he does on television. ( )

Tim Gunn, best known as the co-host of Project Runway, is a man of civility, style and grace. He is a consummate gentleman and always somehow, the best dressed man in the room. His book “Gunn’s Golden Rules; Life’s Little Lessons For Making It Work” is a peek into his particular kind of genius. It is part etiquette guide and part industry dish, but it is also filled with surprisingly solid advice for a well-lived life.

I originally picked up this book for my sister Bullish or at least I thought I did. After all, she is the family fashionista, while I am the queen of oversized t-shirts and sweatpants. It may seem strange then, that I am also the one who has watched every episode of every season of Project Runway. Initially, it was an ongoing interest in the creative process , which drew me to the show as well as the possibility of “figuring out” fashion once and for all. I’ll admit right quick, that I still don’t understand fashion, am perhaps more confused by it than ever, but I enjoy the show and the process nonetheless.

These last two years, I have coerced Bullish into watching the show with me. Her favorite bit is near the end of each season, where Tim Gunn visits each of the finalists and critiques their collections a couple of weeks before the finale. His ability to give an honest critique and encouragement to the frenzied designers has earned him big mushy props from us both. The “Make it work!” which has become his catchphrase simply encapsulates the idea of finding a solution to a dilemma with creative thinking and determination.

“Gunn’s Golden Rules…” cannot help but be a book about fashion, but it is likewise a book about living life with dignity, civility and of course, style. If anything can get me out of sweatpants more often, it just might be this: “You’re navigating a world where you need to have your wits about you. If you’re in a lackadaisical comfort haze, you can’t be engaged in the world the way you need to be.”

Thanks Tim.
Carry on. ( )

Yup, I still want to be Tim Gunn when I grow up. ( )

A bit catty at times, but otherwise an enjoyable light read for people interested in Mr. Gunn and the fashion industry. ( )

I love Tim Gunn... I loved this book, I just wish he could have read it to me outloud over dinner.

I laughed, I read parts to my mom... it was the perfect book for sitting on the porch and smoking with. ( )

Welll, I do love me some Tim Gunn, but I felt like the title should have been something more like "Gunn's Golden Rules: How I Met a Bunch of Assholes and Felt Superior to Them".

Lots of amusing Martha Stewart stories, though! ( )

Reading this books felt like Tim Gunn was my grandfather giving me advice on life combined with anecdotes from his experiences. It is a nice and easy read. He often goes off on tangents with his stories, which makes me think this would be a good audio book because the writing is kind of like how people talk. They start off at one point, throw in some stories, get slightly off-topic, then realize and come back. ( )

I love Tim! Every season of Runway makes me love him more, with his simple, elegant style, his impeccable manners, and his sophisticated manner of speaking. This book is part etiquette guide, part biography, and part gossip magazine, yet he executes the blending of the three beautifully. With every sentence of this book, his distinctive voice was narrating and at times I was laughing out loud imagining him getting cross with someone, or being caught off guard! I wish more people lived his simple life lessons. If they did, the world would be a much lovelier place! ( )

I loved this book. Tim Gunn really nailed it! It was like hearing my own voice and the things I complain the most about people. There is such a lack of basic good manners, tolerance, kindness and "taking the high road" in our everyday society. What have we been teaching our children? Thank you, Tim Gunn, for saying outloud and pointing out (humorously I might add) bad behavior, the feelings or entitlement by so many people. Made me think twice about my own self and maybe cleaning up my act a little. ( )

I thought it was impossible for me to love Tim Gunn anymore - he is my favorite person on TV, because the warmth and dedication he brings to Project Runway is par to none - but this book is fantastic! It's part etiquette guide, part thoughts of what it means to be, well, just be, and part autobiography. All told in his characteristic clear, direct way - and I believe he is one of the few who can be so entirely unambiguous about their opinions but still remain charming! This book is really a great read, I could barely put it down and enjoyed every second of my time within its pages. ( )

I loved it! Tim Gunn's unique voice really comes through in this advice/tell-all book. He expounds on his philosophies of good behavior, ambition, teaching, and even parenting. The book is deeply personal as Gunn's family dynamics (including his father's relationship with J. Edgar Hoover) and professional life play a major role throughout.

A must read for any Tim Gunn fan going through withdrawal when Project Runway is not airing. ( )

Tim Gunn's unique voice and cadence ring true throughout the book. Ernest etiquette tips, juicy gossipy moments from Gunn's life at Parson's School of Design and among various fashion designers as well as life in NYC and growing up as a gay individual are simply and engagingly written. ( )

Mr. Gunn tells it all in this guide about how to conduct yourself in your public and private life. Many fun stories about celebrities that Mr. Gunn has known and worked with, many stories from "Project Runway," and many stories from his own personal experience. Very useful for navigating the more subtle aspects of living among humans. ( )

I picked up this book because I had watched Project Runway here and there...well, haven't seen probably the last five seasons minus a couple episodes I saw. Needless to say, Tim was one of my favorite people. He always combined two things I love in a person honesty and kindness. This book was, as the title suggests, about "making it work." Making it work means, work with what you have and make it great! He shows in his book that this can be applied to all topics: money, relationships, time, environment and more. The name dropping and fashion references passed me by, as I personally have never had an interest in the wearing "what's in" part of fashion. What I liked about the show and Tim is that it focused more on creativity. Though the book is not amazing and at times sporadic, but isn't that our thinking. Our thinking is never really flowing. So, all in all, I really enjoyed it. Tim has A LOT of stories to share. I did laugh out loud to a few of them. Some we did not agree on, but more importantly he was very good at laying out his perspective. I enjoyed it! ( )

I learned a lot about fashion and I have a new respect for Tim, who is an overall smart guy. I loved his rule book – the rules were little lessons about life. These rules are not like the repetitious stuff in most self-help books – these were a breath of fresh air. ( )

If you know who Tim Gunn is, then telling you that this book is like sitting down to a cup of coffee with Mr Gunn and listening to him talk will give you a very clear idea of what this book is about. In chapters loosely organized around various "rules", Gunn tells us about his life, dishes a bit about the excesses of the rich and famous (especially those who work for Conde Nast) and shares his approach to life, which can be summed up by take the high road, good manners never hurt anyone and, of course, make it work.

Gunn comes across as a man comfortable in his own skin, but having had to struggle to reach that. He reveals details about his own life that could fuel a pretty good misery memoir, but he's good-hearted and optimistic and doesn't dwell on any of it, but moves directly on to fun stories about the fashion industry or a bit of gently delivered advice. This was altogether an enjoyable and happy read. ( )

Tim Gun's motto is "You can be too rich and too thin, but you can never be too well read or too curious about the world." Another motto could be that there are many worse things than a room temperature nut {a reference to a comment made by Martha Stewart). What a delightful man. He indicates he can be prickly at times, but he believes in honesty, education, hard work, setting boundaries, and living a life that brings you and others happiness. Then he gives hints on how we can do the same. It was a pleasure spending a couple of days with this enjoyable book. It was also a kick to find that I was right, The Countess from "The Real Housewives of New York" is tacky. ( )