Top 140 Tim Gunn Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Make it work.”

— Tim Gunn

Featured in: Tuesday Work Quotes

2. “Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary.”

— Tim Gunn

3. “Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration, and we all need to assemble around us the people who care about us and support us in times of strife.”

— Tim Gunn

4. “You have no control over other people’s taste, so focus on staying true to your own.”

— Tim Gunn

5. “It’s so important to reach out to people you trust, and who can give you honest feedback, and keep those people close to you. You don’t want to surround yourself with enablers.”

— Tim Gunn

6. “Take the high road. No matter how much strife, and consternation, frustration and anger you might be confronted with – don’t go to that level.”

— Tim Gunn

7. “Life is a collaboration, it’s not a solo act.”

— Tim Gunn

8. “I’m constantly reminding myself that the world owes us nothing. We have to make our way and we have to work hard, persevere and make our own way in the world because the world isn’t waiting for us, so let’s let the world know we are here.”

— Tim Gunn

9. “We can wear whatever we want and get away with it. Just be confident about being who you are and dressing for that person.”

— Tim Gunn

10. “Frankly, from my perspective, the bomber jacket is such a classic item you can wear it even when it’s not on trend.”

— Tim Gunn

11. “I believe in letting karma do its thing. What comes around goes around.”

— Tim Gunn

12. “Exude unconditional confidence.”

— Tim Gunn

13. “I hate crocs. May they please go away.”

— Tim Gunn

14. “As I’ve matured, I’ve developed more confidence in pattern mixing and in having a slimmer fit and in taking some risks, and I enjoy it!”

— Tim Gunn

15. “If you want to, you can share my teaching refrain: I can’t want you to succeed more than you do.”

— Tim Gunn

16. “I learned quickly that if the student’s perception is that you’re not listening to them, and not understanding them, they discredit you.”

— Tim Gunn

17. “I’m honest about expressing my opinions. At the same time, I’m diplomatic in how I do critique things if I have a negative response.”

— Tim Gunn

18. “We need to treat each other with consideration. In my world, the squeaky wheel does not get the grease.”

— Tim Gunn

19. “Fashion it’s not just about learning how to draw pretty pictures, and how to sew, it’s everything that makes up your life.”

— Tim Gunn

20. “Whoever’s designing for plus-size doesn’t get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can’t just take a size 8 and make it larger.”

— Tim Gunn

21. “My advice to the 10 year old daughter is: fashion happens in a context. It’s societal, it’s cultural, it’s historic, it’s economic, and it’s political. So all of her studies, everything that is happening in the world, all needs to be channeled through her in order to be a good designer.”

— Tim Gunn

22. “It’s man’s impact on our world that appeals to me more than just nature running wild.”

— Tim Gunn

23. “I don’t believe in the scraping of stuff. Take the existing condition, offer up a diagnosis for what’s wrong, and a prescription for making it work.”

— Tim Gunn

24. “I believe in the semiotics of clothes. They send a message about how the world perceives us. For me it goes beyond clothes, it’s grooming. It’s accessories. It’s the whole head to toe look.”

— Tim Gunn

25. “I really cherish having my private time and being alone and being able to decompress. It’s my own version of meditating.”

— Tim Gunn

26. “You can be too rich and too thin, but you can never be too well read or too curious about the world.”

— Tim Gunn

Featured in: Reading Quotes

27. “If you want to write an angry e-mail, write it but don’t send it. It’s based on my experience that whenever I have acted out in some manner, I have always regretted it.”

— Tim Gunn

28. “When it comes to dressing, comfort is overrated. A little discomfort probably means your clothes fit and they’re not pajamas.”

— Tim Gunn

29. “Remember, channel your inner winner.”

— Tim Gunn

30. “Most people wear clothing that is too big or too small for them. And “oversized” is the downfall for most of us. We have to be careful that we don’t look like we’re slipcovered!”

— Tim Gunn

31. “I love shopping on a budget. I believe that more fashion mistakes are made by people with deep pockets than by those who shop on a budget.”

— Tim Gunn

32. “The clothes we wear send a message about how the world perceives us.”

— Tim Gunn

33. “I am the anti-trend guy? I don’t believe in chasing trends. And before anyone shops, I believe you benefit from doing a closet inventory. Ask yourself what am I wearing, what am I not wearing, and you’ll probably discover things you didn’t even know you had.”

— Tim Gunn

34. “I don’t know if people have gotten ruder or if my tolerance level has declined.”

— Tim Gunn

35. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve said to young people: “You’re so personable, you’re so articulate, you’re clearly so bright, you’re so good-looking – feel better about yourself!” But if at the core if you don’t, all those words mean nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

— Tim Gunn

36. “Leggings are everywhere, indeed. Personally, I’m not crazy about them, but they can look great with the right look, a tunic, for instance, or a long cardigan. Just don’t try to dress them up!”

— Tim Gunn

37. “Nothing makes me happier than working with real people in the real world.”

— Tim Gunn

38. “I will say that the high road can get so high that you can get a nose bleed, in which case you have to get off the high road.”

— Tim Gunn

39. “Whether it’s fashion or it’s home, it’s all about style. The clothes we wear send a message about how we are perceived, and our home does the same thing.”

— Tim Gunn

40. “Taking the high road is always the best way to go. You feel better about yourself, and the world feels better about you.”

— Tim Gunn

41. “I have my mantra about silhouette, proportion, and fit. I believe that when they are in harmony and balance, you’ll look great in anything.”

— Tim Gunn

42. “I have one brand I go to, and it’s Suit Supply, and it’s fantastic. I was spending $3,500-$4000 on a suit, and the suit I’m wearing today was $500. And they last you forever. The shoulders are set in by hand, it’s phenomenal.”

— Tim Gunn

43. “Just the way it never rains when you have an umbrella, you’ll never run into people if you look fantastic. But go outside in pajamas, and you’ll run into every ex you have.”

— Tim Gunn

44. “There’s nothing I like better than going to my apartment, closing the door, cooking my little dinner for one and just tuning out. My apartment really is my haven. It’s a nest where I go to heal.”

— Tim Gunn

45. “If you’re wearing a jacket, as I always am, the sweater vest always needs to be buttoned, with the exception of the bottom button. But if you’re going sans jacket, you can leave it open.”

— Tim Gunn

46. “When someone new walks into a room, the first thing we notice about that person is probably their gender. And the second things is what they’re wearing. And based on what they’re wearing, we start making certain assumptions about them.”

— Tim Gunn

47. “I believe that treating other people well is a lost art.”

— Tim Gunn

48. “This is one of the pitfalls of being nice: You end up overexerting yourself. That’s why one of the most important things to learn after you master good behavior is how to say no gracefully. It’s ultimately better for everyone, because you don’t burn out and wind up in a mental institution, making you no good to anyone at all.”

— Tim Gunn

49. “The element of fashion I’d like to see more often? Clothes that fit people well. For me it’s not so much about the clothes.”

— Tim Gunn

50. “Everyone has a best feature, so find clothes and accessories to accentuate those, whether it’s your shoulders or your long legs!”

— Tim Gunn