I went to the Tim Gunn event here in Louisville on Saturday, and had a great time. I was really impressed with how organized it was. Everyone working the event was great and seemed to be very happy to be there.
When I arrived at the event, they assigned me the seat in the front row where the catwalk meets the stage, so when Tim was on stage during the fashion show, he was right next to me. Pretty cool!
Next was the question and answer, when they said we could ask absolutely anything we wanted, no topics off limits. That didn't mean he'd answer it, but we were free to ask! I was surprised that there were more fashion related questions than Project Runway questions. We did get some PR info, though.
One woman asked if they had considered an All-Star season, with the winners, and possibly the runners up/fan favorites, from past seasons competing against each other. The crowd was really enthusiastic about this idea, and Tim said that it has actually been discussed. The only problem is so many of the designers are focused on their busy careers that it's been hard to make it come together.
He said the most important thing for the designers after the show is ambition and resources. He mentioned Uli and said people love her work, but she insists on doing it all herself, making it hard for her to expand her brand.
Someone asked what makes a person stand out in the first round of auditions, and Tim said it was perfect timing for that question. He said right now they've narrowed it down to around 120 designers, and the first round is completely based on designs. He said the most important thing is they are looking for people who want a design career, not an entertainment career. After they've narrowed it down in the first round, then they have to find a balance of genders and backgrounds.
The last question someone asked him to say "What happened to Andrae?" So he said "What happened to Andrae? I'll tell you what happened to Andrae! He grew out his hair and looks like a Chia pet!"
After that, they lined those of us with receipts for $100+ of Liz Claiborne for pictures and autographs. I was really hoping to get my Entertainment Weekly from September '06 signed, but sadly, it was books only. The people in charge of this were incredibly nice and friendly, but a bit... smothering? I really appreciated the compliments on my outfit, but it was during my two minutes with Tim, so it was making it pretty hard to have a conversation with him. I did mention BPR, though, and he had the nicest things to say. He really does love the blog. I told him I was really nervous about meeting him, and he gave me a big hug! He is absolutely as nice and gracious as everyone says.
And just to show what a pop culture icon Tim has become, I saw a guy in a NASCAR hat (this is Kentucky, after all) walk by and excitedly exclaim "That's the guy from Project Runway!" as he took a picture with his phone.
I'm including a couple of pictures I took during the event.
Thanks!
Ashley
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