Now that you’ve brought your office into your living room, what should you wear?
Should comfort win over style? Can you still wear pajamas and be productive? Do you need to wear bottoms when teleconferencing? What really matters during these unprecedented days of quarantines and social distancing?
Keeping these and other near-philosophical questions in mind, we reached out to beloved fashion icon and style master Tim Gunn hoping to get some clarity.
Giving tips exclusively to Daily News readers, the Emmy Award-winning co-host and mentor of the first 16 seasons of “Project Runway,” whose new show “Making the Cut” premieres on Amazon Prime Friday, had some surprising takes on the new meaning of office chic.
If there’s one lesson the 66-year-old New York City resident taught the more than 250 fashion designers he mentored during his “Project Runway” reign was that, sometimes, you just have to make it work.
If nobody’s going to see you, is it still important to be stylish or chic?
I’ve gone through many iterations of thinking on this topic. I used to believe that we should dress to greet the world, regardless of the circumstances. But now that we’re in the midst of a global health crisis and many of us are self-isolating by edict, including me, my thinking has dramatically evolved. Other than an occasional excursion to buy necessities (food, and in my case liquor, too), I’m home all day every day, so who the hell cares how I’m dressed? And as I write this, I’m wearing pajamas and a robe (it’s 3 p.m.). However, I sought the feedback of my friend Ken, the most sartorially correct person I know. He maintains that dressing as if to leave the house instills in him a sense of normalcy, which he favors. I respect that. But that normalcy shakes me into the reality of just how abnormal this situation is.
Most people won’t want to put on a pair of impossibly high-heeled pumps or wear a full suit-and-tie outfit to work while self-quarantining, but how much should comfort (T-shirts, shorts, sweatpants) prevail over that cute little number you like to wear to the office?
If people are wearing stilettos or three-piece suits while they’re working alone at home, then I attribute it to some form of masochism or erotic role-playing, in which case, go ahead. That aside, I don’t see a reason not to dress for comfort. Given the current state of the world, my brain is working full-throttle, so I want to give my body a break.
How should we deal with casual Fridays — or summer-appropriate outfits?
If we’re working from home, then isn’t every day casual Friday? Jeans or chinos and turtlenecks for now, For summer, polos or even clean neat, well-fitting tees.
What should one wear for teleconferencing?
Great question! I sit for teleconferences, so people only see me from mid-torso up; basically, a head and shoulders shot. Currently, I wear turtlenecks, but when it gets warmer I’ll wear a chambray shirt with a knit tie – dressed up, but casual. (And a teleconferencing tip: place your laptop (in my case) on top of two side-by-side shoe boxes. The added height of the computer makes for a much more flattering shot.)
Any specific tips for men or for women?
At all costs, avoid the Slob-ification Syndrome; that it, just looking like a bum. Whatever you’re wearing should be clean and presentable. And be mindful to take care of grooming and hygiene. On the topic of grooming, what are we all going to do without barbershops and salons? Come June or July…oh, I don’t want to think about it!
What home-appropriate outfit would prompt a dreaded “this worries me” comment by you?
If you’re spending the day in your underwear, then it would concern me. Worse would be wearing nothing at all. Oh dear.
Personally, what do you wear, when working from home?
I’m wearing pajamas and a robe at this moment (it’s 3 p.m.). But it’s critical to add that this attire is a pact that I have with myself; that is, I AM NOT LEAVING MY APARTMENT. This means: no trips to the garbage and recycling room, no trips to the lobby for mail, no trips to the laundry in the basement. I have too much pride – and vanity – to expose myself in this way. If I’m leaving my apartment for any of those purposes, then I wear my sweat-suit alternative: jeans and a turtleneck.
What appeals to me about pajamas is that they say, “I didn’t think about this.” Whereas, sweats and workout clothes say, “I got dressed — and failed.” I have workout clothes, and they’re for just that, working out, which I enjoyed twice a week until the moratorium.
What are some of Gunn’s golden rules to make it work at home?
Making it work at home isn’t just about what we’re wearing. It’s just as much about our environment and how we take care of it. Admittedly, I’m a bit OCD, but I want my apartment to be neat and orderly at all times. I make my bed every day, wash and put away the dishes after every meal, and do the laundry regularly. And now that my housekeeper Mernel is in self-isolation like the rest of us, I’m vacuuming and dusting, too. (Though I’m paying her, of course.)
Without my trainer Jason and the gym, I’m doing a lot of planking, It’s a great core workout for our small NYC apartments.
Bombarded with news updates, and exhausted by the lying, deceptive shell-game called Washington, D.C., it’s very tempting to make a Bloody Mary by, say, 1 p.m. But I discipline myself to hold off until a legitimate cocktail hour. Otherwise, I could go to hell in a handbasket…and not even know it.
What about makeup, colognes, accessories? Crazy, or crazy not to?
This is a matter of personal preference, of course, but I’m following my daily skin regimen in spite of being sequestered. I shave, moisturize, apply a dark circle balm under my eyes, and spot check my infuriating adult acne. Let’s face it, literally: do we want to frighten ourselves when we walk past a mirror?
Frankly, given what we’re all going through, I believe in doing whatever it takes to get through these dark days and make it work. Whatever it takes.
The 10-episode fashion competition series “Making the Cut,” which Gunn co-produces and co-hosts with Heidi Klum, will take 12 designers to compete around the world’s fashion capitals of New York, Paris and Tokyo.
Latest coronavirus updates: Click here for our roundup of the most important developments from NYC and around the world.