Tim Gunn is all for making it work — unless the “it” in question is a nude illusion gown. The Project Runway mentor, 61, is not a fan of the nearly naked dress trend seen on celebs like Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez, especially in the context of black-tie events such as the 2015 Met Gala.
“The nude illusion has to be done properly, and that means not with vulgarity,” Gunn told Us Weekly’s Travis Cronin during a recent visit to our New York City studio, adding that it often looks as if we’re “seeing women who just stepped out of the bath.”
Thinking back to the Met Gala — where both Beyonce and Kardashian made a splash in sheer gowns with strategically placed beading — the Liz Claiborne chief creative officer dissed and dismissed the style as “incomprehensible.”
“I thought it was distasteful, I thought it was disrespectful of the event and, frankly, of the museum — of the art in the museum, of the thousands of years of history, of humanity, that sits inside those hallowed halls,” he told Us. “I was really horrified.”
Even more horrifying, though, is where the nearly naked dress trend might lead. “What do they do next year, come nude?” Gunn quipped. “Forget about the vulgarity — it’s disrespectful.”
It’s also, in the Bravo star’s opinion, too obvious. “It’s easy to make yourself into a spectacle,” he explained. “What’s so difficult to do is to strike a balance in between and be radiant and ravishing and sexy and alluring and have people swoon, as opposed to gasp.”
Incidentally, Gunn isn’t the only fashion tastemaker to come out against nearly nude dresses in recent days. Earlier this week, beloved designer Carolina Herrera expressed her dismay with the trend, telling the Washington Post, “In life, there should be a little mystery…[These stars are] supposed to be fashion icons and they’re not wearing anything. It’s an obsession now.”
