"It's not terrible, it's practical," asserts Tim Gunn in his trademark logical and comforting tone.

It is fitting to assume that Gunn's words of encouragement were directed at the contestants on the new Amazon Prime reality show he hosts, Making the Cut, but in fact, Gunn's Cut co-star Heidi Klum's latest Amazon purchase of toilet paper He was consoling her about the following.

On any given day, Gunn and Klum, who cemented their partnership on Bravo's "Project Runway" (open in new tab), could be on set, perhaps in Paris or Tokyo, wearing the high fashion that epitomizes supermodels and TV personalities.

But today, during this phone chat, they are at their respective homes, following a stay-at-home order issued due to the coronavirus outbreak. Their new show, which follows designers competing to create the next major fashion brand, debuted on March 27. And it extends to Klum, who reveals that her current attire is a black Adidas tracksuit. Gunn, on the other hand, is wearing a turtleneck and jeans. It's surprisingly casual compared to his typical uniform of perfectly tailored windowpane suits, and much more put-together than the athleisure "fit" (open in new tab) that most other Americans have adopted.

"Are you wearing jeans? Crumb asks in surprise. 'The only time I've ever seen you in jeans is when my husband is shopping. I've never seen you in jeans any other time."

Gunn promises that she often works at home in her pajamas or robe.

"I've talked to people who say that dressing like you're going to work instills a stronger sense of normalcy, but I disagree," Gunn says. 'It would seem odd if you dressed like you were going to work, but you weren't going to work. But people have different ways of looking at it."

Project Runway's tagline was "make it work," but he and Crumb have so far adopted a different motto for WFH fashion, and for life: "Whatever it takes."

"On Sunday, I spent the whole day in my pajamas," Crumb adds. 'Now, I'm not the fashionista in my house. It's more, 'How can I do everything?' That's what I wear. ' Right now, I feel like there's no right or wrong,"

.

But don't expect this laid-back anything goes clam in Making the Cut. In the third episode, the host calls out the contestants for their "matching-ish" collections, among other critiques. Her and the show's aim is to prove that 12 proven designers can become the next global brand worthy of the $1 million prize. If the show sounds like "Project Runway," that's because it's backed by Amazon's wallet. (As proof of the streaming service's deep pockets, we don't need to mention that the show jet-sets around the world's fashion capitals, hiring seamstresses for the contestants and staging high-tech, beautiful runway shows at iconic tourist destinations.) Gunn and Crumb enlisted Sarah Ray, longtime executive producer of Project Runway, to direct this iteration.

There are some major differences, however. This time around, Crumb explains, their goal was to create a show about fashion that was "appropriate and realistic." To that end, the winning outfit for each episode is available for immediate purchase on Amazon (opens in new tab).

"It's not a sewing competition anymore," Crumb adds. 'Ultimately, we want to find great brands. Ultimately, you want to find a great brand in the end," Crumb says. And designers can make money while making clothes. And designers can make money while making clothes. That was really important to us." Gunn says that realizing how "precarious" the fashion industry currently is motivated him to focus on business sense. Last year, you wrote about a number of brands, some of them in the fashion industry, some of them in the medical industry, some of them in the fashion industry..."

Of course, Gunn's words are doubly meaningful at a time when many fashion houses are suffering from plummeting sales (opens in new tab), closing stores, and shifting their focus to medical mask production instead of haute couture (opens in new tab). But that kind of business sense (opens in new tab) is exactly what Gunn, Klum, and the show's other judges (Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Carine Roitfeld, Jason Altruzza, and Chiara Ferrani) are hoping to find in the show's champion Things.

"Yes, they are fashion designers. Yes, they make clothes. But what we are looking for is the next big global brand, and that requires more than sewing skills. So we position branding as an important core of our show," Gunn says.

And while a TV show about fashion and travel seems increasingly irrelevant at this point, Krumm's optimism and Gunn's honesty are enough to make us forget about world affairs for a short while. And, of course, it reminds us to support our favorite brands by shopping online (opens in new tab).

"Last week I ordered everything from microwave popcorn to cashmere sweaters," Gunn admits.

Everything.

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