The oft-imitated Gunn is the host of Project Runwayand chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne.

The son of an assistant director of the FBI, Gunn grew up an introverted, fey kid with a stutter and says he had a miserable childhood. In 1983, he joined the Parsons School of Design as an admissions director and was appointed chairperson of the school's department of fashion design in August 2000. At Parsons, he was credited with making over a curriculum that hadn't budged in 50 years.

In 2004, Bravo executives asked him to become a consultant on a new reality show called Project Runway. By the time the show premiered in December 2004, Gunn had found his way in front of the camera, serving as mentor and voice of reason to the show's contestants and lending the show a shot of academic credibility. Almost immediately, Project Runway made Gunn a household name.

Gunn's known for his simultaneously supportive and bluntly critical handling of Project Runway contestants, his catchphrase "make it work," and his much-mimicked inflection. Having morphed into an unlikely celebrity, in March 2007 he became a "creative dean" at Liz Claiborne. Meanwhile, his television presence continues to expand: on top of Project Runway, he's now hosting his own reality makeover show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style which grew out of his first book, Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, which came out in early 2007. [Image via Getty]