STYLISA interviews Gok Wan – A Truly ‘Stylish’ Gentleman

When I received the email inviting me to the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards, I was beyond excited.  Here I am, only having been in London for 9 weeks, and I have already done so much.  When I came to the point in the email where I was told there was an opportunity to interview Gok Wan, I had to read it a few times – I thought someone was teasing me.  Fast forward one week and there I was on my way to The Rembrandt Hotel, to interview the man himself.

I have always been a huge fan of Gok Wan – he seems very real and has helped to give women all over the country the confidence to love their bodies and believe in themselves which is a feat that not many people can achieve.  Women respond very positively to him and after meeting him in the flesh and spending some time with him, he surpassed my expectations.  He was warm, friendly and made me feel completely at ease – he is not only stylish but a true gentleman.  I hope you enjoying reading the interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it.

Firstly, are you excited to be presenting the Specsaver Awards?

Yes I can’t wait.  We always have lots of fun with the celebrities and the best thing about the awards is that they are in support of a charity very close to my heart.  Kidscape is an anti-bullying charity, dedicated to preventing bullying and child abuse and is fully committed to keeping children safe from harm.  All of the proceeds from the ticket sales and the silent auction will go directly to them, which is fantastic.

What are your top three tips when it comes to choosing the perfect pair of specs?

Firstly make sure your glasses go with the look that you have committed to for the season.

Secondly, it is imperative that they suit your face shape.

And finally, make sure you feel confident in them and if you are only going to have one pair, make sure that they take you from your desk to the dance floor.  If not, have two pairs, one for day and one for night.

For a lot of women you are much more than a stylist, you are someone who gives them confidence to be themselves.  Who gives you the confidence to be your fabulous self?

The things that give me confidence are my job, my friends and my family.  And although this might sound cheesy, I have to say the fans also give me a great deal of confidence.  They have been amazingly supportive and really bought into what I do.  Without them, I would not be able to do what I’ve done.  Furthermore, I love my job and I love working with the girls – they are all fantastic.

How do you feel about social media and the fact that it has become one of the latest trends in the world of fashion?

I think that it is great!  Twitter, Facebook and social media in general are the future.  From a fashion point of view, it gives consumers and fans instant access to not only the brands but pieces from their collections, that years ago, you would have had to wait a considerable amount of time for.  I particularly love what a lot of the big designers are doing now in terms of streaming videos of their catwalk shows.  Everyone can now be a part of events like fashion week, which has never been done before.  So yes, I support it fully.

And finally, finish this sentence…true style is…?

True style is…understanding your image

To find out more about Gok, check out his website and for more on Specsavers, see here

Watch out for my next blog post which will be my report from the actual awards

Until then, stay stylish!

STYLISA x