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Tan France Talks Coif, 'Queer Eye', and Starbucks
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Tan France Talks Coif, \'Queer Eye\', and Starbucks
Scott McDermott for Starbucks

Tan France Talks Coif, 'Queer Eye', and Starbucks

Tan France Tells Us Why He Won’t Shop with Antoni Porowski

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When you think of Tan France, the first thing that comes to mind is probably his role as the styling savant on the Netflix hit show Queer Eye. If not, maybe what comes to mind first is his role as host with the most on his other Netflix show Next in Fashion. Or, perhaps if you’re a loyal reader of celebrity sites, you might first think of his affection for coffee.

“If you've ever seen a photo of me out on the street, whether it be press or anyone with their iPhone, I always have my Starbucks in my hands,” France told AskMen when he sat down with us to discuss the next billing to add his name to.

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“When Starbucks asked if I wanted to partner to launch their premium instant [coffee], it was the easiest decision ... because quite honestly, it's going to make my life easier,” France said of the new coffee, and the new “Stir It Up” campaign. “I'd make coffee every morning, using a percolator for 15 minutes. This saves me 14 minutes. It takes a minute to make coffee that tastes just as great and is so much more convenient.”

It’s not just his coffee routine that has changed. As France gets ready to welcome a new baby with his husband into their life, time is only becoming more precious.

“I'm now in Austin, Texas, and we're back to shooting [Queer Eye]. It's the first time I've worked properly in a year and a half, and so there were many, many things that changed in my life,” he explains. “Now that I'm having a baby quite soon, I want to make sure I've freed up as much time as possible to be able to enjoy the things I want to enjoy without having to give up too much time for it.”

As you can imagine, this wasn’t always the case. France burst on the international scene in the summer of 2018, but his life was anything but calm before we were all introduced. While back in London, he started a clothing line of his own, Kingdom & State, which he sold at the age of 33, which happened to coincide with the beginning of his journey we now know as Queer Eye.

“I was meant to retire before Queer Eye,” he explains. “I had retired before Queer Eye because I wanted my life back.” From traveling to filming to seemingly endless red carpet appearances, the industry he was planning on distancing himself from made him busier than ever.

“I was busy almost every day and I didn't get to do the things that actually make me happy that bring me joy. I was an entertainment robot. I understand that you have to do that to a certain extent to establish a career, but now I'm four years into this. I don't have to be a robot anymore,” he tells us. “I get to say no to things. That's a real luxury and a real privileged position to be in, to know that I get to decide when I work, how I work, the kind of projects I say yes to, and what I do when I do that work.”

So what, in addition to shaving off precious morning time, does France suggest we do now that we are all returning to normal (kind of)? Put ourselves first. We can’t be our best selves if we aren’t treating ourselves the best. “Without the pandemic, I don't think I would have realized just how important that was to me and my mental health.”

Over the past 14 months, France has also noticed a lot of change within the fashion industry. He says comfort is still key — much like it was pre pandemic — but it’s about more than just your favorite sweatpants.

“I'm talking about versions of regular clothes, but in softer fabrics. They have more stretch. They have elastic waistbands just to feel whatever you're naturally feeling, not having to suck it all in for the sake of a fashion moment.”

“As far as how fashion is presented in general, I think that so many of us have realized how ridiculous it is that these fashion shows are put on at the cost [of] hundreds of thousands of dollars. I think that the last year has changed so much,” France continues. “Not just because of COVID, but what we see as appropriate in representation. And I'm hoping that continues on, and that's the message we see for the rest of our lives.”

France isn’t one to mince words when it comes to fashion, and that’s just one reason why he is so good at what he does. His words and direction are both relatable and approachable.

Tan France sitting enjoying coffee in floral shorts and shirt
Scott McDermott for Starbucks

“My role in Queer Eye is never to pedal fashion [or] suggest that you should be spending $5,000 on an outfit if you want to feel good about yourself.” France elaborates: “I know that a lot of the fashion industry hates what I do. They don't take me seriously, they would never want me sat at their front rows, and that's fine with me. I don't subscribe to what they're selling. Even though I'm at a point where I have the funds to be able to buy whatever I want whenever I want, I still choose to go for things that make most sense, but every other person, because I see so much of fashion as being completely unattainable for that for every person.”

So, feeling the same way, we couldn’t let him go without asking for some of his sage fashion wisdom. What if style is something of a forgein language? What if you’re so overwhelmed by what’s available, you don’t know where to start? France has the answers.

“We have many people of different sizes and different skin colors on our show. And that's really important to all five of us, but for me, for my category [of fashion], it's incredibly important to show people that the size two or the size zero girl is not the only girl who wants to look nice. So find brands that cater to people like you and that you're going for and shop there. They're going to have the kind of models that you actually connect with.”

His advice extends to IRL shopping as well. “When you actually go shopping in person, I don't take people that make me feel bad. I don't look like [castmate] Antoni Porowski — he's one of my best friends on the planet, but I don't shop with him because I wouldn't feel good about myself.” Instead, he suggests going with likeminded people who are similar to you and have the same struggles as you, and combat those things together. “You fighting it alone isn't going to make you feel good about yourself, so have people around you who really bolster you.”

If your shortcomings only lie in what to wear on Zoom calls, France has some well-documented thoughts on that as well: Don’t be shy. “I always gravitate towards color or print. I've talked about it for years. It's become a meme at this point that I always go for color or print.”

However the easiest thing for him when he has back-to-back calls he knows he needs to switch it up to really stand out.

“When I know that there's to be 10 people on a call, I will have a go-to piece that I can pop over pretty much anything, always steamed ready to go. It's usually something like a lightweight jacket.” Have that one piece of clothing that goes with most tops — or at least go with all of your neutrals — so that if you only have a moment, all you have to do is grab it and put it on.

France has advice for those who are still stuck in the middle too. You may have been trapped in a Zoom box for so long, you don’t know where to start now that heading out into the world is an exciting part of your routine again. “Don't forgo all the things you've worn in during the pandemic.” he says. “Incorporate pieces that made sense to you before COVID, but incorporate things that you've been wearing over the last year to ease yourself back into it. Take your time, ease into normal life by incorporating everything you've worn over the last year. So you start to feel like yourself gradually.”

Lastly, because France is not only know for his impeccable style, but also his impeccable hair, we had to ask him how he does it.

“I do three things,” he begins. “I put mousse in my hair in the morning when I'm about to blow dry … with a round brush.” Then he adds a pea size amount of argan oil and finishes with his favorite firm hold pomade, Firsthand. “It's one of the best on the market because I can still run my fingers through and it's not sticky in any way — it's a really good one.”

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