Tim Gunn shows how to make it work in ‘Golden Rules’

''Make it work.'' A worthy philosophy for life, and one you’ve heard if you’ve watched TV’s "Project Runway" with its unflappable, kindly co-host Tim Gunn.

Gunn shepherds the young designers competing on the high-pressure reality show, and when one of them runs into difficulty — not enough fabric, a misconceived style or a runaway clock — Gunn exhorts the frantic designer to ''make it work.’’

In other words, figure out how to work through the problem. Don’t get sidetracked, don’t waste time starting over — work it out.

Now Gunn has put his philosophy into a book, "Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work." The advice, like the man, is elegant, plain-spoken and eminently practical.

The world, Gunn says, owes you nothing. So get on with it.

What a concept. How many times have we or someone we know wasted precious time bitterly lamenting the fact that we didn’t get what we deserve, or that someone who didn’t, did?

Among other Gunn rules, with chapters devoted to the subject: "Take the High Road." (Even when you’d like to kick someone into the nearest ditch.) (Parentheses mine.) "Never Underestimate Karma." (People often DO get what they deserve, so look out.)

A particularly poignant chapter is "Know What to Get Off Your Chest and What to Take to the Grave." Gunn discusses the keeping and spilling of secrets. Be wise, he says, when doing either.

In this chapter, Gunn, who generally is reticent about himself, writes about life as a gay man, now celibate. He shares personal heartbreak.

It’s no surprise that someone who was the chair of the fashion design department at Parsons, the New School for Design, who now is the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, would ooze style. But Tim Gunn has earned ever-growing admiration because he radiates elegance, practical good sense and old-fashioned kindness. He is one classy guy.

Gunn’s earlier book, "Tim Gunn’s Guide to Quality, Taste and Style," is one of the best guidebooks out there for a woman wanting to develop fashion sense or her own personal style. "Gunn’s Golden Rules" is a different book, more philosophical, more personal, yet more wide-ranging. It’s a great guide to the well-lived life.

Count on Tim Gunn for nothing less than golden.