That is one refreshing thing about this show, the participant is in charge. There is no “buy this because I know what I am talking about and you don’t” attitude.

Tim Gunn is concerned as much with what you wear on the outside as he is with what you wear on the inside in his new show, “Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style” (Thursdays, 9 p.m., Bravo). The show is not to be confused with “What Not to Wear” (Fridays, 9 p.m., The Learning Channel), because the approach is a little different.

While Clinton and Stacey of “What Not to Wear” are more interested in raiding and cleansing the closets of their guest and filling them with more fashionable threads, Tim Gunn and fashion model Veronica Webb are focused on the total package.

They start by meeting the guests (they have all been women thus far) at their home, and asking them to enter a verbal contract. “No one can want you to achieve more than you do,” explaining that despite how much he and Veronica want a subject to succeed, they can only do so if they are willing to do the work.

Once the contract is in place, it is time for Gunn to get a sense of the woman’s wardrobe. He looks at Polaroids of a weeks worth of outfits. This, Gunn says, tells him just how far he has to go.

The entire process follows with a closet raid, where the subject divides her wardrobe into four piles: keepers, menders, give-aways and throw-aways. Both Gunn and Webb voice their opinions, but it is up to the woman to make the ultimate decision.

That is one refreshing thing about this show; the participant is in charge. There is no “buy this because I know what I am talking about and you don’t” attitude. Gunn and Webb are very respectful of the subject.

In one episode, a woman doesn’t want Webb to go through her underwear drawer. She gets very emotional and has to leave the room; this affects Gunn and Webb deeply. They seem to make a real connection with the woman on the show—or they are really good actors. Either way, it makes for compelling television.

Gunn then sends the women to life coaches or runway coaches, all with the aim of building their confidence. Gunn’s friends teach the women to hold their heads high, walk to the soundtrack to their life and enter a room like they own it. He is helping them to accept their bodies -- if not completely, then a little more readily.

Webb also takes the women shopping for new undergarments with the same goal of arming them with a sense of confidence that starts at the surface. It is amazing how much a new, properly fitted bra affects the way a woman stands and carries herself.

The show culminates in a shopping spree for Tim Gunn’s list of ten essential items every woman should have in her closet, including a basic black dress, a great pair of jeans and a blazer. Just like with the closet raid, the woman makes all the decisions when it comes to what she buys.

Each episode ends with a trip to a famous designer’s showroom to find that special dress, a hair and makeup makeover, and a fashion show in front of family and friends.

Each episode, while about a specific woman, is not specific. Gunn gives valuable advice that any woman can apply to her life, her closet and her dressing room. In the words of Gunn, fashion is about “fit, proportion and silhouette.”

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