Tan France On Texas, His Wonderful Surrogate, And What Dads Can Wear Besides Cargo Pants

One of the biggest things to know about Tan these days is that he's working hands-on with the campaign The Now Me. The focus of the campaign is helping people who have moderate-to-severe eczema and to understand the many obstacles they face while wrestling with the condition.

As part of the campaign, Tan met a young teen named Skye and her mother, Sheryl. Skye was diagnosed with severe eczema as a young child, and her mother quickly realized that her daughter's condition meant that wearing light-colored clothing — even something so many of us consider basic, like a white tee — was not a possibility until her eczema was more thoroughly managed.

Fast-forward to the present, and Skye can wear any color she wants. As Tan explained, it's extraordinary to consider that something many of us take for granted was such a pivotal moment for Skye. He said, "I think it's eye opening. I had no idea, quite frankly. A white tee is a symbol of freedom to be comfortable with your skin."

Of course, Tan is the style master for the Fab Five, and I had to ask him some of our most burning questions when it comes to fashion and parenthood. For starters, can the two even mix?!

Happily, yes. "I think the importance of comfort shouldn't be overlooked, especially when it comes to parents who have smaller kids. You want to be able to function. You want to be able to run around and play with them."

One item that Tan loves: a romper/jumpsuit! It's easy, versatile, on-trend, and — most important for parents who are chasing kids around — comfortable and flexible.

I knew going into the interview that many, many people had one question: What on earth can dads wear besides cargo shorts and pants every day? Tan told me this is one of the biggest questions he's asked, and for good reason: A lot of dads just want to be comfortable!

Tan had quite a few suggestions that dads can try without sacrificing even a slim slice of ease.

The key here is finding fabric with a little stretch, because if the dad you know and love is wearing cargo shorts and pants all the time, it's probably because they like having the room. Tan suggested athleisure wear, which just so happens to be quite ubiquitous for many of us.

"There are brands out there … I won't mention any brands out there, but there are those that do pants that look more sophisticated. They have the technical pant, so they have a bit of stretch in them and they move a little differently. So any major athleisure brand — all of us know what they are; they are in every mall in America — [you can] go for something like that. You'll still look a little more put together, but you'll have the comfort of your cargo shorts or your cargo pants achieved with a bit of stretch."

Tan was also quick to point out one thing: He is not advising that any dad (or anyone!) run out and pick up a pair of skinny jeans.

"I'm not talking about just skinny jeans," he explained. "I actually don't like skinny jeans! But something with a bit of stretch. Even when it comes down to suit, a lot of men will say, 'Well, yes, I'm a parent, but I've got a professional job, and I’ve got to wear trousers and a jacket or a suit.' There are suits out that have stretch, and they're really easy to find. [You can] google 'stretch suit.'"

As a big-time fan of Tan and the rest of the Queer Eye gang, I couldn't end things without talking about two major events: Tan and his husband, Rob, will be welcoming their first child together this summer — and Queer Eye is coming back soon! In fact, it sounds like season six will be more emotional and joyous than any season so far.

Tan and Rob are preparing to welcome their son via surrogacy, which he explains is exactly the right option for the two of them. While Tan was quick to point out that he believes adoption is "a wonderful, wonderful thing," he also shared that as residents of Utah, adoption wasn't really on the table for the two, who married in 2007.

Surrogacy has proven to be a powerful journey for the parents-to-be, and Tan was gushing about the person carrying his child.

"Surrogacy for us was a much simpler process, and it meant that we were able to decide who was going to carry our baby," he explained. "She's incredible. We love her. She's done the best job. We get to decide where our baby's going to be born, we decide who our surrogate's going to be, and we get to decide who our egg donor will be. He is a part of us; [he is] biologically ours also."

Tan added that he has only praise for surrogates, noting that "the people who are surrogates, they do it for the right reasons. They usually have had their own children, they have jobs, they just want to be able to help people have … the joy of a family."

Tan and I also found out we have something in common: We are both happy to be considered playful but strict parents. He told me that his husband has the playfulness on lock, so Tan can focus on structure.

"My husband is playful and fun, so that will be the case at home," Tan explained. "My husband is an absolute child, even to me. I know there'll be a lot of fun in our house — it is just going to [also] be a house of discipline, where you can't run the block, and you don't walk this roost."

And finally, I had to make sure to get to the topic my 12-year-old son begged me to ask about: What can we expect from the sixth season of Queer Eye?

For starters, if you have any preconceived ideas about Austin, Texas, prepare to be blown away. As Tan put it, he definitely entered the experience assuming he knew what Texas would be like, and he was thrilled to be absolutely wrong.

"Austin is a beautiful city! It was not at all what I expected," he admitted. "I had preconceived judgments of what Austin was going to be, and it was not at all what I thought it was going to be. It was so free. It was incredible."

Tan also says that for a multitude of reasons, this upcoming season is the best ever shot in the States. The cast and crew only had time to film one episode back in March 2020 before production was shut down, so it was a joy to be reunited when it came time to resume production.

After revealing that the Fab Five really are close friends (Tan commented, "They are a part of my life completely"), he added that the combination of being back with his friends and working with the specific heroes they chose for this season made it one for the books.

"It was so nice to be able to see them again. We just felt so grateful to be back," he said. "The stories of the heroes, in my opinion, are the best ones ever, because we're all going back to work. Our businesses are hopefully getting back on track. That was the case for everybody we helped [this season], so it just seems a lot bigger than any other. Because we're helping people who are helping communities, not just their own family, or their partner."

Tan also added that if, like me, you're a crier … well, get ready.

"Oh yeah, well, you're gonna cry a lot. I've only cried twice in five and a half seasons, but in this season, I've cried almost every episode except one."

And the best part? Tan works with someone who has eczema in season six, which really brings his entire mission full circle: "I feel like at this point nobody can surprise me on the show. I thought, 'We’ve done six seasons, I've got it.' Whereas, with this season, I started to work with one of our heroes and they had eczema. And they said, 'I can't wear that.' And I said, 'Try it, trust me.' And they said, 'No, I physically can't wear that, I have eczema.'

"So I didn't realize just how restricted people with eczema were when it comes to fabrics and colors and other things we take for granted. And so, that experience, along with The Now Me experience, was really eye opening to me, and now I have the knowledge and understanding to help people feel as comfortable as possible."