» What Not to Wear
“If It Ain’t Broke..” Doesn’t Apply To Fashion
May 21, 2010 | Britney, For Actors, General, Holey Moley, Modern Family, Sweeney, Uncategorized, What Not to Wear | No Comments
HOLEY MOLEY. Garbage. Literally. Clearly, money can't buy you style.
The other night I was watching the brill TV comedy Modern Family. My favorite character, Gloria, a really hot Columbian, had the following exchange with her husband that I felt compelled to share:
Jay (chubby hubby): “Where’s my good underwear?”
Gloria (caliente wife): “The question is, why isn’t all your underwear good, Jay?
Hilarious? Yes. At least in my comedic book. And like a lot of good comedy, it’s funny because it’s true.
How many of us have clothes in our wardrobe that have holes, stains, rips, pants that need to be hemmed, pants that we “hemmed” with scissors because we were too lazy to take them to a tailor? Honestly. (Don’t lie. I’ve seen you out and about.)
Having stained underwear’s bad enough to begin with. Wearing said clothing is even worse.
Hello Britney.
One thing I stress with my clients is that dressing well and looking great doesn’t have to be a chore! It can be really easy and, dare I say, FUN.
Dressing only becomes a chore when you have to weed through a plethora of crap to get to the “good stuff.”
However.
If you only have good clothes to choose from in the first place you virtually eliminate the possibility of looking like crap.
I’ve seen this first hand with my boyfriend, Sweeney. I’ve affectionately told him several times that, initially, he was the “poorest dresser I’ve ever met.” He’s a great sport and didn’t mind. I still did. Take a look:
Please Note: Sweeney granted me permission to post said photo.
Luckily for him, his girlfriend’s a stylist. So, one haircut and trip to the Barneys Warehouse Sale later, voila:
Interestingly enough, his transformation itself wasn’t the most surprising to me. Instead, what I did find really surprising was how quickly he adapted to looking stylish and put together.
Why? Together we eliminated unflattering, ill fitting, holey clothing from his wardrobe and replaced it with tailored, stain free clothing he loved.
And guess what? Now, I can’t even get him to wear his older clothes. I’ve asked him why, for instance, he stopped wearing his formerly beloved black faded jeans without my begrudging him to do so. He said that now that he has such great clothes to choose from, he’s aware of what feels great, which no longer includes said faded black jeans.
Here’s the deal:
Taste is subjective. Having an ill fitting, holey, stained piece of clothing is not.
I urge you to go to your closet right now and purge any piece of clothing that is “past it’s prime.” You know what I’m talkin’ about.
And YES, this does include your baggy ensemble you reserve for “I’m feeling fat and bloated” days. Part of me can sympathize, but NO.
Wearing baggy, stained, dumpy clothes will only contribute to you feeling more dumpy.
Nevermind looking lumpy.
Start treating yourself with the respect you deserve!! Make it your mission today to only hang on to clothes in immaculate, wearable condition. Purge anything you second guess and doesn’t make you feel fabulous.
At the very least, your boyfriend (or girlfriend), will thank you for it.
How to Bomb an Audition
May 11, 2010 | For Actors, What Not to Wear | 2 Comments“I had never been to an audition before. It was upsetting. A grotesque carnival of human misery”
-Jack Donaghy/Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Actors: Do these looks look familiar?
If you’re a remote go-getter like me, there’s a strong likelihood that you’ve heard at least one person utter the encouraging phrase, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”
Particularly actors. Trying to build a profitable career.
Like this dude:
Initially, 99% of an actor’s life isn’t consumed with back to back high paid acting gigs. Instead, your work is trying to beget work. And being rejected. And trying again.
Gooood times. Envious much?
As a profession, acting gets a lot of hype for being really cool (which it is) and different, but at the end of the day it is still a job. And, like any other job, in order to be considered for a position (or role) you have to interview.
But actors like to feel special so instead of using the term interview, we call it an audition.
Which I think is part of the problem. In most actors not taking auditions seriously. Semantics.
In a “regular” interview in corporate America what you wear is clearly defined. There’s a uniform:
Things have gotten more casual, but there’s still an awareness of what to wear/what not to wear.
If you were to scan a lineup of guys waiting to interview for an investment banking job at Barlcays wouldn’t it be safe to assume that most, if not all, of the candidates would be well groomed: hair clearly washed, short hair cut, donning a fitting suit, crisp collared shirt, polished shoes, and tie?
Sure.
Expectations in the “corporate world” are clearly defined. Starting with what you wear you to work.
Not so much for actors trying to catch a break in Hollywood. To little fault of your own.
Hollywood is an industry that breeds insecurity; chiefly because expectations are not clearly defined.
So DUH most actors feel insecure! They have no idea what to expect or what’s expected of them! These two variables combined would make anyone insecure!
You’re insecure to begin with. Then additionally, if you’ve completed a shit ton of acting training, like I have, your head’s spinning with a plethora of conflicting advice.
One nasty way this manifests is you tend to overthink your clothes. End Result? FASHION DISASTER.
99% of actors out there dress really poorly. Particularly to auditions, which I was acutely reminded of this past Saturday when I attended an open call for Todd Philipps’ upcoming production Project X.
Boy were things ugly. Take a look:
Professional looking, yeah? Would you take this guys seriously?
Nooow, open calls can be tricky because the part you’re “going in for” isn’t always clearly defined.
So what to do?
I created my Headshot/Audition Styling Package for actors to solve the very conundrum of what to wear to an audition. In one short, uber affordable in person visit I’ll customise five looks tailored to roles you’ll audition for (per example, Commercial, Procedural, Mid-Level Biz, Flirty Girlfriend). You’ll never again be stumped as to what to wear! For more info or any questions please contact me.
In the interim, when in doubt play close attention as to how your outfit makes you feel before leaving the house. If you’re tugging at your dress, worried your bra is showing, can’t walk in your heels, that’s not a good sign. Get your ass back in the door and change.
Your life’s already complicated. Don’t add getting dressed to your list of complications. It’s totally unnecessary.
Simple will out beat complicated every time.
If you’re feeling particularly down, play close attention to overcompensating wardrobe-wise.
Remember:
When you’re entering a room, particularly for the first time, you want people to notice you before they notice your outfit.
Use my following Interview/Audition FASHION DON’TS as a guide to keeping it simple:
What Not to Wear:
- TUBE TOPS OR SLEEVELESS DRESSES. This is a biggie for gals. If you’re audition’s being filmed in a close-up you’ll looked naked.
- COSTUMES. You may be auditioning to play a nurse, but please don’t walk in wearing a literal Nurse’s outfit. Casting director’s aren’t that unimaginative.
- GREASY, UNKEMPT HAIR. Please remember to bathe. This may sound obvious. But the number of times I’ve seen actors audition with hair that appears not to have been washed in a week is sadly innumerable.
- DON’T GET TOO CREATIVE. Don’t wear a huge flower in your hair. It’s distracting and makes you look like you tried too hard.
- DILAPIDATED SHOES. Your shoes should look CLEAN, SANS HOLES. Not like pieces of crap you stole from the Goodwill. If you can’t clean or fix them, replace them. Check out DSW Shoe Warehouse for really affordable replacement finds.
- FLIP FLOPS. Particularly if you live in LA. I have friends that disagree with me on this one, but I think this look is waaay to casual. And flip flops also tend to be really noisy. For a cleaner look opt for close-toed shoes instead.
- SHORT SHORTS. Leave something to the imagination. Too provocative for an interview. Save your shorts for the beach or the Saddle Ranch Chop House.
- RIPPED/STONEWASHED JEANS. Worse yet, paired with a matching stonewashed jacket. Remember, the goal is SIMPLE. A dark, wide leg boot cut jean will win everytime. Don’t second guess it.
- SHIRTS WITH LOGOS. Too busy and distracting. A subtle pattern is cool, but you don’t wanna wear anything too loud.
- SPORTS JERSEYS. Unless you’re auditioning to play a basketball player (and even then this would be pushing it), there’s no reason you should ever EVER wear a sports jersey to an audition. TMI. You could be wear a team’s jersey that the casting director hates. No good.
- WIFEBEATERS. They won’t go away!! To hear why I hate them, in auditions and life in general, take a look at my last blog.
- MATCHING DENIM. Again, a universal NO NO. Change it up. Just because you’re playing it simple doesn’t mean you can’t interchange colors, fabrics, and textures.
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