HOW TO DRESS AND LOOK YOUR BEST ON CAMERA

“Clothes make the man”, so the old saying goes. That goes for women and children, too.

Clothes also make the media.

There is an Academy Award for Costume Design, there are museums and books displaying clothing styles throughout history, celebrity-scale fashion events, magazines featuring nothing but clothes, and “Who are you wearing?” red carpet TV shows, plus image consultants and media trainers who help people make the most of their time before an audience.

What you wear for an interview, press conference, training session, or webinar says a lot about you, your organization, your service, your product. Here are some suggestions on how to let your clothing speak for you, how to enhance your message, and how to feel comfortable and confident on camera.

In this article we’ll cover some basic theory on selecting your wardrobe and then offer practical Do’s and Don’ts.

IMAGE THEORY

Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to make immediate judgments about other humans, animals, situations. At base it’s a survival mechanism – is this person, animal, plant, or situation dangerous, neutral, or beneficial to me? At a more sophisticated level it’s an aesthetic mechanism – is this something I want to have more to do with? Given that humans are always making these judgments, consciously or not, it’s in your best interest to keep that in mind when deciding how you want to look.

Just as in charm school they teach you to emphasize your best physical feature, you can consciously craft your appearance to emphasize an aspect such as professional specialty or status. That might be the way you engage with others (leader or collaborator, compatriot or counselor, etc.); your relationship with the message, service, or product; or your position as an impartial observer.

Even in these days of casual dress, every profession has a dress code. Within that code there are specific though sometimes subtle details in the “uniform” to designate rank and function. The military has very specific designations for rank and division and once you've figured out the codes it's easy to tell what to call someone and how much deference their rank demands.

Civilian situations are not so clear cut, until you look more closely. When I worked at Universal Studios in the early ‘80s I first noticed this among people on a film crew. Go to lunch on a set and even without their tools and not in their filming positions you could easily tell which people did what and often, their rank in each department. Directors typically wore expensive sneakers and baseball hats; people doing makeup and hair always looked, well, made up; female costumers tended to be eclectic whereas the male costumers were often more mainstream; sound guys often wore plaid; the art department was typically in T-shirts and paint-spattered jeans; script supervisors tended towards ethnic attire; grips and electricians wore shorts and sturdy shoes; cinematographers and lighting directors wore nice slacks and shirts; the studio execs were “the suits”, etc. The jobs themselves dictated a lot of this difference, but some of it was simply tradition and clinging to a style to designate a role – just as humans have always done.

Take a look at the dress code and uniforms of your business or profession. Is there a written dress code or is it unspoken? We’re advised to dress for our next job, but for a media appearance you probably want to split the difference between your current position and your ambition.

Are you the spokesperson for your organization?

If so, you want to portray the image of that organization. Is it forward-thinking or traditional? Are you appealing to a specific gender? Socioeconomic group? Age group? If any of those, it's best to dress one level above the group you're targeting so you give them a sense of aspiration, wanting to become more like you.

Even when Julius Caesar famously hobnobbed among the common Roman soldiers, sharing their food and drink, he typically did not take off the insignia of rank and pretend to be one of them. His words and actions put him among them, but his wardrobe signaled that he was indeed still their commander; it reminded them of the fact that they were all a team and they had a leader they could depend on and who would take care of them. They were ready to give him their all.

Are you a specialist within your organization?

If so, you want to put across the special aspect of your department, profession, or project.

When we were filming various projects for Hughes Space and Communications we often shot in the "High Bay" where they constructed satellites. Workers wore blue paper robes and hair-nets to protect the delicate machinery from contamination. Blue plastic hair-nets are not the most attractive attire for someone speaking on camera. Besides, they are visually distracting and draw not only attention but comedic comments. You want your viewers to be concentrating on what you say, not on how you look.

So, typically we took the technicians up to an observation deck overlooking the High Bay to do the interview. There they could take off the hair-net, keep on the tech-robe, and speak with visual authority about the science going on down below.

If there is a uniform for your position or profession and is this what you're speaking about? Then go ahead and wear it.

Are you introducing a new product or service? Step outside the dress code.

A valuable piece of clothing that can say a lot about you is the vest, for both men and women. You can find many of them in different colors and styles. Conservative pinstripe, tropical fish, tweed, cowboy boots, flowers, paisley, the varieties are endless. The advantage is that it looks like an accessory and you can have fun with it, as opposed to a jacket or blouse that is more "grounded" on you.

Is it about you? Or not?

Is the interview about you or about a product or service?

If it's about you, be a bit more flamboyant. Wear brighter colors and more vivid, eye-catching accessories.

If it's about the product, play down your own wardrobe or coordinate your colors with the product.

If it's about a service, who is your target market? As mentioned above, dress one level above them so you trigger their aspiration.

DO’S AND DON’TS

If you’re doing a project that has a director/producer, they can work with you to find the best look for that shoot. You can help by keeping these guidelines in mind when you go to your closet to pull items to take to the set.

Remember that your favorite clothes are not necessarily good on camera. Because of the way film, video, and digital cameras each pick up color, size, and shape, there are certain of those you want to stay away from and others that will work just fine.

Do’s

Blues, greens, grays, and earth tones work well. Medium patterns also work well.
The more tailored the clothing the better
Accessorize with jewelry. Larger jewelry shows up better on camera, but don’t make it distracting
Scarves are good to add interesting contrast color or texture
Layered clothing with some contrasts looks great
Normal day or evening makeup is fine. Bring some powder to cut down on the shine.
Wear your hair up if you are having a bad hair day

Don’ts

No stripes, plaids, herringbone, or corduroy
Avoid solid white, black, orange, bright red, or reddish-orange (using them in a print is fine)
Avoid large bold prints
Stay away from big, shapeless clothing
Lighter skinned people should avoid wearing darker colors
Dark skinned people should avoid wearing very light colors
Avoid flashy reflective jewelry
Avoid dark red or maroon makeup

And if you are not sure, ask. Bring a few different changes of clothes so you have options. The production team wants you to look great and will do their best to make that happen!