The best media interview clothes
What to wear in front of the camera or a conference audience.
This week’s topic is something of a specialist subject of mine… I’ve spent hundreds of hours preparing people from all walks of life for media interviews; to nail their key messages, stand confidently and look in the right spot when they’re on camera. So, I can tell you the two things everyone wants to know before they do a media interview are “what should I wear?” and “will they do my make up?”
A lot of people assume that when they do a TV interview, there will be a hair and make-up person on site to make them camera-ready. I have bad news: if you’re doing non-commercial TV (ABC in Australia, BBC in the UK or PBS in the USA) budget cuts have hit hard and unless you’re the actual news anchor that service will not be provided. So, you’ll need to get good at doing your own hair and makeup. More on that later.
Commercial TV shows, especially breakfast TV, do provide hair and makeup so you don’t ruin someone’s cereal first thing in the morning. However, the result can be… intense. Below is a photo of me appearing on the Australian TV Breakfast show Sunrise (yes I’ve been in front of the camera myself, it’s only fair). You could have cut the foundation they put on me with a trowel. They even attempted to curl my hair (which it turns out even a professional can’t do).
It was a level of attention I didn’t have for my own wedding - and that was in Las Vegas. Fear not though because, despite the best efforts of the Sunrise makeup artist, my team still managed to capture a screenshot of me wearing the least flattering expression imaginable and record it for posterity (they missed a trick not using it as the front cover of my leaving card…)
The best part of that TV interview was that, because it was Saturday morning, I then had to race off to Bunnings straight afterwards to run errands with the family (that’s B&Q in the UK, Walmart in the USA). Nothing brings you down from an Oscar-winning performance faster than having to buy damp crystals and a replacement Ryobi battery for the whipper snipper while in full orange makeup.
My least favourite kind of media interview is the post-Covid short notice Zoom interview. Now you never know when a last-minute media opportunity will come your way and what you’ll be wearing at the time. It pays to be prepared, so below I’m passing on my tips for how to avoid the worst media wardrobe malfunctions I’ve seen (and in some cases experienced) over the years.
Most of these tips also work for conference speaking (which is often live streamed these days as well).
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DON’TS
Don’t wear stripes or tiny busy patterns – they cause a weird strobing effect on TV.
Avoid wearing a white collar if you’re doing an in-studio ‘talking head’ because it can make you look like your head has been severed from your body like a rokurokubi (in Japanese folklore this is a woman-like demon whose head can detach and travel far away from their body). It’s ok to wear off-white if it’s not a stand collar though, like the V-Neck top I’m wearing above (currently on sale in a light blue).
Never wear camel coloured or khaki trousers. They make you look like you’re not wearing any pants. We’ve all seen those memes.
Don’t wear a light, floaty top. Two reasons: 1, you’ll have a mic clipped onto you, if your shirt is too flimsy, the mic will drag it down. 2, TV studios have a lot of light bouncing around and so do conferences and you can guarantee the screen behind you will illuminate you from behind, making your top see-through. This also goes for linen trousers. Sturdy, thick fabrics are your friend.
Don’t forget, if you’re on the couch on breakfast TV, there will come a point when they do a cut away shot and everyone can see your shoes so don’t wear a pair of smelly old trainers like I did (because I was going to Bunnings after the show).
If it’s a conference, it’s likely you’ll be on a high stage and they might put you on a stool too, just to ensure your crotch is at eye level for everyone in the audience. I strongly recommend trousers or a long skirt. Nothing is more likely to put you off your stride than wondering if an entire room of your peers can see what you had for breakfast…
DO’S
Do wear block colours. They look excellent onscreen. If you watch your favourite TV news anchors you’ll notice they often wear bright, block colours and thick fabrics that don’t move around much, with necklines that will comfortably accommodate a clip-on mic. This is the gold standard for TV dressing. Big patterns are also ok (large florals etc).
I also recommend you wear separates, rather than a dress or jumpsuit. It’s a lot harder (and more intensely personal) to mic up someone who is wearing a dress than it is if it’s a top and skirt/trousers. Plus, the battery pack can clip on the back of your waistband so you won’t sit on it by accident when you get on the couch.
If you’re going into a TV studio that won’t be providing hair and makeup (which is most studios these days), remember to pack the following:
A clear mascara / hairspray and comb (to tame stray flyaway hairs)
Bronzer (to give yourself a bit of colour if you’re pale – there’s a reason TV people are orange)
Yellow powder (especially if you’ve had a big night the night before or if you tend to blush when you’re nervous – and don’t forget to put it on your neck)
Extra mascara (TV people wear fake eyelashes and eyeliner so they don’t look washed out)
A safety pin (for any number of reasons)
However, for a Zoom interview, do your makeup normally. In a TV studio, everything is exaggerated but Zoom media interviews show you how you look in Bunnings.
Finally, we’ve all seen that awkward conference panel participant who fiddles constantly with their clothes and hair on stage. Don’t be that person, wear something comfortable that you feel good in, not something brand new that you bought for the occasion (or something you haven’t worn for ages and in hindsight doesn’t fit properly anymore). At the end of the day, confidence beats any fashion trick I can teach you.
Do you have a favourite outfit for public speaking? Let us know…