Lindzi Scharf has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Magazine, WWD, InStyle, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.
Monday’s Series Business was the first in a three-part Ankler series this week about age-proofing your career.
But even if you’ve nailed your executive presence, media diet and forever-current LinkedIn profile… what are you supposed to wear every morning? In part two of our guide, we’ve culled advice from four top personal stylists about finding your sartorial safe zone while making room for creative flair, who does it well, and the private thoughts of execs trying to figure out the quickly changing rules.
“No one is wearing suits,” declares my brother, Casey Scharf.
When he moved to Los Angeles well over a decade ago, it was my duty to take him shopping for formal attire for an event with The Black List. We landed on a charcoal blazer by Ted Baker. Now 37, he has a wife. She takes him to Todd Snyder.
So while I was once my younger brother’s first Hollywood point of contact, he’s since become mine, and he’s schooling me on the industry uniform. (He’s the creator/executive producer of the forthcoming Bill Murray golf series Off Course and Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss.)
“If an executive shows up to a Zoom wearing a suit, I just assume they’ve got a board meeting after our call, because they sure as hell didn’t get dressed up for me,” Casey tells me. “People dress nicely, but it’s rarely that formal.”
I call a few other industry insiders to discuss their take on executive style in Hollywood. No one will speak on the record, citing “corporate policy” and, perhaps, fearing the appearance of unseriousness or frivolity — even in an industry that’s built around helping people unwind. “If you look like you spent too much time on your outfit, people don’t think you’re a serious person,” a friend once told me. But she worked in politics. Hollywood has always been a different beast.
Once upon a time, Giorgio Armani owned the game with power suits and LBDs. According to everyone I spoke with for this story, there is still a time and place for a statement suit, but as a daily habit it has perhaps died along with Mr. Armani last year. The end of an era.
Blame streamers. Blame Covid. Blame the public’s growing disgust with billionaires in an uncertain economy. But no question, times — and dress codes — have changed. Hollywood is vastly more casual now… or is it? And navigating the new vibe can be especially treacherous if your mosh pit days are well behind you but a concert tee still feels de rigueur. I spoke to four top Hollywood stylists (who work with both stars and execs), plus workers in the entertainment trenches, to lay out how your style can evolve with your career. They name the looks, the labels and the pitfalls to avoid as you dress for the job you have — and want to keep.
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