You Are What You Wear

I would like to be taller. I have a long body and short legs, but I have no problems in dressing for work—smart suits, shirts, and ties are the order of the day, and I do invest in good quality suits that keep going for years. My appearance is important for the work I do and I now know what labels to buy for suits that are going to fit well. What I have trouble with is casual wear for weekends—you know, the right sort of informal look for supper with friends, or taking the kids out. I’d like to find the perfect casual jacket, but I hate ties and wouldn’t wear one out of work. I want to look casual and stylish even though I’m in my forties. I don’t like to see older men wearing trainers, but I don’t know what type of casual shoes to buy, for example.

Being an actor, the way I look can affect my opportunities and the parts I get. I’ve got used to wearing my hair long, but I know it’s time for a change now. But how short do I go, and what style should I choose? That’s the problem because I want it to look dramatic, I want a new look. My style of dressing is simple and stylish, especially for rehearsals when I’ll go in jeans and T-shirt. But I also work part-time at a film-sales company and, although I work mostly on the telephone, I have to look smarter. I don’t mind shopping for clothes, but I’m not very good if I have anyone with me because I like to browse at my own pace, you know, try lots of things on. I find I buy a lot of things in black and white. It’s simple and stylish and easy to put together.

I hate shopping for clothes and will only do so when it’s absolutely necessary—about once every six months. My girlfriend usually comes with me because she has better taste than I do! I’d describe my style of dress as very casual, perhaps bordering on scruffy. I try to avoid wearing smart clothes, and this may be something to do with the fact that I’m hopeless at keeping things smart. Ironing’s a skill I’ve never really mastered, for example. Also, as I was in uniform for about twelve years when I was in the army, I never really had to think about all this somehow. I know I should be smarter for work, but it’s a pretty relaxed office and so jeans and T-shirt is the norm. It’s very rare for me to wear a suit, but as I’ve got about three friends’ weddings coming up, perhaps I ought to think about a new one.

I would describe my style of dressing as individual. I know what I like and I know what will suit a particular occasion. I’m very worried about the effect clothes have on the way other people react to you. I’ll wear a suit if I think it will make a meeting more productive or my oldest jeans if I want to shock people. I like shopping and I like clothes, but I don’t like shopping for clothes. Where I shop depends on where I am and as I travel abroad a lot, I’m also looking for bargains in the sales wherever I go. One problem is that my wife is a fashion designer and so I always get a reaction to the things I buy, although she’s long since given up trying to influence me.