It’s been said that a first impression of someone is made in less than a tenth of a second – a snap judgment of someone’s identity that is largely informed by their clothes. This is part of what award-winning journalist, author and ‘fashion decoder’ Kathryn Eisman explores in her new show coming soon to Paramount+ Undressed.
“When you look in your wardrobe, it’s almost like a biography. You can see all the different phases you went through: the heartbreak, the hopefulness, the restricted… When you look at your outfit in the mirror, you can ask yourself, why did I choose to wear this?”
From the production team behind The Undoing, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Dry and Anatomy of a Scandal, their first non-scripted series Undressed challenges a group of Aussie strangers in a transformative social experiment to reveal how we judge each other – as well as exploring the psychology of fashion choices and whether dressing for success is possible.
So, as a personality type test fiend, when offered to have a ‘clothes reading’ done by Kathryn, I was more than curious – and admittedly a little apprehensive – to find out what my clothes said about my personality.
What do my clothes say about me?
I knew ahead of time that someone would be reading me based predominately on what I chose to wear that day, so the pressure was on. Nonetheless, I went with my ‘corporate pirate’ outfit, a recent combination of pieces to grace my work wardrobe rotation. Brown canvas pants, black patent loafers, leather trench coat and an off-white frilly shirt. An elevated yet still true depiction of my everyday style.
Sitting down with Kathryn at Network 10 studios, she recognised that my black leather coat was vintage and said it signalled an offbeat quality about me and my world view; yet, also that I may like to feel protected by it when out and about in the big world.
My shoes with slightly thick soles – in conjunction with my pants and blouse – apparently indicate I’m a sensitive person who doesn’t want to be boxed into any infantilising stereotypes assigned to my gender as a woman. And my pulled up black socks supposedly ground me and suggest “an element of getting the job done”.
Some other takeaways from my outfit by Kathryn included that I’m true in what I say, don’t settle just to be in a relationship and “a closeness to a feeling of magic” is integral to my life. (Let the record show that my imaginary friend was a fairy – so that definitely checks out.)
The outfit in question (plus a pair of patent loafers).
I’m no cultural fashion icon but here are some dupes for my outfit nonetheless:
Trench: Cotton On vegan leather mac collar trench, $76 (usually $109) at THE ICONIC
Top: White wrap smock top with broderie ruffle collar, $109 (usually $136) at ASOS
Shoes: Royce black high shine loafers, $35 (usually $89.95) at Therapy Shoes (I have a pair of these and boy, are they comfy.)
Pants: AERE pleat front curves pants in chocolate, $120 at THE ICONIC
What do your clothes say about you?
Although acknowledging it’s case-specific to some extent, Kathryn says that different colours, textures, and structures of clothing can give insight to one’s true essence.
Yellow can be a sign of an optimistic sunseeker, red: someone passionate and sensual, and pink wearers are often idealistic and with a romantic sense of hope for the future. Wearing velvet suggests a sense of nostalgia, while wearing a bold square shoulder – like in a blazer – signals power and dominance.
A pointy shoe is often worn by people in sales, go-getters who are wanting to close a deal; while thick-soled shoes can indicate “someone who’s very sensitive, who has been able to survive in life by literally protecting their sensitive soul by wearing a thicker sole – adding a barrier between them and the world”.
You can find pairs of similar pointy and thick-soled shoes below.
Betts Sapphia pointed toe heel pumps, $109 at THE ICONIC and Dr Martens Chelsea platform boots, $350 at Myer.
How to dress for success
Although the definition of ‘success’ varies person to person, there are some things you can do, speaking broadly when dressing for success – whether that’s with a date or job interview in mind.
“Success is subjective to what outcome you want, who you are and what you want to attract. So, for a job interview in a creative firm, you could wear sneakers, a cool oversized blazer and jeans; but if you’re going for a law firm, you wouldn’t get the job.”
You could opt for a blazer like this one from AERE.
Kathryn notes that your clothes should feel infused to you, “so that you’re not distracted, insecure or feel like you’re pretending. That’s how you get a successful outcome”.
A helpful way to do this is by realising your three “style power words” that encapsulate your essence and dress accordingly to them.
“What is the spirit of me that maybe isn’t being shown or that I want to show more of? Then edit your wardrobe or go shopping with those three words in mind, so that you’re consciously choosing the character you play in the film that is your life.”
“Clothing is a second skin; it’s the skin we choose,” says Kathryn, “we don’t get to choose the eye colour and a million other things about our body…but this second skin, we get to choose”.
You can stream Undressed starring Kathryn Eisman on Paramount+ from 6 October.
by Jessica G. Lynch
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