Look Good, Feel Great: How Your Wardrobe and Makeup Impact Your Speaking Success

Hey Speaker Friends,

Let’s talk about something that’s hugely underestimated in public speaking: your appearance. Not in a shallow way. I’m talking about how your wardrobe and makeup choices directly affect your confidence, stage presence, and how you're perceived by clients and audiences.

I’ve had multiple meeting planners tell me they hired me in part because of how I dress. This is usually for fundraisers or dinners where they want someone funny, but they want the event to have a nice feel. They didn't want a "comedian" type look.

Fun fact: I’m kind of known for wearing pink dresses and being dressed up. It sounds obvious as a speaker, that you should dress professionally or nice. However, there are aspects that I learned from years of stage and hours with costumers that help me know what visually pops and works in my favor.

1. Your Wardrobe = Your Nonverbal First Impression

Before you say a word, your audience is making snap judgments—and so are the event organizers.

Wardrobe isn’t just about looking good—it’s about respecting your stage, your message, and your audience.

-Solid Colors: Lots of print detracts from the audience being able to focus on your face while you talk. You want the least amount of things working against the audience's attention, and fatigue is one of them. 

-Colors that don't wash you out. Pale colors or white can wash your face out - especially with those lovely unflattering fluorescent ballroom lights.

-Simple cuts. The more tucked in, bedazzled, accessorized, layered things you have going on, the rougher you will look on camera or stage. A classy silhouette is, once again, easier on the eye, but also less apt to be crooked, weirdly tucked or sloppy looking. Pay attention to tv commercials and you will see they wear solid brightly colored simple shirts.

-Be careful with black. Who doesn't love to wear black???? So flattering. EXCEPT, if there is a black or dark curtain behind you. This happens more often than not. You need to pop out visually from the background and black will bend you in.

-If you are sitting, such as being on a panel, make sure your dress is way longer than your knees. Otherwise it's a straight shot for the audience right up your skirt. I've had a "Basic Instinct" moment on camera only I didn't get famous. I just got embarrassed.

-Don't be wrinkly. I am confused by that. Showing up on stage with a wrinkly shirt. YES, some wrinkles are normal, but I'm talking about wadded up, shoved in a suitcase, thrown on the floor and then tossed on two seconds before walking on stage.

-Jewelry is to accessorize, not take over the stage. I love me a good bracelet, but I have to be careful because jewelry bangs and clangs against microphones or each other. It can be way too noisy.

-Do a bend over test. If it's a straight shot down your shirt or up the booty, probably should wear something different. Why? If you fall off the stage, trip, or drop something, your talk will suddenly become memorable.

-Shoes. Make sure you can walk in them. EVERY stage is different. The staging panels can have gaps, be higher or lower than the other, chords, etc. I do always wear heels, but if I am unfamiliar with a stage or set up, I wear a chunkier heel. If I know the stage and it's fine, then I'll whip out a stiletto from time to time and not walk for a week after.

-Your wardrobe creates a mood. Just like it does for a character. If I am playing the role of a cop, but I wear pajamas - visually it doesn't work. I should be in a uniform. If I am sick and dying in a hospital - I should be in pajamas or a robe - not a police uniform. 

-The same is true for you. Who are you? What is your message. What is the mood? Who is in the room with you attending? Where is located? All of these should effect your wardrobe choice.

-If you wear multiple outfits, and don't have a standard speaking outfit, jot down what you wore in case you get asked back. You don't want to wear the same outfit the following year.

-Make sure you can breathe correctly. Hey- I am ALL about Spanx, but some of those do a. number on me to the point I can't breathe without hurting.

2. Makeup: Enhance, Don’t Distract

Stage lighting, video shoots, and even breakout room fluorescents are not your friends. That’s where makeup can help—not to hide who you are, but to amplify the clarity of your expressions.

Some speaker-tested tips:

• Go matte. A shiny forehead will grab more attention than your story. Use mattifying powder or primer. I also use rice paper if I am going to be on camera. This includes bald heads...just sayin'....
• Eyes and brows = emotional connection. Even just eyeliner, mascara, and defined brows can help your expressions read from the back of the room. What is normal "day wear" make-up won't read to the back of a ballroom. You have to go heavier.
• Natural lip color with punch. You want your mouth visible, especially when you're smiling or delivering punchlines.
• Blend like your credibility depends on it. Because sometimes... it does.

3. Test Everything Before the Big Day

This will save you from wardrobe malfunctions, unexpected shine, or realizing your shoes are trying to murder your feet:

• Do a dress rehearsal with your mic pack, shoes, and jewelry.
• Take a photo or quick video of yourself in stage-like lighting.
• Pack touch-up supplies (lipstick, powder, blotting sheets).
• Keep a backup outfit in your car if you’re traveling. Ask me how I know…

4. Looking Good Isn’t Vain — It’s Strategic

Here’s the thing: when you feel confident in how you look, your energy changes. You show up with authority, warmth, and clarity. Your audience listens more. Event organizers trust you more. And you’re not silently worrying about your waistband or your eyeliner smudging halfway through your keynote.

Bonus Tip:

Be consistent in your visuals across platforms. If you wear a signature color (like pink!), sprinkle that into your website, slides, or demo reel. It becomes part of your speaker identity and helps people remember you.

Want help leveling up your on-stage look or building a brand that stands out to meeting planners? I’ve got coaching and resources that cover this and so much more. Just reply to this email or check out Boring to Soaring Speeches.