Magician's Attire: What do you wear?

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Dec 17, 2007
1,291
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Melbourne, Australia
On the street I wear what I always wear, and that's basically a black band shirt and black jeans with black shoes.. :rolleyes:

If I perform a bit more "professional" I'll still try to keep the 'rocker' theme going and wear black jeans with black shoes with a white button-up shirt and a black vest.. sometimes with a black tie.

Yes, I know.. lots of black!
 
Oct 24, 2007
314
0
If I'm out on the street I usually just wear an American Eagle/Hollister t-shirt and jeans.

If I'm at a party doing walk around, I usually just wear an American Eagle/Hollister dress shirt and jeans.

And if the party is a nicer one, I wear this awesome Gray Dress Shirt, a white t-shirt under it, and black dress pants along with black dress shoes.

Peace!

Tyler
 

AllanLuu

Banned
Aug 31, 2007
545
1
32
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I wear a tophat with a tie and a little flower sticking out of my blazer and I also wear fresh polished black leather shoes.
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I hope you didn't believe that, I usually dress liek a "skater", hoodies, stained washed pants and if I am going out on the street, sometime I will carry my side/ messenger bag to carry my props and if I am nto planning to perform, which usually is not the case, I just have my regular clothes and enough pocket space to hold a deck fo cards, this is why I hate tigh jeans, you can't fit anything.
 
Aug 31, 2007
807
0
interwebz
If I know i might be performing it will probably be a nice ae polo and jeans.
if its a spur of the moment thing i dont go home and change....just perform in whatever!


-Brad
 
Feb 21, 2008
38
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On gigs: Black suit and some nice dark dress shirt.

When doinf magic for fun: The clothes I am wearing that day, usually some nice jeans and cool t-shirt.
 
Black Blazer, a black polo type undershirt partially made from silk linen, with blue jeans and black shoes. I meet everything in the middle without making a fashion statement yet still being acceptable. I'm a chamellion that can blend yet stand out when I want.

OH! Nice to hear from you Curtis long time no hear brother.

Shane.
 
Dec 14, 2007
817
2
There are many issues here.

First, if you are being paid to work, it is entirely different than if you are performing for friends.

If you are being paid, the buyer has certain expectations. Notice, I said BUYER, not audience. You have to consider both.

If your goal is to make money with your magic (and there is nothing wrong with doing it just for fun) then you need to appeal to the people who are signing your checks.

Further, there is different attire for the "meeting" than there is for the "show."

Business people want to be assured they are dealing with someone responsible.

Now, let's talk about audience.

Your clothes should reflect your character. Here's the thing though. Most magicians "think" they have a character. In reality, they are little more than a mish-mosh of the guys they've seen on DVD. (Sometimes you can watch them morph from one guy to the next as they jump from trick to trick.)

So, have you spent time figuring out WHO you are? (And I don't mean to sound rude, but if you're under 25, do you even have any idea who that is?!? I mean, I didn't!!!)

Until you know WHO you are, and what CONSISTENT image you are trying to project, then it is hard to make a smart clothing choice. Also, what you THINK you project and what you actually project are often two very different things.

It really is a long term project to figure out 1) what you want to project 2) what you actually ARE projecting and 3) how to get both of those to line up.

For example, If you walked up to me on the streets with torn jeans and a tee-shirt, before you said a word, I would think you were looking for a handout. If you had cards in your hand, I MIGHT think you were passing out flyers, or trying to get my attention to hand me one.

That may not be what you intend to project, but that's what I would get.

Likewise, walk up to me in a playing card tie, sport coat with sleeves rolled up, and I will think you are an idiot hack magician who isn't worth giving the time of day to.

Looking in the mirror and being honest is tough. I'm fat. When I was a kid, I dreamed of doing magic like Copperfield. What a joke!!!! Tried it once for a senior talent show. There is only one copy of THAT tape and noone will ever find it. It was EMBARRASSING.

But I did not have the courage to look at myself and be honest about who I was. Thankfully, a magician pulled me aside and gave me the straight talk. He told me a look ridiculous, he complimented me on what I did well, and he helped me realize that I was on the wrong path.

As I got older, I had very thin hair. On film it looked like a huge bald spot. So...shaved the head.

Still fat, so it's custom tailored suits.

You have to be realistic and you have to be willing to do what it takes.

So, it's a bit of a ramble I know, but remember

1) there's how you want to be perceived
2) there's how you actually are perceived

The are is in getting those to the same place!

Brad Henderson
 
There are many issues here.

First, if you are being paid to work, it is entirely different than if you are performing for friends.

If you are being paid, the buyer has certain expectations. Notice, I said BUYER, not audience. You have to consider both.

If your goal is to make money with your magic (and there is nothing wrong with doing it just for fun) then you need to appeal to the people who are signing your checks.

Further, there is different attire for the "meeting" than there is for the "show."

Business people want to be assured they are dealing with someone responsible.

Now, let's talk about audience.

Your clothes should reflect your character. Here's the thing though. Most magicians "think" they have a character. In reality, they are little more than a mish-mosh of the guys they've seen on DVD. (Sometimes you can watch them morph from one guy to the next as they jump from trick to trick.)

So, have you spent time figuring out WHO you are? (And I don't mean to sound rude, but if you're under 25, do you even have any idea who that is?!? I mean, I didn't!!!)

Until you know WHO you are, and what CONSISTENT image you are trying to project, then it is hard to make a smart clothing choice. Also, what you THINK you project and what you actually project are often two very different things.

It really is a long term project to figure out 1) what you want to project 2) what you actually ARE projecting and 3) how to get both of those to line up.

For example, If you walked up to me on the streets with torn jeans and a tee-shirt, before you said a word, I would think you were looking for a handout. If you had cards in your hand, I MIGHT think you were passing out flyers, or trying to get my attention to hand me one.

That may not be what you intend to project, but that's what I would get.

Likewise, walk up to me in a playing card tie, sport coat with sleeves rolled up, and I will think you are an idiot hack magician who isn't worth giving the time of day to.

Looking in the mirror and being honest is tough. I'm fat. When I was a kid, I dreamed of doing magic like Copperfield. What a joke!!!! Tried it once for a senior talent show. There is only one copy of THAT tape and noone will ever find it. It was EMBARRASSING.

But I did not have the courage to look at myself and be honest about who I was. Thankfully, a magician pulled me aside and gave me the straight talk. He told me a look ridiculous, he complimented me on what I did well, and he helped me realize that I was on the wrong path.

As I got older, I had very thin hair. On film it looked like a huge bald spot. So...shaved the head.

Still fat, so it's custom tailored suits.

You have to be realistic and you have to be willing to do what it takes.

So, it's a bit of a ramble I know, but remember

1) there's how you want to be perceived
2) there's how you actually are perceived

The are is in getting those to the same place!

Brad Henderson

That's some of the best advice I've ever read on these forums....wow! Some real gold their Brad!

Thank you for sharing that!! :)

-Steve
 
To elaborate on my original post in this thread (which was a while ago) I would like to say that for when I perform corporate gigs, I try to dress as professionally as possible. This means I wear a suit and tie with my hair away from my eyes.

Nice post Brad, great tips and info! :)

Mitch
 
Dec 2, 2007
102
1
I enjoy anti-fashion. Either a plain white shirt or a black sweatshirt depending on the temperature, a pair of straight uncut unripped unpainted and entirely unembellished pants or shorts, and generic shoes. As you can tell it's the opposite of trying really hard and looking "good" hence anti-fashion.
 
I enjoy anti-fashion. Either a plain white shirt or a black sweatshirt depending on the temperature, a pair of straight uncut unripped unpainted and entirely unembellished pants or shorts, and generic shoes. As you can tell it's the opposite of trying really hard and looking "good" hence anti-fashion.
Well then that makes Anti-Fashion... fashion. You can't avoid fashion.

Mitch
 
Dec 2, 2007
102
1
You can, fashion is keeping up with trends and changing your style to be hip. Anti-fashion is more of an attitude and an unwavering protest of superflousness in society.
 
Most magicians have a terrible sense of "what's fashionable." Just ask Katie... :D

That's why when I go shopping, I get a girl friend of mine to go with me and help me out....someone that can tell me what looks, so I don't look like a complete fool. I'll admit, I don't have the greatest tastes when it comes to shopping, but I have a lot of friends that do. :)
 
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