<p>I know this topic is pretty worn out and I've read just about every thread about it but I'm still worried my planned outfit is going to come off as a bit too immature or unprofessional. I'm auditioning for eleven schools so I'm probably going to have more than one outfit but the main one I have planned is a black fit and flare style dress with three quarter sleeves, orange vintage Doc Martens, and black hose with small polka dots. Would it be better to just wear plain black hose? Or even none at all? None of this hinders my movement and I will be wearing dance shorts under the dress. I may be reading into this too deeply but I want to leave an impression and let my personality shine through while still expressing that I'm very serious about acting. Also, I don't have any headshots where I'm wearing my glasses but I'd like to wear them to my audition; would this be okay? Everything else is the same: hair, makeup, etc. Thanks!</p>
<p>Also, would a scarf in place of the tights be distracting? Thanks again!</p>
<p>Dress in what makes you feel confident and comfortable. Nothing that will cause a distraction for yourself. I would probably not wear a scarf. The tights sound like something that might set you apart from others which can be a good thing. My daughter loves vintage clothing…so she wore a 1950’s dress and saddle shoes. But that is who she is. And she went into the audition season feeling pretty and confident.</p>
<p>I over head comments from a couple of the auditors in Chicago (profs from straight acting programs, not musical theatre) who were a bit baffled by all the dresses. I had no idea who there were, and thought they were fellow parents, till my D later corrected me. Their comments were to the effect that the girls & guys who were too dressed up, were not able to move freely enough. That said, I agree… wear what makes you feel good! One of the gals at the FSU audition got a call back wearing in tiny mini skirt and t-shirt. So you never know. ;)</p>
<p>I second all other comments- if you feel good you are good to go 
I think the outfit sounds adorable. Are your headshot finalized and done? If you are wearing glasses to audition you might want them in headshot. That said, lots of schools take snapshots of auditionees (I remember CMU and NYU doing it, not sure who else) so they have a record of EXACTLY what you looked like that day. Check with your schools, if they take a snap, the headshot glasses thing shouldn’t be a big deal</p>
<p>Funny stories of life… friend of D got great headshots done, and 3 weeks later “spontaneously” (without telling mom) chopped off 8 inches of hair. She looked adorable, but had to completely redo headshot (which had NOT been cheap) caused fat drama. Moral of the story, if you are pondering a major change, either do it AFTER audition season, or BEFORE the headshot! </p>
<p>I think acting is a lot more flexible than MT in terms of dress code. </p>
<p>I agree with Jkellynj17, you don’t need to move a lot with straight acting auditions, unless they tell you ahead of time there will be movement exercises. I can only speak for straight acting. It’s important to feel comfortable, but in my three times doing this, I have personally seen far more mistakes going with too casual than with over-dressing. The biggest mistakes I’ve seen are too-short skirts (and the FSU girl aside, I think it is extremely risky to wear a mini skirt so short that it practically shows your underwear, which I’ve seen several girls do. It looks very unprofessional and you can’t move freely), too high shoes that are hard to move in, and guys being too informal particularly with shoes. </p>
<p>I think there’s a very wide range of what works, but the biggest rules would be that you feel good and confident, that you can move freely without worrying about your undies or bra strap showing, that you look professional, that your hair is off your face. </p>
<p>So to the OP–I think everything you say sounds great. Your outfit sounds adorable. </p>
<p>The only question I’d have is why are you wearing glasses in the audition but not your headshot? Personally, I do think that look ought to be consistent. </p>
<p>Also, I’d wear tights as auditions are usually when it’s quite cold. I’m not sure I understand the scarf? What do you mean in place of tights? Thanks!</p>
<p>I think either hose are fine.
I’d loose the scarf. More to keep track of; could be distracting.
My D is not particularly interested in clothes and doesn’t really have a style. She had on a dress with shorts underneath for a mock audition and felt really uncomfortable during the warmups. She said I am not wearing a skirt or dress again.
We choose three different blouses in jewel tones, no pattern, which flatter her, and nicely tailored black pants from Talbots. She could go anywhere in that outfit and never look out of place.
The outfit is also completely forgettable, so not something that can help you be remembered. But as I said fashion isn’t my D’s thing so she was most comfortable going this safe route.
She is a tall girl, but would always choose to wear flat shoes when acting, given a choice, even if she were short. She says you need to be grounded when acting.
(Although she has had to wear heels many times when performing, particularly for dance, and can do it but flats is her preference.)</p>
<p>When my son went through this last year he wore sweatpants, a tee shirt and tennis shoes to all six of his auditions.</p>
<p>boys are different…</p>
<p>Just trying to show that being comfortable is key!</p>
<p>I think letting a little style come through in our outfit is fine as long as it doesn’t make you less confident, uncomfortable, or is a distraction.</p>
<p>My kiddo has a few fit/flare cap sleeve dresses in jewel tones that she wears with no tights and character shoes if it is warm. If it’s cold, she puts on leggings underneath and adds a cardigan. It seems to work well for her. </p>
<p>I think the fit/flare dress is probably the most flattering for all body types and is readily available in many colors and rather inexpensively. </p>
<p>Oh, I just meant wearing a scarf instead of tights but I do think it might hinder my movement a bit. With the movement thing said, would leggings be too casual if they were worn with a dressier top and maybe riding type boots?</p>
<p>This has been posted or quoted a lot before but may be worth re-sharing. It’s from the Otterbein audition guidelines and follows their request that you avoid play clothes, cocktail party/prom dresses, formal business attire, or anything distracting. They suggest you wear “clothes that fit well, that you feel comfortable in, that you look good in (and feel that you look good in), and that draw our eyes to your face and hands. Shirts and pants work for men and women alike. Skirts are fine for some women, and for some, a dress can work very well. So can classy jeans. We want to watch you, not your clothes.” Low key, comfortable, and not distracting seem to be the theme! </p>
<p>For the record, boys may be “different” but it’s not THAT different–the same guidelines apply as for girls. Tee shirts and sweats probably would not work for everyone or every school–I’d call that a bold strategy! My son started with dress pants at his first audition and felt so uncomfortable that he switched to jeans (clean, not tight or torn) for the rest and it was fine. He did wear a button-down shirt, but that suits him. I think the Otterbein guidelines, combined with common sense, will steer you in the right direction!</p>
<p>I agree with Times3–make sure to look on the website to see if the college has any guidelines. </p>
<p>My own son personally would not feel comfortable in very casual clothes. He dressed in a nice orange cashmere sweater (bought on sale!–it complements his coloring) over a button down shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes. He dresses semi-formally for professional auditions as well. Mommadrama your son must have a great deal of confidence in himself, which I’m sure came through. At auditions, I did see one girl dressed in an old comfy-looking jean dress that wasn’t especially flattering, old shoes, and her hair was down; normally this would be ‘risky’–but she was absolutely terrific, and there was something about her that transcended her clothes. This was obviously what made her comfortable and it worked for her. So it’s very personal ultimately. There are a few looks I think don’t work: the one I’ve seen most often is very short skirts on girls, especially with high heels. Some of the girls wore skirts that were so short, their underwear showed when they sat down. Also bare legs with the short skirts–it’s usually winter during auditions; I know I was distracted thinking, “Aren’t they freezing?” </p>
<p>In his day to day life he would not wear sweats and tee shirts but when he went to the summer program in Oxford they specifically told them to dress in something comfortable that allows you to move freely and other than that they didn’t really care what they wore. (I am only speaking to what he was told about the British schools that he applied to.)</p>
<p>mommadrama, I wonder if the UK schools care less about formality, and/or have a different standard. Or if US schools also don’t care in general. Very interesting. Obviously it worked for your son!</p>
<p>My guess would be that they don’t really care as long as you can move. I will also say that my son did see the full spectrum of attire from girls ( dresses to track suits) and boys ( suits to sweats and no shoes) so it’s your preference in the end. </p>
<p>The comment about freezing is important… many of your auditions will likely be in the northeast in the middle of winter. Several of the places we went were absolutely frigid outside and not much better inside. It’s hard to do a monologue when your teeth are chattering or you are shiver-y. Plan layers so you can stay warm and take something off at the last minute. Bare legs are really hard to keep warm though so I would totally stay away from that!</p>
<p>^^Yes, and as I’ve mentioned: Make sure to bring ear muffs and scarves! They keep your ears and neck/face warm while not mussing up your hair style. We saw so many freezing cold boys and girls walking the frigid city blocks with no hair covering (my son included). Manhattan gets <em>very</em> cold in the winter because of how the skyscrapers and streets form shady wind tunnels. Also, avoid bare legs. We saw so many goose bumps! And it just <em>looks</em> cold. You sort of get distracted looking at their cold legs. This is true even if you audition in the south. My S auditioned on site at UNCSA and it happened to be a very cold day. I would just plan for this and pack warm gear. You can always choose not to wear it. Also be sure to bring a change in audition outfit - something you are just as happy in - just in case something spills on it or whatever.</p>