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[0:01] Welcome to Style by Estelle.
[0:03] Hey, Estelle Winsett,
[0:09] attorney-turned-personal stylist for FEMA Lawyers,
[0:11] and in today's episode, I'm going to be talking to you
[0:14] about being camera ready and how the rules of style
[0:18] have changed since we've emerged into a more virtual world.
[0:20] And I'm going to share with you some tips and tricks
[0:22] on how to navigate this new legal landscape.
[0:25] One of the biggest shifts that I've seen in today's
[0:28] changing landscape into a more virtual world
[0:31] is that we're no longer going into the courtroom
[0:32] as much as we used to.
[0:34] And what that means is your entire presence
[0:38] is being evaluated by the confines of your computer screen.
[0:43] When you're going into the courtroom,
[0:44] you were able to use your wide gestures.
[0:47] You were able to walk and talk.
[0:49] And the judge and jury were able to make an impression of you
[0:53] from their entire experience of you,
[0:55] which you had a lot bigger states to make that impression.
[0:58] Now that we're all in more Zoom courtroom hearings,
[1:02] then what you need to do is work with the screen
[1:05] that you have, which is just your computer screen.
[1:07] And because of that, you need to really pay attention
[1:10] to details.
[1:10] They matter a lot more than it used to
[1:13] when you would walk into a room
[1:15] and people could fill your presence.
[1:16] In this virtual world, the question
[1:18] is no longer do I look professional?
[1:21] It's how am I going to be perceived on camera?
[1:23] And that's a lot different from how you would be perceived
[1:26] in the mirror.
[1:27] And that's why it's really important
[1:29] to practice on your Zoom calls.
[1:32] You could do your own Zoom call at home
[1:34] before you get on a courtroom proceeding call
[1:37] and see how you look, see what the screen sees.
[1:40] Are you, is there anything distracting in your background?
[1:43] Is there any part of your jewelry
[1:45] that's making a loud noise?
[1:46] You really want to pay attention to those details
[1:48] because that is how you're making your first impression now,
[1:51] is how you're showing up on the camera on this screen.
[1:55] So that's something you need to consider.
[1:56] The next question that I get often
[1:58] is do I really have to dress up head to toe for a Zoom call
[2:02] when I'm only being perceived from the shoulders up?
[2:04] And my answer to that question is yes.
[2:06] And what I think in that position
[2:08] is that you need to be thinking of what's called includes cognition.
[2:11] So there actually have been scientific studies
[2:14] that have shown that what you wear impacts how you show up
[2:18] and how you perform.
[2:20] So it's less about what others are thinking
[2:21] but how you're thinking.
[2:23] So if you know you're sitting at the desk
[2:25] and you have pajamas on the bottom and a blazer on top,
[2:28] your brain knows you're not completely there.
[2:30] You're not showing up fully.
[2:32] But when you actually dress head to toe
[2:34] and you have your shoes on,
[2:35] even though no one's looking at your feet
[2:36] and you have a complete outfit on,
[2:38] it's almost like a signal to your brain
[2:40] that game on, we are now here to perform.
[2:44] And you're able to actually perform at your highest level
[2:46] when you show up fully and a head to toe outfit.
[2:49] Another thing to think about when you're on these Zoom appearances
[2:52] is to think about color
[2:54] because when you're on the camera everything is flattened.
[2:56] And I get asked the question a lot,
[2:58] what color should I wear when I'm showing up for a Zoom meeting?
[3:02] And my best recommendation is actually a jewel tone
[3:04] because those are gonna be universally flattering.
[3:07] It's more of a mid-tone saturation
[3:10] and so it's gonna play nicely with the screen.
[3:12] Typically if you wear black or a dark color
[3:16] it can come across more harshly on the screen.
[3:19] Conversely if you wear white or a light color
[3:22] then it may end up messing with the lighting
[3:24] and you actually get blown up.
[3:26] So in one case you get washed out
[3:28] and in the other case you get blown up on the screen.
[3:31] So what you wanna be doing is coming up with a color
[3:33] that is gonna be pleasing, that is going to be confident
[3:37] and it's not distracting.
[3:39] And one tip that I always hope people is make sure
[3:41] that whatever you're wearing is a contrast to your background.
[3:45] So if you have a white wall behind you
[3:47] and you're wearing a white top
[3:48] then you're basically gonna look like a floating head
[3:50] and that is not what we're going for.
[3:52] You wanna have the appropriate amount of contrast
[3:54] and so really as a good rule of thumb
[3:55] I suggest wearing dual tone colors
[3:58] and take a look at it on the screen
[4:00] and make sure on your own Zoom recording
[4:02] that everything looks right before you go.
[4:04] When you have a virtual mediation
[4:06] you wanna think not only about the closure wearing
[4:08] but also the colors.
[4:10] There's a psychology of color that shows
[4:13] that what you wear invokes an emotional response
[4:17] and someone else for something like a mediation
[4:19] where you're really trying to evoke a feeling of trust.
[4:22] Then I highly recommend going with the blue.
[4:24] You can go with a cobalt blue or a saturated blue color
[4:29] and that actually is going to evoke emotions of trust
[4:32] from your audience.
[4:34] You want to avoid going with say a red
[4:36] which is more of a powerhouse color
[4:38] but it can also be seen as aggressive.
[4:40] So you wanna be thinking through the psychology of color
[4:43] when you're coming up not only with the clothes to wear
[4:46] but also which color.
[4:47] A question that I get asked often
[4:49] is can I wear patterns or prints on a camera?
[4:53] And my answer
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to that is yes,
[4:55] as long as it's not distracting.
[4:57] If you end up wearing pin stripes
[4:59] where the colors are really close together
[5:01] that's when you get that vibrant almost psychedelic look
[5:05] on the camera because the lines are fighting
[5:07] and it looks crazy.
[5:09] So what I really recommend is go with a solid color
[5:13] or you could go with stripes like I have
[5:16] where there's a lot of gap between the stripes.
[5:19] You don't want stripes really close together
[5:21] where you're gonna get that really weird vibrating
[5:23] thing that's gonna make people dizzy.
[5:24] So when in doubt, go with a solid color.
[5:27] One of my favorite tips when you have a zoom hearing
[5:30] is to think about accessories
[5:31] especially as a female attorney.
[5:33] When you're really working with just this square box
[5:36] then think about what can you wear
[5:38] that's gonna add personality without being distracting.
[5:41] For me, I have on some earrings.
[5:43] They're not loud earrings.
[5:44] You also wanna think through with your accessories
[5:47] are they making a lot of unnecessary noise?
[5:49] These are very silent and they're very lightweight
[5:51] but it just adds a little bit of personality to my look.
[5:54] And it also gives what I think is a finishing touch.
[5:57] But when you're thinking through your accessories
[5:59] make sure that you're not going too heavy on accessories.
[6:02] If I were to be wearing a big necklace
[6:05] to chunky necklace earrings and a headband
[6:08] that's gonna be way too much.
[6:09] I think it was Chanel that says look at the mirror
[6:11] and take off one accessory before you leave.
[6:13] That's actually a really good rule of thumb
[6:15] when you're thinking about what to wear for a zoom meeting.
[6:18] Focus on one focal piece of jewelry
[6:20] that's not loud and that's not distracting
[6:23] that can add some interest and have you stand out
[6:25] in all the right ways.
[6:26] Another question that I get asked often
[6:28] is should I wear glasses on a zoom call?
[6:31] Well as you can see today I am wearing glasses
[6:34] for this video and the reason I'm wearing them
[6:36] is because I normally wear glasses.
[6:38] And if you're someone who always wears glasses
[6:40] if you show up to a hearing on zoom
[6:43] and you're not wearing your glasses
[6:44] then you're not gonna look like yourself.
[6:46] I think that wearing glasses also provides
[6:49] a level of credibility and authority.
[6:51] If you've ever heard me talk about the first time
[6:53] I realized style was a tool that you could use
[6:56] to advance your credibility is when I first learned
[6:58] that I needed to wear glasses which was after law school
[7:01] and after years of reading.
[7:02] But when I got my first pair of glasses
[7:04] and I walked into my law firm
[7:06] I could feel the shift in the way
[7:08] the partners were looking at me.
[7:09] It's all of a sudden I had this gravitas
[7:11] that I'd not had previously despite having
[7:13] the years of experience.
[7:14] So when you're on a zoom call it's the same thing.
[7:17] If you're someone who wears glasses
[7:19] wear them it's gonna add that credibility
[7:20] and you're gonna look like yourself.
[7:22] The only caveat that I would add to wearing glasses
[7:25] on a camera on zoom is you wanna make sure
[7:27] that you don't have a glare.
[7:28] So you wanna play with the lighting.
[7:30] If you wear glasses all the time
[7:32] you probably wanna get some anti-reflective lenses.
[7:34] That's probably gonna be the best solution to your problem.
[7:37] But you wanna just make sure that the glare is not distracting
[7:40] and that you have a clear vision
[7:43] when people are looking at you with your glasses on.
[7:44] Another question that I get asked
[7:46] that it's particularly true for a female lawyers
[7:48] is should I care for how I show up in my grooming
[7:51] on a zoom call versus being in court?
[7:54] And my answer to that is yes,
[7:56] everything on a camera is gonna flatten out.
[7:59] Colors, how you're perceived.
[8:02] And in particular you will often come across
[8:06] as a little more washed out
[8:07] because of the dimensions of the camera.
[8:10] So what I always recommend for my women attorney clients
[8:15] is there are a couple of things you can do
[8:16] to enhance how you show up on screen
[8:18] without being heavy on makeup and going to an extreme.
[8:22] First, I recommend your lips actually show up
[8:26] a little bit more pale on the camera.
[8:28] So put on some lipstick.
[8:29] It doesn't have to be a super bowl color
[8:31] but something that's gonna give you definition to your lips.
[8:34] Another thing that actually adds a lot to a zoom appearance
[8:37] is actually filling in your eyebrows.
[8:39] I know it sounds strange.
[8:41] I actually have pretty thick eyebrows
[8:42] but when I add just a little bit of shadow to them
[8:44] it adds more definition.
[8:46] And so your eyebrows and your lips
[8:47] are always gonna frame your face.
[8:49] And so those are things that I recommend
[8:51] as a female attorney to do on the camera
[8:53] so that you're not washed out
[8:54] and that you could show it visibly
[8:56] without going crazy on adding a bunch of makeup.
[8:58] Thanks for joining me on today's episode.
[9:00] And if you liked the material that I shared,
[9:03] I encourage you to like this episode, make a comment.
[9:07] And if you really like it, I'd love it if you leave a review
[9:10] that helps the audience find me on the podcast.
[9:15] Thanks for watching.
[9:17] Be sure to hit that like and subscribe button
[9:20] and leave us a review in the comments.