Do you do anything to keep looking good? Do you work out and stay in shape? Do you seriously keep your looks in check? Fashion?I think this is important regardless of your branch of Magic. What say you?

Btw, DB, DC, S&R, L.Burton all have evolved with fashion trends and keep their physiques in check. How important is this to you?

Wonderful post! I think this is the best post I encountered in the Magic Café.

I was acquainted with Mr.Tenko (not Princess Tenko, but original Tenko), and he was very careful about his fashion. I believe it is an unavoidable necessity to keep good sense in fashion if you are a pro. Why? First impression is very importatnt as well as your first trick after you appeared on stage.

Hideo Kato

This is a very important but largely overlooked topic. I try to keep a neutral look. I don't want to look like one of those creepy or nerdy magicians who look way too eager to impress people and not very eager to comb their hair or buy some decent clothes. I would also like to avoid that way too fashionable, sauve, I'm-too-hip-for-my-double-lift look. Basically, at the end of the day, I just want to look like Paul McCartney. Don't ask.

Demeanor more than looks is important to presentation - Look at Blaine - His stage attitude is exactly what the coveted demographric for TV is looking for and he portrays it perfectly - Otherwise half the people on this forum wouldn't watch him do three tricks at a convention - Actually, without camera editing - he might not do three tricks - (just a personal opinion)
So, looks are important but can be overcome -

Dave

It depends on what kind of character you have. I present myself as an easygoing, nice woman who just seems to have a large amount of magical activity going on around her. I do my best to look nice, but I don't have to follow the latest trends and styles to do that. It may be different for other magicians, but for me it's not so important.

Copperfield used to have more classy outfits and changed about every other trick. Now he always wears that blue button-up shirt and doesn't change. I personally like it when someone changes throughout the show. Rick Thomas, Rick Wilcox, and/or the Majetix are some people who are good at this. What do you think?

Justin

Ice Raven beat me to it!

It should all be based on your character. Hideo Kato says correctly that the first impression is very important, but let's not assume that every performer should be giving the same impression!

I'll also add that your target market should influence this as well.

Mike

Thanks Hideo for the compliment! Glad someone else does see the importance...

I definitely agree with following your character. A clown would look strange all buffed up (although padding can be used). However, the question is exactly that, regarding your character's looks, do you pay as much attention to it as say, your effects.

If you look at other more popular branches of entertainment such as film and music, actors and singers go out of their way to look good. I was just wondering if you find it important too as a magician?

If you do, WHAT do you do? What regiments of exercise and diet? What fashion sources do you refer to to keep up to date with your character's fashion (regardless even if you're a clown)?

Thanks for the replies everyone!

"Good" is just too subjective a term. I find it important that my appearance is consistent with my character. Consistency is the key.



My main audiences are corporate and families.

Since I'm a funny, laid back, everyday man I normally dress in an average suit with no tie and a shirt with the collar open (there are actually technical reasons in my show for this as well) for my comedy magic show.

For my mentalist show I'm a funny, laid back, everyday man. I dress the same way, except I wear a turtle neck shirt.

Both of these manners of dress are consistent with my character, mannerisms, and speech. I find that exercise and eating habits have little to do with my character and so I ignore exercise and eat as I like.

Mike

What Ice Raven ?
A character?
For a show?
Why?
How?

When you are performing for the public, you usually stand out from the crowd (at least, I hope you do!). The same should apply when you're not "on".

Pakar Ilusi says ". . . actors and singers go out of their way to look good." Magicians who are moaning over the decline in magic should read that statement again. Particularly the ones referred to earlier: the creepy, nerdy ones, and the over-glitzed type who look like rejected Vegas lounge singers.

We're not talking high fashion here; just simple common sense; a shower, clean clothes, deodorant, clean fingernails, that sort of thing goes a long way. So how come so many wannabes overlook that feature? They spend more time cleaning their sponge rabbits than their bodies!

English stage magician the late Harold Taylor would walk across Trafalgar Square in London; if at least half the people he passed did not glance at him, he figured he wasn't dramatically enough dressed! Harold was a flamboyant type and could carry it off; I'm not suggesting you have to do the same but you get the idea.

IBM Gold Cups winner Oscar Munoz told me at a magic convention that he never leaves the house without looking his best, because you never know when you will run into a potential client.

Now, the nice thing about all this is that you don't have to take the advice of two top professionals; you can do what you want. (You will anyway!)

But you have been warned!

David Copperfield, fashion icon. Now that is a funny thought.

Thanks Peter for the examples! I was thinking along the same lines...

Thanks everyone for your responses...

Hi,
I think that yes you must be clean, tidy and dress appropriately. But I do not think that you have to be good looking, trim or at all in shape to be successful. Some of the most popular entertainers here in the UK are far from good looking or physically fit looking.

Magicians Tommy cooper, Paul Daniels, Geoffry Durham are no oil paintings also other entertainers/presenters such as Ken Dodd, Ester Ranson or Les Dawson all had their little quirks.
Phillip

I see your point p.b.jones.

You certainly don't have to be good-looking, but it does help. Ask DB, DC, S&R, Lance, Bret Daniels, Jonathan David Bass, Jonathan Pendragon etc. I'm quite sure they'll agree.

Anyway, keeping in shape is good for you regardless IMHO.

But I do agree that you can be successful regardless of your looks. Penn & Teller are no models but they're successful.

Hi,
There are also those that use any outstanding features as something to play their act off. For example British shield (IBM) winners Jimmy Carlo and Crystal play off the fact that Jimmy is a large man.
Phillip

There is a local performer - complete with poor posture and a very high percentage of body fat - who says: "I like to stay in shape. [pause for laughter to subside] ROUND is a shape!"

It's the only funny thing he says in his act, and sometimes he forgets to use the line.

Regards,
Thomas Wayne

You certainly don't have to be good-looking, but it does help.
Ask DB, DC, S&R, Lance, Bret Daniels, Jonathan David Bass, Jonathan Pendragon etc. I'm quite sure they'll agree.

Hi,
Looking at your list above out of the names I know (I do not know them all) these are all what I refer to as Dance around illusionists and I think that being good looking could be an advantage in this field. but here in the UK Talking usually comedy magicians/ mentalists are the really sucessfull ones other than for entertaining
magicains. I think that this is why our opinions differ somewhat.
Phillip

When I perform I have a 'character', I dress and act differently than my normal 'self'.
I wear a white shirt or long-sleeved top, smart trousers and black shoes, a bowler hat, one black contact lense and a large silver neck chain with a silver card hanging on it. People certainly remember me, as I walk away I hear people say "that guy made me feel all tingely". I find the black contact lense helps with my menatlism effects, people say things like "Even when you just look at me I feel weird". I do sometimes wear a suite depending on the venue. I find having a different personality helps when doing magic, it helps create an atmostphere or aura around you. People see you from across the room and call you over "Can we please see some magic?" It's good for the guy who hired you to hear that.
I have been told that I am quiet good looking, and I find this helps when performing to groups of girls...They seem likely to interupt you or mess-up your trick. I once saw a group of girls who I had performed to earlier with great sucess, totally rip apart my chubby mate half an hour later. And he is as good if not better than me, I guess looks matter. Ummm that sounded a bit big-headed....sorry

Hackmonkey,
The idea of the black contact, especially for mentalism, is brilliant!
It would create a mood that would get you halfway there without even trying!
Great thinking.