Hack Your Wardrobe & Love Your Body With Costume Designer Leesa Evans #205

Although I worked in the fashion industry for 17 years, we haven’t talked about the subject very much on the show. So, I’m excited to be sitting down with costume designer and personal stylist Leesa Evans, who is credited on over 25 films and 500 commercials, created the le Cloud clothing line, and co-founded Stylefund with comedian Amy Schumer. In movies, clothes help establish characters, but that’s only a small part of Leesa’s role on set. She’s also, in many ways, an anthropologist, psychologist, and artist; she’s figuring out how the clothing speaks to who characters are as humans and how they relate to the world at large, as well as the emotions that those clothes evoke from viewers. And through doing this work, Leesa has learned the profound ways that clothing can affect us and the people around us, positively or negatively, developing an aesthetic philosophy that extends beyond the silver screen and into the real world. One of her clients, Russell Brand, poetically describes this philosophy as aligning one’s essence with their clothes. “Through color, fabric, texture, and accessory, Leesa creates a symphonic truth, bringing to the surface and demonstrating the aspects of your character that you want the world to see... She helps you to show the world the beautiful part of you. And if that happens to be a lime green cape, purple boots and a cap with a feather—if Leesa dresses you in it— that must be who you are inside.” That is what style is, although we don’t always give it the credit it deserves, often misrepresenting it as a tool of vanity. But our form has a purpose, and we should be purposeful in the way that we express ourselves. So, are you ready to connect with yourself, find your purpose, and pull it out of you one thread at a time?   Topics Discussed In This Episode: How clothing makes or breaks your day What we communicate to the world through the way we dress Through collaboration, building something better than you could ever conceive of on your own How coming up with the initial design concept and then fitting an actor contributes to how the actor embodies their character What it’s like to work with method actors How collaboration betters you as a person Some of the most beautiful, successful, and famous people are also some of the most insecure The bizarre epiphany that Leesa had at 17 & how it affects the way she lives her life to this day Choosing to be happy Healing our subconscious wounds Pushing yourself into creativity by filling voids Feeling comfortable enough to connect with yourself Leesa’s styling philosophy: the shapes that we wear help us get out of our comfort zone, and over time, that leads to a general feeling of well being How the artistic intention of our clothing contributes to the way we express ourselves You can’t fabricate confidence – that’s arrogance Not letting your clothes stop you from doing anything you want to do in your life Allowing your clothing to support you Co-founding Stylefund with Amy Schumer with the mission to improve women’s process of getting dressed by helping them better understand their individual silhouettes   More about this...