“What to Wear” – Part 3: Opening Night

Written by Ella Embry

November 27, 2019

You’ve made it through the audition and rehearsal process, hopefully with tips from What to Wear” – Part 1: Auditions and “What to Wear”– Part 2: Rehearsals.

Congratulations on opening your show! Now you get to celebrate! Maybe go out to dinner with friends, receive flowers from your family, or swap little gifts with cast mates. In any case, you know that a LOT of pictures are going to be taken. So what should you wear? And should you keep your stage makeup on or take it all off? Here’s a list of ideas for your opening night look!

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Costume? Off. Props? Returned. Things? Gathered. Time to walk out and greet all of your adoring fans after the roaring success of your opening night show! Of course your talent will turn heads but your outfit will seal the deal of just how awesome you are. So here are some ideas for what to wear for after your opening night show! They’re organized by a feminine aesthetic, a masculine aesthetic, and non-binary aesthetic that way you get inspiration no matter what your preference is.

Feminine Aesthetic

Dress:

Crushed velvet looks expensive, is soft to the touch, and hugs all of your curves in just the right place. A dress like this will help you shimmer and shine after your stellar performance.

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Jacket:

Huge, fluffy jackets are one of the best and most eye catching confidence boosters. Flouncing around in a jacket like this will help you feel like an absolute queen after your performance!

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Accessory:

Show off your love for your craft with this unique necklace from Etsy! If a necklace isn’t you’re style you can also find rings and earrings with the comedy and tragedy masks.

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Masculine Aesthetic

Top:

Shake-up the traditional semi-formal vibe with a cool, patterned shirt. This one in particular is cut to help accentuate the muscles in your chest and shoulders and give you an added boost of confidence.

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Jacket:

Add a suave pop of color to your look with this fitted jacket. It’s lightweight and easy to pair with anything just in case you didn’t feel like totally changing after the show.

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Accessory:

Top off your show-stopping look with a sophisticated felt hat. You’ll be brimming with confidence once you step out in this!

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Non-Binary Aesthetic



Each person who identifies as non-binary has a personal way of expressing themselves. It makes it a bit difficult to pick out just a few items that represent all non-binary folx, so we’ve included some extra choices to give everyone fresh ideas.

Top:

Edgy and maybe a bit chilly mesh shirts are one of our favorite trends right now. They pair with just about anything and make you feel like a mysterious and beautiful goddess.

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Bottom:

Easy, breezy, and totally comfortable, this linen skirt makes a post-show outfit look effortless. Plus – it has pockets!!

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One-Piece:

Pull-out all the stops with this bold, fitted, leather dress. Whether you go without a bottom layer or with that super cool mesh shirt under it you’re gonna look killer.

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Jacket:

Dazzle others in a brilliant coat that you can throw over anything to dress up – or dress down if that’s your vibe. Plus, this company specializes in making ungendered clothing for bodies with curves!

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Accessory:

Show off your pride with these elegant scale earrings! They have a variety of different color sets including ace, bisexual, non-binary, transgender, and LGBTQA+. Plus, if earrings aren’t your things, they also have bracelets, necklaces, and pendants.

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Bonus: Leaving on your show makeup is totally up to you, but make sure to think about your skin! If you’re using something heavy like Ben Nye not taking it off would risk some serious breakouts. If you’re using cosmetic makeup instead then you’re good to go after a quick touch up!



Need some advice? We’ve got you covered.




Ella Embry is currently a senior, honors student at the University of Southern Mississippi pursing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre with an Emphasis in Performance. She is an actor, a playwright, and a Contributing Writer for PerformerStuff.com