The modern rules of newsreader dressing
On-screen wardrobes have come a long way since ‘Foxification’ and cookie-cutter dresses, says Bethan Holt
When Bradley Jackson, played by Reese Witherspoon, is transported from smalltown reporter to co-anchor on the biggest news programme on the fictional UBA network in Apple TV+’S The Morning Show, she has just two days to get screen-ready. One of the first orders from big cheese Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) is to “screen-test looks that appeal to her demographic”. Cut to a scene where he’s giving her a pep talk as she browses the rails of Bergdorf Goodman for her new wardrobe. They eventually settle on a “pantsuit nation” vibe (a reference to the movement of women who supported Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election by wearing trouser suits).
While news presenters and editors would maintain that their ability to deliver great stories and interviews – plus maintain impeccable calm in the live news environment – is the number one demand of their roles, there’s also a recognition that image is vital. So much so that, over the years, a very particular news presenter “look” has bedded in.
The most extreme version of newsreader style is exemplified in Bombshell, the film starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, which was released last week, telling the story of the Fox News presenters who exposed the channel’s CEO Roger Ailes’s extensive history of sexual harassment.
“The look fits within that whole concept of women as Barbie dolls,” the film’s make-up artist, Vivian Baker, told The New York Times, while New York Magazine noted that it is “conspicuously unnatural”. Indeed, in the US, the transformation required to be Fox-worthy has even been given its own unofficial verb; getting “Foxified” will require a very bouncy blonde blow-dry, a very bright bodycon dress and unimaginably smooth skin.
If Bombshell’s brilliantly pitched costumes portray the ultimate reductive cookie-cutter take on newsreader style, then thankfully there are some more cheering antidotes which show that there is now room for the women beaming the news into our homes to exhibit some degree of flair.
“There used to be a sort of rule that everyone should get the same bob – and a suggestion that perhaps your career would be better if you did,”
‘I love a silk shirt – but the spiky clip from the microphone can rip them quickly’
says Sally Nugent, who as a presenter on BBC Breakfast is a consummate expert on newsreader style. “But there has definitely been a shift; we’re now trying to dress like ourselves and wear things we actually like.” Which is an especially positive development given that BBC staff must source and pay for their clothes, quite an undertaking when you’re fronting 180 shows each year. Nugent loves Whistles dresses and Zara tops, and swears by Joseph trousers.
And before you scoff something about clothing’s irrelevance in a setting where grave world events are being addressed, Nugent says that viewers are fascinated by what she’s wearing, no matter what’s on the news. “Hilariously, you can be breaking big, emotional global stories and you’ll still be inundated with people asking where you got your blouse. Some days I’ll put something on and I’ll just know that I’m going to get questions,” she confides. “I’ve been told that lots of people actually switch on to see what we’re wearing. You know you’ve got it right when you either get lots of enquiries, or when no one comments at all.”
Nugent says that although Emmanuelle Alt, the editor of Vogue Paris famed for her nonchalant blazer and denim combinations, is her style icon, there are still certain constraints that TV places on her wardrobe choices which means she can’t go the full Alt. “I rewear loads and loads. I now have a decade’s worth of clothes, but lots of them do quickly get ruined by all the make-up, the cables and clips. I love a silk shirt – but the spiky clip from the microphone can rip them quickly.”
For Ellie Crisell, who has worked on Newsround, the BBC News Channel and now presents BBC South East, it’s also a fine balance of practicality and individuality. “It’s been trial and error. It used to be all about jackets and at the start of my career I just had a selection of pastel shades on rotation, but you grow in confidence and I don’t think newsreaders do that look as slavishly as they once used to.
“When I was presenting Newsround we had a stylist, but that was a different audience, you couldn’t wear grey suits. John Craven had lots of jazzy shirts and jumpers.”
She understands the pull of the quintessential newsreader bodycon dress, and will on occasion wear them herself. “When you watch the news, it’s a 2D picture: you have to think carefully about structure and shape. Anything fussy, or with lots of cloth or garish patterns, is just not going to translate, so bodycon works because it’s smart, ladylike and gives a clean silhouette – but I can’t say I always feel that comfortable in it.
And it’s essential to check how something translates on screen: “I always watch back. Last week I had this new shirt with a keyhole detail which I really didn’t think you could see was there, but I realised that when I’m on TV, I push my shoulders back and sit up really straight, so I had a huge gap.”
On ITV, the Good Morning Britain presenters benefit from the expertise of Debbie Harper, their head of styling and make-up, who says she is conscious of the influence her presenters’ looks have and, as such, makes sure she sources high street pieces that viewers can buy. But, equally, she’s becoming more aware of the conversation around sustainability, so is always looking for eco-conscious labels and positively encourages rewearing. “It’s important nothing jars on the screen,” she notes.
“Piers [Morgan] always grumbles on screen about having to match Susanna [Reid], but it’s something we’ve always done. Sometimes he goes rogue and wears his own ties and that will usually get noticed on Twitter.” She has a quartet of watchwords that she swears by: “Smart and professional, as well as approachable and welcoming.”
All these considerations make it a wonder that any newsreader manages to exert a sense of personal style, but a new muse for this approach comes in the form of Alex Levy, Jennifer Aniston’s character on
The Morning Show (for which she won a Screen Actors’ Guild award earlier this week).
“I’m obsessed and fascinated by her look,” says Nugent. “She’s dressing like Jennifer Aniston, and not really like a typical news anchor. Her V-neck knits and tailored trousers are gorgeous.” Nugent is right – Aniston deployed her off-screen personal stylists Nina and Clare Hallworth to put together her looks for the show and she wore lots of Dior, which she wears in real life. The look is luxe and exquisitely pared-back, with lots of black tailoring and greige cashmere. “She’s esteemed and probably the most intelligent person in the room. We wanted her clothes to look strong and precise. So she was impeccably dressed. She was believable as someone at the top of her field,” Clare Hallworth told Entertainment Weekly of the strategy for Aniston’s wardrobe, which also includes Chopard watches, Celine tailoring and Max Mara coats.
The inspiration was ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, who has crafted a signature look that is ultra-chic. Nugent’s own version of Sawyer is Anna Ford, the veteran BBC news presenter known for her classic elegance. “She was my idol growing up. She was so good, with her Armani jacket and bob,” she says.
For Nugent and Crisell, it’s ultimately about striking the right tone. “I don’t want to look too sexy; you have to think carefully about skirt length and things like that,” says Crisell. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to look attractive though – I try to be neat, polished but not distracting. You’re a vessel for the news, but it is sweet when men write in saying they want to buy something I’m wearing for their wife.”
Does Nugent wish she could slip into a suit like her male counterparts and be done with it? “I might if you asked me that at 4.20am on a Thursday morning,” she laughs. “But actually I really enjoy it. It’s such a privilege to be doing my dream job, and it’s fun to dress up.”