As a general rule, presenters will steer clear of black, grey and navy on television as it can look a bit drab on screen. “Bright whites can also cause lighting issues,” says Jacqui Akrofi, who styled former sprinter Jeanette Kwakye for her stint in the BBC Paris studio. “I avoided dressing Jeanette in green and similar shades to prevent blending into [a green screen] background, [while] small, busy prints were avoided because of their potential to cause visual distortions on camera.”
Beware the OTT outfit though, as the fashion should never distract from the job at hand. “We definitely bear in mind that the clothes aren’t doing the talking,” says Handley-Green. “[Logan] looks put together for the job she’s doing, but it’s not too distracting.”
The styling process is always more efficient when the stylist and client have a history of working together. That’s the case for Logan and also for Adlington. “We just get each other, and we’re very honest with each other, so it’s a dynamic that works well,” says Alexander of working with the swimmer.
And when the styling is right, the audience really does respond. When Adlington wore a dress by the small label Raishma to present the men’s 4×200 swimming relay last week, the brand was completely unprepared for the impact on business. “We started getting a surge of orders, and wondered if there had been a glitch on the website,” designer Raishma Islam admits. “She has worn our dresses in the past but we’ve never had this kind of reaction.”
A pair of Wyse sandals and a 70s-inspired dress from Boden, also worn by Adlington last week, have all but sold out too.