Serve Looks, Not Time: The Psychology of Celebrity Courtroom 'Fits
*Article from Lexington Lines Autumn/Winter 2023 Issue, pages 12-14
Check out the full issue here.
Clothing-based biases are formed quickly—within a tenth of a second, according to a 2019 Princeton study.
This is particularly important for celebrities when they’re being judged by more than just social media.
“Everything is PR,” says Reb Masel, a licensed attorney and viral TikTok personality.
If you’re a celebrity, media coverage comes with territory, especially when you have been summoned to court. Keeping up appearances is imperative, so it’s no wonder that a celebrity court case sometimes bears a striking resemblance to a red carpet.
As someone with an affinity for fashion, a passing interest in celebrity gossip, and a deep love of Legally Blonde, I had to do some digging into how much image matters in a courtroom. Courtroom looks will no doubt impact a celebrity’s public image. But how do they influence the members of the court?
Armed with my research and general nosy tendencies, I sat down with Masel to examine to intricacies of celebrity court fashion through five iconic appearances: Megan Thee Stallion (2022), Cardi B (2019), Cardi B (2023), Gwyneth Paltrow (2023), and Lindsay Lohan (2012). Wardrobe choices do indeed hold weight in the legal system, Masel says.
“The strategy around how you want to present yourself as a defendant is so layered,” Masel says. “I know for a fact that [Gwyneth Paltrow’s] legal team had so many brainstorming sessions of ‘what will people think’ or ‘what will the jury perceive.’”
Paltrow was on trial in early 2023 for a 2016 ski collision. Over her eight days appearing before a judge, she donned a slew of simple, understated outfits, not necessarily fit for a multi-millionaire. The most notable is her outfit from the sixth day of her trial, which included simple brown boots, black leather pants, and her own brand’s blouse (G. Label by Goop).
“If she had shown up in a full Versace suit, it would look like this rich woman just wants to get away with this or she has the money to pay the settlement,” Masel says.
Although it is impossible to know how much Paltrow’s clothing really affected the final ruling, she was found entirely not guilty.
As you might expect, many courts across the country have written dress codes, but they typically apply more to professional personnel than to clients or visitors. For a normal person in a court setting, Masel outlines the general expectations as “no shoes, no shirt, no service,” but there are a number of nuances attached to dressing your best.
Color is one of the first major considerations of dressing for a court appearance. It is no secret that colors send messages in our culture, sometimes subconsciously.
Our five iconic celebrity looks most commonly include the colors blue, black, red, white, and purple. According to the SAE Institute, the color blue is associated with intelligence, spirituality, loyalty, and strength, all of which are likely good qualities to display in a courtroom. Red is the complement of blue, evoking feelings of excitement, energy, and love, but also danger and aggression.
As a softer tone of red, the color pink evokes the idea of love but is more specifically associated with nurturing and compassion. Black and white, while often considered neutrals, are quite strong colors representing depth and simplicity, respectively.
Many of these celebrity looks are monochromatic. Lindsay Lohan appeared for court in 2012 wearing a bright blue suit. In accordance with classic color associations, a blue suit is not necessarily a bad choice for a court appearance, but Masel notes it is important to be aware of the vibrancy of your chosen shade.
“Colors that make you blend are better in court than not,” she says. Blending in is important because, as crucial as your appearance is, you do not want it to be the loudest thing in the room; the subliminal message is that you are more deserving of attention than any justice being sought.
Megan Thee Stallion’s 2022 court outfit is essentially the same—a monochromatic pantsuit—but with a more intentional color choice. Testifying against rapper Tory Lanez in a felony assault case, Megan chose purple sending a strong message because of the color’s association with domestic violence awareness.
Although a full purple suit does not exactly “blend,” Megan was not appearing as a defendant like the other three celebrities, so the stakes were different.
With this in mind, it is important to note that the majority of these extravagant court outfits are photographed outside the courtroom, meaning it is possible that the full outfits don’t make it before the eyes of the judge. This is best represented by Cardi B’s all-white look from 2023, which included a lavish fur coat; in the courtroom, she appeared sans coat. This speaks to a level of performative dressing that celebrity media coverage has come to promote.
The color white is associated with cleanliness and purity—innocence—but if Masel is correct, then Cardi was taking a risk wearing all white in a sea of lawyers sporting shades of black, gay, and navy. Regardless, Cardi, who was facing attempted assault charges, left the courthouse with a lenient ruling: an extension on her community service deadline.
“As a celebrity, you know already that the media is going to roll up,” Masel says. “She was going to be on camera whether she wanted to wear a super boring outfit or not.”
Was the white dress intended to send any kind of message in court, or was it a nice PR opportunity? Maybe a little bit of both.
Cardi also made some notable fashion choices in that original 2019 court appearance. She was pictured outside the Queens Criminal Court in a black feather cape and a massive hat to match—the color representing depth, elegance, and mystery.
While the look seemed a little crazy for a courtroom, the base of the outfit was a combination of a white button up and black trousers. Cardi likely wore this safe, simple outfit in the actual courtroom, leaving the feathers and theatrics for the media.
For as much scrutiny as celebrity fashion gets in a courtroom, a professional’s fashion is policed more carefully. Following the rules and etiquette involved in court appearances is crucial to a lawyer’s job.
“Unfortunately our outfits will speak for us before we can speak for our client,” Masel says.
That being said, lawyers and attorneys are not deprived of all fashion-based expression. They are not typically representing a client every time they show up in a courthouse, and in these cases, the court dress code no longer applies.
There are even ways to have a little fun with your wardrobe under the stricter dress code. Masel remembers matching her outfits with a co-counsel.
“We decided, even if we lose, we were kind of a moment,” she says. “We won so it worked out!”