Celebrity stylist and Kennedy admirer George Brescia talks looking good at Cape fundraiser
Stylist George Brescia, who regularly dresses celebrities and offers television commentary on red carpet fashions, will give tips on looking good during a fundraiser April 24 at JFK Hyannis Museum.
“The most common mistake people make is to be unaware of what message they’re sending by the clothes they wear,” said Brescia, who grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut, and summered on the Cape, mostly in Orleans.
Sponsored by Chatham Clothing Bar, tickets to the 4 p.m. fundraiser are $75, with all proceeds going to the museum. Tickets are available through the museum’s website or at the door, said Wendy Northcross, the museum’s executive director.
“We chose to work with JFK Museum because the Kennedys are kind of fashion icons in their own right. The whole feel and vibe when they came to Cape Cod was a whole different thing (than in the White House),” said Lori Gilmore, marketing director for Chatham Clothing Bar.
'Make your closet a toolbox'
Sandy Wycoff, who has owned Chatham Clothing Bar on Main Street for 45 years, said she met Brescia when he stopped in to look around one day; they bonded over the store's collection and a shared sense of how clothes should make people feel good about themselves.
“Make your closet a toolbox,” Brescia said. “Even if it’s jeans and a t-shirt, pick the one that fits the best and is the best color."
Brescia, who now lives in Philadelphia with his husband, John Burke, is the author of the 2014 book, “Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life: Because You Can’t Go Naked.” In addition to runway commentary about the Oscars and the Met Gala, on shows including “Today,” “Extra” and the “Sherri” show hosted by actress Sherri Shepherd, the personal stylist sells “Logo by Lori Goldstein” clothing on QVC and does talks around the country.
His warm, chatty tone is familiar to those who follow style.
'A whole nautical kind of vibe'
Discreet to a fault, Brescia will not comment on any of the Broadway or LA actors he has advised, but is willing to talk about a Cape Cod sense of style.
“Living on the Cape, there is a whole nautical kind of vibe, a summer chic,” Brescia said. “When you dress monochromatic but with different textures, like all white with jeans and a linen shirt, and accessorize with gold jewelry, it’s very stylish.”
Brescia is a fan of what he calls high-low style, such as a tailored jacket over jeans and a t-shirt or a denim jacket over a sundress.
"I can style for any price point. You’re still getting the $5.99 T-shirt you found at Target, but get it in the color that flatters you … Buy the colors and silhouettes that really make you look great.”
As for his own style, the professional said he would love to pull off the jeans and an unshaven face look, but, "I get the best sort of reaction when I’m in a jacket and tie."
But not just any jacket.
"If someone says that's a nice jacket, I go home and throw it out," he said. "The compliment you want to hear is 'That jacket looks great on you.'"
Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@capecodonline.com. Follow her or X, formerly Twitter: @dailyrecipeCCT
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Red carpet commenter George Brescia talks style at JFK Hyannis Museum
