John Travolta is manifesting a new career path with his dramatic new look, prompting the question: should we all do the same? The 72-year-old actor, showcasing his directorial debut Propeller One-Way Night Coach at the Cannes Film Festival, has adopted a beret-heavy style to channel his inner auteur. Ellie Muir explores the psychology of dressing for the person you want to become.
Travolta's Auteur Era
John Travolta is in his auteur era, and he wants everyone to know it. Transitioning to the director's chair, he dressed as an old-school impresario, sporting jaunty berets in black, navy blue, brown, and cream, paired with thin wire-framed spectacles and a dramatic dyed brunette beard. The images quickly became memes, but Travolta explained in a CNN interview that the look was inspired by legendary directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Ingmar Bergman, and Roberto Rossellini. "I said, 'I'm a director this time,'" Travolta said. "I looked up pictures from the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, and the old-school directors wore berets and glasses. I thought, 'That's what I'm doing. I'm doing an homage to being a director, so I'm going to play the part.'"
The Psychology of Enclothed Cognition
Dressing for the job you want is an adage backed by psychology. The concept of "enclothed cognition" suggests that clothing influences confidence, behavior, and self-esteem. Research shows that dress can affect likability, career progression, and success. Samantha Harman, a style strategist and author of Just Get Dressed, advises that if you're eyeing a promotion or career pivot, start with your wardrobe. "The decision to promote you is made in the everyday—how you present yourself and show up," she says. Harman used her wardrobe to get promoted four times in five years as a magazine style editor.
Practical Steps for Career Dressing
If you're in middle management but manifesting an executive corner office, consider dressing the part even on casual Fridays. A 2012 study in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology tested enclothed cognition by having participants wear a white lab coat. Those told it was a doctor's coat showed increased attentiveness, suggesting that symbolic clothing changes behavior. For Travolta, cosplaying as a 1980s film director may have helped him get into character.
Details Matter: Outdated Clothes, Outdated Skills?
Studies show that subtle indicators of wealth in clothing influence perceived competence. A 2019 Princeton study found that faces in "richer" clothes were judged as significantly more competent, highlighting classist biases. Additionally, research by Debenhams found that managers favor employees who mirror their style, with over two-thirds admitting heightened awareness of similar-dressed staff. Harman notes that style is an unspoken language that often says more than words.
Self-Esteem and Identity
The "look good, feel good" mantra holds up. Travolta's confident appearance at Cannes suggests he was feeling good. "Every time I've updated my style, that's come with an identity shift and good things," says Harman. For a wardrobe overhaul, she recommends considering what each item represents: "Our wardrobes are the physical manifestation of our beliefs, identity, politics, gender, class, and societal expectations."
For most, a wardrobe overhaul involves subtle shifts, not a rotation of berets. But Travolta's approach worked: he received a prestigious Cannes Palme d'Or for his film, collecting it in a cream beret. The lesson? The difference between aspiration and achievement might just be a well-judged accessory.
