Without exception, I show up at a meeting more overdressed than underdressed. I want the client to have confidence that they have invested in the right company, and that confidence comes from me impressing them with my appearance. It’s not about competing with them; it is not a matter of whether I have a larger or better watch, or whatever it might be; it is simply about ensuring that they ultimately know they are in the right hands…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
Colin Cowie is a renowned event planner, designer, and author, widely recognised for his innovative approach to creating luxurious and memorable events. Born in South Africa, Colin has built a distinguished career in the US, where he has been instrumental in transforming the event planning industry. He is celebrated for his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to seamlessly integrate various elements of design, catering, and entertainment. Here we discuss the impact of dressing well, travel and style tips, and why brand logos are a ‘no-no’ in Colin’s wardrobe…
C&B: “Colin, firstly, congratulations on being named on the CITY & BEACH INTERNATIONAL BEST DRESSED LIST 2025. Because you have such a summery personality, we thought it would be perfect to showcase you now as we enter the warmer months in Europe! Tell us, how did you first get involved in events, and how has your personal style evolved over the years?”
CC: “Thank you! I come from a family in Central Africa, Zambia, where we entertained all the time, and I can’t think of a time we didn’t have visiting house guests or people over for cocktails, lunch, or dinner. Once I came to the United States, I realised I wanted to be in the entertainment industry, not necessarily in front of the camera but behind the camera. That’s why I started my events company; I began with a small catering company and grew it to become one of the most celebrated and recognised names and brands in the industry. Along the way, my personal celebrity aspect grew as well, and so I ended up spending much more time in front of the camera than behind it. In my formative my days, I was a complete fashion victim and fashionista! It was all Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, and my other favourite designer, Jean Paul Gaultier. I always found edgy ways to communicate myself through fashion…”
If you go through my entire wardrobe, I do not own one piece of branded clothing, not one T- shirt with a brand name on it. So, I don’t wear anything with a designer name written all over it; I tend not to wear anything with a recognisable label. I don’t own a single piece of luggage that’s covered in a brand name; I don’t have a pair of shoes that has a visible logo on them. I prefer to have my own unique sense of style, working with tailors and classic pieces that fit me and allow me to be the best version of myself…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “How important would you say dressing well and personal presentation has been to your success in the event design industry?”
CC: “I have always believed in presenting the best version of myself. It starts with how I take care of myself, how well-groomed I am, and of course, the wardrobe of clothing that I use to help tell my story. I’ve always believed in being overdressed versus underdressed and I tend to be a bit more formal than informal…”
C&B: “We definitely agree, and you always look impeccable! Can you share some of your go-to outfits for different types of events?”
CC: “Typically, I end up with a pair of slim-fit slacks, a jacket, and a tailored shirt on a Friday night. Saturday is either a beautifully tailored suit or classic black tie. I have a massive collection of fabulous tailored suits, ranging from London tailors to New York tailors, and I’ve been able to build a great wardrobe to serve any type of day or event that I might need to attend…”
At the end of the day, we are not just event producers. We come up with fabulous concepts and style, and we truly create the vision that the client wants to convey to the world. Therefore, we must always present ourselves incredibly well…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “What advice would you give to someone looking to make a strong impression through their personal style?”
CC: “Well, I’ve always said you’ve got three seconds to make a first impression. So, I’ll say this again, that I prefer to be more formal or more overdressed than underdressed. It’s very easy to arrive at a cocktail reception and remove a tie or a piece of jewelry versus arriving at a cocktail reception, looking for a tie, and looking to be a bit more dressed up. I tend to like more classic slim fit lines. You know, beautifully fitted jackets, trousers and shirts. A good suit can allow you to wear a T-shirt with it, a turtleneck in the fall or the winter, or a fabulous cotton shirt in the summer. That allows us to take a good basic, and dress it up or down…”
My favourite flower? Being in the business where flowers are a big part of our vocabulary, I have several! In the summertime, without a doubt, my favourite flower is the peony, with a single stem, single blossom, or double blossom – whether it’s dark black, burgundy, or a beautiful bright coral. Also, I think the most beautiful flower in the world is, without a doubt, the lily of the valley. First of all, it’s so exquisitely beautiful, and it’s rare, with a very unique fragrance. I then tend to like all the very floral white flowers, such as Iranian tuberose, gardenias, hyacinths – all those very heady white flowers. In the summertime and in the springtime, you can’t go wrong with any of these…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “Essentially, you’re an ambassador for your own brand, and therefore a personal reflection of the events your company produces, and your standards in general…”
CC: “You know, we all want to present the best version of ourselves. And I’d like to know that when I walk into a room, I have done the very best to present the best version of me. So, it’s not only just the outfit that we wear, right, the clothing that we wear and how well fitted it is, but also, is your hair cut the right way? Is your skin clear? Are your nails taken care of? Are your shoes clean? Then, it’s the jewelry and accessories. I love a good watch, cuff links. In the summer, stacking bracelets, and beads. It’s about the entire package. You can look someone up and down, and say, wow, they’ve got it together…”
C&B: “Exactly – it takes time and dedication but it’s definitely worth it! Are there any particular brands or designers you turn to when you want to dress for success?”
CC: “I used to wear a lot of designer in terms of my wardrobe. I still have many, many great pieces, but now as I’ve gotten a little older, I’ve got a bit more classic in terms of my approach. I tend to wear custom made, fitted suits. I like tailored shirts. I know what works for me. I’m very fortunate that at the age of 63, I wear the exact same size suit, trousers and shirt that I wore when I was 22. My body has not changed one bit. One of my favourite designers currently is Yves Saint Laurent – that is a perfect fit for me. Most of my suits are tailor made, either by a London tailor, or, my favourite new find is Suit Supply. They’re in every major city. Within two weeks of your appointment, where you pick one of a thousand fabrics from a hundred different styles and designs, you get a fabulous custom-made suit. It takes one or two fittings, and you leave the final appointment feeling like you just walked out of Savile Row. I think that they do a really good job at a really good price!”
C&B: “Wow – that’s a good tip for the gentlemen out there! How do you balance comfort and style, especially during long events or busy days?”
CC: “For me, it’s always classic. And I always say to my entire team, you never know when the client might arrive or when there may be a camera rolling. I like to make sure that all of us are appropriately dressed. Working on a job site, really comfortable shoes are very important to me because at the end of the evening, you’re probably going to wear a pair of evening shoes. I tend to be somewhat monochromatic in my approach. Usually, my wardrobe is very much navy blue, black, white, and gray. When I’m in New York, I wear black the entire winter. And in summertime, or if I’m in Florida, the south of France, or the Greek islands, it’s technicolor. And that’s why I can’t get enough of Roberto Cavalli or great, non-brand finds from small boutiques…”
C&B: “Yes, the Roberto Cavalli brand is the king in the technicolour department! When you think back, are there any particularly memorable occasions when what you wore made a significant impact at an event?”
CC: “I think there have been many moments when I know I walked into the room looking the best version of myself. One evening I do remember was when I walked with Oprah Winfrey at her Legends Ball (below, left), and we walked into the space together. She was wearing a long red gown and I was in white tie and tails…”
I think whenever you really plan something, for example, you plan to have a custom tuxedo made, it’s not only the tuxedo, but it’s like, which cufflinks to wear? Are you travelling? Are you going to buy a new piece of jewellery? Are you going to wear a straight tie or a bow tie? Was your hair cut that morning? Do you have the right amount of glow from your suntan? All these details have to be considered…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “Is there any particular style in men’s fashion that you think is particularly suited for event professionals?”
CC: “Anything classic – you know, at this stage of my life I have worn all the avant garde clothing; I’ve done all the crazy things in fashion. So now I tend to be very much into good classics, very good basics. I like fabulous fabrics, I like a good fit. And if I really like something, a great pair of trousers or jeans, then I’ll buy two, three pairs of them, maybe in black, white and navy blue. Then, I always have a good staple to work with. I tend to do a lot of carry on for my travels. I’ve learned, rather than packing huge suitcases, how to pack really efficiently. After having traveled 16.5 million miles around the world in search of the very finest and the best for my clients, I navigate a lot better with carry-on luggage versus checked luggage. This allows me to pack very cleverly. I’ll put in a suit, a turtleneck, a T shirt, three shirts that I can wear the same jacket with, a pair of navy jeans, a pair of white jeans, a sneaker to travel in a fashionable sneaker, obviously. And then I’ll maybe put in one pair of shoes and I can pack a wardrobe in carry on. That’ll last me eight days. And I can surprise you at every turn – because it’s all about the accessories. I bring four pairs of dark glasses, different belts, different rings, different pens…”
I’ve always said that if there’s a possibility for an upgrade, and at the front desk there’s one guy who is fabulously dressed, and another who looks like they’ve just ran the New York marathon… well, I think the better dressed person gets the upgrade!”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “Talking of styling, what role do accessories play in your overall look, and do you have any favourite pieces?”
CC: “I love accessories and scarves. There’s a particular brand of scarf that I love because I sit on the board of the foundation who creates them, Lalela.org. Lalela scarves are some of the most exquisite. And the story is quite extraordinary because in South Africa, we create art programs for underserved children at the Lalela Foundation. Then we take the artwork and print the fabulous patterns onto cashmere, modal, silk, and cotton scarves. I truly never leave home without three or four scarves. It’s the easiest way to accessorize a navy or black suit. You can make them colourful, you can make them subdued, and they also happen to make for the most fabulous gift. Because when you’re traveling, I always like to arrive somewhere with a gift. These scarves pack wonderfully, completely flat. They come in the perfect packaging material, which make for great gifts. All you need is your personal stationery to accompany it. I think scarves for me are probably one of the most important. I love belts. I’m a big belt lover and I always travel with four or five pairs of dark glasses. You know, if you take that carry on suit, you put on a different scarf with it, you put a different pair of glasses with a different belt, you essentially have a brand-new outfit…”
It’s fun to find unique things – I like walking through the back streets of Saint Tropez, Capri and Mykonos and finding those little stores – there’s still a few of them that exist today – where the owner curates, travels around the world for eight months a year, then puts their summer collection together…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “When you’re travelling, which designer stores are you drawn to most?”
CC: “Usually, Yves Saint Laurent. If it’s the summertime, it might be seeking out one colourful shirt from Dolce and Gabbana, as long as it doesn’t have the DG logo all over it. Also, Roberto Cavalli – I love some of their summer clothing; it’s nice and it’s fun and it’s colourful. My problem with the big brands today, that we see all over, is that they’re all owned by LVMH and these other massive companies, and it’s all the same stuff, right? So, you’re paying an absolute fortune, and they’ve got four stores in every city. And I don’t think there’s anything unique about that. I was at a cocktail party recently, and I saw a woman, and every single piece of her clothing was a recognisable brand name. And I thought to myself, you poor desperate soul, right? You’ve had to do everything with the brand to state who you are. Like, where does your personality shine through? You had to share it with every single other brand…”
Every single time I travel, I have a scarf with me. Sometimes subdued, sometimes colourful, depending on where I’m going, and a big pair of wraparound shades so I can navigate my way fabulously through the airport…”
Colin Cowie, Colin Cowie Lifestyle
C&B: “Covering oneself with brand logos does tend to scream of desperation! One last question, Colin, as you travel so frequently, can you share any tips for maintaining a stylish yet comfortable look for getting from A-B?”
CC: “I always like to make sure that if I landed on the other side and had to go straight to a meeting and I had possibly lost my luggage along the way, that I could walk directly into that meeting. I remember one day interviewing a couple of ad agencies who were vying for some business that I had, and I had three agencies come to meet me. One guy walked into my office in flip flops, in workout pants and a shirt hanging out. He explained, “I’m so sorry, I don’t even know how to explain this, but I lost my luggage”. He lost his luggage, and he lost the account the moment he walked in the door. Because anyone who can travel like that, what sense of style do you have when you show the rest of world that way? I always like to travel with the slip-on shoe because I do have to take my shoe off somewhere because of security. I don’t want to have to deal with laces and buckles and things. I like to wear a trouser with a techno fabric or a jean that’s got a bit of stretch in it. It’s either a white jean, a navy jean, or a black jean. I usually wear a black sweater or a black T-shirt with a sweater that I can put on top of it. I believe it’s about being comfortable and chic and knowing that you still are presenting a good version of yourself…”
CONTACT: http://www.colincowie.com
