By Emily Duncan, Staff Writer
Photo: Marianne Pickens/ The Campus
Everyday life is a show for Jonathan Knott, or at least it’s a dress rehearsal. The music theater sophomore puts careful thought into his wardrobe before stepping out of his room each morning.
“What I wear determines the mood I’m going to be in for the day,” he said. “I like looking and feeling good about what I’m wearing.”
From an early age, Knott developed two passions in life — music theater and fashion. Flipping through the pages of his uncle’s old Neiman Marcus magazines, Knott realized how quickly inspired and mesmerized he was by fashion. The early exposure to magazines, Knott said, resulted in his collection of more than 300 magazines.
“I love looking at the pictures and advertisements,” he said. “A picture is a still of a moment, of an outfit. It’s funny how the general public views what’s in a magazine as something we’re supposed to wear. We just assume that we are supposed to wear this and there’s no rebuttal.”
Knott’s fashion sixth sense comes second nature to him, he said. The simple task of picking out clothes in the morning, however still comes with frustrations.
“I feel there’s a constant struggle with my style,” Knott said. “It’s a struggle between trying too hard and then making it look like it didn’t take effort, but it’s fun for me. I enjoy putting outfits together and experimenting with how they go together.”
Knott’s day begins once he wakes up. He changes outfits three or four times until he is satisfied and leaves his room a transformed man. The messy room Knott leaves behind becomes overshadowed by the persona of how he hopes people perceive him.
“I honestly care what I look like, so I wear nice clothes to feel put together,” Knott said. “This is a perception to people but also to myself. In the [entertainment] business, we have to look organized and put together… like we’re capable of doing anything.”
This clever tactic of always looking put together is working in Knott’s favor.
Professors in the music department comprehend the fashion language Knott speaks through his clothes.
“What people wear and how we present ourselves is a language, and Knott speaks this clothing language fluently,” said Dr. David Herendeen, interim director of opera/ music theater. “When Knott comes to auditions I can see that he has packaged himself in a language that is thoughtful, appropriate and respectful to that environment.”
What some might consider an obsession, Knott considers a way of life.
“Every day I wake up is a reason to dress up.”
This article initially appeared in the Jan. 12 issue of The Campus newspaper.
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