Wyatt Oleff

He gives the credit to his mom for encouraging him to express himself the way he wanted to. He’s sure to tell us about his fashion choices as a kid. “I wore all white to school and slicked my hair back because that’s what I wanted to do.” And his mom always let him express himself the way he wanted. As Oleff’s fashion sense has evolved, he’s discovered a new passion within it: mixing high end pieces with vintage clothes. “I think a lot of people put too much on just doing vintage or just doing high end,” he explains before gesturing down to his current outfit. “I don’t really know what brands I’m wearing right now.That’s how much I care about, oh “what brand is this.” I just like things that are cool and work together.” It makes no difference to him if a piece is high end, from the thrift shop racks, or found on the side of the street. If it works, it works. And wearing a variety of thrifted clothes also supports Oleff’s beliefs in sustainable fashion. He also tries to mix and match whatever is his closet to create new looks without buying more.

A lot has shifted in Oleff’s fashion experience since moving to New York City. There Are two great things about the city that makes it the perfect place to experiment:everyone else is experimenting and at the same time no one cares what you’re wearing. “I think that’s really integral for me the past two years living here,” he said. He needs that medium to express himself, and here “[I am] able to show how I feel and who I am through my clothes.” Making the move wasn’t the easiest transition, though.Coming from LA, where the winter barely exists, to living in a ground floor apartment in New York wasn’t easy. “I was having a really tough time and the one thing I didn’t do was talk to other people,” he revealed.“I think that we should be more open to that.”

Acting and fashion go hand in hand, given that a key aspect of any character is their wardrobe. Working with costumers has been a highlight of Oleff’s acting experiences, as he enjoys the back and forth of figuring out the costume design. “They’ll Have ideas for the characters and some-times they’ll be like ‘What do you think this character would wear?’” He said, explaining the process he enjoys so much. “Being able to decide that together is such a fun experience and a very underrated aspect of pre-production.” Oleff told us about an experience he had for a show he did last year. This character’s costume changed throughout the show, shifting to mirror the styles of other characters, and maybe even sharing clothes. While it may not have been obvious to the audience, it was important to him and the character’s arc.“It’s those subtle things that really make a project special for me.”

When it comes to the present, Oleff takes the time to unwind by doing what he loves;going to jazz clubs and simply listening to people play. For the past, and his favorite era of fashion, he quipped “ Of course I’d Love to go back and dress like a cowboy.”