Now that videoconferencing is our main source of communiqué, ED editor in chief Whitney Robinson went face-to-face with designer Jonathan Adler on the ELLE Decor World Tour to discuss Adler’s tips and tricks for making the most of your virtual meetings. (Be sure to tune in to ED’s Instagram Live every weekday to learn more about how designers are keeping busy at home.) Adler—seated above with his partner, Simon Doonan, as seen in our April 2019 issue—has come up with a genius acronym for videoconferencing: “In difficult times like this, it’s important to remember to LAFFF.” Read on for Adler’s guide to LAFFF.
L is for Lighting. “Dimmers have never been more important than they are right now,” Adler says. “Make sure you’re bathed in soft lighting, coming from the front. Banish the backlight.”
A is for Angles. “Choose your best side and keep the camera at a slightly jaunty angle so that you’re not captured straight on. And make sure that the camera is a little bit higher than you want it to be so you’re not looking down, thus creating multiple chins and sagging flesh.”
F is for Fashion. “DO NOT SUCCUMB to the impulse to wear your pajamas all day and let your beard grow. Dress as if you’re going to a power meeting, and you’ll be more focused and effective.”
F is for Festoon. “This might be the only time your colleagues get to see chez vous, so make sure everything looks KAPOW! A banana bud vase, a provocative needlepoint pillow, a Muse vase with fresh flowers—these accessories will lead to a promotion once this nightmare is over. You’re no longer Hilda from the typing pool. Courtesy of your carefully composed frame, now you’re Hilda the impossibly chic connoisseur and creative director–in-waiting.”
F is for Fight Against Resting Bitch Face! “Don’t forget that everyone can see you—you don’t want to look like a mouth breather. When I’m videoconferencing, Simon keeps passing me notes reminding me to look ‘interested and amused.’ I perk up my posture and put a positive pout on my puss. The result? Glamour.”
“A wry smile, bright eyes, beautiful lighting, sharp fashion—you owe it to your colleagues to be life-enhancing and jealousy-inducing,” Adler says. “Even if you feel dire, you have to fake it till you make it!”
