Eric Paulsen is a fan of “The Wizard of Oz,” the 1939 musical fantasy film, and colorful socks. None of this should come as a surprise if you watch the long-time morning co-anchor of WWL-TV’s Morning News (with Sally-Ann Roberts).
Always a bit edgy and playful, Paulsen sits on the edge of one of the games in the playroom-cum-den of his Uptown home and points to the large nearby cutout of the original cast of “The Wizard of Oz” as his crosses his legs to showoff his boldly striped socks.
“So I like colorful socks,” he says, “Never let it be said that I’m not up-to-the-minute in the fashion world.”
Even Sally-Ann and the on-air crew at WWL notice Eric’s socks with comments from time-to-time.
“Check out Eric’s polka-dot socks this morning,” Sally-Ann said one day last week, as she challenged Eric to show off his sassy socks.
Actually Paulsen is quite the fashion guru. His suits must be just so, he special orders his tab shirts, and he is picky about each tie he purchases.
And then there are his socks.
“Why not be playful with your socks?” he says as he goes on to explain that he carefully selects what he is going to wear each morning before his usual early bedtime.
“It always brings a smile on my face to add the finishing touch to my outfit for the next day with a pair of colorful socks,” he says. Make no mistake; he doesn’t want to be making big decisions about what to wear when the 4:30 a.m. alarm goes off five days a week.
Paulsen is quick to point out that he is in good company with his friends such as jazz trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and Dr. Tim Ryan, former chancellor of the University of New Orleans, who also subscribe to the philosophy that colorful socks make the well-dressed man.
“Even George H. W. Bush, our 41st U.S. President, wears colorful socks,” he says. “It’s sort of a secret style statement; you may be surprised who is boldly wearing colorful socks unless you peak under the leg of their pants,” he adds with a smile. “Could it be that wearing colorful socks give you an extra degree of empowerment?”
Ever the joker, as I turned to leave, Paulsen called out these parting words: “Be sure to say that I practice safe socks.”
