5. Know the dress code. “Start off in a suit,” Shaw tells his employees. Of course, security staff don’t typically scream high fashion—unless you’re talking about Karl Lagerfeld’s men, who are regularly clad in Dior. While most club owners prefer a more inconspicuous look for security, they agree that sloppiness is a major offense. “We’ve turned down Shaq for wearing sneakers,” says a Las Vegas PR director. “Then Diddy shows up the other night with a guard who’s wearing shorts and sneakers. Diddy was hosting an event, and he wouldn’t enter without his guy. So we had to let him in, but it’s obnoxious.”
6. The coolest VIPs often travel alone, or at least make it appear that way. “Mick Jagger has maybe one guy, and he stands 15 feet away,” says Jah. Adds the Vegas PR director, “Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore—they’ll come with no one.” By contrast, in her latest malfunction, Janet Jackson drew glares when her guards accompanied her inside the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute gala in May. “Even the Beckhams leave their guys outside that event!” says Sacco. Jah, for one, thinks quotidian use of security has gone too far. “Security is necessary at large commercial events geared at the public, but not at a bar, restaurant, hotel or private party,” he says. Bottom line: Unless you’ve recently received a threatening collage, consider leaving your goons at home.
