Fashion Emergency? Five Stylist Tricks of the Trade
August 8th, 2008
Got a fashion emergency? Never fear. Be like a boy scout and Be Prepared with these five tricks of the trade:
Lint Roller
Lint Rollers (6pc) | $19.99 at Target
Have a furry pet? A linty sweater? Don’t be afraid. Hug your pet, and wear your linty sweater. Just brush yourself off with a lint roller afterwards. There are both sticky sheet varieties and non-adhesive ones, but I find that the adhesives work more effectively.
Stain Remover Stick
Tide To Go Stain Remover Pen | $6.99 for 3 at Drugstore.com
I don’t know about you, but I’m a spiller. Sauces, drinks, errant food items. To keep my clothes clean, I have to be vigilant about stain removal. For tough stains, I use a stain stick (which fits conveniently in a small handbag).
Fabric Steamer
Conair Compact Fabric Steamer | $29.99 at Target
Especially useful if you want to revive a sweater that’s been sitting in your oversized handbag–or a blouse that’s gotten crumpled. A steamer is easier on your clothes than an iron is, and it’s even simpler to use. If you’re sans-steamer (e.g. on vacation), try hanging your clothes in the bathroom and run the shower on the highest heat. It’s not as effective as a real steamer, but it works in a pinch.
Safety Pins
Singer Safety Pins | $2.19 at Walgreens
Have a small rip? A button that falls off? You don’t need a mini sewing kit (though props to you if you have one). Simply use a safety pin or two to pin your clothes back together. I keep safety ins in different colors (black, matte silver, and white) so I can choose the pin that best blends with my clothes.
Double Stick Tape
Scotch Double Stick Tape | $1.64 at Amazon
Did your hem fall down? You don’t have to bother with pinning it. Double stick tape will do in a bind. Just remember to splurge on extra sticky tape–and to get your hem sewn back up afterwards.
What’s your best fashion emergency tip? Share it with us in the comments!
9 Comments
1. Mimi | August 8th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I like those itty bitty sewing kits you used to get at better hotels. They always had a variety of colored thread, a sewing needle, a couple of basic buttons, and a pin or two.
Double-sided tape is also great if you notice your blouse is gaping between buttons.
2. Trisha | August 8th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Me too…I always try to get an extra one when I find a good kit
3. lucidnewyork | August 9th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
love the Tide to go pens, they work and are so helpful when you travel! And I do agree, the adhesive lint removers work wonders!
4. Trisha | August 10th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Glad you find the Tide to go pens and the lint removers helpful too. I try to keep everything here (but the steamer) in my car, just in case I have a fashion emergency!
5. A Stylist | August 11th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Great tips! FYI the double stick tape that we use isn’t the kind pictured (for paper). It’s called “Topstick” and was originally used for toupees. It’s also double sided but made to adhere to skin, and can be found at most beauty supply stores.
6. Sofia | August 12th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Safety Pins are a Godsend! Although I didn’t think about getting them in different colors – that’s very smart. That’s probably what they use on Project Runway (they say how sometimes you just can’t see that a last-minute pin was put in place). I love this list!
7. Kiwi | August 12th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
These are rally good tips. I truly adore the safety pin being on the list because I had a wardrobe malfunction and my friends and I had to buy pins at Target. Thats one night I hope never happens
8. Mickie T | July 14th, 2009 at 7:35 am
You forgot TOUPEE TAPE!! Much better than cheapo double-stick tape. Easy on the skin, especially the decoletage area. It saved our wedding!
9. Leila Shepherd | October 31st, 2010 at 6:44 pm
I love safety pins but did not know you could get them in matching colors. I like to use the safety pins for marking hemlines. I have to take up a lot of hems because of my petite status.