As a costume designer in Hollywood, Alison Freer has made a career out of making very attractive people look even better. And she’s no stranger to solving high-stakes fashion emergencies. (Broken zippers! Arm pit stains!)
In her new book, How to Get Dressed, she offers up industry secrets for making your clothes look and fit better… and for solving wardrobe malfunctions before they turn disastrous.
From taming pokey underwire to eliminating panty lines, here are eight of her most clever tricks.
Notice the pockets on your dress pants popping open when you sit or stand? Bring those puppies to a tailor and have the pockets sewn shut. (Who uses pants pockets anyway?)
We need to talk: Your cute little ballet flats smell like a middle-school locker room. To keep embarrassing odors at bay, fill a pair of old socks with baking soda, tie each one in a knot and stuff them into the stinky shoes in between wearings.
To keep a flapping belt end in place, secure it to itself with a tiny piece of Topstick tape.
Hemming your denim is a beautiful thing, but to avoid over-hemming, be sure to wash and dry your jeans at least once before bringing them to the tailor. This gets all the shrinkage out of their system so you won’t end up going too short.
Underwire sticking out of your favorite bra? Patch the protrusion with a bit of $5 drugstore moleskin. It’ll hold the wire in place and keep it from poking you in the boobs.
As a general rule, it’s best to buy shoes that fit. But if you must cram your feet into slightly too-small heels, take a cue from one of Freer’s celeb clients (she won’t say who) and spray your tootsies with cooking spray first. You heard us: cooking spray.
If you ever need to fix a VPL (visible panty line) stat, snip the seams of your underwear on the sides to release the pressure of the elastic digging into your flesh.
The best stain fighter for blood? Your own saliva. Just lick and rub the fabric for an instant spot-remover. (Note: We’re talking about a little bit of blood. Not horror-movie quantities.)
