Fashion Tips and Tricks to Change Your Life, Part 1.
When it comes to fashion tips, it sometimes seems that everyone has tried-and-true style advice they absolutely swear by. Some are useful, while others not so much. With that in mind, we’ve culled our style tips from the best: designers, weddding vendors, lifestyle experts and our staff. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to living your most stylish life.
- Despite what it says on the tag, cashmere is best washed by hand. To dry it, use a salad spinner, which releases excess water in seconds.
- Use white wine to remove red wine stains.
- Wash new jeans twice before taking them to the tailor. Why? Because jeans will always shrink in length when washed.
- To stop angora or mohair from shedding, fold the garment and place it into a zip-top bag and freeze it for at least three hours.
- Remove odors from vintage or thrift clothing by spritzing them with a mixture of one part vodka, two parts water.
- “Remove white deodorant marks from a garment by gently rubbing the protective foam used on hangers against the fabric.” — Jonathan Simkhai, designer
- If you get an oil stain on your favorite handbag, coat the mark with baby powder and let it stand overnight. By morning, the stain should be gone. If a bit still remains, repeat the process until the stain is completely gone.
- The best at-home method to keep diamonds sparkling: liquid dishwasher detergent and an old toothbrush.
- The secret to well-fitting everyday clothes is Lycra. The formulas to look for: 95% cotton/5% Lycra spandex for T-shirts, and at least 2% Lycra for jeans to hold their shape.
- “Always organize your clothes going light to dark from left to right in your closet. Your eye will follow the color and thus help you stay organized.” — Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Founder, Clos-ette and Clos-ette Too.
- Wondering about the quality of your cashmere? Gently stretch the body of the garment to see if it snaps back. A lower-quality cashmere won’t.
- To drop bloat five days before a big event, stay away from dairy and whole grains, which can do a number on the digestive system.
- A useful style tip: While fake designer bags are a huge don’t, fake diamond studs are a huge do. Faux stones are hard to spot to the untrained eye.
- Dressy occasions aren’t the time to play with trends, so know your silhouette and stick to it to always look your best. Perfect example: Sofia Vergara knows she looks good in mermaid dresses, and always chooses variations of the shape on red carpets.
- The best way to de-fuzz a sweater: use a pumice stone.
- Snap clip-on earrings onto flats for an instant evening shoe, or onto shirt collars for DIY embellishments.
- If you get wax on a piece of clothing, layer wax paper over the hardened wax and then run an iron over it to loosen it up. Once you pull off the paper, the wax should come right out with it.
- Pour a dash of vodka into vase water to extend the life of your flowers.
- Spray tights with sticky (read: cheap) hairspray to avoid holes and runs.
- To clean dirt off suede, remove the crust from a piece of bread and allow it to become stale. Gently rub dirt and stains with the edge of the stale bread, and they’ll disappear. To de-scuff suede, use an eraser or nail file.
- Shopping for a wedding dress or another big-event outfit? Head to the store with makeup on, proper undergarments, and your hair semi-done to get a better sense of how it’ll look.
- Double-stick tape work to shorten a hem in a pinch if you can’t get to the tailor before an event.
- Blot, don’t rub, when you spill something on your clothes. Wiping or rubbing will actually further ingrain the stain into the weave.
- “Panty lines are not okay! Every woman should invest in nude, seamless underwear.” — Giuliana Rancic, HSN designer and E! host
- If you don’t feel like trying on a dress but still want to see where the hem will hit you, align the shoulder seam exactly with your shoulder bone (not your collarbone).
- Repurpose old or thrift sweaters and blankets by using them to reupholster a throw pillow, a chair seat or cover a stool.
