Fashion First Aid

How do those perfectly-put-together women do it? Every hair in place, clothing that fit’s like a glove, and picture perfect from head to toe. What does she know that you don’t know? She knows the stylists’ secrets. Image Coach Sarah Shah gives you the secret remedies to recover from any fashion emergency.

This TV segment begins airing on Mirror/Mirror on the LivewellHD network on September 14, 2009 in 10 cities (NY, LA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Fresno, Raleigh/Durham, Flint, and Toledo. To watch the story, click on the video below or this link http://livewellhd.com/video?id=7012180.



Gaping Waist-Bands - It’s rare to find a pair of pants that fits our hips and waist at the same time. Buy pants to fit your hips and use the isABelt transparent invisible belt ($16.95 – $19.95, http://www.isabelt.com/) to make the waist of your pants fit perfectly. The belt is adjustable and invisible so you get the fit you need at your waist without adding bulk to your tummy. This belt is also great to keep your pants looking great when you're loosing weight.

Heel- Wedgies – Do your pants get stuck under your heels when you wear sling-back shoes or mules? Attach Kix by Katie pant’s stays ($12.95, http://www.kixbykatie.com/) to the inside back seam of your pant’s leg. It works just like a "collar stay" to keep the pants straight and away from your heel.

Popping Buttons - Have you ever popped a button off your jeans? That’s a problem if you’re wearing tight jeans! Those specialized buttons are hard to find and replace. The Instant Button ($15, http://www.instantbuttonforjeans.com/) is a replacement button you can keep in your purse. You can also use the button to tighten/loosen the waistband of your jeans for a perfect fit.

Panty Lines – How do you avoid panty lines? Thongs and boy shorts are great for reducing panty lines. "Stick on" panties like Commando cotton patches ($10-$18, GoCommandos.com) are another option. It’s a cotton panel you can stick on to the inside of your jeans or pants so you have all the protection you need without any panty line at all.

Revealing Necklines - It's difficult to keep underwear underwraps with all the unusual necklines this season. Many tops and dresses don’t come with a built-in bra, so it can be hard to keep your bra straps hidden. Lingerie or Body tape such as isAStrips invisible fashion tape ($6.95, http://www.isabelt.com/) will keep your necklines in place. You can also use it to repair torn hems or keep button-down tops from pulling across the bustline.

Visible Bra Straps – Ask your tailor add tiny straps to revealing tops to hold bra straps in place. Or use a tiny clips like Strap Tamers clips ($9, http://www.straptamers.com/) to keep bra straps hidden inside the shirt. Another way to keep bra straps covered is to wear a bra like the Infinite Options convertible bra ($30, http://www.fashionforms.com/) with straps that can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of necklines.

Slipping Spaghetti Straps – Spaghetti straps on evening gowns and camis can slip and drive you nuts. Use a or hair barrette pretty clip like the Bra Barette (from $3.99, http://www.brabarrette.com/) to keep straps up.

Visible Tags – Tags can be annoying, itchy and pop-up unexpectedly.You don’t want to cut tags out of clothing because they they have care instructions or designer labels. Use tag covers such as Tag Tamers adhesive tag covers ($8.99, http://www.hollywoodfashiontape.com/) to keep tags in place and protect your skin from itchy seams.

Underarm Stains – Arm-pit stains are never flattering! If you sweat excessively, you can use hyperhydrosis control wipessuch as Med-E-Tate hyperhydrosis control wipes ($48, http://www.dermadoctor.com/) on your underarm area or attach protective adhesive sheets such as Behind The Seams Apparel Sheilds ($10.99, http://www.hollywoodfashiontape.com/) the underarms of your clothing.

Slipping Mules – Mules are comfy and easy to wear. And it’s easy to loose them when walking on uneven surfaces or up stairs. Use an invisible clear strap like HeelStraps clear strap ($11.99, http://www.heelstraps.com/) to keep them in place.

Sponsors

Thank you isABelt for sponsoring our segment!

What's Sarah Wearing?

Massimo tank and Merona shrug from Target (these looked great in person but didn't translate in HD very well!), Isabel trouser jeans from Dillard's, Coach platform peep-toes from Macy's.

Weight-Loss Wardrobe Essentials

As you loose weight, there’s a transition period when the clothes in your closet get too big, but you’re not ready to invest in a whole new wardrobe. What do you do? Image Coach Sarah Shah shows you 6 pieces to add to your wardrobe to bridge the gap until you reach your goal.

These pieces will look great at each size you travel through on your journey to your goal and flatter your new body as it appears.



This TV segment aired in two parts on KTRK, Channel 13 News at 4:00 & 6:00 on July 28, 2009. Here are links to watch Part 1 and Part 2.

1. Wrap Dress – The wrap dress is versatile and can work for work, evening, or casual occasions depending on how you accessorize it. Buy the dress slightly on the small side and wear it with a cami underneath. As you shrink, the dress will adjust to accommodate your body. The reversible wrap dress shown in the story is super practical because it’s 2 dresses in one.
Cibeline reversible wrap dress (http://www.cibeline.com/ $488)

2. Camisole – A camisole will stretch your wardrobe by giving you coverage under tops, jackets, and sweaters. It's an inexpensive versatile layering piece. Camis come in lots of different colors and styles, so choose your favorite colors in a style that flatters your figure.

3. "Shrinky Dink" Blouse – Blouses with pleats, rouching, or ruffles can stretch to fit your figure and shrink as you do. Because it expands and contracts, it will look good at your largest state and shrink with you so it never looks too big and is always flattering. Most Shrinky Dink blouses should be dry-cleaned to retain the "bounce." The examples used in the story were made by Alberto Makali (stye #266218), Peter Nygard, and IQ Paris and can be found at Dillard's department stores (http://www.dillards.com/).

4. Wrap Sweater – This cardigan can be wrapped to flatter your figure, no matter what size you are. You can weap it more than 20 different ways, so it can be worn all week and never look the same. The sweater works for day, evening, casual, and formal ocassions. Wear it as a top over the wrap dress to make the dress look like a skirt, as a sweater over the skrinky dink blouse, or over the cami for day or a sexy look for evening.

For even more ways to wrap it, check out http://www.dkny.com/womens/cozy_video.html. The cashmere wrap sweaters used in the story are from Victoria’s Secret (http://www.victoriassecret.com/, $50).

5. Trousers – This style of pants gives you lots of room in the hips and thighs so the pants always look stylish no matter your size. The waiste of these pants is really easy to tailor, so you can make them fit as you shrink. You can also use the isABelt transparent belt to discretely cinch in the waist as your waist gets smaller. The trousers in the TV story can be found at Dillard's department stores (http://www.dillards.com/). The isABelt is available at http://www.isabelt.com/ ($16 - $20)

6. Smocked Strapless Dress - The smocked dress can be worn as a strapless dress or as a maxi skirt. It has elastic stitching in the top so it will adjust to fit your figure. If you are uncomfortable wearing a strapless dress, wear it over a cami or t-shirt to give you more coverage and security. The dresses in the TV story can be found at Dillard's department stores (http://www.dillards.com/).

You can wear these pieces transitionally as you change your size, or you could even create your entire wardrobe from just these six pieces – 1 wrap dress (actually two dresses in one), 4 camis in different colors, 3 shrinky dink blouses, 2 draped cardigan, 3 pairs of trousers, and 1 smocked dress. Add a couple pairs of shoes, a belt, and a few pieces of jewelry and you’ve got the perfect mix and match wardrobe!

What's Sarah Wearing?

Alberto Makali embellished top style #141580 (http://www.albertomakali.com/) from Dillard's, Isabel trouser jeans from Dillard's, Coach platform peep-toes from Macy's.