Secrets of a fashion editor
From painting cheap rings with nail varnish to removing stains with hairspray, ANTONIA KRASKOWSKI shares her top style tricks
AFTER working in fashion for more than a decade, I’ve seen it all. From a model who got bitten by a flamingo on a photoshoot in Aruba, to one who had to be painted green to counteract the redness of her sunburn, I’ve seen first-hand that looking your best often comes at a price.
So when I heard that What Not To Wear star Susannah Constantine, 56, right, wears two bras to keep her breasts looking perky, I wasn’t surprised.
“You might think I’m mad, but now I’ve got the boobs of a teenager again because they’re firm and they don’t jiggle around, which I hate and get embarrassed by,” the presenter wrote on Instagram.
Her post has divided opinions but I’m right behind her.
Like Susannah, I have built an arsenal of useful tricks over the years to help solve fashion dilemmas just like hers.
Here are a few that never let me down.
PREVENT THIGH RUB WITH CUT-UP STOCKINGS
When temperatures soar, many of us pluck a floaty dress or skirt from the back of our wardrobe. But while these are a great way to keep cool, having bare legs in summer can lead to your thighs rubbing together, which can be incredibly uncomfortable. That’s why I always pack hold-up stockings if I’m on a photoshoot in a hot country. If you cut off the legs to leave a wide band at the top of the stockings, you can wear this at the top of your thighs to protect the skin from rubbing. You’ll feel much more comfortable.
RED BRAS WON’T SHOW UNDER WHITE
One of the most common dilemmas I encounter on fashion shoots is how to ensure the model’s underwear doesn’t show through their clothing. And
white garments always present the biggest problem.
People think that when wearing a white top or dress, the best thing to do is wear a white bra underneath, but this actually shows up more than most other colours. Instead, wear a red or pink bra. For most skin tones, this is the colour that will show up the least.
RUB FABRIC TO GET RID OF TRICKY STAINS
When I’m on a fashion shoot, I’ll do anything to avoid getting the clothes stained. Once, I had to trek through ankle-deep mud at a festival photoshoot with a suitcase of clothes balanced precariously on my head to stop the clothes getting dirty.
But sometimes accidents happen. If there’s a stain on your clothes and you haven’t got time to get changed, try pinching the garment between your fingers where the stain is and rubbing the fabric together. The friction between the fibres gets stains out more quickly than any stain remover and doesn’t leave wet patches.
PAINT CHEAP RINGS WITH NAIL VARNISH
There’s nothing worse than being left with green marks on your skin after wearing cheap jewellery. And it’s something we try to avoid at all costs on photoshoots. The best way to prevent this is to coat the jewellery in clear nail polish or top coat, as it stops the metal from oxidising.
Paint a thin layer of clear varnish around the inside of rings, or on the underside of any pendants or bracelets. There’s no need to coat the whole thing – just the parts that will touch your skin and won’t be seen.
A WATER SPRAY CAN BANISH BAGGY KNEES
Everyone needs a good pair of jeans but it can be tricky to keep them looking great wear after wear. Once they’ve been worn a few times, they often go baggy at the knees.
Washing them solves this but frequent washing can fade the fabric, leaving your jeans looking scruffy. Thankfully, there’s a way to banish baggy knees without fading your jeans.
Simply fill a spray bottle with water and spritz a little on the knees of your jeans until they’re damp to the touch. Then leave them on a radiator to dry.
As they dry, the fabric around the knees will tighten again, leaving them looking as good as new.
PICK UP GLITTER WITH A LINT ROLLER
I love glitter, but while it’s fun for a few hours at a festival, you often find it trodden into carpets and clinging to the bath for weeks after you’ve worn it. Once, while travelling to a photoshoot, a pot of glitter the make-up artist had packed exploded all over a suitcase full of clothes, creating a real problem.
After many hours of trial and error, I discovered that the best way to get glitter off clothes is to use a lint roller to pick it up, as brushing it off only makes the problem worse.
...AND ALWAYS CARRY HAIRSPRAY
One item I always pack when I’m going on a photoshoot is a huge can of hairspray. You’d be amazed how many fashion dilemmas can be solved with a spritz of this beauty staple.
If the static charge of your skirt is causing it to cling to your legs or tights, coat the inside of the skirt in hairspray to stop it from sticking.
Or, if you get pen marks on a leather skirt or jacket, spray the mark with hairspray and then gently rub it with a cloth to get rid of the stain.
Just remember to do a patch test inside the garment first to make sure the hairspray doesn’t damage the fabric.