Dealing With Clothing Crises In The Workplace
It could happen. You’re grabbing a quick lunch before meeting an important client back at the office. In your haste, you dribble soup down your blouse. Lunging for a napkin, you knock coffee into your lap which causes you to lurch sideways, splitting a seam in your skirt.
Or you’re at your desk when your stocking snags on an open desk drawer. As you bend to inspect the damage, a button pops off your blouse. Scrabbling about on the carpet to retrieve the button, you get dust in your eye. It waters, washing mascara down your cheek.
It could happen. And if it does, you can’t always head home right away fix things. Often, damage control is needed to see you through the rest of the workday.
It’s much easier to deal with a minor grooming or dress crisis if you’re somewhat prepared. That is, if somewhere in your office there is a drawer or closet stocked with such items as paper towels, cotton balls, safety pins, needle and thread, clear nail polish and makeup foundation or concealer.
Minor but embarrassing grooming disasters fall into three main categories: spills and stains, rips and runs, and cosmetic calamities. Here’s a quick-fix guide to dealing with rips and runs. Next week we’ll deal with other problems.
Even in the sleekest office, hazards lurk that can rough up your clothing. Sometimes, merely sitting down too abruptly can split a seam or snap teeth off a zipper. And women will swear that anything - including sharp criticism from the boss - can put runs in their stockings.
With mishaps like these, a stitch in time really does save nine - so it helps always to have a needle and thread on hand, or at least a few safety pins. Use these to effect the following emergency repairs:
Split seam. These can occur anywhere on a garment - pants seat, jacket shoulder, the side of a dress. To repair, turn the garment inside-out. (If this involves disrobing, head for the restroom!) Now, place a few strategic stitches (or safety pins) in the middle of the split to preserve your modesty, then secure each end of the split so it can’t open any further during the day.
Ripped hem. First, knot the loose ends of the broken thread so they can’t unravel further. Then secure the sagging hem with a few stitches or safety pins. In a pinch, masking tape or even staples will hold a hem together. But remember to remove the staples carefully so they don’t rip the fabric.
Missing button. If you can’t find the button and don’t have a needle and thread, use a safety pin. But do always try to find the button - or you risk having to replace all the buttons on the garment if you can’t get a match for the missing one.
Run in hosiery. A dab of clear nail polish is the well-known remedy. No polish? Try a smear of bar soap.
Zipper problems. To unstick a zipper, rub a soft lead pencil up and down the teeth until it eases. If your zipper won’t stay up, pull the slider to the top, then pin a small safety pin across the teeth on the inside of the garment. A missing or broken tooth on a zipper requires a slightly more complicated repair. First, make a small, horizontal cut above the missing tooth on the side opposite the slider. Hook the slider up into the teeth above the missing tooth, so that it engages both sides, then pull it to the top of the zipper. Sew or pin the open portion of the zipper closed, starting one tooth above the horizontal cut. Later, sew down over the broken teeth to the bottom of the zipper.
Pulled threads. Do not cut the loop of yarn, or a run or hole will develop. Sometimes, gently pulling the garment crosswise will ease the loop back into place. If not, push the loop to the inside of the garment using a rounded object, such as a pencil eraser or the tip of a letter opener.
Shoe problems. Should the sole of your shoe part company with the upper, don’t leave it flapping. If a strong, quick-drying glue is handy, see if it will hold the shoe together until you can get it to a repair shop. If not, wrap the shoe with duct tape or masking tape. (It’s not pretty, but it could keep your from tripping and falling.) A broken high heel is an almost insurmountable problem - and about the best excuse you will find for leaving work early to go shopping for new shoes. Don’t try to improvise a repair. A jury-rigged heel could collapse at any moment, causing a nasty fall. Instead, resign yourself to the fact that you will be hobbling about slowly for the rest of the day - unless you’re one of those organized people who always has a pair of driving shoes ready and waiting in the car.
Next week: In the second of this two-part series, learn how to deal with spills, stains and other calamities.
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