Styling Notes Vol. 3

Words: Modupe Oloruntoba | Photography: Bevan Davis | Styling: Chicara Bruseke

Ready for your next set of style hacks? If you’ve already checked out these and these, then yes, you are. This edition is all about getting things to stay put. Here are six fixes for common clothing issues — stop the fiddling, fixing, pulling and scrunching once and for all.

Riding hems

Winter means layers, and if you’re going for a trim silhouette, this can be difficult. If your tops won’t sit still when you tuck them in, a slacker’s tuck works well for sweaters, as seen above. It’s best paired with high-waisted pants or jeans, resulting in a casual but clean finish.

Clumsy coat ties

Heavy coat + clean lines = an expensive looking outfit, no matter what else you have on. Buttons and belt loops are sometimes sacrificed for this look, and while we don't mind giving them up in the name of fashion, how on earth are you supposed to keep the coat closed? If your waist tie is messy, bulky and needs tightening five times a day, look to martial arts for inspiration. This is a simplified adaptation of the knot used on karate belts:

1. Hold the waist tie with one end in each hand, one side longer than the other.

2. Pull and cross the ends, then exchange the hands holding them. Place your crisscross either in the middle or a little off to the side.

3. Pull the longer end up, under the rest of the belt or tie, holding the other end taut. This should form a flat loop that looks like a lapel ribbon.

When you're happy with the size of the loop and the length of each end, you're done!

Falling straps

Falling bra straps are easy to fix with the built-in adjustment loops, but what about dresses, tops, pinafores, and dungarees? Here's a hack that's a fix and an accessory rolled into one: tie any suitable size or colour of ribbon across the straps. We recommend velvet.  Doing so at the back may require the help of a flatmate, but doing it in front is a minute long task in front of the mirror. For straps that slip when you layer under them, consider a pin or a badge to attach your shirt or sweater to the slipping strap.

Travelling belts

You've got two options for solving this common problem:

1. Buy a belt hole puncher. If belts are key to your look, this will be well worth the +/- R100 investment. They have a ring of hole-punch sizes for you to match to the ones already on your belt, so all you have to do is space it out, mark the spot, and punch. Done.

2. For non-leather belts, consider this tying hack instead of a clumsy wrap-around job: put your belt through your loops and twist it toward either side – you're going to tie a knot around one of the front belt loops. Put the belt end with the extra length/slack through the belt loop, and then through the buckle. Send the extra slack up behind the belt and bring it back around and down into a clean, chic knot. 

The sock boot tuck

Going for that Yeezy look but struggling to get your sweats and high sock boots to play nice? If you've got just a little bulk, consider folding the inseam of your sweatpants just a little at the ankle for a cleaner tuck. Then tug lightly all around until it looks like you didn't do a thing. If there's more than a little, consider tucking in just the ribbing (the fitted ankle cuff) and letting the rest spill over like a bell sleeve.

Dealing with denim? Your best bet is to roll your jeans so that your raised hem just touches the top of your boots. Trying to squeeze them in won't just look and feel uncomfortable, it may damage your shoes.

Loose laces

You've unboxed your shiny new shoes and the laces are comically long. Great. Here's a sleek, on-trend fix: cross one end of the lace under the other where you would usually tie them. Then wrap them around your calf, ballerina style. Be gentle, though. Tying too tight will make your leg look like a ham. Not a vibe.

On the other hand, if your laces are too short, your fix is just as easy: re-lace your shoes, but instead of crossing at every set of loops, cross the laces at every second set. You should have a few more centimetres to work with by the time you get to the top.