Alison Freer’s How to Get Dressed

Full disclosure: we love Alison Freer here at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply. She’s been a customer of ours for years, and we’ve enjoyed reading her columns on xoJane, too. We got our hands on a preview copy of her new book, How to Get Dressed (which yes, you can purchase here at MWS!) and thought we’d give you a preview!

Alison Freer: Using the Book

This is a book that pretty much every person — male or female– should at least thumb through to learn a little bit more about making fashion work for them.  You don’t need to read it all the way through (I did!) but you can definitely flip through it to find the answers to your fashion questions.  How to shop for your shape?  There’s a section.  What kind of break should a man have on his dress pants?  There’s a section.  How to clean nearly any kind of fabric?  You can find it in here, too.

One of my favorite sections was on how to buy vintage clothing — she gives you tips on what to buy, what to skip, and how to make vintage clothes work for you.  She also talks about investment pieces– where to splurge and where to save.  There are tons of great tips, even for someone who’s an established pro. Plus, it has a great sense of humor — we expect nothing less from Alison.

Alison Freer: Best Tips

Alison has three items that every person — male or female– needs to have in their purse.  The Holy Trinity of Topstick, Safety Pins & Moleskin. These three products can fix just about any fashion mishap.  Topstick can close blouse gaps, fix a hem, keep a necklace from moving, or keep your top from exposing too much.  Safety pins can fix a drawstring, a broken strap, a necklace, substitute for a staple — and they come in black!  Moleskin will allow you to wear nearly any pair of shoes.  I have a pair of Tory Burch flats that hit my heels in just the wrong place.  They’re too expensive to just toss (plus they’re so cute!).  I just put a little bit of moleskin right where they rub, and voila!  An easy fix.

Other items she loves?  A handheld steamer (easier than ironing!), Static Guard (no one wants their dress to cling to their legs. No one.), and black sharpies (an instant scuff fixer).

Grab a copy of How to Get Dressed next week when it comes out, and grab her recommended products here at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply!