Rescues for fashion bloopers -- and items that elevate your look on the fly.

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Paper clips and push pins are staples in your desk drawer -- but how about day-to-night earrings and a stash of safety pins? If you want to be prepared for any fashion emergency, you need a desk stocked with essentials. Here, all you need to rescue a fashion code red, from the quick fixes to the style-elevating pieces you never know when you'll need.

Quick Fashion Fixes

Assemble this mini kit in an oversized makeup bag or plastic pencil box -- then pull it out when disaster strikes.

• Lint brush: For all those mornings you leave the house and realize -- right before your big client meeting -- that your black blazer is covered with white cat fur. Use on shoulders to pick up stray hairs and tiny white flakes, too. Tip: Many drugstores carry travel-size lint brushes.
• Safety pins: For the fashion pinches that seem unfixable: The bra strap that breaks, the zipper pull that pops off.... Buy a small package of mini safety pins -- they're the most versatile.
• Masking tape: It's the number one emergency solution for a fallen hem. Simply hold up a fallen hem with short lengths of tape, and be sure to smooth them out when you place them on the inside of the fabric. Otherwise, you'll end up with puckering on the outside.
• Nail polish: A lifesaver for runs in panty hose. Choose a cheap brand of clear polish.
• Needle and thread: Keep two colors on hand: Black and neutral tan or nude. Choose a polyester thread, which is great for temporary, all-purpose uses. Use your needle and thread to quickly mend loose buttons or tiny tears in fabric (take the item to a tailor for a true fix at the end of the workday). Include some mini sewing scissors to cut the thread.
• Portable stain removers: A dribble of coffee on your white blouse, a streak of ink along your tan trousers...stains at the office happen, so having a portable stain remover with which to treat them immediately can be a garment-saver. Try Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover ($3.49) in a pen applicator, or Shout Wipes ($2.79) in a moist towelette.

Heavy-Hitting Fashion Extras

These pieces can help with other kinds of fashion emergencies: Those caught-off-guard, need-a-wardrobe-supplement-now types. Items to stash in a bigger desk drawer:

• Comfortable, versatile flats: For those days when you feel like heels in the morning, but your feet are burning and aching by midday. Switch to flats for deskbound activities to give soles a rest. Tip: Choose flats in a color that complements your usual wardrobe -- brown and black are great choices that work with nearly everything.
• Clutch purse: Perfect to throw keys, ID, and money into when you're running out for a quick lunch, but also essential as a purse for after-work events -- you don't want to lug your work tote to the opera or a fancy client dinner. A plum or silver satin clutch does both jobs well.
• Cashmere wrap: Office temperatures often feel below freezing, and autumn weather changes can make it hard to know what to wear to stay comfortable all day. To the rescue: A cashmere wrap (faux is fine). When you're cold, you can wind it around your shoulders for instant warmth -- or to hide that salsa stain you just noticed on your blouse.
• Dangling earrings: If your husband or girlfriend sometimes calls with a last-minute, after-work drinks proposition, having earrings on hand can help you take your work look from day to night. Lose your blazer, add dangly earrings and a swipe of lipstick, and you're ready to go.
• Mini umbrella: Unexpected rain showers can ruin special fabrics like silk or suede, so if the weather turns in the middle of the day and you need to run outside, you'll be thankful you stashed a mini umbrella in your desk drawer. (Just don't forget to put it back when you come in from the rain!)

Originally published on LHJ.com, February 2006.