How to look polished when you feel completely scattered

You know those days where your life just seems to autumn apart? All…I’m kidding, you know exactly what I’m talking about. All of us have days where it feels like everything that could possibly go wrong does go wrong.

You wake up late (at least ten minutes later than you thought you would), you remember that you haven’t showered yet, you grab your ‘good’ shirt only to realise you forgot to wash it and then slosh coffee all down your front on the way out of the house. When you look in the mirror, your hair has rebelled against you and your entire day planner has been sucked into a black hole. Sound familiar?

I’ve had my fair share of days like that. I was running late for a meeting with an important client last month when my car refused to start and I had to race there by bus, sending apologies the entire way.

I arrived looking ten minutes from hell but got complimented on being “so put-together” – join the club, I thought.

About a year ago I had to give a presentation to half the company’s executives because someone was sick and, midway through, realised I was wearing two different shoes.

Navy and black – let me tell you, they are HARD to distinguish at 6am when you’re hustling to get out the door. The point is, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to perfect the art of ‘throwing together’ an outfit while looking like a hot mess on the inside.

Here’s what I’ve learned. I am embarrassingly great at looking polished when, in reality, I am a hot mess. There are days where I leave the house feeling amazing but travel six times faster than the speed of sound and destroy it somehow.

I am always late, and I somehow always manage to spill coffee on my white shirt orcrop mysterious mysterious stains on my clothes that weren’t there when I put them on. I’ve had to become an expert at pulling together an outfit in the eleventh hour so that I don’t walk into meetings looking like death itself. (trust me, people notice). If you’re anything like me, you don’t have time for elegant tutorials with adorable helpers and cute stationery.

We need fast, simple hacks that work when you’re wearing the shirt you were convinced you washed last week and cannot find the matching half of. We’re talking quick fixes to save you when you’re running late and about to royally lose it. Let’s start with the emergency kit.

No, I’m not kidding. I literally have an emergency kit filled with staple items that I keep in my glove compartment at all times and a back-up in my desk drawer at work. It’s saved my bacon more times than I can count.

Here’s what’s in mine: Black pashmina (covers coffee stains, use as scarf OR belt), safety pins (can always clip up something that unexpectedly comes undone), nude lipstick (makes you automatically look like you put effort in), wet wipes, travel sized hairbrush and clear nail polish (stops tights from laddering and doubles as super glue when you REALLY need it). I once had to wear my emergency kit as a belt at my cousin’s wedding because the zip on my dress broke halfway through the ceremony. I may or may not have written it a thank you letter.

When your’e running late, there are three things you can focus on to perk up your outfit: hair, face, and your overall silhouette. Hair is KEY. Trust me on this one.

If you brush your hair into a sleek low bun, you will instantly fix 80% of your ‘bad hair day’. The worse your hair looks coming out of bed, the tighter you make that bun – piece of cake. Splash a little water on your hair and add some hair gel.

You’ll be surprised how much better your hair can look when you sacrifice the top chunk of it to a bun. Pro-tip: This is how I fixed my hair before going into a career-defining job interview when I woke up late. I went from plastered to bed-haired disaster to sleek working professional in two minutes flat.

Face. Concealer under the eyes. Cream blush on cheeks (way easier to apply than powder if you’re short on time), mascara, and tinted lip balm.

Boom. Done. If I’m really short on time I skip everything but the blush and tinted lip balm.

The trick here is adding colour to your face – it instantly gives the illusion that you’ve tried. And lastly, your outfit silhouette. There are only so many different ‘quicklooks’ you can put together before you start repeating yourself, so it’s helpful to have a go-to outfit formula.

You know – one you can literally throw together in five minutes flat but still look SO put-together. Mine is a simple dress paired with statement outerwear. Easy breezy.

One (ONE) piece that matches itself and the.blazer.throwaround you drape over it makes you look like you have an actual outfit on. Seriously. My coworker Emma likes to call it her “adult uniform” – the outfit that when she wears it, everyone thinks she “has her life together”.

Hers is a pair of wide-leg trousers and a tucked in blouse. My brothers ‘uniform’ is dark jeans and an Oxford button up with the sleeves rolled up. Find a formula that works for YOU.

After staying up all night comforting my niece (who was sick and staying over at my sisters that week), I woke up late with loads of important phone calls to make before work. As I tore around the house looking for something, anything to wear, I suddenly remembered I had a bridesmaid’s dress that would PERFECTLY fit the whole ‘blasé together’ concept. (dresses = one piece that matches itself, people.) I threw it on with a blazer and loafers instead of heels because I didn’t have it in me to wear heels that day. THREE PEOPLE stopped me at work to comment on how “chic” I looked.

Why? Cause, underneath my bloomer-style dress, I was wearing SOCKS AND SOCKS THAT DIDN’T MATCH. And yes, I used a Sharpie marker to colour in that mysterious brown stain on my dress.

Speaking of… Statement jewellery or watches can also be a great way to elevate an outfit in minutes. When I’m feeling especially frumpy I reach for my oversized gold hoop earrings. They add dimension to my face and make even a plain t-shirt seem more ‘intentional.’ My friend Sarah keeps a pair of pearl stud earrings in her car JUST for ‘emergencies’.

Why? Because when you notice ONE intentional detail on someone, your brain fills in the blanks that the rest of their outfit was intentional too. It’s a psychological trick we do subconsciously and can work tremendously in your favour.

You know how people say when you don’t know what to wear – wear all black? It’s actually great styling advice. Wear one colour head-to-toe and it instantly looks intentional, even if it wasn’t.

It doesn’t have to be black (although that’s my personal go-to because it’ll literally match anything), but rich colours like navy, camel, taupe or even white are great for ‘feelings dressed up’ even if you threw the outfit together in seconds. Ok so let’s imagine that it was youractual wardrobe that was spiraling out of control and not your morning. The best way I’ve found to handle that is by having fool-proof pieces that you know will ALWAYS work together.

Enter: the capsule emergency wardrobe. Mine consists of: one pair of black trousers, white button-up shirt, black wrap dress (that can be dressed up or down), dark jeans that can pass as smart in a pinch, and a neutral blazer. Throw any top with any bottom, add the blazer and bam.

You’re wearing an entire chic outfit with only three pieces. Imagine if you had a spare outfit at work and could literally throw it on in two minutes flat. My coworker Thomas does this – he ALWAYS has a spare shirt, trouser/jeans and pair of shoes in his office drawer “just in case.” It’s so helpful to him that, even when nothing IS amiss, he keeps it there “just in case.” I take the same approach with flats, black tights and a plain white t-shirt in my car.

You never know when you might need them and, when you KNOW they’re there, you don’t panic AS MUCH when you do. Pinching your shirt in, rolling both your sleeves up to exactly the same point and making sure your clothes aren’t too crumpled are some of the best tips I’ve learned for making an outfit look “more put together.” Sometimes when I’m running late, instead of changing my entire outfit I’ll just focus on these three things. There’s also something to be said about confidence.

If you know you have a backup plan, you’ll automatically FEEL more put together. Your demeanor will shift, and therefore you’ll actually look more pulled together! I like to straighten up my shirt, roll my shoulders back and take three deep breaths before walking into a meeting if I’m feeling frantic.

It changes your posture, and therefore your entire attitude. My friends who works in TV production (basically the WILDEST industry on the planet) says she has ‘uniforms for competence.’ As in, when she puts on those items, she automatically feels competent.

She wears a nice leather notebook, a nice pen and a leather phone case.

When she wakes up in the middle of the night panicked about shooting schedules and deadlines being pushed BACK – putting on that ‘uniform’ helps her feel like she can tackle the day.

Last summer I had to run (literally RUN) to an important client meeting right after missing my flight (and spending 6 hours in an airport lounge.) My luggage was lost, I hadn’t slept in what felt like days, and was wearing the sweatpants I travelled in. But I knew how to roll with it.

I stuck safety pins in my trousers where they had awkwardly come undone, used my backup kit to fix my face/hair, and threw on my moto jacket to add some structure to my silhouette. When you know you look good on the outside, it’s easier to ACT like you have your sh*t together on the inside. Needless to say, my client loved my “simple, minimalist style.” Moral of the story?

Dark wash jeans and a tshirt may be your go-to casual weekend look, but what if you swapped out that tshirt for a nice blouse, added the boots you only wear once a year to work AND did your hair? Boom. Instantly feels more ‘put together’ because you made an extra effort – and made an effort with something you typically DON’T put effort into.

I hope these tips help you the next time you just.can’t.seem.to.get.it.together. Remember: bun + bright lipstick + blazer (and maybe some nice boots) = win. No one needs to know you spent the morning doing toilet-paper-roll exercises with your pup and hunting around your house for that OTHER sock.