HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently selected by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
Jennifer Lopez draped in a jungle green Versace dress with a neckline that plunged well below her belly button was a defining moment in fashion history. It also left plenty of people wondering how such a riskily cut garment could stay in place.
According to Salvador Perez, a seasoned costume designer and president of the Costume Designers Guild, Lopez’s styling team used the helpful sticky tool known as wardrobe tape to keep the neckline in place.
Television and film costume designer Christy Guillermain told HuffPost that wardrobe tape, sometimes referred to as toupee tape, is a longtime secret weapon for quick wardrobe fixes on set. “Nothing works quite as fast while being as effective,” she said.
Perez said the Topstick brand works best.
“Fashion brands have made many versions of it, but Topstick brand toupee tape is the strongest,” Perez said of this medical-grade, hypoallergenic and waterproof tape, which has a lot of real-life problem-solving potential for wardrobe malfunctions and beyond.
Pre-cut in clear, double-sided strips, you can attach Topstick to both bare skin and to clothing in order to solve anything from gaping in a button-down shirt to securing an undone hem to keeping bra pads adhered while wearing a backless dress. Some reviewers even use the tape to help secure cochlear implants. A former theatre kid myself, I’ve actually used it quite frequently and, most recently to help secure the top of a low-cut Halloween costume to my chest. It works swimmingly.
However you use it, “Take it off at the end of the night. Do not leave it on the garment as it will be harder to remove it the next day, and never clean the garment with it on,” Perez cautioned. He also recommending conducting a spot test prior to using directly on skin in order to ensure it won’t cause irritation.
Scroll back up to keep this handy in your bag or closet and never worry about a wardrobe mishap again. Or you can keep reading to see why other people swear by Topstick.
“I purchased this product to adhere a costume in place, it worked perfectly. I’ve since used them to secure blouses and off the shoulder dresses and blouses. The holding power is amazing however very easy to remove be from your body or material.” –– Lori
“Let’s be honest here, we’ve all seen this tip online about using Topstick to stick your boobs, didn’t we?! Well guess what? IT WORKS. I’ve never been impressed with the boob tape made for it, this is a way cheaper alternative, and you can trust it won’t let you down. Once it’s taped, it is TAPED. I only put 4 stars on ‘easy to remove’ because the first time I thought I was smart, pulled hard, and kinda ripped a little bit of skin off plus my fake tan, but I feel like I’m a professional now, and got the hang of it (just like when I was a kid, removing my bandages!). Girl, if you’re hesitating on this one, but have been waiting for years to wear a low plunge dress, trust me, get this. I bet Kim K would approve!” –– Marion Demons Wright
“After losing 4 hearing aids (sound amplifiers) in two years, I finally got a real hearing aid and my track record made me research ways to secure this new hearing aid. The reviews on this product are right on. If they can hold a cochlear implant device on a toddler, I hoped they would work for me. I tried other double sided and expensive tapes that failed, so I cannot believe how securely this tape holds the hearing aid to the back of my ear.” –– sharolin
“Used the tape to adhere two bra pads to my chest for a dress that was backless. I’ll never even try to use sticky bras again, solely sticking to this tape and foam pads against my chest. I danced and sweat tonight, was never worried about them coming off!” –– Amazonuser
Before You Go
