There are a couple of paths to take when preparing for disaster when it comes to your clothing. There’s DISASTER – when you might literally have nothing to wear when a physical disaster occurs. Then there’s Disaster – when the hem in your skirt starts to unravel as you’re preparing to walk into an important meeting. We’ll deal a bit with both here – starting with:

DISASTER!!

Living in an earthquake-prone part of the country (although with earthquakes striking in Washington, DC, perhaps the entire country may be considered earthquake-prone), most of us have come to terms with a certain state of disaster-readiness in our lives. Certainly this issue of The Pilot may spur us to greater depths of preparedness. In general, we tend to think of being “ready” in terms of food, water, flashlights, etc. One area that you may not have thought through, though, is your preparedness in terms of clothing. Here are a few suggestions you may want to consider:

1. A friend who survived the Northridge quake some years ago shared his “aHa” moment. When the shaking stopped, as he was scrambling to get out of bed, he realized his floor was covered in broken glass and his shoes were in the closet. Since that time, he always keeps a pair of shoes under his bed for easy retrieval. It’s a small thing, but very practical and easy to implement.

2. Set aside one set of clothing per person in the household, packed in a medium-sized duffel. Ideally it will be of durable fabric and consist of layers, such as long-sleeved thermal undershirt, short-sleeved tee-shirt, rugged pants, jacket, rain poncho, hat, gloves and sturdy shoes. You may have to do more walking than you are used to, in uneven terrain, so good walking shoes could be very important. Don’t forget underwear and socks. You may need to wear this clothing for several days, so think in terms of comfort and durability.

3. While a blanket and/or sleeping bag isn’t technically clothing, it is an item that can certainly function as an extreme outer layer of protection from the elements. Make sure you have several for your family.

For the lesser “Disasters” of modern day life, here are a few things to keep on hand for quick fixes:

• Duct tape – good for taping up the aforementioned skirt whose hem has decided to unravel. Hollywood Fashion Tape is a daintier staple to keep on hand for closing the gap in fine fabrics.
• Sewing kit – the kind you get in hotel rooms are fine and dandy for quick repairs and are small and easy to stash in your desk drawer or glove compartment.
• Safety pins – no explanation needed. When you need one, you need one.
• Small lint roller – for stray pet hair, etc. Duck tape or scotch tape rolled back on itself will also work in a pinch.
• Bandaids – for the blister that sometimes arises when wearing new shoes or the same pair of shoes for hours at a stretch.

Come to think of it – with the exception of the lint roller, you may want to include all of these in your DISASTER kit above.

— Adena DiTonno

Adena is owner of adenaDesigns, a fashion and wardrobe consultancy in Redwood Shores.