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copyright ©1999-2006 |
into
the wardrobe little
ways to bring some order to your clothes closet by
Yee-Fan Sun | 1 2 3
continued from page 1 1 Seasons change. So change your closet contents along with them – by rotating your wardrobe accordingly. Unless you’ve been blessed by the gods of apartment space with a walk-in closet (lucky you!), chances are good that the entire contents of your wardrobe will not fit in your dinky closet, no matter how resourceful you get on the organizational front. You’re not going to be needing those heavy wool pants in the blistering heat of summer; your bevy of sundresses or beloved Hawaiian shirt collection really doesn’t need to be at arms reach during the long frosty winter. So why clutter up your precious bedroom closet space with goods that are just going to hang there untouched for months on end? Reserve your closet for in-season clothing only, and keep the rest stowed away in deep storage, in underbed boxes, a big trunk, boxed up in the laundry room, basement – wherever you can eke out some stash space. Meanwhile, as you’re going through the seasonal wardrobe switch-out, proceed to step two… 2 Faster, pussycat, cull, cull! That’s right: to keep your closet from degenerating into a pit of despair, you'll need to do the occasional weeding. As you’re moving your summer clothing out and your winter clothing in (or vice versa), keep a spare box handy and label it DONATE. Try on each item of clothing and take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. Does it fit? (And I don’t just mean fit on.) Does it look good? (Stylish, and flattering too.) Have you worn it in the last two years? (Be honest now.) No? Into the donate box it goes. If you absolutely cannot part with some item despite the fact that you never ever wear it – because it has nostalgic value, or it’s currently dated but so quintessentially of its time that you’re positive it’ll be cool again in ten years, or it’s by some hoity-toity designer, or you’re absolutely certain it’ll be perfect once you’ve lost that last five pounds – at least pack it up and put it away into deep storage. Still, if at all possible, curb your packrat urges and purge. Your closet will thank you for it. And you’ll actually have room to buy fun new stuff. 3 Hanger management. Time to take a look at your hangers now kids. Those warped flimsy plastic hangers you pilfered from your childhood closet, the metal hangers you get from your dry cleaners that make the shoulders of your shirts all funny -- they're not good for your clothes, and they don’t even do a good job of holding ‘em up and allowing you to easily sift through the goods either. Get rid of the crappy hangers, and spring for a nice durable set. Wood hangers are ideal, although sturdy (and I do emphasize the sturdy) plastic can work fine as well, and are a whole lot easier on the wallet. IKEA and Target type stores have decent deals on new ones of either variety; I’ve also managed to pick up a lot through yard/moving/estate sales. Wherever you get them, you’ll want both regular hangers and the ones meant for hanging pants/skirts. If your closet space is especially cramped, get a few multi-skirt/pant hangers, which let you hang five or six items all on one little hanger. 4 Totally hooked. Hooks are one of my favorite easy-peasy, cheap organizing tricks, and there’s nary a room in the house that I don’t think could benefit from them. But closets, especially, are just begging for the addition of a few hooks as they offer plenty of hidden-away, unused surface. Inexpensive cup hooks (available at any hardware store) are easy to screw into whatever spare bit of space you can find in your closet -- the back of the door, the side walls, the inside molding. If your closet has a regular door rather than a sliding one, you might also consider an over-the-door hook. They’re great for organizing belts, bags, and baseball caps, hanging up your favorite robe or PJs, planning out outfits, and more. ---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home. |
