It always astounds me when I see closets hung with beautiful clothes and terrible hangers. Whether your Wardrobe is stocked with runway fresh couture or carefully chosen High-Street labels, your clothes deserve to be well-hung!
But first. A Word about Hangers…
Good hangers are available for any budget, so there's no excuse for a closet full of randoms and wires. Use proper hangers instead! I can't stress this one enough. Nothing signals chaos more than mismatched, random, or (God-forbid, wire) hangers from the dry cleaner!
Before you go on a hanger shopping safari, please spare yourself the disappointment of those dreadful “skinny” or “huggable” hangers. The fake "velour" is a dust magnet, and they are far too thin to provide support or structure for all but the flimsiest garments. Moreover, they will straight-up ruin your jackets.
Proper “suit hangers” are the best, but they are pricey and frankly too big to hang all your clothes unless you have a stately walk-in wardrobe.
As for the plastic variety, they will do in a pinch, but they often have "seams" where the molding comes together, and those seams can snag and ruin your clothing.
My favorite hangers come from The Container Store, but you can find similar ones from Target or Amazon.
You can get tricky with specialty hangers, but in my experience, you really only need two types: A classic wooden one with a trouser bar and a clip hanger for skirts. That's it.
Here's how to spot a good-quality wooden hanger:
- First, make sure the wood is varnished and smooth. Run your hand along the wood to check for splinters or snags.
- It should feel weighty in hand, but not too heavy.
- Cedar hangers are great, but they aren't guaranteed to protect your clothes from moths or mold if you put them away damp or dirty.
- Make sure the hook or "head" is screwed on properly. Good advice in so many areas of life, don't you find?
- And lastly, get one with a "trouser bar."
- Hanging pants on clip hangers results in fabric crushing or denting.
Now for the Hack:
To ensure that your wide-necked or slippery garments stay put, remove the clingy foam topper that sometimes comes on your wire dry-cleaner hanger and carefully stretch it over your wooden hanger. Voila! You now have a perfectly suitable hanger that won’t ruin your clothing or let garments slip to the floor.
Your Wardrobe will thank you!
xx, mlk
