Mimicry

I haven't been updating as much as I wanted to. Still, I'm not one to have this blog fade to black as soon as I start it, so here I go again. I'll try to work my way up from bimonthly.

A few weeks ago, I reflected upon my mentorship by Lucky Mag. There was a small article on closet organization in the first issue I received (March 2003). I got excited about that because unlike the other style advice, I could act on this one. In my dorm, I was going to have a workable closet - the one I had at home had a broken sliding door and the better half of it consisted of suits that my dad did not wear.

Unfortunately, on a relatively recent bout at my old house, I was unable to find the March 2003 issue of Lucky. I had the intentions of scanning that picture of the organized closet and posting it here. On a brighter note though, maybe it was because of how excited I was about the article, or because I found the advice sound, reasonable, and logical, I've organized my various college-life closets accordingly ever since.

While I'll admit, the colors were more vivid in the article - this replica works fine for explanation. I've also learned creative ways to attach my shoe rack to less door-like closet enclosures. Drawers were not a part of the original Lucky Mag layout, but it would also be an inefficient use of space in my 10 ft X 11 ft room to have the drawer set anywhere else.

-as observed by hanger spacing, I have a higher proportion of long to short clothing. My closet is actually just one large closet. Before the door divide lie all my shorter clothes:

Blazers, blouses, and short skirts. I figured that format allows me to maximize my use of space. By placing my drawers under my shortest clothing, I get the bonus of having a place to put my deconstructed moving boxes.

I fall into the category of people who have to have their clothes divided by shape where color is the secondary factor.

Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine recommend (in What you wear can change your life) to hang clothes in outfits and colors that go together. I don't think it's a bad idea, but sometimes, I feel that clothes can get lost in this mode of organization. It probably makes mornings easier. For a bum like me, I prefer a mode of organization that doesn't require changing up every season. I find it easier to take a visual inventory as well think about each piece individually.



The second part of the closet contains my mid-length and long skirts, pants, and dresses.

The area covered by the divide contains all of my sweaters (save the thicker Wintery sweaters since Winter doesn't seem to be very big in Texas). This is where all my cardigans and thinner sweaters reside.

I don't condone the hanging of sweaters - it takes up more space than folding, but I think it's worse for the sweaters in general. You get pointed shoulders, and it exacerbates a sweater's tendency to stretch. This also goes for the hanging of pants half-wise over a hanger - it creates more bulk, also that annoying knee-mark in trousers. One of the things that I haven't personally experienced, noted by Lucky:

- hanging pants over hangers can cause uneven stretching in one of the pant legs.

A note by the WNTW (What not to wear) duo:

- hanging pants by the hem (or in my case, the waist), saves time from ironing.

Under my makeshift sweater shelf, I've arranged my larger bags, like my backpack and overnight bag. And that is my laundry basket under there. I've attached my shoe rack to the closet door with wire and a tack. The rack was acquired from The Container Store and to date, is the only item I acquired after seeing it in Lucky. The rack helps shoes maintain their shape and allows them to breathe - I think it's a good alternative for those who are not fond of the bulk or keeping shoe boxes. The rack has been discontinued, but there are many good alternatives out there. I also use it to hang scarves and other little knick-knacks, though it's not in the direction of organization, I'm fond of the mildly thrown-together look in vintage stores

The shelving above is what I use for storage. There are some extra shoes above my shirts and above my skirts is my minimal purse collection.

My boyfriend described my closet as freakishly organized and a very effective use of space. Hopefully this will be a closet habit I carry on beyond my college years.

This closet is fairly easy to achieve. If a closet doesn't come with shelving, I purchased my cloth hanging shelf at Ikea ($15) - my rack was $20 at The Container Store, although it retailed for $30 - it was a display, but otherwise free of defect - always check the sale sections. Buying clips for hangers makes better hanging for skirts and pants, and is cheaper than buying the hangers specially made for trousers and skirts. Be wary of the grip of the hangers, if ridged - they can leave a pattern on materials like velvet, or silk - they might even be damaging. In an earlier post, I noted that the hanger clips from The Container Store - sucked. They were just made for Container Store hangers. They slip on hangers bought elsewhere.

The rest is a matter making the most of your closet and putting some time into organization. My freakishly organized closet wasn't conceived until I was done moving in to my room. Hopefully it will stay that way. On a closing note, some harsh words I swear by:

NO WIRE HANGERS!