Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

How do you organise your clothes and wardrobe?

27 replies

Romcom · 11/04/2014 09:02

Looking for a bit of inspiration....I have out of season stuff packed away but I have so many clothes and I do try and wear them all. Ideally I'd like a second wardrobe for workwear but no space.
How do you organise your clothes and accessories?

OP posts:
muddymary · 11/04/2014 09:46

I'll be watching this thread with interest!

StyleOverSubstance · 11/04/2014 10:31

First of all, seasonally. So get spring summer wear out once weather gets a bit warmer, have some transitional pieces that can be worn all year round, pack away things that are very definitely winter weight.

Group things together in terms of all tops hung together, all dresses hung together - then colour co-ordinated, moving from dark to light - so all the blues together etc. Patterns are put in with the section where they have a predominant colour.

Bags grouped together, accessories grouped together, like scarves, necklaces etc so that I can see what I have for inspiration, rather than trotting out the exact same outfit each time. Shoes/boots/trainers at the bottom of the wardrobe. Separate drawer for sports kits.

Jumpers are folded and put on shelves, but not too many on a shelf or they get squashed and it is more difficult to pull out the one needed if there is a tower of other ones resting on it.

Trousers are usually hung up, jeans folded in drawers, Skirts go on a rail below the tops, but again always moving from dark to light coloured and grouped by colour.

Be interested to see what others do as most people have more clothes than they wear or need - I know I do! Do they rotate pieces in and out of the wardrobe or have a ruthless cull every so often? I am also guilty of keeping things that don't fit in the hope I will slim into them.

JinxyCat · 11/04/2014 11:03

Oooh, have you heard of the Kon Mari way of folding your tops? I saw an article on it and tried it out on my drawers and I can now see all my tops in the drawer rather than riffling through trying to see which ones to wear...

Glossolalias · 11/04/2014 11:47

Jinxy I thought that's how everyone stored their clothes, how did you have them before

BranchingOut · 11/04/2014 11:58

Firstly, over the last few years I have dramatically weeded out the number of clothes I have. If it doesn't fit or doesn't suit me, it doesn't hang around. This means that there is space between each hanger on the rail!

Summer/winter clothes stored away, plus a reserve box of clothes that don't fit me but I might conceivably slim into again one day. Then I arrange the remaining clothes all by colour.

Everything is hung up apart from underwear, nightclothes and lounging clothes. I have recently begun hanging up my jeggings on skirt hangers as I had lots of that type of hanger and very few of the fold-over-the-bar type. Accessories are in boxes, but if I have a piece of costume jewellery that looks nice with a particular dress, I hang it on the same hanger. I don't keep shoes in my wardrobe as we have a cupboard downstairs.

Romcom · 11/04/2014 18:04

That's great Jinxy, thanks! Some fab tips here. I'm slowly reducing my wardrobe so if I don't love it and feel nice in it, it's gone.

OP posts:
ItsRoxie · 11/04/2014 18:55

I have enough wardrobe space to keep everything in there so I don't pack away clothes out of season. I like hanging up most of my clothes; the only clothes I have folded in drawers are gym clothes or loungewear/pyjamas, which I don't mind getting creased. I find it easier to look through hangers for an item of clothing than to rummage through a drawer (the item I wanted always ends up being on the bottom and then I mess up the pile trying to find it).

Dresses, skirts and coats are in a full-length single robe. Tops, jumpers and shirts are on hangers. I don't group by colour, but more by the type of top, e.g. short sleeved tops worn under jumpers are together, long sleeved layers are together, then short sleeved tunics and jumper/cardigans. Jeans, trousers and leggings are folded and hung on clip hangers. Scarves are also folded and on clip hangers. I have another half-rail for light jackets, swimwear and random stuff that doesn't fit in the other categories (err, like my basque and dressing up outfits...Blush). I have quite a bit of spare space in my wardrobe and use it for storing other things like hairdryer, files, jewellery, piles of tickets...

bluesbaby · 11/04/2014 18:57

I use this method for everything in drawers:

because i'm pretty small (size 8-10) my clothes are pretty small so I can get away with rolling tank tops and tshirts. No creases!

jumpers I stack in clear drawers (easy to see and pull out).

dresses, shirts, and outerwear I hang.

zinnia · 22/04/2014 22:18

The Konmari thing (which I think is basically the same as bluesbaby's) is amazing, did it over the weekend (have her book) and DH so impressed he's done the same with his clothes (this is v out of character). Have done DD1's drawers and now can open/shut them properly for first time in years. DD2 is next!

Have so much room now that lots of things I've been hanging up (eg cardigans/ trousers) can now fit into my chest of drawers and actually have some space in wardrobe as a result. Miraculous.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/04/2014 22:24

I have a 3 door wardrobe so anything naice or any coats that I want to wear but not hang on the hall pegs are in the small space.

I've recently changed to colour-organising. Starting with black at one side through to white on the other. Not by tops, trousers, jumpers but colour.

I have too much navy and grey I realised after this.

Underwear in drawers , I used to have those honeycomb dividers until my DD took them but I'll get them back.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/04/2014 22:25

Mine is easier because I wear a uniform for work and I only have four handbags Grin

helzapoppin2 · 23/04/2014 10:14

I've just done the Kon Mari thing with my winter woollies, optimistic, I know! It is good! I've condensed them into a small space and freed up a lot of hangers.
On another subject, I've decided I can't offload stuff to the charity shops because I'd only go and buy it back again!

ChishandFips33 · 23/04/2014 11:49

Like style said (I'm new to this and it does really make a difference!)

I got a bit obsessed and folded socks a bit like the tshirt way so they are folded over and flat and tucked in as opposed to paired together and rolled at the top - amazingly I got 2 drawers of socks condensed in to one!! I was soo proud

littlegreengloworm · 23/04/2014 11:51

I hang up everything except night and loungewear and bag everything I don't wear in current season or doesn't fit. Then I have a seperate wardrobe I m spare room for going out wear and coats.

Admire all the folding though, I wouldn't have the patience.

plasticbanana · 25/04/2014 09:47

A question for those people who put unseasonal clothes away. How do you do this? I'm worried they'd get smelly if they were bagged up.

dexter73 · 25/04/2014 09:58

I put clothes away in storage bags. They are clean when I put them away so they don't get smelly.

OriginofSymmetry · 25/04/2014 09:59

Plastic banana - you get get those vacuum pack bags for clothes in the pound shop. Keeps clothes clean and dry.

Bonsoir · 25/04/2014 10:04

I hang everything - I hate creased clothing!

Swex · 25/04/2014 10:32

I have had a eureka moment. I am off to fold my tops.

RubyReins · 25/04/2014 11:05

Marking my place here with great interest. My wardrobe is a bloody cowp.

areyoutheregoditsmemargaret · 25/04/2014 12:38

I have a jewellery organiser a bit like this www.notonthehighstreet.com/notajewellerybox/product/cream-wall-jewellery-hanger- though mine is nicer, there are lots out there, it makes the wall look very pretty and I can see all my baubles and select

I can never get storage bags to work, am I missing a trick?

poshme · 25/04/2014 13:12

Either everyone has bigger wardrobes than me or I have lots of clothes! How many wardrobes do you have if you hang everything?
I have 1 double wardrobe and a chest of drawers and a drawer under my bed and everything is crammed in...

Livingwithminecraftaddicts · 25/04/2014 17:35

I hang everything apart from exercise gear and some knitwear. I find certain knitwear can drop quite a bit if left hanging for too long. Shoes are in a mixture of clear boxes (from b&m or somewhere) and ikea boxes. I used to have them on open racks but they got dusty. I even hang my long boots up with clamp skirt hanger, with a baby sock under the clamp to stop them marking. (I am not obsessive honestly )
Bags are in dust bags. Jewllery is in mixture of boxes and few wooden rails with hooks.
I keep all my wintercoats, evening/special occassion dresses in suit bags. I cut the bottom of the suit bag if its not long enough for the item, as really its the shoulders that get dusty when theyre hanging. My clothes are in open rails in dressing room, in hindsight I would go for doored storage, its on my wishlist.

Bonsoir · 25/04/2014 17:36

poshme - I have a large walk-in dressing room with several metres of hanging rails, shelves above and some little shelves/drawers for underwear, scarves, handbags, jewellery organiser etc.

mirpuppet · 25/04/2014 18:11

Those who are using folding or using Konmari way of folding how do you actually see teh items?

I just did my shirts and as I usually dress in the dark not to wake up DH I have been going to my wardrobe and doing it by feel/ shape -- can't do that when folded.

But folded is taking up less space. Nice to be able to slide items in my wardrobe.

Swipe left for the next trending thread