Folded and Hung

CEBU, Philippines - Many times, we obsess about putting together the right outfit, fearing that they world may see us in a less-than-glamorous state. And for stylistas and fashionistas alike, anything that is less-than-glamorous is simple more than disastrous and thrice unacceptable.

The pains that many of us go through and the many holes we burn in our pockets just to make heads turn and to be every inch the show-stopper are truly efforts that can be considered one for the books. But when the time comes for us to take off those palazzo pants, do we ever worry about whether or not we will still be able to wear them the exact same way they felt when they were brand new?

Maybe not. In fact, storage has been one of the least thought-about aspects when it comes to clothes, considering our preoccupation is mostly on the wearing part.

Here, we take a break from discussing the season’s latest trends. As we gear up towards an entirely new fashion cycle with the advent of the ber months, we switch our focus on making sure that our best pieces will be just as perfect as the day we swiped our credit cards just to bring them home and put them on our backs.

Keeping our threads in perfect shape is a skill that requires minimum effort. In fact, it only takes one good consideration—choosing the right kind of hanger. And believe me, it doesn’t take a genius to figure this one out.

Here’s a cheat sheet on what hanger to use for which pieces of clothing.

1. Shirts

Wooden hangers are your best friends when it comes to keeping your shirts in tip top shape. Forget about folding them if you have a larger closet space. Opt to hang them using wooden hangers instead. Wooden hangers have wider shoulders and softer edges that are great for filling out clothes better and for helping sustain their shape and fabric. Wooden hangers made of cedar don’t only smell great but they repel moths and they absorb moisture quite naturally.

2. Pants

Pants are quite tricky to store and for the lack of any good advice, we always have the tendency to either fold them or to hang them across the bar of any existing hanger. For pants, choose the kind of hangers that come with clips. This way, if your pants are flat at the front, you can easily clip them to hang at the waistband. For trousers with a center crease, fold them in half to make the crease align with both legs. If you simply lack the space, go for trouser bars instead.

3. Suits

Suit hangers with locking bars or a non-slip rubber bar will do wonders for one’s collection of suits as these will prevent the coat and that pants from slipping and falling off in a puddle of cloth. It’s important to leave both jacket and trousers unzipped and unbuttoned. Also, there should be room in between suits or clothes to allow the fabric to breath and to prevent wrinkling.

4. Coats

Nothing else will do for coats than a nice, heavy duty hanger that’s ultra wide and that comes with arched shoulders to keep the coat’s form in place. Make sure that your coat has been hung out to dry before thinking of stuffing it back into the closet in the event that you just came from a heavy downpour.

5. Wire Hanger

This is the hanger to prevent at all costs. The wire hanger is the ultimate enemy of any piece of clothing.  Although this is very convenient for hanging in the car in the event that you need to have a quick wardrobe change but you’re pressed for time, cease and desist. The wire hanger will only end up creasing and stretching your clothes, hence making this a candidate for the trashbin asap.