Shoes stashed neatly below.
Ties on a wooden coat hanger. I don't care much for tie racks. This very coat hanger has been holding my ties since high school.
In the front of the house is a coat closet, roughly the same size, where I keep my outerwear. In the basement is one large plastic crate with summer clothes in it. That's it. It's a little cramped, but such close quarters force a man to be tidy.
I have to say, having spent my entire adult life as a shameful clothes horse, and the last six months writing about it almost everyday, I'm a little shocked to realize that most of my Affordable Wardrobe occupies only six square feet. It only goes to illustrate the strength of classic items of clothing. Not only do they wear like iron, but they offer an endless array of combinations and configurations, allowing one to achieve a cohesive look while not repeating specific outfits exactly. Since I started this blog last September, I have yet to repeat an entire outfit, and yet you see what limited resources I have to work with.
If thrift shopping has taught me anything its that it doesn't pay to be frivolous. Each item in a man's wardrobe should be chosen with care and eye on longevity. This is especially true for those of us who frequent the sort of places that sell suits for less than $20, and ties for $ .99. If I took home every "find" that came my way, the bedroom would be full of clothes and we'd be sleeping in the closet.
I'll say it again: creativity often lies in the constraints.
I'm glad that there's somebody else out there who uses traditional wire hangers for shirts, rather than such gimmicks as:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hangerproject.com/index.php?p=21&cat=2
Well, the way I figure, you can hang your shirts on maple hangers for $5.50 a whack, plus shipping, or you can be resourceful and use themillions of wire hangers from the dry cleaners that are always piling up around the house.
ReplyDeleteIn case anyones wondering, my wooden hagers came from Ikea, $3.99 for a package of eight. Not bad.
"creativity often lies int he constraints". amen to that.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the hunting hat.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, my brother was friends with the stockboy at a Fila shop. When the shop closed down, my brother got boxes of wooden shirt and clip hangers. Needless to say, I got some, so have been blessed to have matching hangers.
ReplyDeleteI too share a closet with my wife, but I keep my side much neater.
One tip I learned years ago: colorize your hanging items. My shirts run from whites to light blues to dark blues to black, then my reds. So much easier to choose what I am going to wear, plus it just looks better.
this post is the essence of the times. great post. and please keep them coming
ReplyDeleteHanging ties... sacrilege! They should be rolled m'dear. Aside from that, full marks.
ReplyDeleteSophie,
ReplyDeleteTrue enough, but with closet space at such a premium, you can imagine the drawer space situation.
It's all about how orderly your closet it. Puts mine to shame. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDelete