Every once in a while you meet those people who just piss you off: you know the ones I mean. Those people, with the perfect closets! (Before I continue, I absolutely realise what a first-world issue this is) By perfect closets, I mean that they look like they've just been photographed for the pages of Elle Décor or Pinterest, racks and racks of perfectly arranged (coordinated by colour, weight, season, length, and/or brand) perfect clothing on perfect hangers. It's entirely intimidating. Even worse than that are those all too uber rich friends whose closets extend beyond double the size of your kitchens, yet have them entirely filled and complain to you about the space issue of having nowhere to put your clothes (by this point i'm talking Sex and the city "heaven on fifth" sort of shit and to a certain one of my friends who'll remain nameless, fyi having a drinks fridge and a secluded courtyard as part of your closet is IN NO CONCEIVABLE WAY NORMAL!!!!!!! Love ya tons but still...)
To try and explain my closet to you is rather depressing in comparison. At present half of the contents are arranged with no thought as to cohesion or aesthetic, instead, it's just there. The other half is sprawled across my bedroom floor, as it habit during pre-assessment period, when i go into my keep-a-calm-looking-façade-but-let-my-personal-life-fall-apart-secretly phase. It's the same as my room i'm afraid to say. And my plan for the holidays is to give it a nice new update all over, making it a neat and welcoming little space. Everything from a lick of paint to hopefully dyeing the wooden shelving a deeper richer shade of brown, to getting together som e new coat hangers, colour coding, and what i'm also hoping to do, taking all of the summer clothing and storing it neatly away in boxes so as to leave more space for all of the current winter garments. That and also some shoe racks, some extra shelves (for ties, gloves, sweaters, socks) and boxes, and a few extra coat hangers for my scarves. You may not know yet, but you will soon: I HAVE TOO MANY SCARVES TO PHYSICALLY FUNCTION! I love them, but it's still nuts. I just need space to get it all organised.
What i'm hoping to do anyway is to get a before/after thing happening and then explain how I worked through getting it all in order. If you have as many clothes as I do stored away in your close, you'll understand just how mountainous and intimidating starting this all can seem. I'm feeling determined though, and so once holidays hit I'll be right into it.
Until then, I decided to list down some of the cool & kooky life-improving doodads i'm hoping on investing in for this neatening venture.
Perfectly useful for deep drawers with darkened corners, this Led Drawer Light will brighten up any small space perfectly. Dying to get my hands on a few of these
These are without doubt the most phenomenal closet neateners I've seen in a while. Magnetic hangers just click into place adjoining to your closet's hanging rod. In black, white, or a natural wood effect, they also have are charged against one another, creating an even distance between each hanger and making for an all around more beautiful closet experience. A set of three hangers sell for a staggering 149 euros, or $217 AUD. The magnets are strong enough to last a lifetime though. An absolute must for the wardrobe fanatic like myself.
Thinking of investing in a couple of these to be completely honest. They would make all of my sweaters much easier to reach, and also serve as a terrific shoe rack.
They've handmade bespoke masterpieces of shoes for everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Prince Charles, so there's absolutely no doubt that the extraordinary folk at John Lobb Ltd are the best of the best with shoe trees. Crafted in the best wood to exacting standards, they'll ensure that your vintage brogues/oxfords/thongs stay in perfect condition through all the rainy, muddy, sandy, hailstorm-battered (you get it...) days and look as good as new in the morning. Don't forget to polish, moisturise, and stuff with newspaper if wet ;) Expensive: yes. Unbeatable quality for a lifetime: also yes!
Quite possibly the most elegant shoehorn in existence, you can bet your bottom dollar they're using the same one over at Balmoral.
Just something I had to make mention. It's been on my birthday list for a while, and I flipped through a few pages when my friend bought their entire The Gentleman collection. Such a good read, and not even remotely condescending (unlike bitchy me) . It's always an excellent step to know how to dress before filling your closet or reorganising it (there may well be that pile you need to dispose of: these gents are the experts so their advice is basically gospel!)