I had a huge clear-out of my wardrobe a couple of months ago so thought it might be worth sharing my new streamlined space. The last image in the slider is a ‘before’ shot refering to the area when I first moved into the house about three years ago. You would be forgiven for thinking I had just been ransacked and the thieves had left behind only the most unfashionable of attire. I also think the before image confirm why Adam photographs our content for Rock My Style rather than myself.

My wardrobe occupies half the space above my very narrow hall. As I mentioned back in my closet crashing feature you can walk in to my wardrobe but it’s a very tight squeeze.
In the same post RMS reader Claire commented on how she had opted for a capsule wardrobe of forty pieces. Well Claire, I have to bow down to you. How have you done this?! I really, really wanted to try out the whole capsule thing but was so overwhelmed by the whole process I just started folding up my jumpers neatly instead. It’s probably fair to say even after the removal of four bin bags of clothes I still only wear about twenty percent of the things I have in my wardrobe so I’m building up to trying out a capsule collection for winter.

If you’re down to forty items or four hundred here are the ways I store my clobber to make the most of every inch of wardrobe space.

Slim hangers

I used to covet those fancy wooden hangers. You know the type that makes you feel like you’ve kitted your wardrobe out like a boutique. However as they are quite bulky, and my closet is on the skinny side, I would only have been able to hang a few tops.
A couple of years ago I noticed the thin velvet style hangers next to the till in Primani. I think they were about £4 for 10 so over the next few months I bought a few bundles every week. The flocked texture means the garment stays in place rather than sliding off and they take up a lot less space. This is not an excuse to go out and buy more clothes…..

Racks

I’m not sure it’s possible to do a storage post without mentioning Ikea. The silver wire frame and racks I have to store all my accessories and trousers are no longer available but their ALGOT range is very similar.
There are various formations to fit in all manner of spaces. I think I’ve had my frame and mesh baskets for about six years and they’re holding up very well considering the strain of my excessive handbag collection.

Boxes

I use fabric boxes to store my out-of-season clothes. I have debated about adding little labels to make locating last summers bikini a doddle, however I’m just not that organised. These ones were from Ikea originally and although they don’t do this colour anymore there is a new beige version available. I have the canvas shoe rack version laid horizontally under my bed to hold footwear too. Most of aforementioned charity shop castoffs were found hiding in these boxes so I’m debating whether they really are a good idea?

Hooks

I’ve added various hooks into my wardrobe and find them useful for squeezing in bags, hats, jewellery, belts, oh and this old white frock I had lying around.

Shelves

I’ll admit I’m probably not making the most of the space on my shelf unit but as it’s the first thing I see when I open the door I’ve tried to make it more styled. The unit in question was left by the previous owners and is simply made out of melamine with a wooden trim across the top.
I store my shoes in pairs with one heel facing in and one toe facing out as they take up slightly less space. I imagine if you have a few similar pairs this also makes them easier to identify too.

What are your tips for saving space in your closet? Is anyone trying the capsule wardrobe? And finally does anyone else find boxes just encourage you to hoard rather then streamline?