Overhaul

My underwear and socks and slips and socks and tights and stockings and camis have threatened to consume the drawers in my closet. I have 3 of them, drawers that is. They are not large. Nonetheless, don't you suppose they should be large enough to contain one woman's underwear stash?

While we debate that, let me tell you what I spent an afternoon doing.

• I started by dumping everything from everywhere out on the bed.
  
• That traumatized me so I opened a bottle of wine.
  
• Next, I reviewed everything to verify it wasn't "finished", which is to say that the elastic and fabric was in good shape. If it didn't pass the test (I'm harsh), it was discarded. Natch, there was practically none of this in the pile.
  
• Then, for everything other than bra sets, I considered which items I didn't love for whatever reason. If they were still in packages (stockings) or barely used camis I put them out in the free box on my lawn. (Don't be horrified. I live in downtown TO. We do that here.) Within 20 minutes the box was empty.
• I pulled out the shapewear I've never worn because I just don't get it. I'm considering offering this up to my blog friends (unless that's totally gross to do) for the cost of shipping. Or maybe even just for free. It's not undies shapewear.
• I threw out lots of socks I have always found disappointing.
• Then, I moved on to the bra sets.

You should know that I have many sets which are up to 7 years old - when I really started spending on the lingerie. Like many women, I have been a number of different sizes and shapes and my chest size has changed as a result. Don't misunderstand. My chest is large at any weight. It's just slightly less full (and my back circumference is smaller) at my lower weight. Right now, I am neither at my slimmest nor least slim. I'm closer to the slim me but 5 lbs up from my "cutest skinny weight" - to use abusive magazine lingo.

(On a side note: The part of me that cares about this is at odds with the part of me that just started a new, challenging job and is trying to manage the stress that brings, loves to cook and eat, and doesn't have time to do as much yoga as would be optimal in light of all the sewing she prioritizes. What can I say? You can't have it all.)

Anyway, back to the bras... I vacillate between 2 or 3, very similar sizes depending on where I'm at and the brand of bra I'm wearing. Remember: I only wear stuff that fits perfectly. I will not pillow or swim. In as much as, at whatever size and shape I find myself, I'm convinced it's never going to change in either direction, I've lived long enough to know that either option is possible. Why should I discard the slightly fuller or smaller sets - all in good condition - simply to replace them at a future date. I mean, they don't go out of style. I have good taste. I spent a bomb. And they aren't "over". They've all got stable elastic and the fabric is in excellent condition. I decided I would put them in a separate drawer (one I had to find, which is another story),to await the day I might be happy to see them again.

Then it was time to contend with the remainder, which is to say it was time to have some fun looking at the stuff I love not all wadded up in the back of some dark drawer. I had no idea how to get everything into one drawer at this point, only that I needed one drawer for socks and stockings products, one for camis slips and scarves and that left one for undies in current rotation.

Till it hit me: Why not store my undies like the shops do - with all the bras and undies kept together (bras in front) lined up vertically (underwire tips pointing up, horseshoe curve against the drawer bottom)? They must know something about space saving, no?

So here you go:


In general I've got my neutrals, pinks, blacks and patterns organized by colour. At least they're all visible and I can grab for the bra and undies in one easy motion. I decided not to try and make it perfect - not in real life and not in photos. I spend too much time doing that and it's just not adequately productive, frankly. We all know how the undies refuse to cooperate and stay gorgeously folded, what with all the quick-grabbing that happens in the morning. And srsly, do you think less of me because this isn't utterly perfect? Not so you'll admit it anyhow!

Brief reminder: When you buy sets - at any price range - do what you can to buy at least 2, if not 3 pairs of undies - preferably of different cuts. I know it can really get pricey, but the whole thing will last so much longer, get much better rotation and suit a variety of bottoms.

OK, mega-post over and out. Now pls. do tell how you organize this key element of your wardrobe. How many bras do you own? Damn, how can I be asking this when I haven't even counted the numbers in my wardrobe. That's totally on the agenda!

Lace Handcuffs

My lingerie situation is a bit like Sal's shoe situation: joyfully abundant. I don't know how it is that my drawers teem ever with frillies (ha ha, get it?!) but I recently found myself in the unenviable, nay intensely unpleasant, position of being unable to find things because everything is a mush.

You know I'm not a hoarder. I'm not even a keeper. I look for any reason to pack something away, give something away, throw something away. And yet I am continually acquiring beautiful bras and matching undies. OK, not continually, but when you buy high-end, the stuff really wears well and lasts. And when you have a critical mass of sets, each one is worn so relatively infrequently (but often enough) that they soldier on indefinitely.

How can I justify turning away from a gorgeous, perfectly-fitting, makes-me-feel-fabulous bit of lingerie? And then, once close to my heart, literally, how can I justify throwing it away (cuz you really can't pass it on), simply to make room for other pieces?

Seriously, it's one of those stupendously bourgeois problems that keep me up at night.

I've even become stressy about how I will have space for my homemade wares - not that I have, at this point, any real reason to worry about that eventuality :-) Thing is, when I finally crack the code of the couture bra, I'm going to have to make them tous le temps. Vraiment.

I abhor clutter. On my tombstone they may put something like "Clutter did her in". I know that everything I buy, make, every wonderful gift I receive is a thing I will be responsible to love and maintain. It takes the edge off, let me tell you.

On a related, but side note topic, yesterday I went to World Sew and bought 3 yards of chocolate rayon jersey to make the Drape Drape no. 3 gather dress (which is coming along - at least on paper). No, it's not "super cheap in case I wreck it" (thanks Scott) but it is stretchy and I'm starting to have concerns about the tiny Asian slopers (i.e. pattern blocks) which form the basis of the dress size/proportion I'm about to make. I'm not even risking Large in a woven. I'm building in some ease :-)

Anyway, even as I was buying, I couldn't stop thinking about how much material I was taking on - never mind the finished product I will, sewing goddess willing, need to find a spot for in my fairly full wardrobe. I don't know how much fabric the dress is going to eat (I can't figure it out in Japanese), but I sure as hell don't want to be 90% of the way there and 6 inches short. Alas, that's fabric I have to store and look at until it's used up and what if I use up too much to have enough left over for something else but there's still too much to feel ok about discarding. The world's not getting any tidier.

OK, I can see I need to stop with this. PMS has me in its grip.

Point is, next post, I will tell you what I've done to resolve the lingerie organization crisis. It's not pretty - oh, who are we kidding, it's pretty!

Stay tuned. And tell me about your own underwear storage concerns, fiascos, scenarios etc. while we wait.

The Forest for the Trees

Y'all know how much I love Enc and her blog. She's got such a great way of drawing you into her world. Between her polls and her photos, tales of the lead-up to her recent wedding and her poignant vignettes about her family - well, you just have to check her out to see what I mean.

Since January, she's been following a worthy, temporary lifestyle initiative she calls S.I.N.C.B.M (self-imposed-no-clothes-buying-moratorium) which is truly impressive. I can just see readers shaking their heads saying, "what, is she the anti-k.line - the one with the halo?". Enc is living proof that you can write a great fashion blog without buying a damn thing (except the occasional wedding dress).

Though an obviously and even self-acknowledged organized blogrrrl, today she posted about closet angst, a topic that's near and dear to my heart. First, let me say, I got some chills and thrills thinking about potentially, someday, having a chance to store my, ahem, collection in a 6 x 6 room. A woman with that kind of space is living the high-life, to be sure, but romance is inclined to come along eventually, whereupon a girl's wise to give up area to make room for the Converse and the denim.

In a sentence that says it all, Enc speaks about how love (aside from lifting her up and liberating her) has managed to remove two inches of air around each of her hangers. Is there no justice?

At any rate, I do love to offer unsolicited advice to incredibly with-it women in a public forum, so pls. forgive me Enc for suggesting the following minimal adjustments to an already excellent set up:

• Blond wooden hangers. (I, myself, have tried to move from plastic to wooden hangers for a couple of reasons - a) I find that they hold the clothes more effectively and b) they're nice to look at, read: homogenous and warm).



• Colour coding from neutrals to neons. It's obvious, from the pics in your post, that you've got a smart structure wherein skirts live cleanly on one side and tops on the other. It may be more appealing to you, and easier when searching for things, to sort the lights from the darks, the brights from the neutrals in a kind of ascending pattern.



• Shoe Wheel. Now we know you've got shoes! Might it actually have been you who profiled that amazing gizmo that holds zillions of pairs of shoes in a handy, storable wheel? I'd get it in a second but it's too deep for my closet floor. You, on the other hand, could slot one - or even two - into a spot underneath the shirts for instant, compact storage. The most fun thing about it is that the shoes are visible through the translucent plastic. Voila, then all the space holding those shoe boxes above the rods would be free to store other things - like extra cashmere sweaters or your insanely gorgeous bag collection.

Now, if only you would offer me some S.I.N.C.B.M. advice...

The Hardcore Resources

I'm not the pioneer I imagined myself to be, having just come across this great closet organization series from Diana at Painfully Hip. It will direct you to other useful posts proposing nitty-gritty instruction / suggestions about whipping your environment into shape. And, in truth, I never would have found this post, if not for the fantastic Kitten at Picked Picks (it's just merged with her other amazing photoblog - A Bit Personal). If you haven't had a chance to check out this site, do yourself a favour and give it a click. This woman's personal style is amazing.

Apparently, there are some seriously organized bloggers out there, who bring their uniqueness and creative process to more than just dressing. And they do it at some length, go figure. So get out your pen and paper OR do up that schematic OR meditate on the things you can't live without.

Remember: As above, so below (Or as I like to paraphrase: Do get your ass organized; you know you're gonna feel deliciously superior while effortlessly outfitting yourself in 5 minutes flat!)

(Closet) Case In Point

You should know that, while my current closet has worked well for me, it is by no means my ideal. Before we moved to our current house, we lived in a just-built condo in midtown and, despite its serious space challenges, we had a small walk-in closet professionally built in. It was very practical, and nice to look at. If only I'd taken a picture of that one...

So K, if I understand her correctly, is looking for some pointers about how best to set up one's closet. And, while I do love to tell people exactly what to do all the time, it seems - given my deeply held opinion that the closet is an expression of one's true self - I can only speak for my own process.

First let's start with the pics:

Yes, that's how much space I have, to store my clothes, my husband's clothes, a bag collection (it's up above the top of the door frame - the ceilings are high - so you can't see it, just like I can't reach it...), shoes, belts and other assorted accessories. And you know how I like to shop.

I should disclose that I also use a part of my daughter's closet (what?, it's bigger than mine) and this chest of drawers, also shared with my husband:

The other closet is, for example, where the hideously extensive collection of boots is stored.

The keys for me are colour-coordination, season-sorting, keeping the dresses all together (in the other closet) and folding things perfectly. Perfect folding makes your clothes look better - like you're in your own fancy shop every morning getting dressed. It also allows you to fit in more per square inch than you ever thought possible. What could be wrong with that?! Of course, if it manages to be an overblown expression of your OCD, well all the more "real you", I say.

My excellent friend Sandra, who is a stylish vixen bar-none (and whom I love dearly, to be sure) has the worst way of folding shirts I've ever seen. I mean, it's a torture to me. She actually puts them away INSIDE OUT - like it's a strategy or something...

And I know that some, K being one of them, like to organize the closet by "thin" and "forgiving" sizes. I suppose I do that too, but it's not my overriding hierarchy.

One other thing I am very careful about: Culling. As per my previous post on this, when something comes in - within reason - something goes out. Or, more to the point, when you run out of space to store things beautifully/cleanly/easily/enjoyably, then you've got to stop bringing in the new stuff, or start recycling the old. Now you know which model I prefer...

So, fabulous fashion bloggers and readers, do you arrange your closet in some way that will give us EITHER a new, great organization pointer OR deep insight about you?

Closet Case

To understand my closet is to understand me. You might think that speaks of a psyche almost imbecilic in its lack of complexity (ridiculous / fashion-obsessed / shallow), but I assure you, your closet is similarly reflective of you. And this is not an insult, btw.

Let me start with a few details about me which, until now, you may not have discerned:

• I love order.
• I hate clutter.
• I'm efficient in a compulsive way.
• I'm compulsive in a compulsive way.

Then I'll throw in a few details about my closet:

• It's small - having been carved out of a room 15 feet wide, under a staircase.


• It's oddly shaped.


• It's been "home renovated" by my husband and a close family friend.


• It's still not large enough for my clothes and my husband's.


• My husband has more clothes than me - but most of them are crap from 1987 and are taking up space at the awkward back end of the closet. I would love to twitch my nose and have it all end up at a thrift shop. Trust me, he would not miss a single item.

Here are a couple of additional facts, thrown in for good measure:

• I live in a Victorian rowhouse (over 100 years old).


• Every built in closet (of which there are none on the main floor or basement) was added in - when the house was restored about 10 years ago.


• I had no idea about the importance of closets until I found myself living in an environment so unaccomodated by them. My house, while long and tall, is 15 feet wide. So I get to choose between things like couches or an add-in wardrobe.


• I love my challengingly narrow, old home and do not intend to move.


• I don't have 60-100k lying around at the moment with which to do a wholesale reno, and trust me, I'd be starting with the kitchen if I did.

My long-time friend Martha has been known to say of me "She gets rid of September's magazines in August." And it's true. Given my nature, and infrastructure, I can live surrounded by clutter and crap the likes of which would make me truly insane, or I can institute a policy I like to call "Get Something-Give Something". For everything I bring in, I give something away via one of the following channels:

• Putting it out front for the many, many, many lawn pickers who troll the downtown core.


• Giving it to Goodwill or to a shelter.


• Giving it to a friend.


• Putting it in the recycle (when appropriate)


• Throwing it out. (And yes, this has to happen now and again. You can't do much with old underwear and socks and decimated shoes and certain other things.) This is, of course, my measure of last resort.

Now that I've set the scene, please stay tuned for tomorrow's closet installment, wherein I will provide photos and talk about the specific way I like to organize my things.