4 hacks for floor-baring plus-size closet organization

For most of my life, I envied my friends’ neat, tidy closets. I kept wondering why, no matter what I did, my closets always seemed to be absolute black holes.

Plus-size clothing is fundamentally different than straight-size clothing (more fabric, bigger necklines, etc.), so I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that our clothing storage needs would be different, too!

Velvet hangers

I could never understand why plastic and wire hangers seemed to work for everyone, when they didn’t hold anything but a t-shirt correctly for me. Not only that, but whenever I’d try to hang a couple pairs of leggings or jeans to a hanger, they’d snap or bend into sad, droopy shapelessness. I tried getting dressers, but they’re so bulky and even deep-drawer ones didn’t seem to fit enough of my plus-size clothing to make the space they take up worth it.

I honestly had no idea that velvet hangers even existed until recently, and I’m not sure why it took me so long to find them. I’d always just bought the cheapo plastic kind that came in a 10 pack and called it a day. But LET ME TELL YOU, these babies are an absolute game-changer. They grip even my off-the-shoulder necklines and keep them in place. I bought them for about $20 per 50-pack, and I ended up needing about 200 hangers for the walk-in closet pictured. It’s a bit of an investment, but honestly it was so beyond worth it for me! They totally solved the problem of clothing falling off hangers and piling sloppily on the floor.

More, more, more!

Space was always an issue for me — my closets were always cramped. I used to think that using less hangers would free up more space, so I’d try to hang a few pairs of leggings or jeans to a hanger, which would result in either the hanger snapping or bending out of shape. The thing is that plastic hangers are SO BULKY. If you invest in the slimline velvet kind like I did, using more of them by hanging garments by themselves actually seemed to create more space as well as a tidier look. I hang pants, skirts, and leggings individually now and they all fit so much better in my closet! So, don’t skimp on the number of hangers you buy! Less isn’t always more.

The Great Bra Debacle

Bra storage has always been a nightmare for me. I’d always just stuffed them in drawers or threw them in baskets, because none of the Pinterest hacks or bra organizers available seemed suited for larger bras. My usual solution of throwing them all in jumbled piles in baskets was not neat in the least, or good for the bras!

Eventually, I bit the bullet and decided to hang them all up. Yeah, my bras take up a good amount of space in my closet, but they look tidy, hanging them is better for the bras, and it’s just less of a struggle than having to dig through tangled piles of bras every morning. I’m still hopeful that, someday, someone will decide to make the typical bra storage solutions work for larger-size bras, but until then, hanging them is the way to go.

Strapless? Stack ’em

Even after I hung my bras, I was left with a predicament: WTF am I supposed to do with my strapless bras? I tried folding them over hangers, but decided that couldn’t be good for the bra, so I ended up stacking them neatly on a shelf. It really doesn’t take up that much room, and they’re kept orderly, visible and out of the way.

I ACTUALLY have a closet floor

After I made the switch to sturdy velvet hangers, my clothes — for the first time in my whole life — stayed on their goddamn hangers, which left me with a shocking revelation: I HAVE A CLOSET FLOOR. No more was it littered with piles of fallen clothing! I was able to throw a laundry-sorting hamper beneath my hanging bras, and to use the edges of my closet to actually store things neatly without them getting buried eventually by fallen garments. Heaven.

Having an organized, tidy closet as a plus-size babe is totally possible. If you invest in LOTS of sturdy velvet hangers, hang all your bras and stack your strapless ones, you’ll be left not only with the radiant glow of pride from #adulting so hard, but with closet floor space that you can actually use. Get to it! A functional closet awaits!