Hangers – The do’s and don’ts

Many people underestimate how important hangers are in keeping your clothes perfect. If you have clothes you love, be aware that using incorrect hangers can cause your clothes to mark or become pulled out of shape.

TROUSERS

• The best solution is full-length hanging, if you’ve got the space, for which you need peg hangers.  Otherwise, they should be folded in half and hung on a hanger with a round, fat bar so that you don’t get creases at the knees.  The
  foam-covered ones given away by boutiques are fine.  Wooden hangers with grips are excellent, but you do need a lot of room as they’re bulky.

JACKETS AND COATS

• Look at your shoulders in the mirror, or better, look at other people’s shoulders asthey stand.  Are they straight?  No, they curve, and that’s how jackets arecut.  So you need curved, banana-shaped hangers to hold the shape nicely.
  Plastic ones are fine and wooden too, though again, they’re heavy.  Our Coat/Jacket Flock hangers are very light and curved to mimic the natural shape of a persons shoulder.
• Look for tapered, not sharp ends at the shoulder which will disfigure the garment.  Broad-shouldered men can buy hangers with shoulder extensions. Similarly, the narrow-shouldered should get smaller hangers.  In this case, one size doesn’t fit all.

SKIRTS

• For these, depending on the fabric and cut, you need peg or expander hangers tohold the waist taut.  Expanders are good with materials such as suede, leather or delicates, which will be marked by the grips on peg hangers.  Never hang a skirt by its loops; it can create a v-shape dip in the middle.

DRESSES

• Of all the hangers I’ve ever tested, I’ve found the narrow, rubber-covered, slightly curved hangers we stock to be the best for dresses, blouses and tops.  They need to hold the garment and stop it slipping but be light enough not to spoil the shape.  Unlike wire hangers, they don’t have pointy corners.

TIPS

• Beware the pretty, padded hanger, which can often be too horizontal
• Never use to wide a hanger, it will disfigure your clothes
• Look for hanger extensions, either to widen or to have an extra bar so that you can
  store a jacket and skirt together.