Ditch the closet and set yourself up with a full-on dressing room

By Virginia K. Smith | February 13, 2015 - 11:59AM

What, you haven't already dropped nearly $60,000 on an elaborate custom dressing room full of Men in Black-level gadgetry? It's what all the wealthy tastemakers are doing, according to the Wall Street Journal, and the luxury isn't just the extra space to display handbags like works of art: it's tricked out extras like an "iPad-controlled rotating shoe dispenser" and screens in full-length mirrors that show your outfit from all angles. For better or worse, the future is now.

Buyers are apparently more than willing to carve space from their own bedrooms to accommodate dressing rooms, which some tout as "the last child-free territory in the home" and a space to relax in private. (Though, at press time, it's still unclear how exactly parents are keeping kids away from the Forbidden Room Of Fancy, Shiny Things).

On the off-chance you don't have the budget or space to recreate this in your walk-up, designers who spoke with the paper had sage advice that applies to even the tiniest closets (plus, we've got a few of our own):

Invest in quality items like wooden hangers, a steamer, and moth-repellant products (plastic bags, lavender), to preserve your clothes. There are also legions of handy organizational tools out there to help compartmentalize things.
This one's useful whether your problem is an enormous clothes collection or a tiny studio: box up your out-of-season clothes and whisk them away to a storage unit. Nothing's more annoying than navigating around a pile of Christmas sweaters in August.
Categorize your clothes by type and then by color, recommends one stylist, so they'll be easier to grab on the go (and you have a better idea of what you actually own). And if you tend to gravitate towards a uniform or specific items of clothing, store them on a separate rack (or somewhere else visible and accessible) for quick access.
Don't be afraid to go DIY, whether adding in a temporary wall or using bookshelves to create a separate dressing area within your room, then customizing it with your own shelving, racks, and bins. It won't cost you an entire year's salary, and you can take it all with you when you move.

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