Storing your Costumes

[ejaghana]

Hey Bhuzzers! Where and how do you store your costumes. I am trying to figure out what to do with mine. I have very limited space, so I need something that I can fit in my closet or in a corner. Any suggestions? As a side note, I don't have many costumes. I just want to get organized so that I know what I have as I collect more stuff!

[alimahdances]

I wonder the same thing, but for now, I put bras and accessories in on of those long hanging shoe storage containers. It is a very long rectangle divided up into smaller spaces. I hang my veils, and I put the belts or attached belt/skirts in a plastic bag and drape them on top of each other on the floor of the closet. That is less than elegant, but the plastic bag protects them from snagging on each other, and by placing them on the floor, they don't get stretched out. Lighter skirts, like the bellas, I just hang up by their handy little straps.

Eager to hear other ideas!

Alimah

[damiena]

Bras and belts in cardboard hatboxes stacked in the corner; chiffon skirts folded up in the hatboxes as well. I only have one lycra costume and the skirt is rolled up and in a hatbox also! I only have one belt with a sewn in skirt hanging up in my closet as the skirt wrinkles horribly even when rolled!!!

[nasila]

I have a shelving unit with each one stored in a color-coded pillow case. Allows airflow, doesn't let anything get crunched. Full skirts hang up in the closet.

Of course, I'm running out of shelves...

[ruta21030]

Originally Posted by damiena

Bras and belts in cardboard hatboxes stacked in the corner; chiffon skirts folded up in the hatboxes as well. I only have one lycra costume and the skirt is rolled up and in a hatbox also! I only have one belt with a sewn in skirt hanging up in my closet as the skirt wrinkles horribly even when rolled!!!

i was wondering who'd be the first :p

there are what, 4 of us at least in the MD area with a 'hatbox thing' (my pile has grown), and i just got shahrzad into it when i explained why i was buying 5 hatboxes at value city LOL...it's a GREAT space saver for costumes that can handle folding, i hang the lycra ones in a closet with eveningwear, and shahrzad came out with handle bags that zip with a clear cover, maybe not great for storage, but GREAT to carry them in, fit jewelry a veil and music without being too bulky!

to steam the wrinklies, i hang them in the bathroom when i shower so the steam can let the wrinkles out, and the weight of the costume does the rest, works pretty well.....

[mekyria]

I use plasic storage boxes. Bad, I know! I make little pouches of unboiled rice to suck moisture out of the costume and a scent bag to add a bit of lavender. Those handle bags with zipper are absolutely wonderful for carrying costume with you.

[antimony]

I use a sweater hanger. It's this thing that hangs from your closet rod that's about a foot wide, a foot deep, and hangs from the rod to the floor. Mine is made of plain canvas. It has shelves every 8 inches or so. I keep a costume on each shelf, and a stack of clean pillowcases on top of the whole thing. When I'm going to take a costume somewhere, I pack it in the pillowcase. Skirts and stuff are hanging on hangers, and I don't have any of the lycra belt-less skirt type costumes.

[damiena]

The only problem with the hatboxes is if you stack them too high and then want to wear the costume in the bottom box!!!!!!

[latriamou]

i hang them in the closet. the bra straps are looped around the hook part. the skirt is folded over the middle almost like pants. the goodies get put in a plastic or ziplock bag which is then hung on the hanger using a safety pin. that way everythign is in one place and i just pick up the hanger and go. unfortunately, for a couple of my heavy ones, the hanger looks pregnant but only one has broken so far. i hope to get some of those molded body form hangers soon but they are expensive..and..well.. i have lots of costumes!

[naiyahayal]

Originally Posted by latriamou

i hang them in the closet. the bra straps are looped around the hook part. the skirt is folded over the middle almost like pants. the goodies get put in a plastic or ziplock bag which is then hung on the hanger using a safety pin. that way everythign is in one place and i just pick up the hanger and go. unfortunately, for a couple of my heavy ones, the hanger looks pregnant but only one has broken so far. i hope to get some of those molded body form hangers soon but they are expensive..and..well.. i have lots of costumes!

Amartia, The Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com) has hangers called "Huggable Hangers" by Joe Magano. These are terrific. A bit pricey, but often on sale -- they have a special on now -- about 100 hangers and lots of extras. Average around $1.50 or so if on sale. These are well worth the price. I have never had one break or bend, I use them for both my own costumes & for vending, they come in lots of pretty colors, and nothing slips -- they are covered in a velour type of fabric, are very thin, not bulky at all, and incredibly strong. Don't bend or break. Check these out

[Lauren_]

Dahlal hangs the skirt on a skirt hanger, then puts the bra/belt (if any) and accessories in a plastic bag and ties the plastic bag around the top of the hanger. Considering she's had lots of experience trying to keep many costumes in the best possible shape, I'm tempted to give that a try.

Right now, I also have bedlah in a hanging sweater rack and skirts hanging alongside.

[tahiradancer]

I make small zippered bags (about the size of half a pillow case) and put the bedlahs in those. Then I put them into a big plastic bin. The bins I use are definately NOT air tight, so the chances of moldiness is lowered. . .

{{{{HUGS}}}

[spanishdoll]

Originally Posted by naiyahayal

Amartia, The Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com) has hangers called "Huggable Hangers" by Joe Magano. These are terrific. A bit pricey, but often on sale -- they have a special on now -- about 100 hangers and lots of extras. Average around $1.50 or so if on sale. These are well worth the price. I have never had one break or bend, I use them for both my own costumes & for vending, they come in lots of pretty colors, and nothing slips -- they are covered in a velour type of fabric, are very thin, not bulky at all, and incredibly strong. Don't bend or break. Check these out

I saw the exact same thing in Bed Bath & Beyond a few weeks ago - not the same brand name, but the same hanger. It was $1.00 each and they had one "value package" that was possibly a bit cheaper! I thought about buying a package, but I wasn't in there for hangers and had to stay on task

[poohbear]

I have an inexpensive wardrobe my hubby bought from Home Depot. I have anything that wrinkles easily (chiffon skirts, lycra, veils) hanging on skirt hangers and then the bras,belts, accessories are stored in a "decorative" storage box from Target. Material covered cardboard. All of my tribal costumes are folded and stored in a very large wicker basket with cover. Only problem is I'm running out of room

[ejaghana]

These are great ideas guys! Thanks!

[khadejah]

Hello All,

I find that when I hang my skirts they end up stretching more and then I am off to the seamstress again...sigh. I have large black trunks that I store my costumes in. I usually turn them inside out (after they have been aired out completely and are dry) and neatly lay them in there or sometime I roll them which helps cut down on wrinkles. I also have some lovely Amber pellets that I bought in Tunisia that I keep in each.

Now please do not ask me how many of those trunks I have

Khadejah

[aazura]

Originally Posted by khadejah

Hello All,

I find that when I hang my skirts they end up stretching more and then I am off to the seamstress again...sigh.

I find that hanging works very well for certain costumes but you do need to be careful about beaded lycra b/c of the weight factor. When I hang beaded lycra (or any costume with a lot of heaving beading on the skirt), I use two hangers -- one to hang the costume from, the other to drap the skirt over about half way down. I've found this works very well in distributing the weight and I've never had a problem with stretching. In fact, I got this idea from one of the costume curators at the last museum I worked at -- it's how she stored all the heavy, full skirts that needed more support.

[khadejah]

Originally Posted by aazura

I find that hanging works very well for certain costumes but you do need to be careful about beaded lycra b/c of the weight factor. When I hang beaded lycra (or any costume with a lot of heaving beading on the skirt), I use two hangers -- one to hang the costume from, the other to drap the skirt over about half way down. I've found this works very well in distributing the weight and I've never had a problem with stretching. In fact, I got this idea from one of the costume curators at the last museum I worked at -- it's how she stored all the heavy, full skirts that needed more support.

Thanks for sharing, I will have to try that!

[aazura]

Just want to add -- don't drape over a wire hanger unless it has some padding on it to protect the skirt. Wide plastic or cloth hangers work best. Good luck!

[tamrahennatx]

I have a couple of those plastic containers with the big drawers in them - they are not airtight - and I store bedleh in there inside pillow cases. I can get about 2-3 bedleh/costumes in each drawer.

Some costumes and skirts are hung on hangers, with the double-hanger method if they are very heavy. Currently, I only have skirts without beading, so stretching is not a problem. I also have a drapery hanger from a dry cleaners with a large cardboard tube which I hang silk veils on.

I confess as a busy working dancer I have not always taken the best care of my costumes, but as I have bought higher quality costumes, I now put more effort into care after wear (gotta preserve that resale value!). Now, I never leave them in the suitcase overnight, I take them out, spray them with vodka, and let them air until they are dry. Only then do they get folded, hung, wrapped in pillowcases, and stored.

I like the idea of moisture/odor absorbing sachets, I wil have to make some with rice and lavender.

[maliam]

I keep the skirts hung up and the other pieces in old shoe boxes. I also use the rice in a sock trick, but add baking soda to it to help remove any odor. The shoeboxes make it easy to label what's inside