This month’s BAK Bibliotheca prompt is “challenges.” I’ve been taking some time in January to reflect on my wardrobe. While I’m happy with it’s size and there’s not a lot I think I need (or need to get rid of), I do have one particular EGL wardrobe challenge: storage.
Storage problems
I live in 800 square foot apartment that I share with one other person and a dog. My closet is the smallest I’ve ever had (including my closet in my dorm in college, and that’s saying something.) While I have a generous dresser, most of my lolita wardrobe needs to be hanging. Even my blouses just don’t really fold very well, to say nothing of my dresses, outerwear, and skirts. And that’s before I even get into my work and casual wardrobe! The organizing motto “a place for everything and everything in it’s place” doesn’t work for me because I don’t have space to put things.
Downsizing would solve my problem, it’s frustrating because I don’t want to have to hunt down pieces I like when I have the room for them. So today I’m going to go shopping for storage solutions and see what I can find.
While I’ll be posting things from Amazon and similar stores, I’m hoping that some of these storage items I can find secondhand on places like Offer Up or Facebook marketplace.
Storage solutions
First, I want to grab a second clothing rack. I had one previous that sat under my closet bar and held skirts and blouses. Foolishly, I put some heavy outerwear on it, which broke the poor thing. This rack was useful for maximizing my closet space and I really need to replace it ASAP.
Next, my sock drawer is weirdly deep and my legwear often gets lost in the huge space. I want to find a sock divider that fit stacked in the drawer. My drawer is slightly more than 7 inches tall, so these should work well. I will have some space on the side, so I’ll have to brainstorm a smaller storage solution to use the extra space.
My accessories are currently spread out between some small drawers, jewelry boxes, and hanging zipper pouches, but I’d love to have them all in a central location. I think these overdoor hangers are very cool and having a full size mirror would be excellent. It’s only about 4 inches thick, so though it will add a little bulk to the door, it’s not a huge amount.
Lastly, I think I’ll have a small amount of room in my closet that I can squeeze one of these plastic bins into. I think it might be useful for shoes, but I could also use it for smaller accessories like belts, bodices, and collars. I need to do an inventory to see which of these collections most needs the organization.
Barring a move into a bigger apartment in the next few months (which is unlikely), I think this is the best use of the limited space I have. I’d love to have a whole closet devoted to lolita, but in the meantime, I’ll take what I can get!
I do own a mirror like this and 10/10 recommend, it helps so much! Granted, I own too much jewellery to fit all of it into the mirror alone, but still, it helps get the job done and avoid cluttering spaces elsewhere ^_^”