Muslin Hangers: 6 Tricks to Organize Your Accessories

Rarely is there enough storage space in a wardrobe truck to store all the accessories needed for a movie shoot. In order to solve this problem film costumers use muslin hangers to store ties, belts, jewelry, gloves, scarves–you get the picture. What are these muslin hangers that a Costumer Supervisor can’t live without and how can they help organize your accessories?

What is a Muslin Hanger?

Walk in to any organizing store and you will find a wall of accessory organizers. While some of them are very useful, none of them are as handy as a muslin hanger.  So what is a muslin hanger?  It’s simply a strong wooden hanger with two pieces of muslin sewn together as an overlay. Film costumers use them to organize ties by color, scarves by type, gloves by season etc. Muslin hangers are an inexpensive way to organize and view accessories that you can use at home. Here are a few ideas.

Organizing Accessories with a Muslin Hanger:

 With a few safety pins, a muslin hanger can be your best friend.  I like to organize my accessories on them (much like the images here, which are from the costume departments of “Boardwalk Empire” and “Flesh and Bone”).

1. Necklaces– You can pin them to both sides of the hanger and since they hang vertically they do not get tangled and knotted.

2. Belts– You can organize your belts by color and style; casual on one side and dress on the other. You can also hang them near your pants for easy access and organization.

3. Ties– Muslin hangers are a great way to organize ties. I organize my husband’s ties by color. When it comes time for him to choose a tie, he can hold up the muslin with all of the blue ties to his suit and shirt for example and immediately see which one will work the best. This method works great with pocket squares too!

4.Scarves-The benefit to using this type of organization for scarves is that you can use both sides of the hanger. So if you are organizing by season you can pin your winter scarves on one side and spring scarves on the other. If you are like me and have too many scarves for that method you can organize them by color.  A tip: pin scarves through the tags to avoid unsightly holes.

5. Intimates-Bras are so difficult to store, but with a safety pin (around  the strap only!) you can hang them in your closet, which will help keep their shape and make it easy for you to find the right one for your needs.  I also love them for socks, particularly unique ones that you need to keep in pairs (instead of rummaging around in your sock drawer), as well as tights (again, pin through the tag). If you want to hang stockings be sure and put them in ziploc bags and pin them to the muslin to protect them from getting runs.

Above Muslin Hangers are Courtesy of the Costume Department of “Flesh and Bone”

6.Putting together outfits with Muslin Hangers:Take a muslin hanger and use it to organize an entire outfit.  Everything from earrings(they can be placed in ziploc bags, then pinned to the hanger), to underthings, to socks, scarves, belts and any other accessories can be pinned to the muslin hanger and hung next to the clothes that they will be worn with. It’s a great way to plan outfits for the week, particularly for travel. Just fold up the muslin hanger and everything is there, ready to go, and can be pulled and hung in your hotel room’s closet — no more fishing around your luggage for that stray earring!

You can purchase muslin hangers and other accessory hangers  at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply below.