A few years ago, it dawned on me that there was an easier way to get dressed in the morning. I could avoid the everyday routine of trying to remember why I never wore the pair of underwear that always seemed to be on top, and I could stop rummaging through the bras I rarely wear to find the ones I always do.
Things pile up in the same old spot when we haven’t created a place for them. To organize your lingerie, it’s a matter of deciding (1) WHAT needs a place and (2) WHERE to put it.
What Needs a Place
Decide what categories make sense for your lingerie. I have five:
1. everyday bras, including sports bras
2. molded bras that take up a lot of space
3. sexy bras and their matching underwear
4. everyday underwear
5. shapewear and sleepwear
Get rid of anything old and dingy or that no longer fits. If you find you have several one-of-a-kind items, consider creating a miscellaneous category for them, or find something they have in common with other items. For instance, I keep my Grenier corset in my sexy bra drawer.
Where to Put It
I re-purposed a storage unit that looks like this one on Overstock, except mine has only 3 deep drawers. I use it for categories 1, 2 and 3, with everyday bras in the top drawer.
Two more drawers in a regular chest hold my everyday underwear and sleepwear/shapewear.
The key for me has been giving myself enough space. Some people may function fine with everything folded neatly and tightly into two small drawers, but I like the freedom of one category per drawer. If things stay folded, great, but if they come loose, no problem. When a drawer becomes cramped, it’s either time to get rid of something or time to start a new drawer.
Speaking of space, I love having a drawer dedicated only to the bulky molded cup bras that take up so much room. It keeps them safe from dents and dings and frees me from the frustration of trying to find things under them (because of course they always seem to float to the top of the drawer and hide everything else). I’m assuming most of you know this, but don’t fold one molded cup inside the other. Lay them flat and stack them. Otherwise the fabric can ripple and the cup shape turn weird (who needs to look like they have a dented boob under a tight tee shirt?).
Finally, I realize I haven’t addressed socks and nylons. I do the same for them, with much smaller drawers and storage containers. My categories are white and black gym socks, brown trouser socks, black trouser socks, nude knee-highs, sheer nude nylons, sheer dark nylons, and tights by color. These stackable acrylic drawers on Organizeit.com are perfect for nylons because I can see the colors and there’s no danger of snagging.
