Slacks, Dress Pants, and Trousers

While you don’t need to hang up jeans, leggings, or your favorite yoga pants, all other pants are better kept in the closet than in a drawer. This will help them retain their shape and stay wrinkle-free. You can fold pants over the hanger or hang them the long way—whichever works best for your space.

Dresses

With the exception of weighty pieces that may warp out of shape on a hanger, dresses should be stored vertically.

On a related note, skirts can be hung or folded depending on the material. Jean skirts and fabric skirts that don’t easily wrinkle may be folded. Flowing skirts, however, should be hung, as detailed below.

Flowing or Billowy Clothing

Dresses, blouses, skirts, and scarves made of flowy fabrics are best hung rather than pressed into a drawer. These fabrics include silk, satin, chiffon, and rayon.

Wrinkle-Prone Clothing

You should hang any clothing that wrinkles easily. Linen, in particular, is notoriously prone to wrinkling; folding it can cause creases that are difficult to remove. Dress shirts and blouses of any material can develop deep creases when folded, so always opt for a hanger.
Velvet Clothing

Velvet Clothing

While you may like the look of crushed velvet, you don’t want your velvet clothing actually crushed! Keeping velvet dresses, tops, and skirts hung up will help prevent damage.

Coats and Jackets

Coats of all kinds—from blazers to your best winter coat—should always be hung. This is partially a matter of space, as these bulky items will take up too much room in a drawer. Folding can also damage the inner structure of your coats.

Structured Pieces

Corsets or bodices with boning should be hung to avoid damage. Folding these items may bend the internal structure out of shape.

Heavy Knits

While the space they take up in a drawer isn’t ideal, heavy knits should be folded rather than hung. The same goes for heavily decorated tops and dresses. If hung, the steady weight of the item will distend and stretch the fabric over time, ruining the shape.

Activewear

Yoga pants, tanks, sports bras, and leggings are typically composed of stretch fabrics. This quality allows the garments to move with you—but also makes them prone to stretching when on a hanger. Keep them in a drawer to retain their shape.

Shawls

Large scarves, shawls, and ponchos are easier and less bulky to store folded. Folding can also help prevent these items from stretching out of shape on a hanger.

T-Shirts

Hanging your short and long-sleeved tees can help keep them wrinkle-free, but it isn’t strictly necessary. Most tees sold today contain a blend of stretchy fabric, like Lycra, which helps prevent wrinkles when folded.

Shorts

Shorts do perfectly well folded and take up less space that way. However, there is nothing wrong with hanging them if you want to.

Jeans

Denim pants hold their shape well, are easy to fold, and don’t tend to wrinkle. This makes them a natural match for a dresser drawer. If you prefer to keep your favorite jeans visible in the closet, though, there’s no reason you shouldn’t.