Garment Care: The Hanger Project Review

Garment Care: The Hanger Project Review

11
SHARE

hanger project wooden hanger

Recently we discussed that there are cufflinks and then there are cufflinks.  Well my friends, there are also hangers and then there are hangersKirby Allison’s Hanger Project is perhaps the foremost purveyor of luxury hangers, or hangers.   It is also has the widest variety of Saphir shoe care products that I have come across.  And Saphir products are widely regarded as some of the best, if not the best, shoe care products money can buy.  The site has also expanded into offering womens hangers, cufflinks and shoe laces among other accessories.

Kirby and I met at MRket a few months back and we got to talking.  The short of it is that Kirby was nice enough to offer some products for me to review and discuss on FYGblog.  I had been curious for some time about his hangers, as I had heard only good things things about them.

Using proper hangers is what I believe to be one of the most overlooked things by men of any age regarding proper garment care.  All to often I see jackets and shirts hanging on narrow hangers that do not properly support the shoulders of said jacket or shirt. This can cause strain on the fabric which can in turn cause dimples on shirt shoulders and creases on suit shoulders; neither are desirable.  Hanger Project’s wooden shirt hangers ($55 for 10) are about 1/3″ wide, which alleviates any concern of dimpling.

The wooden suit hangers ($74.85 for 3) have shoulder pads that are 2.5″ wide.  Which is more than wide enough to properly support the shoulders of a jacket.  But given that I am a New York City resident and closet space is an expensive commodity the width limits the number of jackets I can fit into my closet, which as my wardrobe grows could be a problem.  But it is a problem I will address once it comes due, as I (and you should) have no plans of putting my suits on narrow hangers to save closet space (maybe I will have to opt for the travel hanger for some of my suits).  The rest of the benefits of the hanger are best explained via the diagram below.  But I would like to make particular note of the felted trouser bar, which is my favorite detail of the hanger.  The level of hold that it has on the pants is superb.  Even a tough pull on one end of the pants has little effect.  Which is a vast improvement over the plastic and wood bars that most hangers have.  The same can be said for the wooden pant hangers ($40 for 5) as well, which have thus far served me very well.

All hangers are made of maple wood and come in 2 different colors, a glossy dark brown (called traditional) and a less glossy natural.  Both look regal and elegant in one’s closet, I favor the dark brown.  Suit hangers come in 4 widths, which is crucial when trying to get the best fitting hanger.  Which ideally you want a hanger that is slightly less wide than your jackets shoulders; so if the shoulders are 18.0″ you want the 17.0″ hanger.  The shirt hangers come in 3 sizes and the same rules of fit apply for them as for suit hangers. The pant hangers are unsized, as there is no need to them to be.  Any pair of pants should be able to fit into the opening easily.

Kirby also included Saphir’s suede cleaner, Omni’Nettoyant ($21.95).  As I mentioned before, Saphir makes some of, if not the best, shoe care products.  And the suede cleaner is no exception.  It is also quite easy to use, Kirby wrote a step by step instructional on how to use it.  It also shows before and after photos.

In conclusion, I have been exceedingly pleased with the wooden hangers from Hanger Project.  Certainly the nicest hangers I have used.  However, the price is also higher than any hangers I have used.  But I look at it this way, if I am spending the time and money to acquire well fitting suits I should take care of them.  And as with taking care of anything, the cost is not always free.  That said, I fully recommend hangers and shoe care products from Hanger Project.  If you have any questions or comments of you own, sound off below.

Cheers,

Justin L Jeffers

luxury hanger diagram

hanger project suede cleaner

hanger project luxury suit hanger

hanger project wooden suit hanger

hanger project wood hanger

hanger project clothes hanger

hanger project wooden pant hanger

Note: FYGblog did receive product during the course of this review.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Dear Justin,

    If you would please be so kind to mention a few of the other good hangers you’ve used, that doesn’t come as costly. As a student, I have to start somewhere.

    Regards, Andrew.

    • Andrew,
      I have used hangers from various suit makers (mysuit, mytailor etc) and from dry cleaners here in nyc (hallak, meurice). Additionally, I’ve used hangers that I picked up at bed bath and beyond and the container store (both plastic and cedar) for less than $20.
      Justin

  2. Nice looking hangers Justin. Isn’t there some theory that wooden hangers should be made from unsealed aromatic timber such as cedar to deter moths and silverfish from making themselves at home amongst ones finest wool suits? I empathize with you regards the lack of space as ones suit collection grows and New York apartments already tight for space. Even here in regional Australia I find myself short for wardrobe space so the width of the hangers does make a difference. Finally should the hooks on the hangers face inward or outward when hanging in the wardrobe ? Regards, Geoff.

    • In my experience, cedar needs to be sanded regularly if you want it to retain its smell. Just use lavendar sacks instead and make sure you don’ get moths.
      Kirby’s hangers are good but for the money, I definitely prefer others. And you can get the same quality if you buy directly from Beverly Hangers for less, since they make the Kirby Hangers.
      For budget concious shoppers, plastic from big brands like Kiton etc. are definitely the best. Often department stores and haberdashers give them away or take a look in bay…

      • Raphael,
        Thanks for your thoughts/heads up. I concur on your remarks on the cedar hangers, which is why I have phased most of them out of my closet. The hooks are turnable, so they can face either inward or outward.
        Justin

  3. Some people are still concerned about such things. People look for buying luxury hangers so that their suits and other clothes will look more stylish and attractive.

  4. http://www.subeposiciones.com/
    Howdy terrific website! Ⅾoes running a blog sіmilar to
    thіs require a massive ɑmount ԝork? I haᴠe absoⅼutely no expertise
    in programming buut Ⅰ һad been hoping tο start my οwn blog soon. Anyhoᴡ,
    іf yⲟu Һave any recommendations oг techniques
    for new blog owners рlease share. I understand thiѕ is off subject bսt I just wanted to ask.
    Many thanks!

LEAVE A REPLY