Display / Storage Question

[The Rookie]

I do not have manequins .... YET ... I was wondering if it is ok to display a uniform on a hanger .... pants , shirt with tie , jacket . Or will hanging all that on one hanger damage or ruin something , cause discoloration or anything we don't want . I know with all hobbies there are do's and don'ts ... I just don't know yet.

[Shenkursk]

It is not ideal, but often we have no choice. When you determine that hangers are going to be used, you can mitigate the negative effects by taking a few simple steps:

 

1) Avoid unfinished wood hangers. Over time, the acid in the wood will migrate and stain / damage your uniforms.

2) No wire hangers. These really do a number on uniforms after they stay in a closet for a few decades, especially if there are humidity and moisture issues.

3) Cover the hanger with cotton batting and muslin. A big padded hanger helps to distribute weight, and minimize stress at any one point on the fabric.

 

I have purchased a few collections over the years where the owner stored the items on wire hangers with newspapers in between the folds of the garments. Might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but most of these were real trainwrecks. Lots of dark stains, heavy acid migration, and cotton fabrics were often brittle to the point of crumbling where they had remained in contact with this mess.

 

Though you want to avoid unstable plastics that stain material due to offgassing, there are some good sources of very wide shoulder hangers on eBay. I also invested in a bunch of hanging torso forms lately for selling uniforms from a clothes rack at shows. Inexpensive, and they distribute the weight over a large surface area. Good temporary solution.

 

If you get into any sort of inherently fragile material (leather flight jackets, fleece garments, etc.) avoid hangers completely.

 

Good luck with your collecting!