Alice Rosignoli's "20 Hangers" WardrobeFor every one "thing" I've tried, vouch for, and want to tell you about, I've got at least 27 things I read about/ heard about/ saw in a store/ tracked down online/ really want to try/ know I'll love/ and just can't wait to talk about. With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, I think I may pepper my posts in coming weeks with some fun things that you, too, may enjoy. Or, maybe you'll just get a kick out of some of the random things I drool over. Either way, come friends, let's delve into the "E files." (Yes, there are files.....kind of a lot of them, actually.....)
So artist/designer Alice Rosignoli is over in Europe, working with ordinary hangers and dreaming up a way to transform how things hang. She fashions the "20 Hangers" wardrobe. The design world notices. New York Magazine features the product in their recent Fall Design 2011 issue. I see this. And I'm in love.
The concept: 20 common wood hangers and black ropes, hanging from cables attached to your ceiling or wall. Senior industrial designer, Sally Rumble, describes it as a chandelier of sorts. (Great way to think of it!)
The real-life application: E's dry cleaning and freshly ironed threads move from their assumed positions on the back of doors and closet door handles to a Maypole-like installation hanging as the art currently missing from her bedroom.
You see, while many people may look at "20 Hangers" as a brilliant invention for the closet space-deprived, I look at "20 Hangers" as an awesome opportunity to play around with the clothes I already hang outside my closet. I imagine some of my tanks and sweaters getting reacquainted, and my otherwise very neutral wardrobe looking rather handsome mingling loosely as a group.
This:
Looks way better than this:
Wouldn't you agree?!
Price: 120 euro, plus shipping. That comes to 150 euro, or a little more than $200. I know - I know!! - that is a lot of money for hangers. When it comes to household items worth spending money on, I realize for most people hangers are right up there with paper towel holders and drawer dividers.
"So E," you ask, "you haven't actually tried these, they're not across-the-board practical, they're pricey, and, frankly, they're a little 'out there' for everyday living, why are you telling us about these?"
Well, if you love 'em and you can afford 'em, go for it! (http://alicerosignoli.it/) If you're intrigued by Alice's ability to take make some ordinary objects cool, then do what I do and print some of these pictures and stare at them. Finally, we're entering gift-giving season. Your takeaway? Gift inspired.
"Gift" being a verb...the act of gifting. Think outside the box. Notice what people like, what they do, what they use, and what not everybody else has. Absorb the options. Allow yourself to be inspired. And gift inspired.
Speaking of hangers and gifts, a few years ago, I gave one of my sisters a [rather pricey] knitted hanger as a gift. She's the fashionista of our family and is the one I knew would appreciate something like this. It's great for delicates, but absolutely perfect for the heavy vintage coat she cherishes. She never would have purchased a knitted hanger for herself, but was happy to receive it as a gift! I was in awe when I saw them, allowed myself to think beyond her "wish list," and purchased confidently.
I sure hope I didn't lose you here today. I'm hung up on the "20 Hangers" (yes, pun totally intended!) and am in the midst of pulling gift ideas for several projects, so this is a glimpse of where my head is these days. I have not succumbed to Pinterest. Pretty sure that's where I belong. For now, consider this my pinboard manifesto.
- E
"So E," you ask, "you haven't actually tried these, they're not across-the-board practical, they're pricey, and, frankly, they're a little 'out there' for everyday living, why are you telling us about these?"
Well, if you love 'em and you can afford 'em, go for it! (http://alicerosignoli.it/) If you're intrigued by Alice's ability to take make some ordinary objects cool, then do what I do and print some of these pictures and stare at them. Finally, we're entering gift-giving season. Your takeaway? Gift inspired.
"Gift" being a verb...the act of gifting. Think outside the box. Notice what people like, what they do, what they use, and what not everybody else has. Absorb the options. Allow yourself to be inspired. And gift inspired.
Speaking of hangers and gifts, a few years ago, I gave one of my sisters a [rather pricey] knitted hanger as a gift. She's the fashionista of our family and is the one I knew would appreciate something like this. It's great for delicates, but absolutely perfect for the heavy vintage coat she cherishes. She never would have purchased a knitted hanger for herself, but was happy to receive it as a gift! I was in awe when I saw them, allowed myself to think beyond her "wish list," and purchased confidently.
I sure hope I didn't lose you here today. I'm hung up on the "20 Hangers" (yes, pun totally intended!) and am in the midst of pulling gift ideas for several projects, so this is a glimpse of where my head is these days. I have not succumbed to Pinterest. Pretty sure that's where I belong. For now, consider this my pinboard manifesto.
- E
