I remember when I discovered those thin flocked velvet hangers, the ones first made popular by Joy Mangano. I was living in a studio apartment in San Francisco without much closet space. My clothes needed to fit into an Ikea wardrobe. The velvet hangers were a revelation. Compared to the plastic tubular hangers I was using before, I could pack in way more with the velvet hangers. Over time, I switched all of my hangers to the velvet ones.
** this post contains affiliate links **
But one thing I didn’t consider was their longevity. Lately, whenever I pull one of these hangers out, there’s a good chance it might snap in my hand.
These flocked velvet hangers were not made to last. I never know when one is going to break on me, but it seems often.
I didn’t buy these hangers thinking I’d need to replace them. It just didn’t occur to me that hangers could break so easily. Perhaps the plastic has gotten brittle over time. (I’m not sure how long I’ve had these hangers. About seven years?)
And that, dear reader, is how we’ve come to today’s post about reliable slim hangers. Because I’ve been researching hangers after my big move.
My Hanger Search Criteria
Here’s what I looked for:
- Thin – Because I still need to pack a lot into a small space in my NYC apartment
- Sturdy – None of this breaking apart in your hands stuff
- Non-slip – Can’t have clothes falling onto the floor
- No Bumps – Must be sized appropriately for petite me. (I generally wear XS or S.) Hangers can’t be too big, which can lead to funky lumpy shapes in the shoulders.
The hanger that met all these requirements was the Mawa Silhouette Ultra-Slim Shirt Hanger.
Mawa Silhouette Ultra-Thin Shirt Hanger – $50.75 for 20 from Mawa. However, they are currently $39.99 for 20 on Amazon. (But the price varies. I was able to snag them at $37 for 24 on Amazon.) You can also find them on Wayfair and Food52.)
Mawa makes these hangers in Germany out of rolled metal. The company says they are committed to sustainability and environmental protection though their website is light on specifics. Mostly, they tout their hangers as being “free from toxins and harmful substances” such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, and phthalates.
While Mawa makes various styles, from the Euro Collection (designed specifically for items with wide necklines) to the BodyForm Collection (for coats and suits), I went with the Silhouette Collection for an every day shirt hanger. This line comes in two widths: standard (3/8″) and ultra thin (1/8″). Being tight on closet space, I went for the ultra thin, which is true to its name.
A size comparison between the Mawa hanger and a flocked hanger.
What I Like the Mawa Silhouette Ultra-Slim Shirt Hanger
- They’re lightweight, slim, and strong. Mawa says each hanger can hold up to 8 pounds. (I have not tested this limit though.)
- The hangers have an anti-slip coating. In my experience, clothes stay put, though it’s not 100%. Occasionally a tank top will fall.
- The small size is petite friendly. The hanger measures 15.75″ across. (A con, however, for larger-sized or wide-necked clothing.) There’s even a petite version of this hanger that’s 14″ across should you need something smaller.
- They’re designed to avoid weird shoulder bumps. The gently sloped curve of the hanger seems to work. I haven’t noticed any bump issues.
- These hangers also come in an array of colors. I’ve found them in black, white, red, copper, silver, blue, pink, and yellow. It’s nice to have options. I ended going with black, which may be a little boring, but it came out to be the cheapest. Also, most of my clothes are dark, so I figured black would work well visually with my wardrobe.
Drawbacks
- The price. At $1.60 to $2.50 each depending on where you buy them, they’re pricey compared to other hangers. (Though for some reason the petite ones are cheaper if you need 80 of them at once.) A flocked hanger goes for 60 cents each at Target. (Or only 45 cents each if buying 100 at a time.) A handsome wooden hanger from Ikea goes for about $1 a piece.
- I’ve found that when a couple of these empty hangers are next to each other, sometimes they stick to each other. But this isn’t a big deal.
- The only other issue I’ve run across is that the hook part of the hanger is a bit small. The wooden rod in my closet is approximately 1 3/8″ in diameter. While I can place the hangers on them no problem, they face a little resistance when I want to remove them. Sometimes, depending on where they are on the rod — it seems some parts of the rod are slightly thicker than others — I have to hold the hanger at the stem in order to extract it from the rod. Is this annoying? A little bit. But not as annoying as having hangers break on you. This shouldn’t be a problem with metal rods, which are thinner.
Size difference in the hook part of a flocked hanger versus the Mawa hanger.
I started with a 24-pack of these hangers in November and soon bought another pack. So far, so good. I’m quite pleased with them and how well they’re working out for petite clothes. My plan is to buy a new pack every now and then to replace my old hangers as they break. Even though these Mawa hangers are pricer than other brands, I’m hoping the price translates to better quality and durability.
What about skirt hangers? Good question. That entailed a more complicated search. I’ll share my pick for the best slim skirt hanger in another post.
