What's Hiding in the Back of Your Closet?

[View on the web] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] Our closets, and the stuff we keep inside them, offer intimate insight into who we are. They’re a physical amalgam of the things we’ve deemed important enough to save, even though they’re hidden away, out of sight. We turn to our closets to prepare for a job interview, a first date, or a trip to a new place. Maybe yours is expertly curated, or bursting with treasured possessions, but it’s just as likely a weird corner in your bedroom that barely functions. Whatever it looks like, we want to hear about it. Email stephanie.talmadge@racked.com if you want to tell us about what lives in yours. [Becoming an Adult Means Hanging Up Your Pants] [Insert alt text here] Tell us about yourself. [Sarah], 25, a graphic designer living in Atlanta, Georgia. What’s the oldest thing in your closet? The oldest thing is this vintage dress I got from a friend in college — it’s amazing, it has shoulder pads, a beautiful open back, and it’s floor length. Even though I sew, I couldn’t bring myself to cut and hem it (in case someday I decide I want this dress to be long again) so every time I wear it, I safety pin it underneath with a hundred safety pins to be the right length. Nothing in my closet is very old overall though, I’m really honest about getting rid of something as soon as I realize I haven’t worn it in awhile and don’t plan to. What lives in the “dark corner” of your closet? In other words, what do you continue to keep in there even though it never sees the light of day? My bachelor’s degree. Haha! My university didn’t send it to me until a year after I graduated, so by then the magic had worn off, I forgot to get it framed, and it just sits in the tube they mailed it in. How do you have your closet organized? And what about shoes? Where the heck do they go? You can’t really see from the photo, but it’s all organized by color. I used to have it organized by item length, but this worked when the closet opened from one side. This new closet opens in the middle and it felt off-centered to have it by length. Underneath there’s a shoe bin I found at Goodwill for a couple dollars, and it holds all of the shoes I wear most often. I also keep a rolling cart under my bed with shoes I need to keep but never wear, like fancy heels for fancy events and such. Wax poetic to me about hangers. I bought this pack of 50 velvety hangers with grooves from Ross for ~$10, and they’ve been so good to me. Nothing ever slides off, I love them. I’ve also started hanging up my pants like A Real Adult, so I need to get more pants hangers. What’s the weirdest thing in your closet that’s just there because it has nowhere else to live? You’ll see in the picture my weird sunglasses stand. I wear glasses, and actually have a bunch of prescription pairs from essentially an influencer promotion I did a few years ago. So I found this clear plastic stand on Amazon that can hold all of them, and I can look at it while picking out my clothes and see what pair matches today. Feature [Clothes, Communism, and the Cuban way] [Cuban women buying food.] From the country’s secret black market stores to the emerging designers staking their economic claim, a look at how Cubans buy, sell, and make what they wear. [Keep reading >>] Ad from our sponsor [Today's Non-Gift Guide Pick] [Insert alt text here] Who: [David Cho] What they do: Consultant What they want: [Sonos Play:1 Speaker], $199 If you're like me, and I'm sorry to make such a big assumption right off the bat, you're probably used to listening to music and podcasts on your laptop or phone's speakers and, overall, having a pretty "okay" experience. But you know what, maybe it's time to stop being just "okay" and instead accept that you deserve to be more dope. So then you might think the answer is to get some sort of bluetooth speaker; after all, there's lots of fun ones that look like the pills Doctor Mario threw at viruses or weird futuristic perforated boxcars (and who doesn't love a futuristic perforated boxcar). And honestly, if you go from your laptop/phone to one of those, it might feel like you've upgraded your life or something, if only because we as a culture are now obsessed with quantity over quality. So the idea of just mediocre volume (can kind of hear it in the shower) to fairly loud (can definitely hear it in the shower) feels like it's good enough. But you know what? F that! F being just "good enough." Let's demand more! Now, to be clear, I'm not a person who considers himself an audiophile in any way (there are very few "-phile" titles I would ever really feel comfortable claiming), and audio fidelity has never meant that much to me. For most of my life, I listened to music in a very functional way, mainly to drown out the sounds of the world around me or to truly feel. But let me just say, when you go from hearing music whose most compelling quality is volume, to then a Sonos speaker, it's pretty impressive. As I don't know any of the technical terms here, the most comparable analogy I can think of is when I went from standard definition television to HD. Remember the initial shock you had at seeing all of your favorite television stars' pores? Now imagine that, BUT WITH YOUR EARS. All of this being said, I'm sure there are other, more expensive speakers that will give you an even better auditory experience, but seeing as other [people who are more knowledgeable than me] feel comfortable recommending the $199 Sonos Play:1 speaker as a solid investment, I can't help but agree and be excited for you (or whomever you get this gift for) AND THE EXCITING NEW WORLD OF HIGH QUALITY AUDIO THAT'S AHEAD OF YOU. Check out the rest of our non-gift guide picks [here]. Want to make donations your gift of choice instead? We've [got you covered] on that front too. [More good stuff to read today] - [The Wing, an Exclusive Women’s Club, Now Has a Store for All] - [Where to Shop La La Land’s Most Delightful Looks] - [Why Women Are Leaving Salons for Barbershops] - [The Sold-Out Sunglass Collaboration Back By Popular Demand] - [How a Hunting Gear Brand Gets Huge] Ad from our sponsor From around the web A selection from the editors at Racked [Perfume gift set.] [Where to Shop for Better Stocking Stuffers] Indie brands making small, cool, affordable gifts. [Read more] [Enter here!] [Win a Trip for Two to NOLA’s Big Jazz Festival] Enter to win a trip to the stylish city here! [Read more] Ad from our sponsor [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences] or [unsubscribe] to stop receiving emails from Racked. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.