So which hanger is for which garment? Good question. Below you will find a list of hangers and the types of clothes they are best suited to. 

Wire Hangers: These are often cheap and go out of shape fairly quickly. Unless you are on a very tight budget, I would avoid them. They will likely create hanger bumps on knitted and delicate clothing. 

Metal Hangers: You might think these are the same as above, but they are not. Metal hangers are forged and heavier and will last a long time. They can also withstand heavier garments, unlike wire and many plastic versions. Not so suitable for delicate slippery fabrics like silk and satin. 

Lingerie Hangers – depending on what lingerie you are hanging will depend on what you need. If you have thin straps, choose one with notches; if you need one with clips, look for some with material inside the clip to avoid damaging delicate fabrics. Either that or you can place a small piece of paper, either side on the inside of each clip. Velvet hangers also work well. 

Velvet Hangers: These have become more popular in recent years and come in a variety of colours. They are great if you want uniformity in your wardrobe as you can choose one colour. They are also suitable for holding delicate fabrics on the hangers. The downside is they are made from plastic which would be hard to recycle. 

Shoe Hangers: As the name suggests, you can also get hangers for shoes. These come in either a panel that hangs down with various pockets for shoes or and single hanger for just one pair. Great if you like to keep your floor clear. 

Scarf Hangers: Again, these can come in a few different styles. You can buy tiered hangers where you hang several on one hanger underneath each other or a hanger with a loop to thread the scarf through. 

Wooden Hangers: These are my favourite. They are generally quite strong and just wood and metal, so they are easier to recycle if they break. You can either go for natural colours or painted. The downside is they can be slippy for delicate fabrics, though you can buy some with rubber on the shoulders to combat it.

Jumper / Sweater Hangers – Use a wider hanger like a wooden or suit hanger rather than a thin one. To avoid hanger bumps, see below. 

Tie Hangers: If you wear a suit and ties regularly, then a hanger for ties makes sense. Most come with a wooden panel down the middle and then loops either side for the ties. To avoid silk ties slipping through, choose a hanger with a rubbered or velvet texture. 

Belt Hangers: I do not own a belt hanger because, having a capsule wardrobe, I do not have many belts. However, if you own many belts, this is a great way to keep them all in one place and tidy. They usually come in a singular hanger with several loops at the bottom for the belts.

Satin Padded Hangers: These still remind me of my gran. That said, they have great uses. Padded hangers are great to reduce hanger bumps in knitwear. They also work well for more delicate fabrics as they are less likely to slip off the hanger. 

Cedar Hangers:  Similar to wooden hangers but made from Cedarwood. Perfect if you want to repel moths naturally. 

Single Rod Hangers: A single rod hanger is similar to a metal one; only one side of it is open so that the garment can be just pulled through the side. They look elegant and would work well in minimal wardrobes. However, they would not be so good in a closet where the hanger could get caught up and tilted, so the garment falls off. 

Combination Hangers: These work great for suits as the top is like a standard hanger, with clips to hang trousers or skirts underneath. I use a combination of these and the standard wooden ones in my wardrobe. 

Wide Shoulder Hangers: These are used for heavy coats or jackets. A thinner hanger can mark some heavy coats or jackets due to the weight, so one of these would work much better. If you decided to get some, you would only need a few. 

Non-Slip Hangers: As the name suggests, these can come in many forms. They can be plastic, metal or wood and often have either a rubber or velvet insert to grip the garment to the hanger. These are ideal for delicate fabrics that crease easily. 

Clip Hangers: Everyone should have a few clip hangers in their wardrobe. Anything that you can not hang over a standard hanger, you can clip with one of these. That said, avoid clipping knitwear as it may leave a mark, and delicate fabrics a sit could damage them. 

Skirt Hangers:  Basically, hangers for skirts. They have the same top half as a standard hanger and clips at the bottom for skirts. These also work well with shorts.