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I have the exact same problem, but they're on 3M hooks!

Well, first off, what's on the inside of the door? I use 3M command hooks on the inside of my door. They spread the bags out more throughout the entire area of the closet door. I have about 6 hooks (2 per row) on the inside of my door. This kinda works better so all of them aren't so bunched up in one place. I went with this method because buying Elfa door racks from the container store can be pricey.

Hope this helps!

I had the same problem, except I wouldn't hang them from your door as it will misshape the handles on the bags. Do you have a shelf inside of your closet by any chance? If so, what I found to be quite handy was a clear plastic bin, without the lip from The Container Store (http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=10011890&CATID=71223&searchId=7650737&itemIndex=38). It gives you a clear and easy way to view and organzize your handbags, whether they can stand on their own or not. Hope this helps.

I found this Googling - http://www.thebusywoman.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20&products_id=725

I've seen something similar made of pretty fabric, but I'm drawing a blank as to where I've seen it or what it's called. Sorry.

You could get rid of a few bags...

I put as many bags inside each other as I can, then store them in the top shelf of my closet. The two red ones can fit inside the white one, etc.

hooks, lotsa hooks! ;)

my collection hangs vertically on hooks that run from floor to celiling in my closet. they occupy the 'dead' space at the sides of the closet. i hope yours are deep enough to have that space.

A decorative chest, box or ottoman?

If you want or need to hang them, why not invest in some beautiful hooks, (Anthropologie always has pretty ones— check out the petal hook) space them evenly in a line or all over on one wall and display your bags as collection, not as a jumble you see when you shut your door?

I converted a bedroom into a mini-boutique so I have room for everything. My vuitton collection is stored in their sleeper bags and then placed in a pull out drawer that is on the bottom of each wardrobe section.

I wish I could be more help.

I put mine in one of those 3 tiered rolly carts so they're not hanging to avoid stretching the handles. They're in their dust bags stacked with the most used on top shelf and evening at the bottom. Really big bags have to go on a shelf, but this works for most, especially ones you can lay flat.

Like Kristen I went with the clear storage container on my closet shelf. That way I can see all the bags, it keeps them from getting the handles mishapen, and from getting dusty if I don't use them often!

get rid of some bags?! blaspehmy!

i have the EXACT same problem. i had them in a three-tiered basket thing, but they kept falling out and that drove me crazy. i now have half of them in cheap storage drawers in my closet (the kind from target), and am planning on installing large ikea hooks in the side walls of my closet (the "dead space" as Lourdes calls it) for the half that won't fit in drawers. i am going to try the rigel 9" x 10" hook.

this, my shoe collection and obsessive magazine hoarding habit are the bane of my storage existence!

If you have a little closet space, maybe this would work.

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/90764_hanging-closet-organizer-purse-holder.htm

I organize my scarves/hats/mittens in my coat closet with a hanging shoe organizer.

sasha - are you thinking of the pretty fabric hangers at www.simplysarahshaw.com?

my own solution: regularly used ones are simply sitting on a chair in the dining room (i know - not the best); those that are use every once in a while are hanging on the back of a door (like sally's); and those that are hardly used are in container store bins on a shelf in a closet.

short of converting a room into a walk-in closet, i'm not sure if there is a really good solution for an abundance of handbags.

First of all, get rid of some? Bite your tongue!

Use purses like decor - did you see Chloe Sevigney (sp?)'s NYC apt in H&G last month? She had two white purses hanging off a doorknob in her entryway.

This is how I roll:

http://flickr.com/photos/71696744@N00/238100670/in/set-72157594275698177/

http://flickr.com/photos/71696744@N00/195082718/in/pool-36855516@N00/

http://flickr.com/photos/71696744@N00/362085662/in/pool-36855516@N00/

omg. becky! that is awesome. i *wish* i had room for a wall of purses like that!

wow Becky that is fantastic...

I used to hang mine on the back of the door just like this, now I have several canvas bins that line the top of my closet filled with bags.

In my last apt, I hung about...uh...20 or so bags on the wall behind my bed. I figured it was the best way to see what I've got and the effect felt almost felt like 3-D wallpaper. Sorry, don't have photos but it was pretty cool.

I use Ikea - on a RIGGA cloths rack, I hang 3 SKUBB organizers giving me 15 cubby holes to put my bags in. If you have closet space, you can hang the organizers on the clothes rail....

Yep, that's it a-m!

don't do this! DON'T EVER, EVER HANG BAGS! THIS IS HORRIBLE FOR THE STRAPS! best thing to do is have them sitting like shoes. try the top shelf in a closet. you could buy those acrylic stacking boxes & put them in there, but NEVER HANG!

You should never leave a quality handbag out in the open like that, Becky. Dust will dry them out and prematurely have that leather cracking. It's a cute dispaly though....I love it.

And NEVER hang your bags by the handle. It puts stress on the leather, handles and stitching.

Well for smaller bags (and those whose value/straps I am really not concerned about), I took a large rectangular section of wooden lattice my aunt had left over from an outdoor project, painted it a sage green color and then screwed in a bunch of brushed metal hooks at various cross points. This way I can hang things without them overlapping and utilize more door space (I actually hooked the lattice right onto two pre-existing hooks on the back of a door in my apartment, but in my last place I just leaned the whole thing up against a wall in my bed room). It works quite well and while it is still visible it is a more appealing display...

Don't forget the low down "dead space" in your closet. I personally have weird triangular closets with an angled back wall(which is a whole other post). There is a shelf attached to the back wall about halfway down behind the hanging clothing where I keep my purses lined up. With a regular closet, you could probably install this sort of shelf lower down on the back wall. If you hang the shelf at the point where hanging shirts end you would have easy access and still leave enough floor space beneath the shelf for shoes. Just be careful that the shelf is smooth so that you don't snag your clothes.

there is some serious BAG LOVE out there! and after seeing Becky's collection, I am beginning to understand. Thanks mg and Keisha for the "no hang" rule. I guess gravity is not even kind to handbags...

I INSTALLED HOOKS IN THE BACK OF MY CLOSET BEHIND MY CLOTHES. JUST PLAIN HOOKS THAT YOU CAN BUY AT HOME DEPOT THAT SCREW INTO THE WALL. I'M PRETTY BIG ON DISPLAYING MY STUFF LIKE THAT BUT IT ENDED UP JUST LOOKING CLUTTERED (I ALSO HAVE COAT RACKS LINING ONE WALL THAT HAVE REALLY AWESOME SCARVES, VINTAGE BELTS, AND JACKETS HANGING ON THEM - THEY'RE JUST HOOKS THAT ARE ON A BOARD THAT YOU SCREW INTO THE WALL THAT I GOT FOR 20 DOLLARS A PEICE FROM TARGET). I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO PUT THE BAGS UP BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES DIDN'T LOOK HOW I WANTED. SO PUTTING THEM IN THE CLOSET BEHIND YOUR CLOTHES KEEPS THEM OUT OF SITE AND ORGANIZED ON THE WALL.

display them on the wall as art! nice bags hung up can look super neat-o, and just put the fugly bags on hooks in the closet.

Get rid of purses?!? NEVER! As a serious Bags&Shoes addict, I'm always on the lookout for ideas to store my collection in my tiny apartment. One of the ideas from Real Simple was pretty clever - 'filing' your purses on a shelf in the closet or in a bookcase and using shelf dividers/bookends to create separate sections for each bag - unfortuntely, I'm rather short on closet space as is. I also like the idea of minimizing the storage space taken up by the bags by putting bags inside of another a la nesting eggs. But the problem becomes - out of sight out of mind! Any other suggestions/ideas?

Has anyone tried creating a wall display of their bags a la decorative plates on walls? I'm curious to hear about/see someone's life-becoming at project!

I've been toying with ideas on how to best store my purse obsession...erm.. collection.

I LOVE some of the ideas here! One thing I've been thinking of is to purchase some inexpensive (but ornate) plastic frames, spray paint them all gold and hang them empty on my wall. Then hang some of either the 3m hooks, or perhaps some nicer metal hooks within them and hang my purses within the frames. Obviously since some of fairly long I may not like the effect, but I think it bodes some looking into :)

i'm with chloe sevigny (and becky). i have bags all over my house - on rarely used chairs, a sideboard here, a linen chest there. and less expensive ones hang from almost every door knob in my house - much to my husband's dismay. someday, there will be a room dedicated to my obsession, with shelves and shelves full of bags, and a lovely velvet tufted round ottoman large enough to lie down on. but for now, they're everywhere.

What about the Pack-a-Purse? It's not as glamorous as Becky's solutions (the Taj Mahal of bag storage), but it seems to meet all the critera of 1) No handle hanging 2) dust prevention

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product.asp?product=308359zz&dept%5Fid=0&subdept%5Fid=10

Pack a Purse

Firstly - no tongue biting here... Seriously ask yourself if you really really do need all of the bags. Are there any there that you have not actually used in the last year. If so, put them on Craigslist and raise some cash!

I like the idea of display as art. If it is bad for bags to hang them - install some shelves and have the most attractive bags on display. The others can be packed inside each other and stashed away - that way once you have not used them by this time next year... you can... trash them too!

Judging by all the response, all women have the same purse problem after all. I happen to put all my purses on a hanging canvas origninally made for shoes. There are aproximately 10 pockets of a good size. I organize them by purpose, for example all small, dressy bags fit in one pocket, while all bag packs can be folded into another pocket and so on and so forth. The good thing is it does not take up too much space in your closet and all your purses are perfectly organized and in one spot. Hope this helps.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=107335&RN=303

This is what I was talking about, I realized I probably did not sufficently explain myself.

It seems to me that underbed storage is just made for bags. Empty bags laid on their backs would fit under just about any bed. There are slide out containers that have plastic tops. Or, you could use canvas bags meant to hang on a bar and contain clothes. The ones I use have plastic fronts. Just lay them on their side.

I had the same problem with too many bags and the problem lay with the fact that with so many bags, I couldn't remember what I had. So I bought a low shelf from Ikea and put it into the bottom of my wardrobe, just under the shirts and display my bags on the shelf! Advantages are
1. Good utility of a space otherwise wasted
2. No stress on the handles
3. Able to see all my bags at a glance
4. In the wardrobe - with no dust!
5. Doesnt catch only delicate clothes and tear them

I'm with whoever has their bags stored in a SKUBB organiser from Ikea--I do the same thing, but I'll admit some of the larger ones are kinda just sitting out because I don't want to squish them to fit in the closet.

Purple Smurfette--what about taking digital photos of each of your bags and making a mini photo album? That way, you can store them out of sight and still have a visual reminder so they won't be out of mind. (I totally understand this problem--if something's not in front of my face, it may as well not exist.)

I also have a large bag (and hat and scarf) collection and, as part of my current redecoration project, am stealing an idea from the current Ikea catalogue. There is a page that shows a wall with a grid of knobs (basic drawer pull types) with bags hanging on them. I have 10 ft ceilings, so I'm thinking either 1 wall with 5 columns of 6 knobs space at 1.5 feet apart (with ceiling / flor clearance at the top and bottom) or a running row of 2 ft spaces knobs around the picture rail at the top of the wall. I'm also installing 12 in rounded corner shelved in a vertical column for my nicest girly shoes. I find if I can't see accessories I forget what I have.

For my high end bags I have a dedicated shelf, it worth sacrificing the space to keep them in good shape.

For the others I have two rows of wooden peg hooks, about 6 hooks each row at the very top of my closet. I have high ceilings so this is a great use of blank wall space. I can see the bags but they arent in the way. I do need a step ladder to get them though.

For rarely used but necessary party purses, I store those in a clear plastic bin at the bottom of my closet. Next to the storage bin for shoes rotated by season.

for my "good bags" i do put them on shelves on the top of my closet, but as a bag-hoarder, this is not enough. i have hooks on the inside of my closet door, much like in the picture. you can only see a tiny bit of the back of the hooks in the front, so you dont really notice it anyway. but, my favorite is a vintage coat/hat rack that stands on the side of my room, that holds the bags that i use nearly daily. i think it looks cute, personally, and it's relatively functional. I also used to store bags in clear plastic bins under my bed, which is not good from a feng shui perspective, but, does work functionally.

If you have closet space (or coat closet space), you could buy one of those hanging cubby things (from Ikea or Pottery Barn, etc) and use it to store your purses. That's what I use, along with storing my hats, gloves, and scarves- it keeps them out of the way, but easily accessible when I need something, and I don't have to dig through a bin or box.

But again, the downfall is that you need some space to hang it. I keep mine in a small standing wardrobe.

This was a great question! I have a bag "tree" but after hearing the no-no of bag care, I'll have to rethink it. I've loved reading all the comments and especially like the under bed ideas.

I found that the space over my closet door INSIDE my closet was pretty dead, so I put up a small shelf and lined up all my bags that didn't fit elsewhere. That way I can just reach up and grab 'em when I need them, and they're neatly tucked out of view.

My mom did this for stuffed animals for me when I was little, so that's where the idea came from- find a corner of closet or room, hand a sturdy plant hook in the ceiling, get a chain, depending on the avg. size of your bags will designate what size, then get S hooks- I put them all the way downt the chain and hand my purses from them. Easy sight, easy access, not much cost.

I have a coat tree in my bedroom for half-worn clothes, my bathrobe, etc.--and I bet that'd be kinda fun for your bags. It doesn't take up much room, it's inexpensive (I got a wood one for about $20 from KMart, I think, and it's not bad!), and it would be kinda attrative with all your bags hanging all over at different levels.

I use the back of the closet doors for my purse storage. I've got way too many purses to store on my small closet shelves, so when my mom presented me with three sets of these racks, I was in heaven (click on my name for the link)...