Photos: Wardrobes in history

Suburbia: With the end of World War II comes the housing boom in America. In tracts of new houses that rise in expanding suburbs, traditional armoires and wardrobes are replaced with walled-in spaces designed into the bedroom plans. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

March 9, 2014 10:15 PM PT

Filipinos stand in line for hours to see the palace of fallen leaders Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. Jaws drop inside the first lady’s closets, which include a space dubbed Imelda’s Department Store by volunteer guides. The room has 37 clothes racks packed with more than 1,000 gowns and mink stoles. More than 2,600 pairs of shoes are on display, and two giant racks hold hundreds of imported leather purses. Her imported underwear is piled in a heap nearly 4 feet high. (Romeo Gacad / AFP/Getty Images)

Authors Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman examine clutter in American life in “A Perfect Mess.” Among their subjects are Meg and Ben, a semi-anonymous Manhattan couple living in a two-bedroom, $1.5-million apartment with maxed-out closet space. Meg reveals her husband’s solution: a shower stall converted into storage for their overflowing belongings, which include stuffed animals, an unused yoga mat, a seashell collection, handcuffs and a guitar. (Stefano Paltera / Los Angeles Times)

Post-recession America: Closets magazine estimates 2010 spending on master bedroom closet projects to average $2,804, down 7% from the previous year. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Artist and heiress Daphne Guinness derails the planned auction of the incredible wardrobe of her late friend, stylist and fashion muse Isabella Blow, by buying the whole thing. Included are more than 50 outfits by Alexander McQueen, pieces by John Galliano and 50 Philip Treacy hats. Guinness likens the pieces to a collection of art that shouldn’t be dispersed. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)