Why I love ...

I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but your mother has taught you wrong. That's not how you should fold a T-shirt. First found floating around the internet about a year or so ago, there's an inspired new Japanese technique that will shake off our tired western concept of folding. A quick Google search will find the video I'm raving about.

It may be one of the lamest party tricks you'll ever see, but it is, nevertheless, fast and impressive. I have fallen in love with this apparently effortless folding style, aka wardrobe origami. And at least this kind of origami won't nick your thumb. I can make a pretty mean paper frog, but this is on a completely different level. It will shave minutes off your folding time, and, you never know, may also impress certain lady friends.

Here's how it works: the T-shirt is laid on the floor, and by pinching it at the "nipple point" on its far side and then grabbing the nearest side seam with the other hand, the folder performs a smooth series of folds, inversions and flips. The end result is a perfectly folded tee, perhaps followed by a gratuitous stylistic flourish. Simple. Or so you might think .

It's actually quite difficult to get the hang of it - it feels a bit like learning to tie your shoelaces all over again. Fold it here, pull that corner, grab the collar ... no, wait that isn't right ... try it the other way ... et voila: a crumpled mess of cotton.

I am sightly ashamed to admit it, but the zen-like satisfaction to be gained from a pile of crisply folded clothes has left me rather obsessed. Friends have told me that once you master the technique, you'll never go back. This must be a case of them rubbing it in, because they know that I still haven't nailed it. But when I do (and when I find a technique for shirts as well), I will truly be the master of my wardrobe.