Exploring Fashion, Costuming Through Men's Hats

Debbie Henderson’s work space is a shrine to men’s headwear. Hats of every conceivable style and color are hung on coatracks and stacked half-a-dozen high on tables — they’re even tucked away on bookshelves. Colorful vintage hat boxes are displayed on high shelves that run the length of the room. Debbie’s love of costume design began in the eighth grade, and has followed her throughout her life; she’s worked for 32 years at Wittenberg University as Costume Shop Manager and Designer for theater productions. Her passion for men’s hats began when she started work on her Ph.D. at the Union Institute nearly 20 years ago. As a costume designer, she knew that clothing would play a part in her research, but she wasn’t sure what her focus would be. "[And then] I was watching Sherlock Holmes on TV," she said. "And I realized that Watson had on a brown derby, not black. And I went, 'Oh, that’s different.' All of a sudden, it just hit me: Men’s hats! I didn’t know anything about them, really." And