The Questor's Theatre in Ealing-London, England has included its hat storage system as part of the Costume Storage Solutions Database which allows costume professionals a way to view what others have found helpful. The database is searchable based on many criteria.

Photo/Courtesy Costume Storage Solutions Database

Sherry Harper McCombs
Costume Design & Technology Commission

The Costume Storage Solutions Database is a collection of images and information about the way in which costumers store their costumes. It is available online where visitors may log in as a guest with a password of guest. The database currently contains images from a variety of theatrical organizations including educational institutions, professional theatres, rental facilities, and operas. Visitors may access these images in a variety of ways by searching according to category or by viewing them all and page through by clicking on "search" without setting any category parameters.

Costume shop and storage managers are creative people doing interesting things with limited space and resources. The Costume Storage Database is a resource that can help by providing a visual reference of what other institutions are doing with their costumes.

In order to make this resource as helpful as possible, as many different spaces as possible need to be represented. Participation in this project is simple. With any digital camera, take clear, representative photos of the various aspects of a storage facility. Send an e-mail to harpermc@dickinson.edu to get a password to be eligible to upload to the database. The uploading process is as simple as using the online Flickr website. The only descriptions needed are brief and a list of any suppliers for interesting storage apparatuses used in a facility is requested.

The space does not have to be high tech in order to be interesting to others. Often the simplest solutions are the best with budgetary and space constraints. There is even a category for "less than desireable" spaces known as the "house of horrors" and which can be submitted without identifying the submitter or the organization owning the space. Before and after shots of facilities being upgraded or changed in any way are also sought.

Check out the images. Then photograph the space and submit the photos before the fall season or semester gets underway!

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