35: 8 cool fashion accessory museums

Quirky collections where you can see hats, hand fans and so, so many shoes.

The Hat Works Museum near Manchester, England delves into the UK’s headwear-making history.

“Put your money into accessories. You could create a million different looks.”—Iris Apfel

The late fashion icon Iris Apfel—she of the stacks of bright bangles and impossibly jumbo eyeglasses—knew the power of a strategically placed rhinestone brooch, a chicly scalloped sandal, or a well-knotted man’s tie. Accessories make or break a good outfit, and they’re the inspiration behind a handful of quirky museums devoted to a single type of adornment.

By hyper-focusing on individual subjects such as footwear (Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto) or handbags (ESSE Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas), these collections fling open the armoire door on the fashion and historic function of accessories.

A pair of Rouhan Wang x Nike Blazer sneakers are on display at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. Photo @ Kailee Mandel

“Seeing these kind of fashion collections make you think about what peoples’ lives were like, from their socioeconomic circumstances to what was going on in the world at the time,” says Anita Davis, founder of ESSE Purse Museum. Spot a silver Bedouin necklace at Marrakech’s Le Monde Arts Parure, and you’re zapped to a wedding in the Sahara sands. The bullet-proof tie at the Cravaticum, Zagreb, Croatia’s newish neckwear museum, sparks visions of dapper Cold War-era spies.

Here are eight museums devoted to the small details of getting dressed every day. All seem worth a detour or whole trip

Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

A new exhibit on the history of cowboy boots recently two-stepped into Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum. Photo @ Bata Shoe Museum

A modernist building by Canadian starchitect Raymond Moriyama resembling a shoe box (or is it a Japanese geisha sandal?) steps into the history, construction, and beauty of footwear of all kinds. Some 15,000 artifacts spanning 4,500 years power permanent and rotating exhibits, including “Rough and Ready: The History of the Cowboy Boot” through October 2026. The museum goes beyond mere fashion, looking at everything from the mechanics of good sports shoes to how dance footwork has changed through the decades.

Cravaticum, Zagreb, Croatia

This small museum insists that the tie was invented in Croatia during the 30 Years War (1618-1648), when women sewed cravats for their soldier son’s and husband’s uniforms. Displays explore natty neckwear in creative ways: a “tower of ties” suspended from the ceiling, photos depicting women (Patti Smith, Diane Keaton) wearing ties, and a section on how to master a good knot.

Esse Purse Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock’s ESSE Purse Museum displays vintage bags and the things people put in them, from compacts to train tickets.

Twentieth-century handbags from beaded flapper purses to 1960s clutches fit for Audrey Hepburn attract visitors to this museum in the Arkansas capital’s hip South Main (SoMa) neighborhood. “People remember these purses as things their aunts or grandmothers carried,” says founder Davis. In a sleek, converted building that once held an auto body shop, ESSE shows off changing exhibits drawing from a collection of 2,000 purses, including sparkly evening bags by Judith Leiber and bedazzled box and basket styles by Collins. There’s also an onsite shop selling new purses and interesting gifts.

Hand Fan Museum, Healdsburg, California

A novelty fan shaped like a cat from the Hand Fan Museum.

Fans—from bamboo folding numbers painted with cranes to plastic handled replicas of Hello Kitty—line a walk-in closet sized museum and store on the main square in this Sonoma County town. Free admission, fans for sale, and knowledgeable owners up the appeal.

Hat Works Museum, Stockport, England

During the Industrial Revolution, this small city 10 minutes south of Manchester morphed into the center of the hat-making trade. A restored 19th-century mill (and onetime hat factory) delves into the craft with exhibits on manufacturing and fashion—don’t miss the collection of mod 1960s women’s caps and motorcycle helmets.

Le Monde Arts Parure, Marrakech, Morocco

A traditional Moroccan courtyard creates drama at Marrakech’s jewelry and kaftan-filled Le Monde Arts Parure.

In Marrakech’s glowing orange medina, an outsized building resembling a traditional Islamic school contains thousands of tribal brooches, traditional kaftans, and dazzling jewelry and accessories from around the world, with a focus on North Africa. Shams, the on-site restaurant, serves Levantine food and drink on a dreamy garden terrace.

Museum of Costume Jewelry, Asheville, North Carolina

A Joseff Hollywood necklace similar to one in the collection of the Museum of Costume Jewelry, which will open later this year in Asheville.

Opening later this year in downtown Asheville, this gallery will display costume baubles and beads from the 20th century. Its sparklers will be grouped by themes such as World War II patriotic bijoux (e.g. rhinestone pins of sailors) and the golden age of Hollywood. “Fashion jewelry tells us so much about adornment, emotions, and history,” says founder Sharon Ryback.

Museo Textil de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico

Huipils, shawls, and other woven pieces line the walls of serene museum in downtown Oaxaca. The onsite shop sells some of the colorful, creative city’s best traditional fabric crafts, including scarves, dresses, and bags.

Weavings are displayed at Museo Textil de Oaxaca.

Note: I’m hosting a free docent-led tour of Washington, D.C.’s only fashion-focused gallery, the Textile Museum, this coming Friday (June 27) at noon. It focuses on “Source Material,” a new show exploring slow or environmentally responsible fashion. Most spots are filled, but click here to see if there’s space available. I’d love to have you join me!