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I do use wire, not from a grand plan, but because we had a unit that was ready for reuse. We had two actually, one we sold at a yard sale. Donna, in an act of ultimate kindness, ran into the friend who had purchased it and bought it back, so I should have two for my hat storage. We have a couple of spare rooms in the house that once were kid's bedrooms. One has become a workroom that houses my hat collection and tools and Donna's sewing table. A work in progress.
The wire shelves are very sturdy without needing a back support so they are open on two sides. We have a three story turret in our 19th century house and the shelves are set against rounded walls, leaving quite a bit of extra depth in the back. The wire shelves are fifteen inches deep, with heavy guage wire/rod about 1 1/4" apart. Because of the depth, I can fit five stacks of hats on each shelf, each stack holding 3-5 hats, depending on the ribbon height. I use foam rings to space the hats in each stack to protect the ribbon and to minimize any marks on the felt from stacking. Stacking will create some pressure marks on the felt over time. My steamer is in the room and I use it every day to freshen the hats before wearing. I have found no marks created on the underside of the brim from storing the hats on wire shelves.
The ceilings are high - I can store 6 piles of 3-4 hat boxes on the top of the shelving, which I use for those hats that seem like they might like the protection of a hat box. I have fashioned hooks that I use on the outside and the front of the shelving units as needed. At full capacity, I can store close to 300 hats in this area. I have vowed to stay under that number.
I do think it makes sense to plan for more storage than you need at the moment.
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