Articles of Interest
Episodes
Fantasy of Fashion, Revisited
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What role does fashion have in a time of crisis? This is one of my favorite stories I've ever made. But there have been some updates since it came out...
Made in USA
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of the best pieces of fashion reporting I have ever heard: it's a reworked version of a story that originally aired on the NPR podcast Pla...
Gear: Epilogue (with Jad Abumrad)
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A recording of an intimate conversation at Ludlow House, where the venerable Jad Abumrad asked me some questions about Gear. For images (and the link...
Gear: Chapter 7
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Soldiers and civilians live in different Americas. But we don't have to. For images, links and more, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn abo...
Gear: Chapter 6
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Gorpcore" emerges.... from (maybe, potentially) unexpected places. For images, links, and more information, head to articlesofinterest.substack.com ...
Gear: Chapter 5
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pattern for blending in. And for standing out.For images and links go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx....
Gear: Chapter 4
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the draft leads to the yuppification of the field jacket. Images links and more at articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn about your ad ch...
Gear: Chapter 3
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The outdoors is no longer for macho men. In fact, now it's for babies. Images, links, and more information at articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn ...
Gear: Chapter 2
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gear gets defined by scientific testing and research. And this process was pioneered with the development of the field jacket. Learn about your ad...
Gear: Chapter 1
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Almost all clothes have something to do with the military. But one industry in particular has a lot to do with the military. The first episode of the...
Gear: Prologue
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The next series from Articles of Interest Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Zippers
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zippers are the most common machine all around us. But it's a minor miracle how that came to be. Pictures of early zippers and other links at article...
Sunglasses
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A fashion accessory turns into a medical necessity. Images and links at articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...
School Uniforms
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How uniforms shaped the American school system. Images and a very special animation at articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn about your ad choices: d...
The Memory Palace
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nate Dimeo is a longtime radio hero of mine. And praises be, now he has a book out of his stories, called The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of The...
Clergy
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What Catholic priests wear, and the insight it provides into what we laypeople wear. For images of what vestments look like and more, go to articleso...
Stylists (With Decoder Ring)
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of the Met Gala, a special feature. This is an episode I produced with one of my favorite podcasts, Decoder Ring. Together we asked the quest...
Modesty
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why would God care what we wear? A tour through Islam, Mormonism, and Judaism, and all of their varying and overlapping commands. For more images and...
Nudity
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes it’s liberating to be naked. Sometimes it’s really really not. Notes, links, and images at articlesofinterest.substack.com Learn about...
Chromophobia
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Color. Why we need it. Why we fear it. And where its future might lie. Images and links at articlesofinterest.substack.com Radiotopia’s fall fund...
A Few Shoes [LIVE]
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On stage in Toronto, with the help of shoe designer Aurora James and shoe historian Elizabeth Semmelhack, we go over a few shoes- and what they say ab...
Wearing Hair
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You and I both know this. The supply chain is super messed up. The way humans make clothing is deeply messed up. So should we just make garments made ...
More Pockets
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special re visit of one of my favorite stories: Pockets. Followed up by a special live interview with Hannah Carlson, author of the book Poc...
Plus Sizes
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Plus-sized fashion seems to live in a separate trend cycle. There are different patterns, different cuts. And most notably, women’s shirts often hav...
The Corduroy Appreciation Club
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A secret society. A secret tradition. And a cloth that somehow lends itself to ritual. articlesofinterest.substack.com (I can’t believe that, fate...
Paisley
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Himanshu kept seeing paisley everywhere: from his home temple to his couch cushions to his mom’s pants. Some of these products were Indian but a lot...
Paper and Rubber
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is about two examples of cloth-alternatives. One that went extinct. And one that’s very much alive. This story deals with sex and sexuality. B...
Fashion Without Capitalism
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1980s, Budapest was not quite socialist and not quite capitalist, and there was one fashion designer who thrived in this moment. This is the ...
The Black Fashion Museum
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tricky thing about fashion is that, in order to preserve its history, you need to preserve physical garments. And, alas, closet space is finite, c...
Prison Uniforms (with Ear Hustle)
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prison uniforms are not, in fact, uniform. There are so many types of clothes that are worn across different facilities… including … some prisons ...
How To Dress
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Think of this mini episode as a tiny makeover in your ears. Amy Smilovic, the founder of Tibi, has some of the best advice when it comes to gathering...
Our Mannequins, Ourselves
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Behind the scenes at the Costume Institute, we see how long it really takes to dress a mannequin. And learn about a few famous mannequins from the pas...
Inside The Factory
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the ten year anniversary of a horrible manufacturing disaster- a look at what has changed, what hasn’t, and the massive secret industry behind it...
On Pointe
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pointe shoe is a design that balances at the very tip of both tradition and innovation. What can make it change? Learn about your ad choices: dov...
The Clueless Closet
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since 1995, a generation has been dreaming of Cher’s digital closet from the movie Clueless. So why don’t we have it yet? It’s not the tech...
American Ivy: Chapter 7
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I have a confession to make.To see images, notes and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery Truf...
American Ivy: Chapter 6
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the 80s turns into the 90s, preppy is everywhere. All over the planet. In the United States AND Japan. And sure, preppy sort of morphs into busines...
American Ivy: Chapter 5
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ralph Lauren ascends. And so does a slender little joke book that no one expected to be a colossal, massive bestseller. Just in time for the secret fa...
American Ivy: Chapter 4
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ivy starts to go out of style, thanks to the counterculture (with a lot of help from corporate America). But Ivy finds an unlikely savior in a Jewish ...
American Ivy: Chapter 3
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The look of the elite somehow becomes the look for everyone. And as more and more people are taking on Ivy, it only becomes cooler and cooler. Which g...
American Ivy: Chapter 2
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So where does Ivy begin? The short answer: Princeton University. The long answer is a spiral that takes us from a 1940s Chinese prison camp, to the ra...
American Ivy: Chapter 1
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A trend forecaster follows up on a trend report from 2016. A prominent fashion buyer tells me his trends for fall 2022. And I wonder why one particula...
American Ivy: Prologue
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear. And for a long time, one particular look has come back in style again and again and again. Or maybe...
12. Wedding Dresses
27 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A wedding was once seen as a start of young adulthood. Now, a wedding has come to represent a crowning achievement -- a symbol that your whole life is...
11. Diamonds
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Diamonds represent value, in all its multiple meanings: values, as in ethics, and value as in actual price. But what are these rocks actually worth? T...
10. Suits
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Menswear can seem boring. If you look at any award show, most of the men are dressed in black pants and black jackets. This uniform design can be trac...
9. Perfume
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The world of high end perfume is surprisingly lucrative, considering that scent is often the most ignored of our senses. But one can't judge a scent s...
8. Knockoffs
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brands hold immense sway over both consumers and the American legal system. Few know this as well as Dapper Dan, who went from street hustler to fashi...
7. A Fantasy of Fashion
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of World War II, the government of France commissioned its most prominent designers to create a collection of miniature fashion dolls. It ...
Theme Music by Sasami
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Articles of Interest" theme song by Sasami Ashworth Sasami’s new album is out now. Get it! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...
6. Punk Style
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There is this myth that it’s frivolous or unproductive to care about how you look. Clothing and fashion get trivialized a lot. But think about who g...
5. Blue Jeans
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For the most part, we tend to keep our clothes relatively clean and avoid spills and rips and tears. But denim is so hard-wearing and hard-working tha...
4. Hawaiian Shirts
09 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are a few ways to tell if you’re looking at an authentic, high-quality aloha shirt. If the pockets match the pattern, that’s a good sign, bu...
3. Pockets
08 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Womenswear is littered with fake pockets that don’t open, or shallow pockets that can hardly hold more than a paperclip. If women’s clothes have p...
2. Plaid
07 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lumberjacks wore plaid. Punks wore plaid mini skirts. The Beach Boys used to be called the Pendletones, and they wore plaid with their surfboards. Lot...
1. Kids' Clothes
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Clothes are records of the bodies we’ve lived in. Think of the old sweater that you used to have that’s just not your style anymore, or the jeans ...