Dress: Fancy: The Podcast About Dressing Up
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Behind the scenes at the Met for "Women Dressing Women", with conservator Melina Plottu (Christmas Special)
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we go behind the scenes at the Met for the Costume Institute's new exhibition "Women Dressing Women" with curator Melina Plottu, text...
The Lee Miller Story. With Ami Bouhassane, Robin Muir, Josephine Ross and Lucy Clayton
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore the life and work of iconic artist, Lee Miller, in anticipation of the new film starring Kate Winslet. Links Follow @dress...
Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners Shaped Global Style
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode takes us to the Museum of London – where the major contribution of Jewish designers in making London an iconic fashion city is recog...
Fashion & Propaganda with Amber Butchart and the Fashion & Textiles Museum
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode celebrates a new exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum here in London: "The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the Frenc...
Season of the Witch – Dress: Fancy Halloween special 2023, with Cathi Unsworth
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can trust Lucy Clayton to take you to some dark places each Halloween but this year, we bring you the ultimate guide to Goth. Author Cathi Unswort...
The Closet, with author Teo van den Broeke
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton meets with Soho House's editorial director and former style director for British GQ and Esquire, Teo van den Broke to discuss his debut b...
Dressing Barbie: the Movie Debrief, with Carol Spencer
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As promised! Following our interview with Barbie designer Carol Spencer, author of "Dressing Barbie" host Lucy Clayton meets up with Carol once more, ...
End of Season Message + Summer Holiday Things to Do & Read!
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this end of season message from host Lucy Clayton. Full of recommendations for things to see and read over the summer. Please review the sh...
Peak 90s Fashion & the Ghost phenomenon with founder Tanya Sarne
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ghost. Iconic 90s fashion – accessible, desirable and machine washable. In the latest episode of Dress: Fancy, Lucy Clayton revisits this fashion mo...
Dressing Barbie: Designing Fashion for a Style Icon – An Interview with Carol Spencer
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At DRESS:FANCY podcast we are eagerly anticipating the release of Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie (July 20th). To prepare, host Lucy Clayton tracks down C...
Part 2. Behind the Scenes: "Crown to Couture" at Kensington Palace
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Lucy Clayton and curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott Williams on a grand day out at Kensington Palace. This is Part Two of a two part sp...
Coronation Special: Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Lucy Clayton and curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott Williams on a grand day out at Kensington Palace - for a behind the scenes tour of ...
Launch Party for "Rihanna and the Clothes She Wears" with Author Terry Newman
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On DRESS:FANCY podcast we love nothing more than a shameless rummage around in a celebrity wardrobe. And there is no one we'd rather do it with than a...
Secrets from a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of Dress: Fancy, Lucy Clayton uncovers the secrets from a Victorian woman's wardrobe with author Kate Strasdin and her enchantin...
Inside the Real Bridgerton Court: Who Was the Real Queen Charlotte?
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In advance of the eagerly anticipated Shondaland spinoff series "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" (Netflix, 4th May), Lucy Clayton takes a look at...
The Crown in Vogue with Robin Muir & Josephine Ross
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton interviews Robin Muir & Josephine Ross, authors of "The Crown in Vogue) – join us as we rifle through the Vogue archive of a century's ...
Costume Anxiety & the Nativity Play – The DRESS:FANCY 2023 Christmas Special!
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's the most wonderful time of the year, the DRESS:FANCY podcast Christmas special! Join Lucy Clayton for an episode filled with glitter, nostalgia a...
The Definitive Guide to Dressing Up – A History of Fancy Dress in Britain
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by Verity Wilson, author of Dressing Up: A History of Fancy Dress in Britain, for a glorious exploration of the creative and ch...
Dress: Fancy needs your Christmas costume dramas!
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This year, our Christmas special theme is costume anxiety and the nativity play. Together with a nursery school head teacher, Lucy will be answering y...
The House of Embroidered Paper – Reimagining Regency Fashion with artist Stephanie Smart
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Lucy Clayton visits artist Stephanie Smart, on location at Worthing Museum, for a masterclass in quilling and a tour of Stephanie's work – Rege...
The Crown Bonus Special: Meet Lucy's Mother AKA Accidental 90s Princess Diana Lookalike
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
DRESS:FANCY podcast celebrates the launch of the new season of Netflix's The Crown with this by popular demand bonus show… following our episode wit...
Lady Diana Revenge Looks
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we turn our attention to one of the most revered style icons in all the world – Princess Diana. Join host Lucy Clayton and Eloise Mo...
Haunting Fashion: Clothing Beyond the Grave
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our annual Halloween show is the highlight of the DRESS:FANCY year. Host Lucy Clayton is joined by writers Rosalind Yana and Chris Woodyard to explor...
The Official Laura Ashley Fan Club
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dress: Fancy begins a new season with a special episode exploring the history and influence of Laura Ashley – join host Lucy Clayton and fellow Laur...
New season trailer – Autumn/Winter 2022
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Host Lucy Clayton gives a glimpse of what's in store for the new season of Dress: Fancy. Links Visit our website Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instag...
Unhidden: Disability, accessibility, and universal design in fashion – with entrepreneur and activist Victoria Jenkins
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by Victoria Jenkins, Founder and CEO of the clothing brand Unhidden. Victoria is an award winning adaptive designer, disability...
"You're Doing it Wrong" – A Celebration of Fashion, Beauty and Misogyny Throughout the Ages
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by guest Kaz Cooke, bestselling author of "You're Doing it Wrong: A History of Bad & Bonkers Advice to Women" for a fresh, funn...
Gloves: Function, Fashion and Fantasy
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by Dr Anne Green, author of "Gloves: An Intimate History" for an exploration of the history of gloves, right through to their ...
How to Care for the Shoes, Bags & Clothes You Love with The Restory
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by Emily Rea, Co-aFounder of The Restory for a masterclass looking after the stuff you love. From simple reheeling to full blow...
Launch Party for "Harry Styles and the Clothes He Wears" with Author Terry Newman
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Feather boas at the ready! Join Lucy Clayton in conversation with author Terry Newman to celebrate the upcoming launch of her new book - a delicious, ...
Fashioning Masculinities – The Art of Menswear at the V&A
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Lucy Clayton for a private guided tour of the V&A's new blockbuster exhibition: Fashioning Masculinities, The Art of Menswear with curators Clair...
In Intimate Detail: Everything you need to know about lingerie with Cora Harrington and Lucy Clayton
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time, in this episode of DRESS:FANCY we're taking OFF our clothes to uncover what lies beneath... Guest Cora Harrington is an American ...
Sali Hughes & Lucy Clayton introduce Beauty Banks x DRESS:FANCY
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new season of DRESS:FANCY where we're using our collective power to do some good by partnering with the charity Beauty Banks. Together, w...
New Season Trailer – Spring 2022
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
THE podcast about dressing up. Listen to discover what the new season of Dress:Fancy has in store. Links Visit our website Beauty Banks Follow @dress...
Dressing Up With… Lou Taylor
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From the makers of DRESS:FANCY podcast comes a new series about the messages and meaning behind what we wear. Host Lucy Clayton is joined by designe...
Part 2: A Very British Scandal, with Adrian Tinniswood
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Lucy Clayton, author Adrian Tinniswood, Margaret Ducness of Argyll and the international jet set for a conversation about the social context surr...
A Very British Scandal: The Real-Life Wardrobe of the Duchess of Argyll
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hands up if you enjoyed "A Very British Scandal" the BBC drama written by Sarah Phelps, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany? ****OF COURSE YOU DID! ...
Christmas Special - Dress: Fancy Goes to Claridge's
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's here! The DRESS:FANCY Christmas special. This is always a show full of delight and sequins but this year, it's an extra-glittery treat because we...
Dressing up with... Alex T Smith
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From the makers of DRESS:FANCY podcast comes a new series about the messages and meaning behind what we wear. Host Lucy Clayton is joined by designe...
Styling Sustainability with Patrick McDowell
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by special co-host - maverick designer, sustainability campaigner and consummate dresser upper, Patrick McDowell. Sustainable ...
Mary Quant: the Life and Times of a Fashion Legend – In Conversation with Director Sadie Frost
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Clayton is joined by special guest co-host Sadie Frost – fresh from directing the new documentary about the life and times of fashion legend Ma...
Dressing in Disguise: Evasions, escapes, and emancipation
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Lucy Clayton and Guest Co-Host Patrick Grant for an exploration of the history of dressing for disguise. This episode covers clothes for evading...
Dressing Up With... Phin Harper
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From the makers of DRESS:FANCY podcast comes a new series about the messages and meaning behind what we wear. Host Lucy Clayton is joined by designe...
Noble Ambitions: The Fall and Rise of the Post-war Country House, with Adrian Tinniswood
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Lucy Clayton and author Adrian Tinniswood to celebrate the launch of his new book. With the grandest houses in Britain as the backdrop to this ep...
My Beautiful Radium - Glow in the Dark Halloween Special
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Lucy and Ben for an exploration of fashion's eternal fascination with Glow in the Dark. From the heart-wrenching story of the Radium Girls in the...
Dress the Baby Halloween Costume Competition
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Reflecting on the season that has been, and teasing exciting future developments, Lucy and Ben introduce a frighteningly fun competition for Halloween...
Code Purple: Costumes & Cavorting with Prince
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lucy and Ben are joined by author Casci Ritchie to talk about the life and wardrobe of one of the greatest artists of all time: Princ...
Dressed x Dress: Fancy Go Through the Looking Glass
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by this season's epic exhibition at London's V&A museum, April and Cassidy, Lucy and Ben play dress up in a collaborative show about the infl...
Dressing for Laughs: Comedy in Costume
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode puts the gags front and centre. We don't mean the effortless banter between Lucy and Ben, or her relentless teasing of him (which is only...
Paper Dreams: Costumes from Crêpe
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a listener's costume design project, this episode explores the possibilities – and problems – of dressing up with paper. As Lucy strug...
Head to Toe: Costume on the Extremities
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the stars of the show are the bits of the human body - from heads down to toes – that tend to get neglected in our daily clothing, ...
Bare-Faced Cheek: Playboy Undressed
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Never slow to come forward, and certainly not shy, Lucy and Ben throw their costumes to the wind this week and talk Playboy. A brand very familiar wit...
Social Climbing on Gilded Stairs
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben take a trip to gilded age New York and rub shoulders with robber baron-socialites, the Vanderbilts. They examine a battery-pow...
Season 9 trailer
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy and Ben are back for yet more costume drama, announcing season 9 of the Dress: Fancy podcast, and something to slake your thirst for vintage cout...
Dress: Spooky
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the self-proclaimed experts, arbiters and arch-judges of dressing up, Lucy and Ben take to the airwaves for a special episode to provide the defini...
Dressing Up In Art
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's theme is a broad and beautiful one: Lucy and Ben explore the role of dressing up in art with special guest, artist Volker Hermes. The conv...
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Appropriately for a summer quite unlike any other, this week Lucy and Ben invite themselves to a series of surrealist balls. Tagging along with Salvad...
You Crazy Fool
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben ponder the enduring appeal, and representation, of the duelling relationship between the fictional frenemies, the harlequin an...
The Chiffon Trenches
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben tweak their normal designer-focused episode to review Andre Leon Talley's memoir, The Chiffon Trenches. Reflecting on Talley's...
Masqued Realities
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben are off to the court to enjoy the spectacle that was the masque. Propaganda par excellence, this short-lived entertainment dur...
Vive la Révolution: Make-up Gets Ugly
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Ben and Lucy are taking their diamanté magnifying glass to the face itself, and thinking about a new fashion coinage: Ugly Ma...
Black Portraiture & the Getty Museum Challenge
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Brathwaite is a man of many talents but most recently he's been the shining star of the Getty Museum Challenge – the social media sensation th...
Episode 46: Keep Your Distance
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the global lockdown eases and we all begin to think about wearing clothes in public, possibly for the first time in three months, Lucy and Ben disc...
Episode 45: A Truly Splendid Spectacle
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The past months have been strange, difficult and trying. Fancy dress has been worn by people around the world to provide joy during the pandemic. In t...
Episode 44: Bienvenue, Willkommen, Welcome!
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's about time! Lucy and Ben wear their smudgiest eyeliner and descend into the subterranean world of the Cabaret. Focusing on two examples from earl...
Episode 43: Hide and Seek
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For many people, the essential part of any fancy dress costume is a face mask. Concealing one identity and making another possible, face coverings hav...
Episode 42: Thoroughly Modern Molly
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, in the second of our designer-focused mini episodes, Lucy and Ben discuss the bold and beautiful, strong and soft, powerful and playful cre...
Episode 41: The Darker Side of Dress
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben walk towards the precipice and consider the role and meaning of clothes in six different cults. Reflecting on the relationship...
Episode 40: New Kids on the Block
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy and Ben sacrifice comfort to probe the dark, sometimes demonic, always disruptive world of the New York Club Kids, a diverse group who caroused a...
Episode 39: Scandalous! Beaton & The Bright Young Things
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Lucy and Ben explore the life and times of Dress: Fancy's patron saint, Cecil Beaton. The social upheavals in Europe between the First and ...
Episode 38: When Lucy Became Mariella
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Series seven commences with a super-niche, and super-indulgent, episode as Lucy transforms herself into Mariella Frostrup and interviews Ben about his...
Episode 37: Viva Victoria! The enduring appeal of Victoriana
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In a suitably festive episode, and to conclude this season's costume shenanigans, Lucy and Ben consider a form of cultural expression that always seem...
Episode 36: Pharaohnic Fashion: Egypt, Art Deco and Costume
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy talks with Egyptologists Dr Colleen Darnell and Professor John Darnell to reflect on the enduring cultural and sartorial appeal of the land and h...
Episode 35: Playful Pageantry: Costume revelry at the Royal Opera House
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Every year from the late-nineteenth century Covent Garden's Royal Opera House opened its doors for a night of costumed revelry. Urbanites from all soc...
Episode 34: Gender Bender: Behind the Seams with Craig Green
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Lucy and Ben begin a new mini-series that looks in-depth at the work of fashion designers whose clothing engages with themes w...
Episode 33: Sirens' Call: The Underwater World of Mermaids & Mermen
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dress: Fancy has yet to venture off-shore: until now. In this week's aquatic-themed episode, Lucy introduces Ben to the complex and beautiful world of...
Episode 32: Shimmer & Shine: The Pearly Kings & Queens
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The City of London has many august traditions, but few are as beautiful, striking and good-natured as that of the Pearly Kings and Queens. Exploring ...
Episode 31: Little Podcast of Horror
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Little Podcast of Horror: Season Six commences on the year's biggest day for fancy dress: Halloween! Always looking to raise the costume stakes, Lucy ...
Episode 30: Fancy That! Dressing Up Comes of Age
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this indulgent, nostalgic birthday episode, Lucy & Ben review a year's worth of super-niche, sequinned dressing up stories. Talking about the podca...
Episode 29: Still Standing: The Costumes and Curation of Elton John
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In an especially glittering episode, Lucy and Ben discuss the costumes (off stage and on) of the inimitable Rocket Man, Elton John. Reviewing the Star...
Episode 28: Into the Pleasure Garden - The RA Summer Show Lates Event
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting into the summer spirit in central London, Lucy and Ben re-join the Royal Academy for another Lates costumed extravaganza. Talking with revelle...
Episode 27: Indulging Imaginations: Picnicking with the Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Pride and Prejuduce Jane Austen extolled the virtues of indulging the imagination 'in every possible way'. With this in mind, Lucy and Ben joined m...
Episode 26: Stylish Sketches: Manga Lates at the British Museum
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy and Ben record live from the front row at the British Museum, listening in on Grayson Perry as he talks with Kensai Yamamoto, and dissecting the ...
Episode 25: A Midsummer Night's Dream
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday 20 July, Dress: Fancy will be hosting a costumed parade at this year's Royal Academy Summer Show Lates event. The theme, excitingly, is 'G...
Episode 24: Carte Blanche - The Power of Dressing in White
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pristine, pure, powerful, peaceful: the meanings of white are many and various. It should occasion no surprise, then, that dressing in white (and its ...
Episode 23: Going Batty – A Costumed History of Bats
14 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you were to think of your costumed alter-ego as a creature, it's unlikely you'd immediately conjure an image of a bat, and yet as this super niche ...
Episode 22: Fandoms & Self-Fashioning: Into the World of Cosplay
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Dress: Fancy speaks with Professor Therèsa M. Winge from Michigan State University to explore the compelling, complicated and challenging ...
Episode 21: Adolescent Avatars: the power and powerlessness of costumed children
31 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Children playing dress-up is age-old and innocent. Or is it? Lucy and Ben go behind the seams to consider if children really do enjoy fancy dress as m...
Episode 20: Your Culture, Their Costume? Fancy Dress and Cultural Appropriation
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2011, Teen Vogue drew attention to harmful consequences of insensitively chosen fancy dress costumes that reduce beliefs, cultures and people to ga...
Episode 19: The Campest Christmas Eva!
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The pink carpet has been walked and Lucy and Ben reflect on the costume highs and lows of this year's Met Gala held on 6 May 2019. Were the outfits su...
Episode 18: Ethereal Excess – Carlos de Beistegui's Venetian Ball
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Described, in all seriousness, as the 'Ball of the Century', the Beistegui Ball of 1951 was a fancy dress event like no other: the guest list, the cos...
Episode 17: Camper Than Christmas? A Preview of the Met Gala Ball
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Aside from Halloween, the only other date that gets Lucy and Ben excited is the first Monday in May, when the Metropolitan Museum, New York, hosts its...
Episode 16: Aesthetes and the Avantgarde: Costume Balls at the Chelsea Arts Club
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this special 'on location' episode, Lucy and Ben visit the archives of the Chelsea Arts Club to explore the creativity, chaos and controversy that...
Episode 15: The Wonderful World of Weldon's, Or How to Hire the Best Costume
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The adage, 'They don't make them like they used to', is especially apt for the object at the centre of this week's episode: a fancy dress catalogue fr...
Episode 14: Hassle, Heartache, and Hagrid: Reflections on World Book Day
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Love it or loath it, World Book Day has become an important date in family calendars as toddlers, teenagers and just about any other young person unde...
Bonus Episode - Lights, Camera, Gucci!
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gucci's SS19 campaign is an unashamedly glitzy and joyous celebration of 1950s Americana, as relayed through Hollywood and Kodachrome photography. It ...
Bonus Episode - Live at the Royal Academy: The Costume Parade to the Secret Ballroom
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of two special episodes recorded live at the Royal Academy's Klimt-Schiele Cabaret Night in January, follow Lucy and Ben as they talk w...
Bonus Episode: Live at the Royal Academy
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join hosts Lucy Clayton & Dr Benjamin Wild live at the Royal Academy, as part of the RALates series for a discussion about Klimt, Schiele & the Vienne...
Episode 12: Balls & Baubles – Jewellery at the Beistegui, Capote and Rothschild Costume Balls
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this Season's finale, Lucy and Ben talk with Levi Higgs about the jewellery worn at three of the twentieth-century's most lavish and exclusive cost...
Bonus Episode: Sweating It Out – Reflections on the Christmas Sweater
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Fancy dress may be inherently unfashionable but it has found a home in the seasonal wardrobe of many people the world over – the British in particul...