Dressed: The History of Fashion

The Sartorialist, an interview with Scott Schuman, part 2

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our conversation with street style photographer extraordinaire, Scott Schuman, and speak about his five books and fifteen-year career as T...

The Sartorialist, an interview with Scott Schuman, part 1

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Street style photographer extraordinaire, Scott Schuman, joins us this week to speak about his five books and fifteen-year career as The Sartorialist....

Fashion History Now #21

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this latest edition of Fashion History Now, we catch up on the latest fashion history and fashion history-making news from Harry Styles gender-bend...

The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion with Petra Slinkard

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion and textile curator Petra Slinkard joins us to discuss the exhibition Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, on view at the Peabody Es...

Fashion History Mystery #55- Fashion Celebrates St. Catherine's Day

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Next week marks St. Catherine's Day on November 25th. In this week's minisode we explore the special nature of St. Catherine's Day to the French fashi...

Mend!: an interview with Kate Sekules

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the history of mending as well as the contemporary visible mending movement with guest Kate Sekules. RECOMMENDED READING: Sekul...

Fashion History Now #20: The Future of Fashion is Indigenous with Vogue's Christian Allaire

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are joined by fashion journalist Christian Allaire (Ojibwe) whose work for Vogue magazine is bringing Indigenous fashion designers to the...

For the Love of Fashion: An Interview with Hamish Bowles

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion historian, couture collector, museum curator, author, Vogue International Editor-at-Large, Hamish Bowles is the wearer of many stylish hats! H...

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: RGB's Supreme Court Style

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In commemoration of the life and legacy of the trailblazing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we look at the meaning behind her signature col...

Button Power: 125 Years of Saying it with Buttons, an interview with Christen Carter and Ted Hake

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the political power of the pin-back button and many of its other fun incarnations intended to convey a message. Learn more abo...

Creepy, Crawly Contraptions from Fashion History with Holly Frey

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are pleased to welcome Dressed producer and podcast host extraordinaire Holly Frey to the show this week. A fellow Halloween and fashion lover, Hol...

The Art of Arab Dress with Dr. Reem El Mutwalli

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Reem El Mutwalli joins us in a discussion of her organization The Zay Initiative, a fashion history archive dedicated to collecting, documenting a...

Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion, an interview with Amy de la Haye, pt. 2

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of this two-part series, Amy de la Haye joins us to speak about fashion's love affair with the rose, her book The Rose in Fashion: Ravishi...

Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion, an interview with Amy de la Haye, pt. 1

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In part one of this two-part series, Amy de la Haye joins us to speak about the historic symbolism of the rose, her book The Rose in Fashion: Ravishin...

Fashion History Mystery #53: Suffragist Herstory: Miss Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's minisode we delve into the incredible life of suffragist Mable Ping-Hua Lee, the activist who dedicated her life to the suffrage moveme...

Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion with Dr. Tanisha C. Ford

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Tanisha C. Ford returns to discuss her recently released memoir Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Letter to the Power of Fashion (2019). More on...

Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Politics of Global Soul with Dr. Tanisha C. Ford

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The paradox of clothing is that it can be at once the most public and the most personal of items a person can use to express their identity historical...

Fashion History Now #19: Finding Future Vintage, an interview with Gabriel Brandon-Hanson and Jesus Herrera

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week designers Gabriel Brandon-Hanson and Jesus Herrera join us to discuss their vintage shop which features exquisitely handmade garments source...

Floriography: The Victorian Language of Flowers, an interview with Jessica Roux

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Daffodils for your unrequited love, lavender for your sworn enemy. This week author and illustrator Jessica Roux joins us to discuss how the Victorian...

Fashion History Mystery #52: Driving Fashion

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the symbiotic relationships between modern women, fashion, and cars at the dawn of the twentieth century. Recommended reading: G...

Advanced Style, Part II: Meet the Models and Muses

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we meet some of the muses of Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style and Advanced Love series who join us to share the myriad of lessons and philos...

Fashion History Now #18: In Vogue: The 1990's with Hamish Bowles

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cassidy and April "sit down" with Hamish Bowles, fashion historian, couture collector, Vogue editor, and new host of the podcast In Vogue: The 1990s. ...

Advanced Style, Part I: An Interview with Ari Seth Cohen

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Style knows no age. In part one of this two part episode, photographer Ari Seth Cohen joins us to discuss Advanced Style, his street style blog turned...

Fashion History Now #17

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We cover everything from smart wool to stylin' penguins in this week's discussion that also includes what is happening in the world of online fashion ...

A History of the Paper Pattern Industry

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we honor the work of costume designer, fashion historian and expert on the history of paper patterns, Joy Spanabel Emery. RECOMMENDED READIN...

Fashion History Mystery #51: Rad in '39: Predicting Fashion's Future

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we answer a listener question about past predictions of fashion's future; from wearable tech to smart phones and air conditioning a surprisi...

Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, an interview with Marcellas Reynolds

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Iman. Tyra. Naomi. Marcellas Reynolds, author of the book Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, joins us to discuss the legio...

Fashion History Now #16

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Would you wear Chipotle?! This week we discuss a new clothing initiative by the fast food chain, the YouTube series Black Girl in a Big Dress, what's ...

Future Fit: A History of the Jumpsuit, an interview with Andrea Lauer

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Andrea Lauer joins us to discuss the utilitarian and utopian history of the jumpsuit. A favorite fashion staple of the 21st century, the jum...

Fashion History Mystery #50: Count Chardonnet and the Quest for Artificial Silk

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison and an enigmatic French Count factor into the history of one of the most widely used textiles on the planet? Tune ...

Cool Shades: A History of Sunglasses, an interview with Vanessa Brown

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Vanessa Brown joins us this week to discuss the ways in which sunglasses have been used in the construction of cool and celebrity glamour. Learn mo...

Fashion History Now #15: Indian Market 2020's Virtual Fashion Show

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are joined by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, the producer behind Santa Fe Indian Market's annual fashion show, which goes virtual this year for th...

Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past, an Interview with Dr. Peter Boag

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to a plethora of literature and Hollywood films, the American West holds an almost mythic-like place in the popular imagination. Its mere menti...

Fashion History Now #14

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's minisode, we discuss listener mail about Princess Beatrice's upcycled Norman Harnell wedding dress, bicycling etiquette art, magical ma...

Fashioning the Enslaved Servant, an interview with Dr. Jonathan Michael Square

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Dr. Jonathan Michael Square joins us to discuss some of his object based research into Brooks Brother's coats worn by enslaved servants duri...

Fashion History Mystery #49: A Brief History of Shorts

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we answer a listener query about when and how did shorts enter women's wardrobes. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our webs...

Fashioning White Femininity: The Ethnic Masquerade of Modern Fashion with Dr. Victoria Pass

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the 1920s and 30s, white fashion magazines and designers marketed ethnicity to white women as something that could be put on and taken off at w...

Clueless at Twenty-Five, an Interview with Costume Designer Mona May

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the iconic fashion flick Clueless, we bring you a special interview with the film's costume designer Mona ...

1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, an interview with Rebecca C. Tuite

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we examine the career of American Vogue editor Jessica Daves who presided over the magazine during the 1950s, a golden age of fashion photog...

Fashion History Now #12

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week's discussion includes the ugly makeup revolution, Costube, and highlights from haute couture's first digital fashion week. @CosTubeGuide I...

Carnival to Catwalk: Global Reflections on Fancy Dress Costume with Dr. Benjamin Wild

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, cultural historian Dr. Benjamin Wild joins us to discuss the global phenomenon of fancy dress costume, smashing any outdated conventions th...

Fashion History Mystery #48: The Etiquette of Bicycling

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the bicycle is a ubiquitous summer pasttime for many of us, but in the 1890s it was a new social and cultural phenomenon that took the world by...

Living History pt.2, an interview with Cheyney McKnight

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Living historian and educator Cheyney McKnight joins us for part two of this episode to discuss African diasporic dress and fashion in the US during t...

Fashion History Now #11

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we discussed the future of fashion customization, the conservation of Queen Elizabeth I's funeral corset, the discovery of a 2,300 year old ...

Living History pt. 1, an interview with Cheyney McKnight

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Living historian and educator Cheyney McKnight joins us this week to speak about the profession of historic interpretation and specifically about her ...

Fashion History Mystery 47: Wedding Customs: Days of Yore

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's mini-sode we answer a listener question about the history of the wedding garter and examine how wedding traditions of the Middle Ages a...

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, an Interview with Anna Jackson, Part II

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring you part two of our two part episode with Anna Jackson, curator of the V&A exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, the first major ex...

FHN #10

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In light of current events, the fashion industry will never be the same again. This week, we discuss meaningful (and not so meaningful) change. Recom...

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, an Interview with Anna Jackson, Part I

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring you part one of our two part episode with Anna Jackson, curator of the V&A exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, the first major ex...

FHM 46: Dressed to Protest

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss a brief history of what people have worn to both protest and protect themselves during times of civil unrest. Further read...

Fashion History Now #9

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cassidy and April discuss current events as they relate to the fashion industry and the field of Fashion Studies, highlighting where the industry and ...

Fashion History Now #8

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This show would not be possible without our wonderful listeners! This week we celebrate YOU by highlighting some of your fashion histories shared with...

The Art of Historical Hatmaking with Rachel Frost

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we learn about the history and techniques of historical hatmaking with Rachel Frost, one of only a handful of hatmakers using sixteenth cent...

Fashion History Mystery 45: Re-Dressed: Favorite Fashion Books

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So many of you have asked for book recs for what to read during your extra time at home, this week we re-air our past minisode on our favorite fashion...

Bedside Manner, an interview with Marisa Hollywood

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nurses, we love you! In an episode dedicated to healthcare workers everywhere, this week we explore the history of the nurse uniform. Learn more ab...

Fashion History Now #7

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we check out some disturbing historic beauty advice, a collection of the world's rarest pigments, alternative leather made from cacti, and g...

Spread Love and Shine Light, an Interview with Orenda Tribe's Amy Yeung

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In lieu of this week's FHM, we bring you a special interview with Amy Yeung, founder of Orenda Tribe. Using the colors of the rainbow as her guide, Am...

Service Mode: Dressing the Domestic Servant

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On the heels of our Downton Abbey episode, this week we explore the dress of the downstairs set. What did domestic servants really wear? Learn more...

Fashion History Now #6

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From golden mending games to Advanced Style inspiration, this week's episode is full of suggestions for fun fashion history related activities you can...

Designing Downton Abbey, an Interview with Anna Mary Scott Robbins

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we speak with Anna Mary Scott Robbins, the costume designer behind one of the most beloved television series, and now films, Downton Abbey....

Fashion History Mystery #44: A Brief History of Prom

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate a quintessential rite of passage being canceled en masse this year due to the pandemic, we bring you a brief history of Prom. Learn mo...

Game of Thrones: What to Wear When Winter is Coming, pt. 2

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for our second installment on the stories and symbolism lovingly stitched into the GoT costumes. RECOMMENDED READING: Clapton, Michele and Gi...

Fashion History Now #5

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we issue a couple of challenges! Recreate works of art at home! Help April get to the bottom of Pierre Cardin-designed uniforms for the Chin...

Game of Thrones: What to Wear When Winter is Coming, pt. 1

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We obsessed. We cried. We stood in awe of the epic saga that was Game of Thrones. Join us for an extra delicious episode where we break down the stori...

Fashion History Mystery #43: Lady Curzon's Peacock Dress

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A feat of Indian craftsmanship and British colonial pageantry, the "peacock dress" was worn by Lady Curzon, Vicereine of India, to the 1903 Delhi Durb...

Supreme Glamour, an Interview with Mary Wilson

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In celebration of our one hundredth episode, we welcome to the show Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes and author of the book Supreme Glamou...

Fashion History Now #4

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Topics in this week's episode include the Contemporary Muslim Fashion exhibition, eighteenth century wig building, the origins story of the N95 face m...

Queen Sirikit of Thailand, an Interview with Melissa Leventon

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when French haute couture meets Thai glamour and elegance? This week, Melissa Leventon joins us to discuss the sartorial legacy of Queen ...

Fashion History Mystery 42: Hook, Line, and Sink-Her, a History of Fishnets

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How did a practical device for catching fish become a coveted and controversial fashion staple? This week, we explore the fascinating thousand-year pl...

Ballerina: Fashion's Modern Muse, an interview with Patricia Mears

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

En pointe and en vogue, the ballerina has inspired many a fashion designer. Dance and fashion have long had a symbiotic relationship, and this week we...

Fashion History Now #3

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we discuss online sources of fashion history, AJ and The Queen, Dapper Dan's new memoire and biodegradable plastics. Recommended reading: ...

Eleanor Lambert: Empress of 7th Avenue, an interview with Carol McLennan

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"The most influential woman in fashion" during the 20th century was far from a household name. Join us as we explore the legendary career of Eleanor L...

Fashion History Mystery 41: The Incredible Origin of Cat-Eye Glasses

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What do millionaires, harlequins and cigarettes have to do with the iconic cat-eye frame? Tune in to find out! Learn more about your ad-choices at ...

How to Read a Suit, an Interview with Lydia Edwards

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion historian and author Lydia Edwards joins us to talk about her newly released book How to Read a Suit, the highly anticipated menswear version ...

Fashion History Now #2

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we cover topics including Bill Cunningham, 150 years of Harper's Bazaar, and the recent JLo/Shakira controversy. Are we still policing women...

Ethics and Responsibility in the Jewelry Industry, an interview with Bliss Lau

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know where the precious metals or gems used in your jewelry come from? This week we speak to jewelry designer Bliss Lau about ethics and respon...

Fashion History Mystery #40: What's a Dickie?!

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Your great-grandmother enjoyed a dickie. Join us in our exploration of a wildly popular garment, now lost to fashion history. Learn more about your...

Call Me: The Perils of 19th Century Etiquette

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After a deep dive into etiquette manuals, we explore the complex codes of introductions and calling during the 19th century. Learn more about your ...

Fashion History Now

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this new bi-weekly minisode series, Cassidy and April share the latest in all things fashion history. From Jean Paul Gaultier's final haute couture...

Fashion & Film, Part II

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we continue to explore the intimate relationship between fashion and film from World War II into the present day. Recommended reading: De...

FHM #39: Fashion at the Oscars, an Interview with Bronwyn Cosgrave

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Oscars red carpet is one of the most highly anticipated fashion events of the year. This week, we explore its history with Bronwyn Cosgrave before...

Fashion & Film, Part I

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are back! What better way to celebrate the launch of Season 3--and the Oscars AND Fashion Week-- than with a multi-episode celebration of the hundr...

Holiday Bonus FHM: The History of Glitter

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A symbol of glitz, glamour and celebration, we bring you a special holiday edition on the history of glitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...

Welcome to What I Wore When

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Can an outfit change your life? For many of us, the answer is a resounding yes. Welcome to What I Wore When, a weekly podcast hosted by Glamour digita...

Fashion's Frontier: Denim, an interview with Emma McClendon

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For the final episode of Dressed Season 2, we bring you the much-requested history of denim with Emma McClendon, curator of the exhibition Denim: Fash...

Fashion History Mystery #37: Fashion as Art and Protest with Korina Emmerich

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artist. Fashion Designer. Activist. Korina Emmerich joins us to talk about her fashion brand Emme and the ways in which her indigenous heritage and co...

Fashionopolis, an interview wtih Dana Thomas

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we speak with Paris-based fashion journalist Dana Thomas about the rise of fashion fashion and its true cost. Learn more about your ad-ch...

Fashion History Mystery #36: The Japanese Origins of the "Flip-Flop"

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Japan to Hawaii to California, this week we learn about the origins of the ubiquitious flip-flop.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...

Worn on this Day, an Interview with Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell joins us to discuss her new book Worn on this Day: the Clothes That Made History. From Olympic uniforms to coronation gowns...

Bond Girl Style, an inteview with Dr. Monica Germanà

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Icons of sex, danger and high style, this week we speak to Dr. Monica Germanà about women inhabiting the world of James Bond. Learn more about you...

Fashion History Mystery #35:The Vanderbilt Ball

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we chat about one of the most sumptuous fancy dress balls the world has ever seen: The Vanderbilt Ball of 1883. Learn more about your ad-...

Halloween Costume and Fancy Dress with Benjamin Wild and Lucy Clayton

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for Halloween, we talk all things dressing up with Lucy Clayton and Dr. Benjamin Wild, co-hosts of the podcast dedicated to that very sub...

Fashion History Mystery #34: Milk and Sugar: a Brief History of Seersucker

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This weeks listener question about the history of seersucker leads us to a surprising discussion of etymology. Learn more about your ad-choices at ...

At War with Fashion: World War II, an interview with Stuff You Missed in History Class

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we revisit April's appearance on Stuff You Missed in History Class covering French fashion and resistance during WWII. Learn more about y...

Fashion History Mystery #33: Fashion History at Fashion Week

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Grecian goddesses to the godmother of rock'n'roll, April and Cassidy discuss their favorite shows from the recent Spring/Summer 2020 Collections!...

At War with Fashion: World War I, LIVE from Bard Graduate Center

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In conjunction with the exhibition French Fashion, Women and the First World War currently on view at the Bard Graduate Center, we speak with Dr. Kate...

Fashion History Mystery #32: A Brief History of the Codpiece

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the more curious items of masculine dress history, this week we explore the function and symbolism of the codpiece. Learn more about your ad...

The King of Sexy Cling, an interview with Stephen Burrows

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Burrow's bright and slinky clothes defined the disco era. This week we speak with a fashion icon on the occasion of his new collaboration with...

Punk Style, an interview with Dr. Monica Sklar

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the style one of rock's most iconic sub-cultures: punk. But what came first, the music or the clothes? Learn more about your a...

Patrick Kelly, an Interview with Dr. Eric Darnell Pritchard

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Kelly took Paris by storm in the 1980s, becoming the first American designer to be inducted into France's distinguished Chambre syndicale du p...