Dressed: The History of Fashion
With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed. Join Dressed as we explore the social and cultural histories behind the who, what, when of why we wear.
Episodes
August 8, 2025 • 32 mins
In part-two of our 2022 exploration of the career of American fashion designer Claire McCardell, we discuss her work during WWII which yielded some of her most iconic designs.
For additional reading, check out Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson's recently released biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free (2025).
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August 6, 2025 • 39 mins
Called the "designer's designer," Claire McCardell turned the American fashion industry on its head starting in the 1930s with her fresh modern take on sportswear. This week we examine her career and legacy in a two-part episode from 2022.
For additional reading, check out Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson's recently released biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free (2025)
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Fifth generation Diné (Navajo) weavers Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas have been instrumental in rewriting the history and narrative surrounding Navajo weaving, a realm that for too long has been dominated by non-Navajo voices.
This is exemplified by their two groundbreaking books Spider Woman’s Children: Navajo Weavers Today and How to Weave a Navajo Rug and Other Lessons from Spider Woman, as well as their integral...
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This week we travel into the Dressed archive to revisit a two-part episode on the sacred cultural practice and art form of Diné (Navajo) weaving with internationally acclaimed authors, educators, and fifth generation weavers Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas.
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July 25, 2025 • 37 mins
In part two of our 2022 two-part episode, we continue our deep dive into the inner fashion sanctoms of nineteenth century "dudedom," exploring everything from dude fashion trends to the epic, nationally publicized battle to be "King of the Dudes."
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July 23, 2025 • 38 mins
In this two-part episode from 2022, we travel back in time to a bygone era when "dude" meant "dandy" and learn all about the now lost fashionable connotations of one of the most popular slang terms in modern parlance.
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Nothing gets between a woman and her fashion! Dr. Elizabeth Block joins us for part two of our 2023 episode on Gilded Age fashion in a discussion on fashionable smuggling, thievery, and the costumes of Gilded Age Season 2!
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Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles
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French haute couturiers reigned supreme during the late 19th and 20th centuries--but they did not achieve this status on their own. This week we revisit our two-part interview with Dr. Elizabeth Block, who joined us in 2023 to discuss her book Dressing Up: The Women Who Influenced French Fashion which celebrates the lesser known figures behind the international success of the French haute couture, including their elite American cli...
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July 11, 2025 • 45 mins
In this 2021 episode, Barbara Flood joined us to discuss her passion for fashion that spans her 1960s and 70s modeling career as a "Gernreich Girl" into the present day.
Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?
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Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles
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July 9, 2025 • 66 mins
Recorded live at the Chicago History Museum, “librarian of clothing” Jessica Pushor takes us behind the seams of her exhibition Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective. On view at the museum until July 27th, 2025, the exhibition celebrates the museum’s incredible 50,000+ fashion and textile collection, but also the many people who have shaped its existence for the past 100 years.
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July 4, 2025 • 35 mins
The Dressed Bookshelf has over 150 fashion history titles and counting! This week, we highlight some our favorite recent additions.
Books discussed in the episode:
Azzedine Alaia: A Couturier’s Collection
Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickenson
Dress History of Korea: Critical Perspectives on Primary Sources, ed. Kyunghee Pyun and Minjee Kim
Fashion & Motherhood: Image, Ma...
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Is it pink for girls and blue for boys OR is it pink for boys and blue for girls?!! Professor Jo B. Paoletti, author of Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys From the Girls in America, joins us to discuss the history of childrenswear and the role clothing plays in children's developing concepts of gender.
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June 27, 2025 • 63 mins
Fern Mallis joins us today to speak about her career which spans six decades of shaping, supporting and championing first American fashion, and later turning her expertise towards developing fashion weeks around the globe.
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June 25, 2025 • 50 mins
Internationally beloved teacher, mentor, and fashion authority Tim Gunn returns to Dressed to discuss his sixteen seasons at Project Runway and the origins of his famous catchphrase "Make it work."
Want More Tim Gunn:
Tim's Instagram
Tim's 2022 Dressed Interview
Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?
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Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titl...
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June 20, 2025 • 26 mins
One of the most iconic dresses in fashion history, the finely pleated, Grecian-inspired "Delphos" gown is synonymous with Mariano Fortuny, but it should be credited to his partner in life and work Henriette Negrin. This is her story.
Recommended resources:
"More than a Muse" article
Google Arts & Culture article on the Delphos
"The Knossos Scarf"
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June 18, 2025 • 57 mins
A'Lelia Bundles joins us to discuss the remarkable life of her great-grandmother--and namesake--A'Lelia Walker, a defining figure of the Harlem Renaissance and the subject of her recently published book Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance.
More from A’Lelia Bundles:
“Madame C.J. Walker” Dressed episode
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
Instagram
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June 13, 2025 • 45 mins
In part two of our episode on the 19th century English dandy Beau Brummell, Dr. Chloe Chapin joins us again to question the many myths surrounding Brummell, and we take a closer look at what the historical record actually reveals.
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Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles
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June 11, 2025 • 53 mins
This week we continue the life, legend and myth of arguably the most famous dandy of all time, Beau Brummell. In part one of this episode, Dr. Chloe Chapin joins us to establish his biography and regale us with the many anecdotes of Brummell's sartorial snobbery.
Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?
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Our Instagram
Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fas...
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June 6, 2025 • 56 mins
Monica L. Miller joins us all this week to discuss her groundbreaking exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which celebrates over 300 years of Black style through the lens of dandyism. On view now at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until October 26th, 2025.
Further learning:
Monica's tour of the exhibit tour
Superfine catalog
Slaves to Fashion book
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June 4, 2025 • 43 mins
Monica L. Miller joins us all this week to discuss her groundbreaking exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which celebrates over 300 years of Black style through the lens of dandyism. On view now at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until October 26th, 2025.
Further learning:
Monica's tour of the exhibit tour
Superfine catalog
Slaves to Fashion book
Learn more about your ad choices...
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