Dressed: The History of Fashion

This week we address our most requested topic of all time: 'why do women's garments have fewer pockets?!' Dr. Hannah Carlson joins us to discuss her recently released book Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close.

RECOMMENDED READING: Carlson, Hannah. An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close. New York: Algonquin Books, 2023.

You can find Dr. Carlson's book and many more of our favorite fashion h...

Oh the perils of being a Medieval, tassel loving peasant in the 21st century! In this episode, we meet Tyler Gunther, the peasant behind Greedy Peasant, the queer, Medieval-era fashion influencer, pageant planner, and unlikely social media star who has taken the world by storm. 

For more Greedy Peasant:

• Greedy Peasant’s website
• Greedy Peasant’s Patreon
• Greedy Peasant’s Instagram

From 1520 to 1560, the style-conscious accountant Matthäus Schwarz and his son Veit Konrad immortalized their adventures in dressing in a series of stunning, hand-painted portraits that provide a window into the period within which they lived. Historians Ulinka Rublack and Maria Hayward join us to discuss this extraordinary primary source which was published in full color as The First Book of Fashion: The Book of Clothes of Matthäu...

In this episode, we go "behind the seams" of Geoffrey Holder's whimsical costume designs for the seven-time, Tony Award winning smash hit The Wiz, which opened on Broadway in 1975 and ran for 1672 performances before closing in 1979.

Recommended Reading:

• The Wiz costumes in the collection of the NMAAHC
• André de Shield's article
• Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

In the conclusion of our two-part episode on the work of Hollywood designer Gilbert Adrian, we turn our attention away from his time at MGM costuming the likes of Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, and instead look at the rise of his fashion house Adrian, Ltd. Creating both custom made-to-measure looks for individual clients as well as 'immediate wear' which retailed at the finest US department stores, Adrian's took the Ame...

This week we get get the inside scoop on a new fashion history television series coming early next year, chat about France's new incentive to encourage it's citizens to repair and mend their clothing, and shed a few tears over the Loose Ends Project which assists with completing needlework and sewing projects left unfinished by loved ones.

We also detail the itinerary of our December 2023 fashion history trip to NYC.

Recommen...

One of American fashion's greats, the work Gilbert Adrian defined classic Hollywood glamour and pushed high fashion in new directions during the 1930s and 40s. In part 1 of this two-part episode, we examine Adrian's early years, and his role as head costume designer at MGM, where he turned screen stars, like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, into fashion icons.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Esquevin, Christian. Adrian: Silver Screen to C...

Amber-Dawn Bear Robe joins us to discuss the past, present, and future of Indigenous fashion, including the myriad of fashion design talents seen on the runway of this year's Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA).

For more information on the designers featured in this year's events, check out https://swaianativefashion.org/designers.

The work of the late, great designer Lee Alexander McQueen consistently blurred the lines between fashion and art, a fact celebrated in the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse which put his work in conversation with artists who drew on similar themes and visual references.

Curators Clarissa Esguerra and Michaela Hansen join us to discuss the exhibition which originated at the Los Angeles County M...

Today's we answer several listeners' requests for an episode on the American womenswear brand Lilli Ann. One of the great runaway success stories of American 20th century fashion, the backstory of the brand takes some twists and turns from its early years in San Francisco's Chinatown, to Lilli Ann's founder's fisticuffs with New York mobsters and his surprising relationship with the French textile industry which...

No longer the household name she was during her own time, Dorothy Liebes has been recognized as "one of the greatest designers of the 20th century." Her modernist textile designs were embraced by interior designers and architects including Frank Lloyd Wright and fashion designers such as her dear friend Bonnie Cashin. This week fashion and textile historian Leigh Wishner joins us to talk about Liebes' incredibly influen...

Today's episode is all about you, our listeners! We answer a few burning fashion history questions, share some touching stories and chat about the Papa New Guinean bags called 'bilum,' which were recently gifted to us in Paris.

LEARN MORE:

Threads that Bind Us: The Stories of Bilums

Bilum: The Backbone of Papa New Guinea

@handmadelocally @bilumsandbaskets

For centuries, the art and aesthetics of ancient Egypt have captured the imagination of--and served as inspiration for--creatives the world over. Fashion curator Darnell-Jamal Lisby joins us this week to discuss fashion's ongoing love affair with ancient Egypt and The Cleveland Museum of Art's exhibition Egyptomania: Fashion's Conflicted Obsession.

The final episode of our Barbie fashion history series explores Barbie's flowering into a fully fledged fashion icon in the 21st century and what that means in terms of diversity and representation for Barbie, in front of and behind the seams. ; 

Recommended Reading: 

• Carol Spencer's Dressing Barbie 
• Dan Savage's Ken Comes Out (1993)
• Barbie's Time Magazine Article (2016)
• Barbie's Style Instagram
• 1985-2022 Well Kno...

Barbie gets the full haute couture treatment in episode two of our Barbie fashion history series which takes us into the 1980s, a period that lays the foundation for her ascension into full fashion icon status.

Recommended Reading:

• Ruth Handler's Dream Doll
• Carol Spencer's Dressing Barbie
• Robin Gerber's Barbie and Ruth
• Black Barbie documentary
• Independent article about the Black Barbie documentary
• "Tracing the Histo...

From the digitization of a fashion history treasure trove to Cinderella's real life castle, we discuss the latest things happening in fashion history today.

Recommended Browsing:

• Johnson Publishing Co. Archive 
• The Red Dress Embroidery Project 
• Musée Christian Dior Granville
• Christian Lacroix exhibition
• Shakespeare and Company’s book bundle created special for Dressed!
• 
  

Barbie is so much more than a child's toy. Since making her debut in 1959, the Barbie doll has become a full-fledged global phenomenon--and fashion icon. In this two part series, we explore the fashion history and cultural significance of the world's most famous doll and meet the fascinating figures behind her creation. 

Recommended Reading:

• Ruth Handler's Dream Doll 
• Carol Spencer's Dressing Barbie 
• R...

Because one episode could not contain all of our Paris adventures! Today we chat about an exhibition on hair and body hair that we saw at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, three fashion exhibitions at the Palais Galliera, fashion and the French Revolution as seen at the Musée Carnavalet and what the dancers at Paris' famed Crazy Horse did--and didn't--wear on-stage.

https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/palace

https://madparis...

From the houses of the great haute couturiers and courtesans to the oldest haberdasheries and perfume makers in France, this week we take you behind the seams of our recent fashion history tours of Paris.

Recommendations:

• La Galerie Dior
• Fondation Azzedine Alaïa
• Musée Yves Saint Laurent
• Rebecca's Textile Tours of Paris
• Shakespeare and Company’s book bundle created special for Dressed!
• Ultramod
• Annie Bouquet
• La Droguerie
• Mokuba
• Au Ver...