
Dressed: The History of Fashion
HowStuffWorks
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.
Location:
United States
Description:
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.
Language:
English
Episodes
WHat I wORE to Work, an interview with Jo Weldon, part II (Dressed Classic)
4/24/2026
Based on her one-woman show, WHat I wORE to Work, Jo Weldon joins us for the second half of our Dressed Classic episode from 2024 to explore the "intersection of fashion, culture and sex work." In part II, we hear about the laws governing what strippers can and cannot wear, what Jo herself wore in her many roles within the sex industry and her ongoing work as a sex worker activist. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:40:15
WHat I wORE to work, an interview with Jo Weldon, part I (Dressed Classic)
4/22/2026
For this week's Dressed Classics episoes, this week Jo Weldon joins us for a two-part 2024 episode to speak about her one-woman show, WHat I wORE to Work, which explores the "intersection of fashion, culture and sex work." From the brothels of Ancient Greece to Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's, part I explores sex worker style throughout history and its centuries-long influence on high fashion. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:42:22
Dressing to Undress, an interview with Dita von Teese, part II (Dressed Classic)
4/17/2026
In part II of this week's Dressed Classics, our favorite vedette, Dita Von Teese, joins us to continue our conversation about being the first-ever guest star at Paris' legendary cabaret, the Crazy House and her current residency in Las Vegas. Her show Dita Las Vegas: A Jubilant Revue is onstage now at the Jubilee Theater, formerly home to iconic acts including Frank Sinatra as well as the showgirl review Jubilee, which ran for 40 years. Dita chats with us about reviving many of the original Jubilee costumes which were designed by Bob Mackie in the 1970s. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:31:33
Dressing to Undress: an interview with Dita von Teese, part I (Dressed Classic)
4/15/2026
Our two-part Dressed Classic episodes this week revisit our spectacularly stylish 2024 conversation with the one and only Dita Von Teese! A longtime vintage collector and star of the neo-burlesque scene, Dita's impact on contemporary visual culture cannot be underestimated. In part one of this two-part episode, we chat about her relationship with vintage style on and off stage and some of the amazing designers she works with to create her unique brand of unparalleled glamour. Past Dressed episodes of interest: The Origin of the Poodle Skirt The Incredible Origin of Cat-Eye Glasses Fashion and the Showgirl, part 1 Fashion and the Showgirl, part 2 Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:43:07
SUPREME WOMEN: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, Hollywood and Music with Marcellas Reynolds, Part II (Dressed Classic)
4/10/2026
Marcellas Reynolds made his third appearance on Dressed in 2024 to talk about the final book in his fashion forward Supreme Women series: Supreme Sirens: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Music. Want more Supreme Women? • Supreme Actresses: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Hollywood• Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:41:23
SUPREME WOMEN: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, Hollywood and Music with Marcellas Reynolds, Part I (Dressed Classic)
4/8/2026
Marcellas Reynolds made his third appearance on Dressed in 2024 to talk about the final book in his fashion forward Supreme Women series: Supreme Sirens: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Music. Want more Supreme Women? • Supreme Actresses: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Hollywood• Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:35:49
Fashion by The Letter: An A to Z, Part II (Dressed Classic)
4/3/2026
Following up on our wildly popular 2022 episode on obscure fashion terms from history, we brought you an all new two-part episode from A to Z in 2024! Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:30:57
Fashion by The Letter: An A to Z, Part I (Dressed Classic)
4/2/2026
Following up on our wildly popular 2022 episode on obscure fashion terms from history, we brought you an all new two-part episode from A to Z in 2024! Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:35:16
Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration with Isabella Rosner, Part II (Dressed Classic)
3/27/2026
Welcome to part 2 of our 2024 conversation with embroidery historian Isabella Rosner who joined us to discuss her book/zine Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration which explores the embroidery made in prisons and mental health hospitals through the surviving works of twelve individuals. Each of which stand as a testament to the triumphs and sorrows of the human spirit and a reminder of "what can be created when freedom is out of reach." Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:33:59
Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration with Isabella Rosner, Part I (Dressed Classic)
3/25/2026
Embroidery historian Isabella Rosner joined us in 2024 to discuss her book/zine Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarcerationwhich explores the embroidery made in prisons and mental health hospitals through the surviving works of twelve individuals who are a testament to the triumphs and sorrows of the human spirit and a reminder of "what can be created when freedom is out of reach." Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:54:32
Jane Austen's Wardrobe, an interview with Dr. Hilary Davidson (Dressed Classic)
3/21/2026
Have you ever pondered, 'but, what would Jane Austen wear?' Join us for this week's Dressed Classic episode from have all the answers for you in this episode, as Dr. Hilary Davidson joins us to talk about her two books: Dress in the Age of Jane Austen and Jane Austen's Wardrobe. Her new book, A Guide to Regency Dress , was released in late 2025. Check it out! Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:52:21
Get Dressed with Us in 2026!
3/18/2026
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:31:56
The Art of Historical Hatmaking with Rachel Frost (Dressed Classic)
3/14/2026
In this 2020 interview from the Dressed archive, we learn all about the art of historical hatmaking with Rachel Frost, one of only a handful of hatmakers in the entire world using sixteenth century European techniques. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:53:49
The Man of Many Hats: An Interview with Master Milliner Stephen Jones (Dressed Classic)
3/11/2026
Stephen Jones is one of the most prolific and celebrated milliners of the late twentieth and tweny-first centuries. We revisit our 2022 interview where he joined us to discuss his incredible forty plus year career adorning the heads of everyone from royalty to rock stars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:45:57
Sonia Delaunay: The Art of Everything, part II, an interview with Waleria Dorogova (Dressed Classic)
3/6/2026
This week 's Dressed Classic episodes from 2024 revisit a two-part conversation with Waleria Dorogova, co-curator of the exhibition Sonia Delaunay: Living Art. Mounted in 2024 at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, the ground breaking exhibition by Dorogova and co-curator Laura Microulis, explored Delaunay's work beyond painting and revealed her significant creative output as a fashion and textile designer. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:32:05
Sonia Delaunay: The Art of Everything, part I, an interview with Waleria Dorogova (Dressed Classic)
3/4/2026
This week 's Dressed Classic episodes from 2024 revisit a two-part conversation with Waleria Dorogova, co-curator of the exhibition Sonia Delaunay: Living Art. Mounted in 2024 at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, the ground breaking exhibition by Dorogova and co-curator Laura Microulis, explored Delaunay's work beyond painting and revealed her significant creative output as a fashion and textile designer. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:48:13
Imperio de la Moda: Spain's Empire of Fashion with Laura Beltrán-Rubio, Part II (Dressed Classic)
2/28/2026
In part II of our 2021 conversation with Laura Beltrán-Rubio on Spain’s Imperio de la Moda or Empire of Fashion, we focus on the symbolism and significance of dress in eighteenth century Colombia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:44:15
Imperio de la Moda: Spain's Empire of Fashion with Laura Beltrán-Rubio, Part I (Dressed Classic)
2/27/2026
We revisit our 2021 interview with art and fashion historian Laura Beltrán-Rubio who joined us to share her expertise on the sartorial practices and symbolisms in Spain’s Imperio de la Moda or Empire of Fashion, beginning in the sixteenth century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:35:58
Fashion History Mystery #60: What's Up Lilli Ann? (Dressed Classic)
2/20/2026
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 garnered Adolph Schuman the prestigious Legion d'Honneur award. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:32:23
Fashion Under Fascism, an interview with Dr. Eugenia Paulicelli (Dressed Classic)
2/20/2026
This week's Dressed Classic episode revisits a 2021 episode with Dr. Eugenia Paulicelli, who joined us to discuss her book Fashion Under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt which examines how fashion functioned under Mussolini's fascist regime in Italy during the period between WWI and WWII. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion? Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:09:50