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, textiles conservator, as our guide. Learn about the process of preparing garments for display and discover the secrets of this extraordinary role that plays such an important but often unseen part of fashion exhibitions at this scale. Links Visit our website Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @melina.plottu on Instagram Book your ticket to the exhibition Conserving Gallenga’s Theodosia The book accompanying the exhibition

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 @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram The Lee Miller Archives Lee Miller: Fashion in Wartime Britain Leave us a review

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 recognised in a new exhibtion. Revealing the stories of Jewish fashion makers who became industry leaders, founded retail chains still familiar on the high street today, and dressed the rich and famous Told through textiles, oral histories, objects and photography this is a show where every stitch tells a story. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @museumoflondon on Instagram Follow @luciewhitmorecurator on Instagram Follow @bkb23 on Instagram Leave us a review Book your ticket ot the Fashion City exhibition Fashion City events programme

This episode celebrates a new exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum here in London: “The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit” with curator, writer and broadcaster Amber Butchart. Discover how textiles have played a key role in the art of propaganda throughout the ages. Links Visit the exhibition Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @amberbutchart on Instagram Follow @fashiontextilemuseum on Instagram Leave Dress: Fancy a review Dressed for War: The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue editor extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties, by Julie Summers Musée de la Toile de Jouy

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 Unsworth has written the definitive history of Goth and joins us to talk music, eyeliner and icons of this spookiest of genres. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Leave us a review Cathi Unsowrth Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth – Cathi’s book Season of the Witch - song by Julie Driscoll

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 book - a memoir about self discovery and finding yourself through fashion. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @teovandenbroeke on Instagram Leave us a review The Closet – Teo’s book

As promised! Following our interview with Barbie designer Carol Spencer, author of “Dressing Barbie” host Lucy Clayton meets up with Carol once more, to discuss the Barbie Movie. This treat sized episode is a forensic and fabulous dissection of the costumes in all it’s pink and sparkly glory. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @carolsdazzlenvintage on Instagram Dressing Barbie: A Celebration of the Clothes That Made America's Favorite Doll and the Incredible Woman Behind Them Catch up on other previous episodes of our podcast Barbie – the Movie

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 show. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram The Offbeat Sari Leighton House Guys & Dolls Regent’s Park Diva’s Exhibition Luminary Bakery Giffords Highly Desirable: Tales of London’s super-prime property from the Secret Agent Worn: A People's History of Clothing Only the Clothes on Her Back: Clothing and the Hidden History of Power in the Nineteenth-Century United States Parachute Women: Marianne Faithfull, Marsha Hunt, Bianca Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, and the Women Behind the Rolling Stones Lives of the Wives: Five Literary Marriages The Very Hungry Caterpillar app

Ghost. Iconic 90s fashion – accessible, desirable and machine washable. In the latest episode of Dress: Fancy, Lucy Clayton revisits this fashion moment with the Ghost founder herself, Tanya Sarne, whose rollercoaster, rock-and-roll lifestyle makes for a mesmerising memoir, Free Spirit. From modelling in Mayfair to running a global powerhouse brand, this is a story of second and third chances, featuring famous faces, lessons in resilience and rehab and some Absolutely Fabulous anecdotes. Links Buy Free Spirit – Tanya’s book Model School In Mayfair (1964) Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @tanya_sarne on Instagram Listen to our archive episodes

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 Carol Spencer, who designed Barbie's wardrobe for over 35 years - this is a gorgeous and revealing conversation for anyone who ever played with Barbie, or admired her tiny, fabulous outfits. A celebration of playability and style and the world's most famous doll. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @carolsdazzlenvintage on Instagram Listen to our other episodes

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 special, recorded after the curator tour of the exhibition itself. If you’ve ever wondered how an exhibition of this scale is put together, or what the role of a curator comprises - this episode reveals all. Part 1 of Lucy’s conversation with Polly and Claudia Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @historicroyalpalaces on Instagram Follow @curatorpolly on Instagram Follow @claudiaacottwilliams on Instagram Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries Listen to our previous episodes

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 the new Crown To Couture exhibition. This is Part One of a two part special. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @historicroyalpalaces on Instagram Follow @curatorpolly on Instagram Follow @claudiaacottwilliams on Instagram Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries Listen to our previous episodes

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 author Terry Newman, who’s forensic knowledge of who wore what and when and why is world class. Her latest book, Rihanna and the Clothes She Wears is an encyclopaedic look at a style icon who’s versatility and flair makes her one of the fashion industry’s most loved practitioners – she is both artist and muse.  Join us as we rifle through Rihanna’s extremely well-appointed closet. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @terrynewman101 on Instagram Launch Party for "Harry Styles and the Clothes He Wears" with Author Terry Newman Check out all our past episodes Rihanna and the Clothes She Wears – Terry’s new book

On the latest episode of Dress: Fancy, Lucy Clayton uncovers the secrets from a Victorian woman’s wardrobe with author Kate Strasdin and her enchanting new book The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes. This extraordinary fashion scrapbook contains thousand of swatches of fabric, which together tell the story of female friendship, industry and empire, art and commerce. This is Victorian life not as you know it but in vivid, glorious and complicated technicolour. You can see the images that accompany every conversation on our Instagram @dressfancypodcast Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @katestrasdin on Instagram Visit our website Buy The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes, Secrets from a Victorian Woman’s Wardrobe 16 Stunning Victorian Textiles From The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes

In advance of the eagerly anticipated Shondaland spinoff series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” (Netflix, 4th May), Lucy Clayton takes a look at the real-life story behind one of television’s most compelling characters. Guest Catherine Curzon, author of a gorgeous new biography, joins us to discuss the scandals, fashions and kangaroos of Charlotte’s court. A must listen for Bridgerton fans everywhere. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @catherinecurzon on Instagram Visit Catherine’s website Visit our website

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 worth of Royal Reporting. From Coronations, Weddings, Jubilees, Abdications, and Investitures – this is a celebration fashion history as told through one family, in the pages of Vogue. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @rkm_muir on Instagram Follow @joesphine_jc_ross on Instagram Our website The Crown in Vogue Features Never-Before-Seen Photographs of the Royal Family from the Magazine’s Archives The Crown in Vogue: Vogue's 'special royal salute' to Queen Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor

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 and dressing up as we explore the chaotic world of the Christmas Nativity Play. Recorded on location at an actual nursery school with head teacher Lucy Morley, we serve up top tips for creating costumes for your little darlings as well as sharing listener stories of triumphs, trauma and tea towels on heads. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @ladbrokesquaremontessori on Instagram Visit our website Ladbroke Square Nursery This Cultural Life

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 chaotic ways costume plays a role in national identity. Full of inspiring and surprising ideas to recreate at home, this is the ultimate costume party. See the remarkable images that accompany this conversation on our Instagram: @dressfancypodcast. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Visit our website Verity Wilson’s book is published by Reaktion The true power of a good outfit – Lucy’s TED Talk You Crazy Fool – The Harlequin and Pierrot in Laughter and Life Aesthetes and the Avantgarde: Costume Balls at the Chelsea Arts Club

This year, our Christmas special theme is costume anxiety and the nativity play. Together with a nursery school head teacher, Lucy will be answering your questions about making papier-mâché camels, sourcing the best red reindeer nose, and many more things. We want to hear from you! If you have a question you'd like us to answer or an anecdote about your school days or your children's performances, share them with us and contribute to the show. Here’s how to take part. Head to our website. Click the tab on the right of the page, labeled “Take part! Record here!” Hit the “Start recording” button. Record a message of no more than 2 minutes, then when you’re finished, hit “Stop recording”. Leave us your name and email address, and hit “Send”. Don’t be shy, and do remember to include your name in your voice message. The deadline for taking part is Friday December 2nd.

Host Lucy Clayton visits artist Stephanie Smart, on location at Worthing Museum, for a masterclass in quilling and a tour of Stephanie’s work – Regency fashions crafted only from paper. In this extraordinary, intimate behind the scenes episode we learn about Stephanie’s creative process, the relationship between research and reality and how to become a “woman of quality”. Links Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @houseofembroideredpaper_art on Instagram Visit our website Paper Dreams: Costumes from Crêpe – Dress: Fancy Worthing Museum Stephanie Smart’s website

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 with Eloise Moran of @ladydirevengelooks, host Lucy Clayton interviews her own mother about what it was like to be Princess Diana’s double throughout the 90’s and Noughties. The similarity is frankly uncanny. Judge for yourself by following us on Instagram & TikTok where you can play along with the lookalike game. Links Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @ladydirevengelooks on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on TikTok Visit our website The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us Through Her Clothes, by Eloise Moran

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 Moran, founder of the cult Instagram @ladydirevengelooks and author of “The Lady Di Look Book – What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us With Her Clothes” for a shameless indulgent tour of Diana’s wardrobe evolution, from the see-through skirts of a nursery school teacher through to the Versace armour of a global superstar… we tour all the best looks, and discover the secret to revenge dressing in case you ever need to give it a whirl yourself. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @ladydirevengelooks on Instagram Our website The Lady Di Look Book – Eloise’s book Buy the book on Amazon The Princess Myth: Hilary Mantel on Diana

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 explore the perplexing human impulse to imbue clothes with meaning beyond the grave. Can a garment embody a spirit? And how can what someone wore serve as a tool to process the concept of death? Inspired by all the drama and controversy of Kim Kardashian in Marilyn’s dress for the MET we investigate why the clothing of the dead has, throughout history, proved an evocative link to the afterlife. We consider the modern iterations of Mourning Jewellery alongside ancient memorial customs, and Lucy really tightens up plans for her own, lavish funeral. Links Our website Chris Woodyard Rosalind Jana’s original Kim/Marilyn article Rosalind’s writing Nick Cave on grief: Our Playboy episode An example of an ashes/lab diamond company: Instagram @mslucyclayton @dressfancypodcast @rosalindjana Twitter @mslucyclayton @hauntedohiobook @RosalindJana

Dress: Fancy begins a new season with a special episode exploring the history and influence of Laura Ashley – join host Lucy Clayton and fellow Laura Ashley obsessives Isabel Spearman, founder of the hugely influential Daily Dress Edit, Telegraph Fashion Director Bethan Holt, and designer Justine Tabak to glory in the legacy of a brand that has not been given its fair share of attention historically, but is experiencing a renaissance for vintage collectors and as an inspiration for hoards of contemporary designers too. Instagram @mslucyclayton @dressfancypodcast @dailydressedit @justinetabak @bethanholt Links Lucy's vintage shop Isabel's Daily Dress Edit popup Justine Tabak Bethan's new book Recommended content The Rise and Rise of Laura Ashley 1976 The Pattern of Success Laura Ashley, by Martin Wood Laura Ashley: a Life by Design, by Anne Sebba Laura Ashley Decorates a London House, by Jane Clifford

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 Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram

Lucy Clayton is joined by Victoria Jenkins, Founder and CEO of the clothing brand Unhidden. Victoria is an award winning adaptive designer, disability advocate, write and speaker and here she shares her story, as we discuss socially responsible, inclusive fashion. Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490. Links Visit our website Unhidden Clothing Beauty Banks Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @unhidden.uk on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @victoriaannofficial on Instagram

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, funny and furious look at the terrible advice women have been told for centuries. Recorded while wearing a fur bra and a frilly apron. Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490. Links Visit our website Kaz Cooke “You’re Doing it Wrong” – Kaz’s book Beauty Banks Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @reallykazcooke on Instagram and @reallykazcooke on Twitter Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram and @mslucyclayton on Twitter Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram

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 role in contemporary fashion. This episode is full of surprising and startling stories and symbolism… you will never look at gloves the same way ever again! Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490 Links Our website Professor Anne Green’s book Beauty Banks Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram

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 blown reimagining - discover how aftercare can transform your wardrobe, future-proof your favourites and be part of a more sustainable approach to fashion. Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490. Links Visit our website The Restory Beauty Banks Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @therestory_ on Instagram Follow @emilycharlotterea on Instagram

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, deep dive into the wardrobe of fashion icon Mr Harry Styles. A rock and roll fashion history lesson fired from a confetti cannon. Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490. Links Beauty Banks Visit our website Harry Styles and the Clothes He Wears, by Terry Newman**** *Treat People With Kindness* video Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @terrynewman101 on Instagram

Join Lucy Clayton for a private guided tour of the V&A’s new blockbuster exhibition: Fashioning Masculinities, The Art of Menswear with curators Claire Wilcox and Rosalind McKever. Recorded on location at the V&A museum. Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks. Text BEAUTY to 70490 Links Our website Beauty Banks Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition Fashioning Masculinities hardback book Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @vamuseum on Instagram

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 writer and commentator widely recognised as one of the foremost authorities on the subject of lingerie. She's the Founder and Editor in Chief of The Lingerie Addict, the world's largest lingerie blog. And the author of In Intimate Detail: How to choose, wear and love lingerie - a book which demystifies and modernises the way we think about the complex and private territory of intimate apparel. She joins host Lucy Clayton to discuss the politics, power and provocation of lingerie, alongside some more practical advice like how to properly hand-wash your knickers! Please support our micro donation campaign for the charity Beauty Banks Text BEAUTY to 70490 Links Beauty Banks Our website The Lingerie Addict – Cora’s book (buy it on Amazon) The Lingerie Addict Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thelingerieaddict on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram

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, we’re launching their micro donation campaign. Join beauty industry legend and co-founder Sali Hughes in conversation with host Lucy Clayton to hear why this matters and how you can help. Text BEAUTY to 70490 Links Beauty Banks Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @thebeautybanks on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @salihughes on Instagram Visit our website

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 @dressfancypodcast on Instagram

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 designers, artists, activists, celebrities and members of our listening community to share the secrets of their wardrobes. In each short episode, we’ll meet a particular personality and perspective; revealing that the way we dress tells powerful stories about who we are. And today, we're Dressing Up With artist Lou Taylor. Join us for a playful conversation about colour, fashion icons, fake fur coats… and, well, you get the idea. Links Lou Taylor’s website Follow @loutaylor on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Twitter Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram

Join Lucy Clayton, author Adrian Tinniswood, Margaret Ducness of Argyll and the international jet set for a conversation about the social context surrounding this fashion icon and controversial society figure. Inspired by the BBC drama "A Very British Scandal" Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram A Very British Scandal Adrian Tinniswood

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! So, here’s a treat for everyone craving more salacious and sartorial details about Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. Join host Lucy Clayton, biographer Lyndsy Spence and author Luci Gosling for a rummage around in Margaret’s real-life wardrobe. We explore the fashion standards of the time, Margaret’s personal sense of style, her penchant for the pearls that sealed her fate and, of course, Argyll socks. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram A Very British Scandal Lyndsy Spence’s books Luci Gosling’s books Adrian Tinniswood The Mary Evans Picture Library V&A Wedding Dress piece Sweeney wedding footage

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’re taking you all to Claridge’s. Join Host Lucy Clayton as she uncovers the magic and mystery behind the festive season at this iconic hotel. Recorded on location with Claridge’s Archivist Kate Hudson and Communications Director, Charlotte Alexander-Stace, in this episode we meet the world’s most fashionable Christmas Trees. What happens when visionary creatives run wild on the theme of Christmas? Since 2009 legendary names from the fashion and design industries have made their mark in the lobby at Claridge’s, with trees full of surprise, splendor and sparkle. With a starry line up including John Galliano, Alber Elbaz, Dolce & Gabbana, Christopher Bailey, Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenburg, Christian Louboutin and Kim Jones. We trace the origins of this tradition, reflecting on the talent behind the concept and go behind the scenes to discuss the process, the people, the history and the hilarity of a Claridge’s Christmas. Let us transport you to the centre of Mayfair and the official start to Christmas. Links Claridge's The Claridge's Christmas Tree Archive Claridge's Shop Dress: Fancy Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @claridgeshotel on Instagram

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 designers, artists, activists, celebrities and members of our listening community to share the secrets of their wardrobes. In each short episode, we’ll meet a particular personality and perspective; revealing that the way we dress tells powerful stories about who we are. Today we’re dressing up with author and illustrator, Alex T Smith! Join us for a conversation about drawing fashion, stolen knitwear and accessories for respectable storybook animals everywhere. Links Subscribe to the Dress: Fancy podcast Follow @Alex_T_Smith on Twitter Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagra Alex’s portfolio

Lucy Clayton is joined by special co-host - maverick designer, sustainability campaigner and consummate dresser upper, Patrick McDowell. Sustainable fashion is the future - but it's also an opportunity to demonstrate some serious stylishness. Join Lucy and Patrick for a conversation about sequins, systemic change in the fashion industry and how to adapt your buying behaviour (on a budget). This episode will transform preconceptions about ethical fashion and inspire creative responses to the challenges we face in a world dominated by fast fashion and throwaway culture. Links Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @patrick_mcdowell on Instagram Follow @officialgfw on Instagram Visit our new website Patrick McDowell's website The Restory Community Clothing

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 Mary Quant. Lucy and Sadie discuss the legacy of Quant as a design pioneer, the relationship between fashion and feminism and the process behind the making of the film. Join us for an inspiring and intimate conversation about how the clothes we wear shape our sense of self. Quant is in cinemas up until end of January at selected screens, it will then be released digitally on February 21st 2022 on multiple platforms, and the DVD will follow on the 28th February. Links Visit Studio Soho for details of a Quant screening near you Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @sadielizafrost on Instagram Follow @maryquantfilm on Instagram

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 detection, getting away with murder, avoiding unwanted attention or for fleeing to freedom. With special guest Jonathan Square. Recorded at Norton & Sons, Savile Row. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @patrickgrantism on Instagram Follow @nortonandsons on Instagram Follow @stylesquared on Instagram Norton & Sons Jonathan Square What We Do in the Shadows, on BBC iPlayer Sartorial Society Series

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 designers, artists, activists, celebrities and members of our listening community to share the secrets of their wardrobes. In each short episode, we’ll meet a particular personality and perspective; revealing that the way we dress tells powerful stories about who we are. And now for Remembrance Day, we’re looking at an alternative take on the tradition of Poppy-wearing Dressing Up With... Phin Harper. Join us for a conversation about expressions of collective memory, war and peace, honour and respect, about choosing to wear a white poppy instead of red one… and about clothes that make a political statement. Links Follow @phinharper on Twitter and Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Twitter and Instagram Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram

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 episode, we take you to a period where tradition meets tripping out and grandeur gets groovy. We’ll gatecrash some stately and sophisticated parties and revisit a fair few society scandals too. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Noble Ambitions Adrian's other books Adrian's website The Guardian review of Adrian's book

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 1920s to neon nights in the 1990s' rave scene, this is a halloween episode like no other. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Lucy Jane Santos' website Lucy Jane Santos' Museum of Radium Lucy's newsletter Lucy's book – Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium Asos pulls belts in radioactive scare The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, Deborah Blum The Innocence of Radium, Lavinia Greenlaw Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado-Perez Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present, Alison Matthews David *Quicksand*, Henning Mankell *The Radium Girls They Paid With Their Lives, Their Final Fight Was for Justice*, Kate Moore

Reflecting on the season that has been, and teasing exciting future developments, Lucy and Ben introduce a frighteningly fun competition for Halloween to keep listeners engaged in the costume drama!  Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Ben's favourite episode this season Lucy's favourite episode this season Ben's recommended archive episode Lucy's recommended archive episode

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: Prince. Reflecting on gender, race and the role of costume in the performance of Prince’s complex and ever-evolving identities, we talk about leggings, chest hair, that Super Bowl, and––of course––the colour purple. Links Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @casciritchie on Instagram *On His Royal Badness – The Life and Legacy of Prince’s Fashion,* Casci Ritchie *How Does it Feel?*, D'Angelo Paisley Park (New Yorker article)

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 influence of Alice in Wonderland on fashions past and present. From Victorian pen and ink sketches through to Viktor & Rolf – Alice is a symbol who has stuck around. Together with her eccentric cast of characters she has been referenced and reimaged in fashion time and time again. We look at the evolution of Alice herself as well as the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts on screen, on the runway and on the street. What is so compelling about this story that it continues to inspire fantastic and creative clothes? Together with special guests from the V&A, this show takes listeners on a curious and curiouser journey of discovery...

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 funny for one!), but the laughter and joy that is inherent in dressing up. From the trope of the Wise Fool, and the ‘Scary Clown Scare’ of 2016, to the haute couture of Viktor & Rolf, and an interview with a clown-turned-comedy lecturer, we consider the poignancy of costume puns and explain why a collective giggle is necessary for all. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram References Slava’s Snow Show Circus - A Visual History, Pascal Jacob Rabelais and His World, Mikhail Bakhtin I Actually Wore This: Clothes We Can’t Believe We Bought, Tom Coleman What Artists Wear, Charlie Porter Viktor & Rolf – ‘The New Royals’, haute couture A/W 2021

Inspired by a listener’s costume design project, this episode explores the possibilities – and problems – of dressing up with paper. As Lucy struggles with her own creativity (paper patterns are harder than they look!), Ben charts the colourful, stretchy history of crêpe and looks at artists and designers who have folded and glued to make striking fashions. Join us for a crafting session with help from Jane Asher, Dennison’s and an awful lot of sellotape References Follow @dressfancypodcast, @mslucyclayton and @benjamin_wild on Instagram Isabelle de Borchgrave Crêpe paper fashions from FIDM museum 1920s crêpe paper dress (via @guermantes.vintage) Yotam Rotem “The Library Ball” Pom Pom Factory

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, but which take on new prominence and meaning when dressed creatively and fantastically in costume. Think diamond studded stag’s head and curled shoes, and you get the idea. Join Lucy and Ben as they talk about the possibilities and problems of dressing the body’s periphery. References V&A Shoe Timeline Lucy’s book, How to Go to Work McQueen Armadillo Boot Schiaparelli Couture Linked archive episodes Episode 2 – Barbaric Splendour: The Devonshire House Ball of 1897 Episode 18 – Ethereal Excess: Carlos de Beistegui’s Venetian Ball Episode 29 – Still Standing: The Costumes and Curation of Elton John Episode 52 – Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

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 with dressing up and stripping off. Questioning how far the brand has been a force for emancipation or entrapment, they chat with ad man Jason Berry, sharing a never-to-be-forgotten encounter with Hugh Hefner at the (in)famous Playboy mansion. For one week only, this might be costume drama NSFW… References Seeing Through Clothes, Anne Hollander (1994) The Playboy Book - 50 Years, Gretchen Edgren, Hugh M Hefner The Butterfly Effect New Yorker obituary Links @ dressfancypodcast @ mslucyclayton @ benjamin_wild

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-powered costume and reflect on the trauma and tantrums of being one of the privileged ‘400’ to critique the parallels between America’s pioneering plutocrats and today’s popularity-seeking pin-ups. Just how does Kim Kardashian measure up against Cornelius ‘The Commodore’ Vanderbilt? References Gilded New York: Design, Fashion, and Society, ed Donald Albrecht and Jeannine Falino (The Monacelli Press, 2013). What Would Mrs Astor Do? The Essential Guide to the Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age, by Ceceila Tichi (2018) Zac Posen's light-up dress Queen of Versailles, dir Lauren Greenfield (2012)

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 couture until the first episode arrives in mid-June: Moth Tales Join Ben in playing dress detective as he examines – with searing judgement – something from Lucy's vintage archive. Watch on Instagram Live every Tuesday at 8pm, by following @dressfancypodcast.

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 definitive guide to the dressing up equivalent of Christmas: Halloween. Ever topical, slightly tawdry, and full of scary costuming tips, the podcasting duo aim to rouse the spirits (pun intended) of even the most weary of people to make this year’s fright-fest suitably festive, and COVID-19 proof. Heddy Lamar and Halloween costume Esquire’s best Halloween costumes  Bats Out of Hell, History Today article For all of your (brilliant) personalised sartorial needs  Guardian review of Hilary Mantel’s Giving up the Ghost Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram 

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 conversation is framed (pun intended) by considering the work of Suzanne Jongmans and Isabelle de Borchgrave, which pursues similar themes to that of Volker’s art. The episode is sure to provide inspiration aplenty until the Dress: Fancy duo are back for more costume drama next season. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @volker.hermes on Instagram Volker Hermes’s website   Follow @suzannejongmans on Instagram Follow @isabelledeborchgrave on Instagram MVC Magazine interview with Volker Hermes  Short analysis of the ‘Rainbow Portrait’ of Elizabeth I   Dr Chelsea Nichols

Appropriately for a summer quite unlike any other, this week Lucy and Ben invite themselves to a series of surrealist balls. Tagging along with Salvador Dalí, they discuss the Rothschild Ball of 1972 and the pros and cons of installing a maze in your hallway and serving still-living food on faux-fur plates. Top hosting tips as ever! Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/7604/lessons-we-can-learn-from-the-rothschild-surrealist-ball ;  Contemporary discussion of the Rothschild Ball  Salvador Dalí’s cookbook   

This week, Lucy and Ben ponder the enduring appeal, and representation, of the duelling relationship between the fictional frenemies, the harlequin and pierrot. From plays and paintings, to fashion and of course fancy dress, the comic duo reveal much about shifting social values and confirm that many a true word is spoken in jest…  Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram /The Modernist Masquerade: Stylizing Life, Literature and Costumes in Russia/ , by Collen McQuillen /Carnival to Catwalk: Global Reflections on Fancy Dress Costume/ , by Benjamin Wild

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 exuberant and complex life – in and out of fashion’s spotlight – the book provides a rare opportunity to peel back the industry’s polished veneer and to consider how the pursuit of fashion rarely comes without cost.  Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @andreltalley on Instagram The Chiffon Trenches  The Gospel According to Andre Anna Wintour apologises for not giving space to black people at Vogue Lizzo on body image

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 during the seventeenth century glorified monarchy, and could give contemporary leaders a PR tip or two. Discussing the tense creative partnership between poet Ben Jonson and architect Inigo Jones, the show takes you to a world of sensory excess that was fit for a king - and his queen - in every sense. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Follow @historicroyalpalaces on Instagram Historic Royal Palaces   When Cher played _every_ role in West Side Story

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 Make-up, or Brutalist Make-up. Reflecting on the origins and motivations of this creative, conspicuous beauty trend, the Dress: Fancy duo also offer some of their own cosmetic tips. Surely, not to be missed. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Follow @uglymakeuprevolution on Instagram Follow @makeupbrutalism on Instagram Ugly Makeup: the Trend Highlighting What's Beyond Conventional Beauty, by Katy Kelleher The Ugly Truth: What’s Behind Fashion’s Current Thing for Fugly?, by Jamie Huckbody Ugly Fashion is Big Business, by Grace Cook "Ugly" Fashion isn't Just a Passing Trend, by Aemilia Madden Faking it: How Selfie Dysmorphia is Driving People to Seek Surgery, by Elle Hunt The Age of Instagram Face, by Jia Tolentino Lisa Eldridge: Face Paint - The Story of Makeup Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star

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 that has captivated art lovers, creators and costume fanatics during global lockdown. Using the challenge as platform to explore the history of Black Portraiture – Peter has brilliantly captured the spirit of works of art across the ages and drawn attention to stories that have been too long neglected or considered marginalised. Join Lucy and Peter as they discuss the process behind this extraordinary project. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Follow @PeterBrathwaite on Twitter Peter Brathwaite's website Wayward Lives To vote for us in the British Podcast Awards, visit britishpodcastawards.com/vote, type "Dress Fancy" into the search box and follow the instructions. Thank you!

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 discuss how the pandemic could change the way we dress. Looking to the past, politicians, and always with an eye to the playful, a range of sartorial options are considered and, of course, judged. Before venturing beyond your four walls, this episode could contain some essential dressing up pointers... Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @volker.hermes on Instagram (when past fashions meet pandemic) Priya Elan's article BFC and CFDA call for a ‘fashion industry reset’ Noodle hats in Germany, anyone? Baby signs on prams: “Keep your distance” Faldan bags

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 this week’s episode, Lucy and Ben consider how fancy dress costume performed a similar function in the past as they invite themselves to the first bal costumé hosted by Queen Victoria, a medieval extravaganza celebrating the court of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. Gold, glitter, silks and furs: what could be more joyous than this… Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Victoria: A Life, by A.N. Wilson Queen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace, by Amanda Foreman and Lucy Peter Radio Times feature on ITV’s Victoria and its reconstruction of the 1842 ball Sir Edwin Landseer’s painting of the 1842 ball UK users can access Queen Victoria’s diaries online

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 early twentieth-century Europe, in England and Germany, they discover curious parallels between the past and present and reflect on people’s universal desire to live as themselves and without fear. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Follow @barbicancentre on Instagram Into the Night: Cabarets and Clubs in Modern Art Barbican exhibition Exhibition catalogue Cabaret (1972) The Berlin Novels, by Christopher Isherwood

For many people, the essential part of any fancy dress costume is a face mask. Concealing one identity and making another possible, face coverings have been a source of excitement and anxiety throughout history. Today, in the midst of a global pandemic, this costume staple now means something very different. In this episode, Lucy and Ben discuss the many and varied meanings of masks in different cultures and across chronologies. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  PowerMask - Wereld Museum exhibition Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun: Behind a Mask, Another Mask - National Portrait Gallery Exhibition Should All Fashion Brands be Selling Masks? - Business of Fashion Where to Buy Face Masks Online That are Stylish - Vogue Make your own face coverings and support local communities

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 creations of Molly Goddard. Since 2015, Goddard has won various industry accolades, designed for the Met Gala and for the small screen, combining technical skill with a unique sartorial flair. This episode tells you all you need to know about the fantasy and force of her work. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @mollygoddard on Instagram Molly Goddard's website Molly Goddard at Matches Fashion How to Go to Work (by Lucy) Molly Goddard at the Camp Met Gala  Watch Killing Eve Clothes on Film

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 between fashion and fanaticism, the show considers how distinctive dress is used to control and champion the spread of controversial ideas and behaviours. The nature of this week’s discussion means that this is not for the whole family: listener discretion is advised. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram The Girls, by Emma Cline The White Album, by Joan Didion The Centre Will Not Hold on Netflix Tiger King on Netflix The BBBC's Jonestown documentary Cults: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, by Herb Lester

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 and challenged in the City That Never Sleeps during the 1980s and 1990s. Offering a counterpoise to last week’s episode on the Bright Young Things, the Club Kids used their (clothed) bodies to challenge and provoke social norms in a way that would have intimated Beaton and his crew. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram  Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram  Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram  Walt Cassidy's website Walt Cassidy: New York – Club Kids

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 Second World Wars created an unsettling mix of expectation and fear. Weary and wealthy, a privileged group of twenty-somethings attempted to turn doubt and despair into delight and delirium. Their antics and fancy dress shenanigans became legendary, but, Beaton apart, their hopes for escape remained tragically unfulfilled. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram A Life A Life in Fashion: The Wardrobe of Cecil Beaton Cecil Beaton: Bright Young Things at the National Portrait Gallery  Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things, by Robin Muir DJ Taylor, Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation, 1918-1940 (Vintage, 2008) Patricia Mears & Bruce G, Boyer, Elegance in the Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s (Yale University Press, 2014)

Series seven commences with a super-niche, and super-indulgent, episode as Lucy transforms herself into Mariella Frostrup and interviews Ben about his new fancy dress-related tome, Carnival to Catwalk. To further allay isolation boredom, the episode also introduces the Dress: Fancy Costume Conundrum competition that will run throughout the series. Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram Follow @mslucyclayton on Instagram Follow @benjamin__wild on Instagram Follow @bloomsburyfashion on Instagram Buy Ben's book: Carnival to Catwalk

In a suitably festive episode, and to conclude this season’s costume shenanigans, Lucy and Ben consider a form of cultural expression that always seems relevant: Victoriana. From the costumes of the Queen and Empress Victoria, via the bravura public readings of Charles Dickins, to a very contemporary interpretation of the ‘Victorian Look’ with the Japanese Lolita, this episode – possibly more than any other – shows how we really do love a theme! Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show. Show notes Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Discovering the real Queen Victoria at Historic Royal Palaces: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/discover-the-real-victoria/#gs.l5yy0a.  The inimitable Simon Callow discussing Charles Dickens as a performer: https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/dickens-the-performer.  Japanese lolitas in Amsterdam (via Refinery29): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV3OtzUwcPg&list=PLJEQBmLpTgd_-L45yq0GSqbKV3LySGFjO.

Lucy talks with Egyptologists Dr Colleen Darnell and Professor John Darnell to reflect on the enduring cultural and sartorial appeal of the land and history of Tutankhamen. From rampant consumerism to studied attention to detail, the conversation considers the use, and misuse, of all things Egypt from the Twenties to today. In this trans-Atlantic chat, topics include vintage dress, sustainability, and the practicalities of sticking to a clothing theme when house cleaning.  Fittingly, this episode is brought to you in conjunction with Penhaligon’s evocative Cairo fragrance. Show links: Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Penhaligon’s Cairo fragrance: https://www.penhaligons.com/cairo-eau-de-parfum.  Dr Colleen Darnell: @vintage_egyptologist How To Read Hieroglyphs (with Dr Colleen Darnell): @howtoreadhieroglyphs

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 social levels dressed up in the most creative of costumes and vied for some very special prizes, from grand pianos to bicycles. Lucy and Ben become very excited (more so than usual) as they become historical voyeurs. The episode is presented in conjunction with our partner Penhaligon’s and their Iris Prima fragrance. As ever, accompanying episode images are available on our Instagram feed at @dressfancypodcast. If you enjoy listening to the show, you’ll surely know somebody else who would, so please spread the word. While you’re at, leave a review on Apple iTunes, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show. Show notes Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Penhaligon’s Iris Prima fragrance: www.penhaligons.com/iris-prima.  The Royal Opera House: @royaloperahouse; www.roh.org.uk. Royal Opera House apprenticeships: http://www.roh.org.uk/learning/young-people/apprenticeships.  Shop: https://shop.roh.org.uk Thurrock tours: http://www.roh.org.uk/about/thurrock Animalesque masks: https://www.animalesque.co.uk Costume paintings: http://johnmacfarlaneartist.com/gallery.html#!/Costume-Design/c/12252167/offset=0&sort=normal 

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 we regularly explore through costume; chiefly identity and representation. We start by looking at the technically accomplished and creatively daring designs of award-winning British designer Craig Green. Appropriately, this episode is brought to you in conjunction with our partner Penhaligon’s and their bespoke fragrance service. So, if you are feeling sufficiently inspired by hearing about the creativity of Craig Green, this could be your opportunity to make a statement through scent... As ever, accompanying episode images on our Instagram feed at @dressfancypodcast. If you enjoy listening to the show, there’s a good chance you’ll know somebody else who would, so please spread the word. While you’re at, leave a review on Apple iTunes, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show. Show notes Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Craig Green: @craig__green; https://craig-green.com. Craig Green S|S 2020: www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-menswear/craig-green.  Craig Green Business of Fashion profile: www.businessoffashion.com/amp/community/people/craig-green. Craig Green winning ‘Dress of the Year 2015’: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/d3v55y/a-craig-green-menswear-look-has-been-named-dress-of-the-year.  What a Plank. Daily Mail report on Craig Green’s 2013 TopMan show: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2258725/What-plank-Bizarre-start-mens-fashion-week-London.html 

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 the merpeople, a diverse community who dress as mermaids and mermen to seek personal and communal fulfilment in the water. The episode is brought to you in conjunction with Penhaligon’s and their maritime-linked fragrance, Lothair. This intricate perfume is inspired by the famous Tea Clipper Ships that navigated the globe to bring exotic wares to Britain’s shores. As ever, for accompanying episode images see our Instagram feed at @dressfancypodcast. If you enjoy listening to Dress: Fancy, you’ll probably know somebody else who would, too, so please spread the word. While you’re at, leave a review on Apple iTunes, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show.   Show notes Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Penhaligon’s Lothair fragrance: www.penhaligons.com/lothair/  Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Mermaid training: Mayim UK Mermaid Academy: https://mayimmermaidacademy.co.uk. The UK Merlympics: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-45349086/mermaids-compete-in-merlympics-event. Swimming like a Mermaid as an ‘extreme sport’: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/09/swimming-like-a-mermaid-new-extreme-sport-cornwall Laura Evans’ personal story: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/04/experience-professional-mermaid-st-ives Mermaids, mermen and body image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opHQnTcuJbw Images and stories: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/04/world/mermaid-portraits-cnnphotos/. 

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 and Ben consider costume inspiration from some unlikely sources, including the Pre-Raphaelites, Audrey Beardsley and an eighties footwear commercial that Lucy has still not got over. The episode is brought to you in conjunction with Penhaligon’s (@penhaligons_london) and their seasonally-appropriate Elixir candle, which will assuredly fill any space with the magic, wonder and whimsy of Autumn and All Hallows Eve. As ever, for accompanying episode images see our Instagram feed at @dressfancypodcast. If you enjoy listening to Dress: Fancy, you’ll probably know somebody else who would, too, so please spread the word. While you’re at, leave a review on Apple iTunes, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show.   Show notes Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Penhaligon’s Elixir Candle: https://www.penhaligons.com/elixir-classic-candle/ Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Pumpkin House Thursford Instagram: @pumpkinhousethursford The Magic Steps commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhqpX6enBL0 Kit's costume inspiration: https://www.showstudio.com/projects/nick-knight-x-v-magazine/editorial-gallery-nick-knight-x-v-magazine. Aubrey Beardsley peacock skirt: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O140256/the-peacock-skirt-print-beardsley-aubrey-vincent/ Isabella and the pot of Basil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_and_the_Pot_of_Basil 

In this indulgent, nostalgic birthday episode, Lucy & Ben review a year’s worth of super-niche, sequinned dressing up stories. Talking about the podcast’s origins, they revisit their favourite episodes and re-live their most exciting excursions. The start of Season Six also comes with a very special announcement: Dress:Fancy is partnering with historic London perfumer Penhaligon’s to make the costume drama even more immersive. As ever, for accompanying episode images, see our Instagram feed at @dressfancypodcast. If you enjoy listening to Dress: Fancy, you’ll probably know somebody else who would, too, so please spread the word. While you’re at, leave a review on Apple iTunes, and provide a suggestion for a fancy dress theme you’d like us to cover in a future show. Penhaligon’s Instagram: @penhaligons_london Dress: Fancy Instagram: @dressfancypodcast Lucy Clayton: @mslucyclayton Benjamin Wild: @DrBenjaminWild Lucy’s TED Talk, ‘The True Power of a Good Outfit’, can be listened to here: https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_clayton_all_the_rage_why_dressing_up_helps_us_speak_out

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’s sartorial choices decade-by-decade, and comparing them to Julian Day’s interpretations in the recent blockbuster biopic starring Taron Egerton, this week’s show ponders the relationship between costume and character, as well as obviously highlighting some of Elton John’s ‘best-dressed’ moments.    Show Links   Accompanying Instagram feed on Dress: Fancy podcast: www.instagram.com/dressfancypodcast. Elton John Instagram: www.instagram.com/eltonjohn.  Rocket Man costumes designed by Julian Day: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/style/2019/05/29/elton-john-rocketman-style-orig.cnn/video/playlists/cnn-style/; https://www.crfashionbook.com/mens/a27612722/rocketman-elton-john-julian-day-costume-designer-interview/. On Elton’s predilection for clothes shopping (!): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/elton-john-spent-pound40m-in-20-months-622287.html.  Elton John x Gucci: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/gucci-elton-john-alessandro-michele-ss18. Hat designer, Kenneth D. King: http://www.kennethdking.com/history/. Those glasses: http://www.papermag.com/gucci-elton-john-sunglasses-2637720220.html.  Photograph gallery: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/elton-john-life-career-pictures/april-1997-elton-john-arrives-hammersmith-palais-lorry-partner/.  Most iconic looks: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/597wv8/7-of-elton-johns-most-iconic-outfits. The Farewell Tour: https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/in-pictures-gucci-designs-outfits-for-elton-john-s-farewell-tour/2018091238844; https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/in-pictures-gucci-designs-outfits-for-elton-john-s-farewell-tour/2018091238844; https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/style/elton-john-farewell-tour-wardrobe-gucci.html.

Getting into the summer spirit in central London, Lucy and Ben re-join the Royal Academy for another Lates costumed extravaganza. Talking with revellers, hosting the Georgian Moonlit Promenade and, most importantly, bestowing rosettes on the very best of the best-dressed, the Dress: Fancy duo were in their fancy dress heaven. Indulge, or re-live, the magical experience with our highlights.   Show Links   For images from the event: www.instagram.com/dressfancypodcast. Dress: Fancy prequel episode: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-25-a-midsummer-nights-dream/id1436021370?i=1000443904591. Details of the event: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/ra-lates-summer-pleasure-garden-2019

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 members of the Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society (JAPAS) for a costumed picnic at the National Trust’s Mottisfont Abbey on one sunny (and rainy) Sunday. In preparation, Lucy spoke with JAPAS founder Sophie Andrews to discover just what it takes to be a fully fledged Jane-ite. Show Links Dress Fancy Instagram: www.instagram.com/dressfancypodcast Mottisfont Abbey: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont. Sophie Andrews’ book, Be More Jane: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Be-More-Jane-Austen-challenges/dp/1782497064/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=be+more+jane&qid=1563448336&s=gateway&sr=8-1. Alejandro Carlos-Tolra’s photographic essay with the JAPAS: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/14/regency-rendezvous-inside-the-world-of-jane-austen-fandom. The UK Jane Austen Society: http://www.janeaustensoci.freeuk.com.

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 fashion and cosplay catwalks inspired by the Museum’s current, must-see Manga exhibition. Interviews with participants recreate the special atmosphere and reveal the marvellous, metamorphosing abilities of Manga.  Show links @dressfancypodcast: For images that accompany this episode in a our dedicated Instagram feed. @kensai_yamamoto_official; https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/fashion-in-motion-kansai-yamamoto. @perry_grayson. @britishmuseum. The Event! https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=5146&title=Manga:%20colour%20and%20style&eventType=Late. Design students were from Central Saint Martins (@csm_news)

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 ‘Georgian Pleasure Garden’... To prepare for the festivities, Lucy and Ben provide an essential guide to costuming and getting into your Georgian character. A special visit to the National Theatre’s costume department should provide inspiration for even the most seasoned fancy dress revellers. No excuses!    Show links @dressfancypodcast: to access show-linked images. @royalacademyarts: to get into the spirit and to see highlights of the Summer Show. For all the details about the RA’s Lates event: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/ra-lates-summer-pleasure-garden-2019 For the evening’s programme: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/ra-lates-summer-pleasure-garden-2019#events-programme Want to hire costumes and props from The National Theatre… https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/costume-and-props-hire Georgian Menagerie, by Christopher Plumb: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/georgian-menagerie-christopher-plumb-review.  …And what to expect of a Georgian pleasure garden:https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/georgian-entertainment-from-pleasure-gardens-to-blood-sports.a

Pristine, pure, powerful, peaceful: the meanings of white are many and various. It should occasion no surprise, then, that dressing in white (and its opposite, black) have long been a popular theme in costumed entertainments. Tracing the history of this colour through clothing, Lucy and Ben discuss some of the more intriguing uses of white in dressing up, from the seventeenth-century royal masque to Donald Trump’s recent, regrettable UK State Visit.   Links Accompanying images can be viewed at @dressfancypodcast Queen Charlotte’s Ball: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Charlotte%27s_Ball;https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6147297/Young-debutantes-charming-display-annual-Queen-Charlottes-Ball.html Debutantes in 1957: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25PxVHSdRh4 Fiona McCartney, Last Curtsey (2007): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Curtsey-Fiona-MacCarthy/dp/0571228607 ‘Diner en blanc’: www.dinerenblanc.com; https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2017/06/22/diner-en-blanc-2017-how-to-participate-in-the-most-secret-and-chic-dinner-in-white/ The White Ball, Holland Park (1969):Nick Foulkes, Bals: Legendary Balls of the Twentieth Century  (2011). Getting White Tie right: https://www.debretts.com/expertise/etiquette/dress-codes/white-tie-dress-code/; https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/white-tie-dress-code... Unlike Trump…https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a27718121/donald-trump-white-tie-uk-state-visit/ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/07/maam-darling-craig-brown-review-julian-barnes

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 demonstrates, bats have long been – and continue to be – popular subjects for dressing up, and not simply as Batman or Batwoman. Proving that no topic is too small for them to ponder, Lucy and Ben investigate the origins, symbolism and frightening beauty of the bat costume. Prepare to be stupefied!    Show Links La Specola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60YtZikOcjQ. 1st dibs: ‘Original Art Nouveau Watercolor Painting of a Bat Woman by Alfredo Edel Colorno’-  https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/furniture/wall-decorations/paintings/original-art-nouveau-watercolor-painting-bat-woman-alfredo-edel-colorno/id-f_14634382/. Eva Dress Pattern (from the Victorian Bat Woman) https://www.evadress.com/collections/1910s/products/1887-bat-crinoline-cos80-1887. Nicoletta Carlone: https://nicolettacarlone.com. Lalique bat rings: https://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-bat-ring-images. Mary Shelly, Frankenstein(1818) Bram Stoker, Dracula(1897) Barbara Brownie and Danny Graydon, The Superhero Costume: Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction (2016).

This week, Dress: Fancy speaks with Professor Therèsa M. Winge from Michigan State University to explore the compelling, complicated and challenging world of cosplay. A distinct form of fancy dress, cosplay is unique for enabling people to explore themselves and their society by adopting the clothing and character traits of favourite (fictional) characters. As Professor Winge explains, few forms of costume are simultaneously as escapist and revealing about contemporary society and politics as this increasingly popular entertainment.   Links  Therèsa M. Winge, Costuming Cosplay: Dressing the Imagination(2019) Therèsa M. Winge, ‘Costuming the Imagination: Origins of Anime and Manga Cosplay’, Mechademia, 1 (2006), 65-76. Barbara Brownie and Danny Graydon, The Superhero Costume: Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction (2016). James Pethokoukis, ‘Why the rise of cosplay is a bad sign for the U.S. economy’, The Week (9 October 2014). https://theweek.com/articles/443181/why-rise-cosplay-bad-sign-economy. Adam Ozimek, ‘No, The Rise Of Cosplay Is Not A Bad Sign For The U.S. Economy’, Forbes (14 October 2014). https://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/2014/10/14/no-the-rise-of-cosplay-is-not-a-bad-sign-for-the-u-s-economy/#1bd1b4a66f41.  

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 much the coaxed smiles in family photos suggest. Are these kids really avatars, conduits for the adults in their lives to express their views and to demonstrate their status? One thing’s for sure: you’ll never look at the children’s costume party in the same way again!   Links Instagram: @dressfancypodcast

In 2011, Teen Vogue drew attention to harmful consequences of insensitively chosen fancy dress costumes that reduce beliefs, cultures and people to garish stereotypes. In previous episodes of Dress: Fancy, Lucy and Ben have considered the painful consequences of badly informed costume choices and in this episode they continue this dialogue, reflecting in far more depth on the widening debates about cultural appropriation and dressing up. Links ‘Cultural Appropriation Explained’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHD0ZLPDRxM.  Jessica Andrews, ‘Cultural Appropriation at Halloween: My Culture Is Not a Costume’, Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/cultural-appropriation-halloween-costume-video. Kat Lazo, ‘Is Your Halloween Costume Racist?’, Everyday Feminism (October 2013). https://everydayfeminism.com/2013/10/is-your-halloween-costume-racist/. Connie Wang, ‘Finding the Beauty in Cultural Appropriation’, New York Times (April 2019). https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/opinion/cultural-appropriation-coachella.html  ‘What is the Costume Campaign...And Why Do We Do It?’ http://www.lspirg.org/costumes. Dior Cruise, Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Exchange?: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/pajpq9/dior-cruise-2020-wales-bonner  The Albert Memorial: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/memorials-fountains-and-statues/the-albert-memorial The Good Immigrant:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Immigrant-Nikesh-Shukla/dp/178352295X NY Times: finding the beauty in cultural appropriation: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/opinion/cultural-appropriation-coachella.html Homecoming Quotes: https://www.bustle.com/p/all-the-quotes-in-homecoming-show-beyonces-commitment-to-recognizing-great-black-thinkers-17044727  

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 sufficiently camp? Why is Ben falling out of love with Julianne Moore? And why is Lucy falling in love with Kim Kardashian? Dress: Fancy provides ‘the’ definitive round-up of the year’s most fantastical night in fashion. Links All the looks from the Met Gala: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/met-gala-2019-red-carpet-live-celebrity-fashion. Kim Kardashian’s look explained: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/kim-kardashian-met-gala-corset-mugler-mr-pearl. On Kim Kardashian’s corset breathing lessons: https://pagesix.com/2019/05/13/kim-kardashian-took-corset-breathing-lessons-to-prepare-for-the-2019-met-gala/. British GQ’s take on ‘who got it right’: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/met-gala-2019-camp-theme. Jared Leto’s ‘Renaissance Jesus’ look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jYVRqc53A. Outfits as minerals: https://twitter.com/i/events/1125620284126404610 Composers as Biscuits: https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/humour/comparing-composers-to-biscuits/ Andrew Bolton on Camp: https://www.vogue.com/article/camp-notes-on-fashion-exhibition-andrew-bolton-interview Buy Camp the book/show catalogue: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CAMP-Notes-Fashion-Andrew-Bolton/dp/1588396681/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=Andrew+bolton+camp&qid=1557926986&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull Lucy's Bob Mackie blouse worn in this recording: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxVR33pg3oo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link DRESS:FANCY PODCAST pictures: https://www.instagram.com/dressfancypodcast/?hl=en

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 costumes, the late-running pre-party rehearsal – everything was taken to an extreme. But at what cost? As guests partied, they also pondered: ‘memorable’ the event certainly was; ‘merry’, perhaps not. Join Lucy and Ben as they discuss the enigmatic host and why his legendary entertainment may not, in fact, have been the party of all parties. Notes Nicholas Foulkes, ‘Don Carlos de Beistegui’, The Rake (March 2016). https://therake.com/stories/icons/don-carlos-de-beistegui/. Nicholas Foulkes, Bals: Legendary Balls of the Twentieth Century (2011). ‘The Beistegui Ball’, Scala Regia (January 2009). http://scalaregia.blogspot.com/2009/01/was-in-late-summer-of-1951-that-charles.html. ‘Ball of the Century’, British Pathé news clip. www.britishpathe.com/video/ball-of-the-century/query/Orson.

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 gala ball to raise funds for its Costume Institute. Although not strictly a fancy dress event, the couture worn to this shimmering festivity is often fantastical, always exceptional. This year, with the theme derived from the Costume Institute exhibition, Camp: Notes on Fashion, the potential for some truly extraordinary garments is high! Join Lucy and Ben as they kick-start Season Four and tell you all you need to know about this extraordinary sartorial event. Notes Susan Sontag, Notes on Camp (1966). Alice Newbold, ‘Met Gala  2019: Everything You Need To Know): www.vogue.co.uk/article/met-gala-2019. The First Monday in May (documentary film, dir. Andrew Rossi).

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 was Chelsea Arts Club annual fancy dress ball. Illustrated invitations, letters of outrage and contemporary newspaper reports, with stories of smoke bombs, arresting costumes and the London social scene, make this the perfect party to bring Season Three to a close. Links Chelsea Arts Club: www.chelseaartsclub.com Chelsea Arts Club Trust: www.chelseaartsclubtrust.org National AIDS Trust: www.nat.org.uk    

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 from London costume supplier Weldon’s. Join Lucy and Ben as they leaf through the illustrated pages of costume dramas from the 1920s and 1930s and discover insights – sometimes shocking – that demonstrate the cultural prevalence and enduring popularity of dressing up. Links: Scanned images from Museum of London’s copy: https://colletions.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/536070.html. A few more images: http://thepapercollector.blogspot.com/2012/10/weldons-childrens-fancy-dress-c-1920s.html. 

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 under an adult’s influence, is dressed up and decorated to resemble a character from literary fiction. The costume fun and frustration of World Book Day provides for some hilarious – and likely scarring – moments, but as Lucy and Ben discover, the purpose of this annual day of dress-up is very serious, and necessary, indeed.   Links: Charities ·      https://www.worldbookday.com ·      https://bookaid.org ·      https://secure.booktrust.org.uk/donation/ Media ·     ‘1 in 8 disadvantaged children in the UK don’t own a single book’: https://literacytrust.org.uk/news/1-8-disadvantaged-children-uk-dont-own-single-book/ ·      Support the Literacy Trust: https://literacytrust.org.uk/support-us/fundraising/ ·      According to the Liverpool Echo, parents will be scouring shelves for costumes this year…https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/aldi-selling-world-book-day-15811906 ·      A round-up from Metro of some of last year’s WBD highlights: https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/01/world-book-day-2018-the-best-costumes-from-children-and-adults-7351484/ ·      Podcast: ‘How to Fail with Elizabeth Day: Sharmaine Lovegrove’, Series 3, Episode 7. ·      Instagram: @father_of_daughters

Gucci’s SS19 campaign is an unashamedly glitzy and joyous celebration of 1950s Americana, as relayed through Hollywood and Kodachrome photography. It also looks, and feels, a lot like fancy dress costume. In this mini episode, Lucy and Ben reflect on the inspiration – and impact – of a campaign that has been both lauded and lambasted.    Links: Ryan White’s review of Gucci’s SS19 campaign: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/j57m3y/gucci-spring-summer-19-campaign Gucci as the world’s most popular brand (again): https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/gucci-off-white-balenciaga-hottest-brands Gucci apologies for its blackface jumper: https://news.sky.com/story/gucci-apologises-for-womens-jumper-that-resembles-blackface-11630253  https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/gucci-blackface-scandal-jumper-apology-racism-controversy-alessandro-michele-creative-a8776641.html  https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/11/entertainment/katy-perry-blackface-shoes/index.html

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 with costumed revellers, lead the Academy’s first costume parade, and award some incredibly coveted rosettes for the evening’s most inspiring fancy dress.   Links Our venue: @royalacademyarts Our photographers: @emmiefin @gregclaytonphotography @maxmiechowski  

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 Viennese Secession - in this special, mini episode we explore the crossover between fashion, costume and the art of the period.    Links https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/page/ra-lates

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 costume balls. Following Dress: Fancy’s patron saint, Cecil Beaton, who attended each of these events, this episode examines the significance of haute joaillerie and costume jewellery worn by the likes of Daisy Fellowes, Gloria Guiness and the inimitable Elizabeth Taylor.   Links Nick Foulkes, Bals: Legendary Balls of the Twentieth Century (2011) Nick Foulkes, ‘Don Carlos de Beistegui’, The Rake (March 2016): https://therake.com/stories/icons/don-carlos-de-beistegui/  Deborah Davis, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (2006). Guy Trebay, ’50 Years Ago, Truman Capote Hosted the Best Party Ever’, The New York Times (21 November 2016): https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/fashion/black-and-white-ball-anniversary-truman-capote.html  Kenzie Bryant, ‘The Most Lavish High-Society Parties of the Last Half-Century’, Vanity Fair (24 November 2016): https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2016/11/most-lavish-parties-black-and-white-surrealist-proust-ball  Patricia Corbett, Verdura: The life and work of a master jeweler (2002) Cecil Beaton: A Retrospective, ed. David Mellor (1986). Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewellery (2002). Kenneth Jay Lane, Faking It (1996).

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 particular – in the form of the Christmas sweater. On 14 December, Save the Children encourage mass festive sweater wearing to raise awareness and funds for their charitable work. If you’re going to take part, listen in: Funny and fearsome, the Christmas sweater is a curious example of fancy dress becoming mainstream (albeit briefly) and in this short ‘bonus’ episode, Lucy and Ben consider its origins, implications and, mercifully, guide you through ‘dos’ and absolute ‘do nots’ of this modern festive tradition.

This week’s episode raises a potentially divisive question: is re-enactment a form of fancy dress? From historical associations and living history, to Steam Punk and Nordic Larpers, Lucy and Ben continue their rummage through the dressing up box by looking at the role and meaning of people who create other worlds – those that are realistic and those that are more romantic – into the present.   Links Pat Poppy, ‘Fancy Dress? Costume for Re-enactment’, Costume, 31 (1997) Pravina Shukla, Costume: Performing Identities Through Dress (2015) Nordic Larp: https://nordiclarptalks.org/page/2/ The Frontier House (PBS, 2002) The 1940s House (Channel 4, 2002) Colonial House (PBS, 2003) The Supersizers Go… (BBC, 2008-2009)   Where to go English Heritage: www.english-heritage.org.uk. Colonial Williamsburg: www.colonialwilliamsburg.com Wayfinder Experience: www.wayfinderexperience.com Weekend At The Asylum: www.asylumsteampunk.com 

Dressing the Part – the influence of literature on fancy dress. Episode 8 looked at how fancy dress shapes fictional stories, usually for the worse. This week’s show considers the fictional stories that shape fancy dress in real-life. From Alice lost her in Wonderland, to Hamlet lost in his mental anguish, via nursery rhymes and poetry, Lucy and Ben discuss the motivations and meanings behind our perennial desire to dress up as fictional and non-fictional characters.    Sources Lewis Carroll, Adventures in Wonderland (1865); Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871). Margaret Atwood, The Hand Maid’s Tale (1985) William Shakespeare, Hamlet (c.1599-1601)   Analysis Kiera Vaclavik, ‘Of Bands, Bows, and Brows: Hair, the Alice Books, and the Emergence of a Style Icon’, in Colleen Hill, Fairy Tale Fashion (2016), 253-268.  D.J. Taylor, Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation: 1918-1940 (2007) Benjamin Wild, A Life in Fashion: The Wardrobe of Cecil Beaton (2016) The story of Louisa Passavant and her Leeds Daily Papers costume: https://secretlivesofobjects.blog/2018/08/14/the-children-of-the-1891-fancy-dress-ball-the-passavant-women/     

It is not contentious to connect costume and the catwalk: Alexander McQueen did in 1997 with his ‘It’s A Jungle Out There’ collection. However, few designers and fashion houses are as willing – or as brave? – to compare their collections with the dressing up box. In today’s fashion industry ‘Fancy Dress’ remains a dirty term. Why is this? Discussing recent commentary that considers ‘ugly’, ‘critical’ and ‘experimental’ fashions, alongside the presentation of fashion in photographers’ work – from Tim Walker to Juno Calypso – this episode considers why the prevalence and popularity of fancy dress creates opportunities, and dilemmas, for some of fashion industries biggest brands.    Links Adam Geczy and Vicki Karaminas, Critical Fashion Practice (2017) Francesca Granata, Experimental Fashion: Performance Art, Carnival and the Grotesque Body (2017) Jamie Huckbody, ‘The Ugly Truth’, Harper’s BAZAAR Australia (August 2018), 120-123. Tim Walker, Story Teller (2012)   Instagram @dressfancypodcast @mslucyclayton @benjamin__wild   Photographers @elenarendinastudio @nadialeelee @junocalypso   Fashion designers @alexandermcqueen @thombrowneny @craig__green bruceasbestos @rottingdeanbazaar   Wider commentary @vestojstories @trashfashionshit @worldofwearableart @sarahmower_

Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, novelists seemed fascinated by fancy dress. From Defoe to de Maurier, Blyton to Poe, authors used costumed entertainments to drive narratives and to determine the fate of their lead characters. Always exhilarating, very often devastating, the place of fancy dress in literature reveals much about how this sartorial form was perceived by contemporaries. But why was dressing frequently considered malevolent? Were female characters in control, or controlled, by their costumes? And why did fancy dress have such relevance during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? Advance warning: After this week’s episode, you’ll want to visit your library or local book shop…   Reading list  Fiction: Eliza Haywood, The Masqueraders: Or, Fatal Curiousity(1720s) Henry Fielding, Tom Jones(1749) Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers(1836) Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death(1842) Evelyn Waugh, Vile Bodies(1930) Daphne de Maurier, Rebecca(1938) Enid Blyton, The Famous Five in Fancy Dress(1971) Don DeLillo, Underworld(1997)  Non-fiction: Colleen McQuillen, The Modernist Masquerade: Styling Life, Literature, and Costumes in Russia(2013) Suzette Field, A Curious Invitation: The Forty Greatest Parties in Fiction(2012) Justine Picardie, My Mother’s Wedding Dress(2005)

Halloween Headlines – The fancy dress day of the year, Halloween provides an opportunity for people the world over to get creative with glue guns, sequins and, if you’re Heidi Klum, latex and fluorescent green make-up. From A-listers to Z-listers, Disney to divas, the very best to the shocking worst, Lucy and Ben offer their thoughts on Halloween 2018 in this short ‘bonus’ episode.

On 11 and 13 February 1903, the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, was the venue for one of the most opulent costumed entertainments hosted by a Russian Tsar. It was also to be the last. In reviving the spectacle of the Romanov’s gilded past, Nicholas II, his family and court, demonstrated the untenable gulf that existed between their privilege and the poverty of their subjects. The golden, bejewelled and furred costumes worn at the Ball symbolise a moment, at once triumphant and tragic, just before two opposed worlds clashed violently in the Russian Revolution.  Today, the spectre of the Romanovs continues to compel and cautionary lessons exist for those willing to heed them. The gulf between rulers and ruled, leisure and labour, continues to create problems in the twenty-first century, and costume remains adept at conveying this. Recent commentary on Melania Trump’s clothing presents strong parallels with Tsarina Alexandra, whose ball gown may have cost $10 million. If the Romanov Ball is important for marking a specific point in time, it is also significant for reflecting broader themes and tensions between the ideal and reality of authority and society. It shows, too, how these attitudes are reflected in what we wear, sometimes with unintended and tragic results. The Romanov Ball Greg King, The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power, and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006). Nicholas Foulkes, Bals: Legendary Balls of the Twentieth Century (Assouline, 2011) Recoloured images of the Romanov Ball costumes.https://www.rbth.com/multimedia/pictures/2016/11/10/romanov-last-imperial-ball-now-in-color_646547 The Splendour & Misery of the Last Tsarinas, a documentary that considers, and recreates, the lives of Russia’s Tsarinas from Catherine the Great to Alexandra:   https://www.amazon.com/Splendor-Misery-Tsarinas-Hannes-Schuler/dp/B0798MVJB9    Wider Reading Helen Rappaport, The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue Russia's Imperial Family (Hutchinson, 2018) Simon Sebag Montifoire, The Romanovs:1613-1918 (W&N, 2016) Melania Trump, ‘Out of Africa’ ‘That’ Zara jacket Melania wore: https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2018/10/16/melania-trump-reveals-controversial-jacket-was-worn-to-send-message-to-media/23562862/#slide=7441878#fullscreen  Hadley Freeman’s commentary in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/10/talk-about-melania-trump-africa-wardrobe-pith-helmet-nazi Vanessa Friedman’s commentary in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/fashion/melania-trump-africa-trip-fashion-fedora.html

For Heidi Klum, and many more people besides, Halloween is ‘the’ fancy dress event of the year. Since the 1950s, the opportunity to wear bold and brash, creative and creepy costumes on 31 October has inspired fun, provoked fear and caused the young and young-at-heart to get creative with cloth, PVC and the glue gun. Originating in the Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween remains a liminal event today, and provides a rare moment for people to express more of their character. For this very special of dressing up days, and in response to listener feedback, Lucy and Ben open up about their own costume experiences and reflect on Halloween terrors and triumphs. From a lacklustre train driver’s suit to body gouging metal armour, personal memories are used to tell a global story about the enduring appeal of All Hallows’ Eve.    Links: David J. Skal, Death Makes A Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween (Bloomsbury, 2002) Phyllis Galembo, Dressed For Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade (Abrams, 2002) Slideshow of Heidi Klum’s Halloween costumes: https://people.com/style/heidi-klum-halloween-party-costumes/   Social media @mslucyclayton @benjamin__wild @heidiklum @phyllisgalembo

Like fancy dress, movies are adept at conveying the zeitgeist. And just like fancy dress, the Silver Screen can reassure us, motivate us, and inspire us. It is no wonder, then, that movie-themed dress up has become a staple of costumed parties the world over, from caped crusaders and femmes fatales, to the fantastic and the fierce. But is the imitation of movie characters and clothing always joyful? Are movie-inspired costumes transforming, or do they reinforce social and gendered norms? What makes the Silver Screen ‘Super Hero’ costume so compelling, and how are these brightly coloured guardians used to convey diverse messages? What are some of the most memorable film scenes to inspire fancy dress? Listen, and be inspired to channel your inner hero through costume.   Links: The reality behind Barbie’s physique: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2308658/How-Barbies-body-size-look-real-life-Walking-fours-missing-half-liver-inches-intestine.html; https://www.huffingtonpost.com/galia-slayen/the-scary-reality-of-a-re_b_845239.html. Best costume of all time, Keira Knightley’s Atonement dress: https://clothesonfilm.com/keira-knightley-green-dress-in-atonement/854/. James Bond inspires Mexico City’s Day of the Dead parade: https://news.vice.com/article/james-bonds-fake-day-of-the-dead-parade-was-so-cool-mexico-wants-to-do-it-for-real ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/29/day-of-the-dead-parade-james-bond-mexico-city. Barbara Brownie and Danny Graydon, The Superhero Costume: Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction (Bloomsbury, 2016) Albert Bloch, March of Clowns (1941): https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/27648-march-of-the-clowns  Medicinema provies cinemas in hospitals for patients and families to enjoy the ‘magic and joy’ of a night at the movies: http://www.medicinema.org.uk   Social media @mslucyclayton  @benjamin__wild  @thejewishmuseum 

In today’s episode Lucy Clayton and Dr Benjamin Wild analyse how people’s social, political and gendered roles are disrupted by war. Fancy dress costume, which offers escapism and self-reflection by enabling its wearer to become somebody or something else, can mediate these tensions. From women who dressed as men to fight in America’s Civil War, to allied sailors who survived a Mid-Atlantic torpedo attack dressed as Nazi officials in WWII, Lucy and Ben consider the harrowing and heartening place of costume in conflicts throughout history. So what makes fancy dress prevalent during times of military conflict? How are costumed warriors perceived by their contemporaries? And just what did they wear?   Feast your eyes and get involved on our Instagram page @dressfancypodcast   Presenters; Lucy Clayton Twitter: @MsLucyClayton Instagram: @mslucyclayton   Dr Benjamin Wild FRHistS www.benjaminwild.co Twitter: @DrBenjaminWild Instagram: @benjamin__wild   Find out more: To put the discussion of WWI and WWII into its proper context, and to access the archives discussed, visit www.iwm.org.uk. London School of Economics and Political Science - Library -  Suffragette Collections, Elsie Edith Bowerman (1889-1973) - www.lse.ac.uk Find out more about Bletchley Park, ‘Home of the Codebreakers’ - www.bletchleypark.org.uk Cross-dressing soldiers in WWI featured in a recent exhibition, 'Under Cover: A Secret History of Cross-Dressers', at www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk. For the exhibition guide, see Sébastian Lifshitz, Mauvais Genre: Les travestis à travers un siècle de photographie amateur (Paris, 2016). Women in History. Heroic cross-dressing women warriors of Civil War including Frances Clayton (1830 - after 1863) and Lizzie Hoffman - www.timeline.com For an in-depth discussion of the role of women in the American Civil War, see DeAnne Blanton and Lauren M. Cook, They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War (Stroud, 2002). Land Girls - Film 1998    

Join Lucy Clayton and Dr Benjamin Wild for another eye-opening episode, as they explore a British phenomenon in popular culture, stating that fancy dress costume is inherently unfashionable and frequently in questionable taste. Photographs of authority figures and supposed role models in dubious dress-up regularly appear in newspapers to be excoriated by pundits and public alike. A memorable scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary, which featured Renée Zellweger wearing a Playboy bunny suit to an otherwise dowdy family get-together, will forever identify the British as past masters at donning awkward, astonishing and inexplicable costume. But what is it about fancy dress that encourages people to push the boundaries of humour and tact? Why do people in authority seem to get caught in compromising costume so frequently? Does a fancy dress ‘fail’ in fact reveal a person’s authentic character? And are some subjects simply too sensitive to ever become fancy dress? Contribute to the debate, or simply learn which costumes are best avoided altogether.   Feast your eyes and get involved on our Instagram page @dressfancypodcast   Presenters; Lucy Clayton Twitter: @MsLucyClayton Instagram: @mslucyclayton   Dr Benjamin Wild FRHistS www.benjaminwild.co Twitter: @DrBenjaminWild Instagram: @benjamin__wild   Find out more: For a lively discussion of British fancy dress and the question of bad taste, see Leah McLaren, 'Why do we long to be Nazis and Tarts?' - https://www.spectator.co.uk/2009/12/why-do-we-long-to-be-nazis-and-tarts/ For coverage of Britain's Prince Harry getting it wrong in fancy dress - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1481148/Prince-Harry-faces-outcry-at-Nazi-outfit.html Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball - www.duckie.co.uk Historic venue in Chelsea, London - www.chelseaartsclub.co.uk Evelyn Waugh - Vile bodies - Book 1930 Bright Young Things - Film 2003  

In the second episode of a new series that explores the prevalence, potency and politics of fancy dress costume, Lucy Clayton and cultural historian Dr Benjamin Wild discuss the Devonshire House Ball. Held on 2 July 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, during an époque when dressing up was more than just an entertaining occasion, the night-long festivity was extravagant and spectacular. From goddesses to mythic monarchs, the social elite caroused in creative and costly costumes, several of which survive today.  Were guests’ clothing choices based on a need for power and authority to demonstrate riches, or a desire to gain social acceptance? How impractical were these works of art, and how much would they cost to make today? Was the lavish display distasteful and vulgar, or exotic and luxurious? You can decide if the Devonshire Ball has earned its place as one of history’s fanciest balls and consider whether anything in the twenty first century comes close to rivalling it.   Feast your eyes and get involved on our Instagram page @dressfancypodcast   Presenters; Lucy Clayton Twitter: @MsLucyClayton Instagram: @mslucyclayton   Dr Benjamin Wild FRHistS www.benjaminwild.co Twitter: @DrBenjaminWild Instagram: @benjamin__wild   Find out more: Items discussed in this episode can be found out at www.vam.ac.uk and www.chatsworth.org. National Museum of Art, Architecture and design, Oslo - www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en Further images and discussion of the Ball can be found in Sophia Murphy, The Duchess of Devonshire's Ball (London, 1984).  

In the first of a new series that looks at the social significance and psychology of dressing up, Lucy Clayton and cultural historian Dr Benjamin Wild discuss the global prevalence of fancy dress protests. From slogan covered T-shirts to city-wide marches, pussy hats to power aprons, an increasing number of people are getting creative with costume to give voice to opinions they feel are not being heard. Why are concerned, angry, passionate people from around the world taking to their sewing machines and their cities’ streets in ever larger numbers? How and why do protesters use fancy dress to articulate their views? Why is so much time invested to make garments that are worn for just a few hours, and possibly just once? Decide for yourself if costumed protests are more psychological salve or a potent means of preserving our democratic freedoms.   Feast your eyes and get involved on our Instagram page @dressfancypodcast   Presenters; Lucy Clayton Twitter: @MsLucyClayton Instagram: @mslucyclayton   Dr Benjamin Wild FRHistS www.benjaminwild.co  Twitter: @DrBenjaminWild Instagram: @benjamin__wild   Find out more: Protests involving fancy dress costume have appeared in many recent news cycles. For some of the stories mentioned in the episode, see: Pussy Hat Project - www.pussyhatproject.com  White clowns in Mexico - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-44038976 Rachel Fallon and the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in Ireland - https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/apr/12/the-hateful-eighth-artists-frontline-ireland-abortion-rights-battle-eighth-amendment. Rottingdean Bazaar's catwalk presentation at LFWM - http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/40312/1/rottingdean-art-school-stefan-cooke-ss19-man-munroe-bergdorf-fancy-dress. Margaret Atwood - The Handmaids Tale Sarah Maple - www.sarahmaple.com  Cardiff Fancy Dress Hire - www.scripttoscreen.co.uk