Fashion and the Showgirl, Part II (Dressed Classic)

In this two-part episode, we celebrate the avant-garde French designer Paul Poiret, who is the subject of a new retropsective exhibition Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Known as "The King of Fashion," Poiret was an incomparable force of personality, vision, and industry, who was instrumental in not just revolutionizing women’s fashion at the dawn of the twentieth century, but transforming the very concept of fashion itself, effectively laying the groundwork for the modern fashion industry that we are indebted to today. Further Reading: Exhibition catalog Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast, preorder in the US here Poiret's memoir King of Fashion 2007 exhibition catalog Poiret Further Listening: Fashion, Race, and Expanding the Narrative of Fashion History with Kimberly Jenkins Fashioning White Femininity: The Ethnic Masquerade of Modern Fashion with Dr. Victoria Pass Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With her towering headwear and sparkling body suit, the showgirl is an instantly recognizable, cross cultural pop icon--and one that is front and center currently with the debut of Taylor Swift's latest album The Life of a Showgirl. In this two-part episode from 2020, we explore the showgirl's lesser known relationship to fashion, a love affair that extends back over one hundred years. Recommended reading: Andrea Stuart's Showgirls Linda Mizejewski, Ziegfeld Girl: Image and Icon in Culture and Cinema Jane Merrill’s The Showgirl Costume: An Illustrated History Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠classes⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠bookshelf⁠⁠ with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We revisit one of our popular 'etiquette in history' episodes today and examine the complex social codes of party throwing and going in Gilded Age New York. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠classes⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshelf⁠⁠⁠⁠ with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠AirWave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠ network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Freud x fashion this week as Dr. Valerie Steele joins us to speak about her exhibition Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis which is currently on view at The Museum at FIT through January 4, 2026. The exhibition--which is the first of its kind--explores "key psychoanalytic concepts about the body, sexuality, and the unconscious," by way of 100 items of dress spanning more than 130 years of fashion history. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠classes⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠bookshelf⁠⁠⁠ with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the ⁠⁠⁠AirWave Media⁠⁠⁠ network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wonderful and often bizarre world of fashion fads from history, we ask the question: which should live on to wear another day and which should be left to history? Recommended resources:•  Bedazzled Beetles•  Hobble Skirt•  Painted knees Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our ⁠website⁠ and ⁠classes⁠ Our ⁠Instagram⁠ Our ⁠bookshelf⁠ with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices