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Dressed: the History of Fashion explores the who, what, when, of why we wear.

11/10/2025

Episode 144 and 145 of : Fashion and the Showgirl, Part I⁠ and II
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French singer and music-hall sensation Gaby Deslys’s adoption of be-feathered, towering headwear laid the foundation for the iconic showgirl costume, we are all familiar with today. Deslys exclaimed to Theatre Magazine in 1916: “My hat...is the soul of my costume…It is me, my personality, my individuality; not a covering for the head, but an ornament; my whole theory of proper dressing–wearing something that no one else wears.” ⁠Notice that this frame isn’t big enough to accompany her hat!
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IMAGE: Gaby Deslys and Harry Pilcer dancing ca. 1915. Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images. ⁠
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10/10/2025

Episode 144 and 145 of : Fashion and the Showgirl, Part I⁠ and II
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The six year partnership between fashion designer Lucile Lady Duff Gordon and music hall impresario Florenz Ziegfeld effectively reinvented the showgirl as a fashion model. From 1915 to 1921, Lucile designed seven installments of the Ziegfeld Follies, in addition to numerous acts for Ziegfeld’s upscale nightclub Midnight Frolic and three of his musical productions. Lucile credits The Follies of 1917, which featured Lucile’s fashion models for the first time, with being the first r***e to ever introduce the concept of the showgirl-model which she defined as a performer who “was there simply to look beautiful and wear beautiful clothes.” None of the models were more famous than the statuesque Dolores who is arguably the first super model. Lucile writes that Dolores “was fêted and worshipped as though she had been a queen. But she never came back to the showroom again—her days as a mannequin were over.” ⁠

📸 Dolores as photographed for Town and Country magazine, 1918

09/10/2025

Episode 144 and 145 of : Fashion and the Showgirl, Part I and II
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Josephine Baker is inarguably the most famous showgirl of all time and her banana skirt costume is quite possibly the most famous showgirl costume in history. While Baker is famous for what she wore on the stage, she is less remembered for the high fashion image she embodied off of it, something she cultivated by relationships with haute couturiers beginning in the 1920s and maintained throughout her career. ⁠⠀
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10/02/2025

Episode 200: Scott Barrie, an interview with Elizabeth Way (Dressed Classic)

Known for his exceptional draping skills and languid use of chiffon and jersey knits, Scott Barrie was a superstar of the American fashion scene during the 1970s. Disco divas and socialites alike clamored for Barrie’s unique brand of comfortable chic, and his celebrity clients included Jacqueline Kenndy Onassis, performers Nina Simone, Faye Dunaway, Liza Minelli, Pointer Sisters and top models of the era Pat Cleveland and Jerry Hall. Tune in to our 2021 episode with Elizabeth Way to learn more about one of American fashion’s favorite Black designers.

1: Actor Vivian Reed in Scott Barrie, Vogue, June 1, 1976, photo by Chris von Wangenheim IMAGE 2: Scott Barrie, Evening Dress, silk, circa 1974, The Museum at FIT IMAGE 3: Jerry Hall in Scott Barrie, Vogue, January 1, 1975, photo by Helmut Newton IMAGE 4: Model Pola in Scott Barrie, Vogue, March 1, 1972, photo by Irving Penn

06/02/2025

Ann Lowe: American Couturier, an interview with Elizabeth Way (Dressed Classic)

Custom couturier to brides, debutantes and American socialites, including Jacqueline Bouvier and Marjorie Merriweather Post, The Saturday Evening Post once declared Ann Lowe “society’s best kept secret.” This week, we revisit our 2023 episode with Elizabeth Way who joined us to speak about Lowe’s seven decade career which spanned the 1910s until the early 19470s, paving the way for the many Black designers to follow in the American fashion industry.

04/02/2025

Donyale Luna as illustrated by Katharina Denzinger for the January 1965 issue of Harper’s Bazaar marked the first time a woman of color ever appeared on the magazine’s cover.

03/02/2025

Episodes 225 and 226: Donyale Luna: The Life and Legacy of a Legendary Model, Part I and II

Donyale photographed by Richard Avedon for the April 1965 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

01/02/2025

Episodes 225 and 226 of

Donyale Luna: The Life and Legacy of a Legendary Model, Part I and II

In 1966, Donyale Luna became the first model of color to appear on the cover of any edition of Vogue magazine—but she was so much more than a pretty face. This week, we look at the life, legend, and legacy of the enigmatic woman who took the fashion world by storm in the 1960s.

IMAGES: Luna as photographed for British Vogue’s March 1966 issue by David Bailey.

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