Dressed: The History of Fashion

Episode: Dressed in NYC 2026 Recap
Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary

Episode Overview

This episode offers an engaging, firsthand recap of Dressed’s annual New York City Day Tours that took place in December 2025. April and Cassidy guide listeners through each day’s activities, sharing highlights from exclusive behind-the-scenes museum visits, fashion exhibitions, and cultural experiences from FIT, the New-York Historical Society, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Beyond a travelogue, the episode celebrates the intersection of fashion, history, and lived experience, immersing listeners in the tactile and communal joys of experiencing historic dress and design.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Tour Introduction and Format

• The 2025 day tours spanned three days in December, each filled with exclusive and immersive fashion-related experiences.
• [01:24] Cassidy: “Hello and welcome to our not final but second to final episode of season eight... we are so excited to bring to you today the highlights from our recent day tours of New York City... we got to meet so many of you in person which is so exciting.”

2. Day One: Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

A. Special Collections & Archives

• April’s group explored rare objects from FIT’s archives, focusing on lesser-known but significant artifacts.
  • 1799 Cabinet de Mode: Early post-revolutionary French fashion magazines, emphasizing societal shifts and the emergence of the handbag.
    • [04:00] April: “Cabinet de Mode is incredibly special because... it was one of the very first French fashion magazines that re-emerged in the wake of the French Revolution...women were still wearing that revolutionary trio of red, white, and blue.”
  • 18th vs. 19th Century Plates: Noting how advertising crept into fashion magazines over time.
  • Bergdorf Goodman Sketches: Original sketches from the iconic New York salon, paired with extant garments.

B. FIT Study Collection (Cassidy’s Group)

• Hands-on exploration of historical garments, from crinolines to mid-century couture.
  • Transition-Era Gown (c.1920): Discussion on whether it was a wedding dress or court gown, determined by details like train position and orange blossom motifs.
    • [10:31] Cassidy: “Waistline, but not meant to be form fitting...there's all these little flower buds attached to it, and I wonder if they're orange blossoms—and if they are, then it's definitely a wedding dress.”
  • Iconic Pieces: Claire McCardell, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, including matching shoes and their societal implications.
    • [11:25] April: “The YSL for Dior was a pink bubblegum, pink pale taffeta sheath dress with a swath around the shoulders... and at least one of them had matching shoes.”

C. “DRESS: Dreams and Desires” Exhibition Tour

• Led by Dr. Valerie Steele, the exhibit mapped modern and historic fashion through psychoanalytic theory, referencing Freud and Lacan.
  • [12:14] Cassidy: “An even more extraordinary experience...an in-person tour of Dress Dreams and Desires...with the one, the only, Dr. Valerie Steele.”
  • Highlights: JLo’s iconic green Versace dress (“the dress that broke the internet”), Surrealist Schiaparelli gloves, contemporary and 19th-century designer objects.
    • [16:43] Cassidy: “Nudity is both feared and desired… clothing is both the signifier of desire and protection against fear.”
  • Valerie Steele’s theoretical depth vs. Raisa Britannia’s object-focused approach provided a multifaceted experience.

3. Day Two: New-York Historical Society and Metropolitan Opera

A. “The New York Sari” Exhibition

• Showcased the sari as both essential dress and cultural metaphor for NY’s South Asian diaspora.
  • Parsi Gara Embroidery: Handwork blending Persian, Indian, and Chinese techniques—discussed both through historical examples and modern red-carpet references.
    • [22:53] April: “All of this is done usually with a single thread. So it's just over and over, which is so painstaking. So we actually got to see up close an example of this within the sari exhibition.”
  • Curation involved direct interaction with exhibition creators, elevating the learning experience.

B. Harlem Renaissance: Queer Perspectives

• Explored Black LGBTQ life in 1920s Harlem via ephemera like rent party tickets.
  • [24:15] Cassidy: “One of my favorite objects…Rent Party tickets... you would pay, like, a small fee to come and engage in this really vibrant and safe place.”

C. Metropolitan Opera: Behind & In Front of the Scenes

• Massive, immersive tours of one of the world’s foremost opera houses, split between public spaces (art, architecture) and backstage (sets, dressing rooms).
  • Historic Costumes: Cecil Beaton’s designs for Turandot, Valentina’s 1930s Carmen costumes—a nexus of theater, fashion, and celebrity.
    • [32:49] Cassidy: “It was just staggering to see the Valentina, because... probably the most expensive fashion designer in New York City at this time—and also part of a throuple with Greta Garbo.”
  • Workshops: In-house cobbler, drapers, milliners, and wigmakers; treasured reuse of costumes with labels marking wearer lineage.
    • [34:13] Cassidy: “You know who else wore the costume as an opera singer. To have that heritage literally on your body is so special.”

D. Special Talk with Clint Ramos

• Tony-winning costume designer for Tristan and Isolde, previewing contemporary designs and offering career wisdom.
  • [41:22] Cassidy: “Don’t do it because you want to be famous…do it because you want a community of like-minded people who share your passion.”
• Attendees capped the night with a performance of La Bohème, marvelling at the epic sets and live artistry.

4. Day Three: Metropolitan Museum of Art and Antonio Ratti Textile Center

A. April’s Met Fashion History Tour

• Used the Met’s permanent collection (outside the Costume Institute) to show fashion’s evolution.
  • French Revolution Portraits: Two portraits of Madame Grand/Madame Talleyrand illustrate drastic changes in fashion pre- and post-revolution.
    • [48:38] April: “We got to see that transition in fashion and beauty aesthetics within two portraits of the same woman.”

B. Antonio Ratti Textile Center Visit

• A rare, behind-the-scenes session with some of the Met’s most precious textile objects (over 30,000 in the collection).
  • Highlights:
    • Indian Jama Robe: 17th/19th-century hand-painted gold-leaf men’s robe.
    • Koi-fish Kimono: Blue gradient, hand-painted summer kimono exemplifying Japanese design.
    • Multiple global textile treasures spanning centuries and geographies.
    • [51:01] Cassidy: “We got to look at one of my all-time favorite pieces...a 19th-century men's jama from India...I'll post a picture of it. It has this gold leaf hand painted detail on it.”

5. Reflections and Community

• April and Cassidy express gratitude to listeners, tour participants, and institutional partners.
  • [56:41] April: “May you consider the legacy of fashion and the Big Apple next time you get dressed.”
• Encouragement to seek out these experiences, sign up for future tours, and explore fashion history both in person and digitally.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [12:14] Cassidy (on Valerie Steele's tour):
  “An even more extraordinary experience...an in-person tour of Dress Dreams and Desires...with the one, the only, Dr. Valerie Steele.”
• [16:43] Cassidy (on psychoanalysis and fashion):
  “Nudity is both feared and desired… clothing is both the signifier of desire and protection against fear.”
• [32:49] Cassidy (on Valentina):
  “Probably the most outrageous American fashion designer of all time...part of a throuple with Greta Garbo.”
• [41:22] Cassidy (on Clint Ramos’ advice):
  “Don’t do it because you want to be famous…do it because you want a community of like-minded people who share your passion.”
• [48:38] April (on Met portrait tour):
  “We got to see that transition in fashion and beauty aesthetics within two portraits of the same woman.”
• [56:41] April:
  “May you consider the legacy of fashion and the Big Apple next time you get dressed.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:24 – Introduction to the tours and season recap
• 02:47 – FIT Special Collections: French fashion magazines and Bergdorf sketches
• 07:31 – Study Collection tour: Historical garments up close
• 12:17 – FIT "Dreams and Desires" exhibition with Dr. Valerie Steele
• 18:48 – New-York Historical Society: “The New York Sari” Exhibition
• 24:15 – Gay Harlem Renaissance at NYHS
• 29:07 – Metropolitan Opera: In-depth tours and costume workshops
• 36:52 – Opera costume reuse and wigmaking artistry
• 41:22 – Conversation with Clint Ramos and attendee Q&A highlight
• 45:37 – Metropolitan Museum art tour: French Revolution in portraiture
• 51:01 – Antonio Ratti Textile Center treasures
• 56:00 – Reflections, gratitude, and future tour info

Conclusion

This episode delivers a rich, boots-on-the-ground snapshot of New York’s vibrant fashion history ecosystem, woven together with scholarly knowledge, sensory detail, and a spirit of shared curiosity. Cassidy and April’s storytelling transports listeners from rare archival boxes to bustling ateliers, inviting everyone (near and far) to partake in the ritual and revelation of getting dressed—historically, artfully, every day.