Fashion by The Letter: An A to Z, Part I (Dressed Classic)

Summary

Dressed: The History of Fashion

Episode: Fashion by The Letter: An A to Z, Part I (Dressed Classic)

Hosts: April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary
Release Date: April 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

This playful and enlightening "Dressed Classic" episode takes listeners on an alphabetical journey through unusual, fascinating, and sometimes forgotten fashion terms and concepts. Hosts and fashion historians April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary, self-proclaimed word nerds, challenge each other—and the audience—to an educational fashion history quiz, working their way from A to Z. Each letter unveils a different garment, accessory, textile, or trend, often with surprising origins, delightful wordplay, and historical context. The hosts’ friendly competition and deep dives into etymology and social relevance make for an engaging exchange, peppered with anecdotes and moments of discovery.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting Up the Alphabet Game

• The concept: Each host took half of the alphabet and researched obscure or interesting fashion terms without revealing them to the other in advance, aiming to stump one another and the audience.
• Quote:
  • April: "So we thought it would be really fun and entertaining to explore some of the more unusual terms used for garments and textiles and accessories from the past. Many or maybe even most of which we did not know before doing this episode." (01:09)

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A to Z: Selected Highlights & Noteworthy Fashion Terms

A — Adrian Gown

• Definition: Another name for the “sack gown” or robe à la française, an 18th-century women’s silhouette notable for its wide skirts and pleated back, popularized by figures like Marie Antoinette.
• Memorable quote:
  • Cassidy: “Apparently Adrian gown is another name for a sack gown, AKA a robe a la française. Thank Marie Antoinette, think that very, you know, fitted bodice with the wide skirts worn over the panniers and that wato pleated back.” (03:11)

B — Bombast

• Definition: Padding or stuffing used to structure garments (codpieces, sleeves, etc.) in the 16th–17th centuries, made from materials like wool, cotton, horsehair, or sawdust.
• Etymology: Linked to the bombax tree (cotton). The term also evolved into meaning "pompous speech."
• Notable exchange:
  • April: “It's a type of filling or stuffing used to give structure to garments in the 16th and 17th centuries…even sawdust.” (04:51)
  • Cassidy: “That was very interesting. I just learned something.” (06:03)

C — Cheat

• Definition:
  • 17th/18th c.: A waistcoat with expensive fabric at front, cheaper fabric at back (to save on costly textiles).
  • 19th c.: A false shirt front (“dickie”) worn under a vest and jacket.
• Society insight: Frugality and display intertwined in men’s dress.
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: “The cheat was a false shirt front that you could change every day…for use of economy.” (07:36)

D — Dolly Varden

• Definition: A dress trend of the 1870s inspired by a Dickens character, featuring polonaise-style overskirts and bright calico prints.
• Cultural note: The name extended to other things like dances and even a political party, illustrating how fashion trends permeate broader culture.
• Quote:
  • April: "The name ‘Dolly Varden’ was being applied to all sorts of things, including a polka dance, a popular racehorse, and even a political party. And most notably for our audiences, of course, is its influence on fashion…" (09:08)
  • Cassidy: “If you all think that TikTok trends are new: no, no, no, no. The things that are in fashion magazines from the 18th century are still the same things that people talk about today.” (11:08)

E — Eelskin Mashers

• Definition: Extremely tight men’s trousers worn by dandies (sometimes called "mashers") in the 1880s; "eelskin" refers to how tight they fit, not the material.
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: “They are apparently very, very exquisitely tight trousers worn by the dandies...because the trousers were tight as an eel's skin.” (12:23)

F — Folly Bells

• Definition: 15th-century decorative bells worn on chains attached to belts or girdles, believed to ward off evil spirits.
• Superstition: Functioned as both ornamentation and protection against evil.
• Historical imagery: Worn by both upper class and jesters.

G — Grow Bag

• Definition: A 19th-century term for an infant's outdoor combination blanket/sack (similar to today’s sleep sacks or bunting).
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: “It was a quote infants outdoor combination blanket sack with a zipper front with a separate hood attached or detached, and can also be made with legs instead of a sack bottom.” (14:08)

H — Hair Shirt

• Definition: A shirt or loincloth made of coarse hair (often horsehair), worn for penance or self-mortification, particularly among religious figures such as Thomas More.
• Anecdote: April’s deep dive into Holbein’s portrait of Thomas More led to research on this undergarment as a practice of devotion.
• Quote:
  • April: “It is a shirt or a loincloth made of horse hair and worn...for penance.” (15:15)

I — Inching (Entering)

• Definition: An 18th-century term for taking precise body measurements to make or fit a garment.
• Fun fact: April jokes about using the verb "to incher" in her own practice as a costumer.
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: "It is an 18th century term for taking the measurements of a person in order to make or fit a garment." (19:27)

J — Justaucorps

• Definition: A long, fitted, knee-length men’s coat with a full skirt, transitional garment from doublet to the three-piece suit in the late 17th to early 18th centuries. Popularized by Charles II.
• Backstory: Inspired by Persian suits; marked a move toward simpler, more uniform menswear.
• Quote:
  • April: "He was really trying to get away from the ostentation of fashion at that time...cited as the origin of the three piece suit." (21:27)

K — Kipper (Necktie)

• Definition: An extra-wide, boldly patterned men’s necktie, popularized in the late 1960s–1970s during the “peacock revolution.”
• Symbolism: Demonstrated resurgence of flamboyant menswear.
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: "A kipper was a necktie where the base that had the pointed ends reached about 4 to 5 inches wide." (22:38)

L — Lovelock

• Definition: A long lock of braided hair worn by men in the late 16th and 17th centuries, symbolizing love or devotion, allegedly inspired by Native American hairstyles.
• Cultural friction: Led to outraged treatises from moralists, especially Puritans.
• Quote:
  • April: “A men's hair fad in which they wore a long lock of braided hair hang over the chest as an emblem of love and devotion, hence the title...it actually proved quite a point of contention for religious conservatives.” (24:21)
  • Cassidy: “All the moralists, they're always there. They always have a lot to say about fashion.” (25:43)

M — Matilda

• Definition:
  • 19th-century women's fashion term for either a velvet skirt hem decoration or a bouquet of flowers worn in the hair (1840s).
• Trend: Women's dress features given female names (see also: “Bertha” bodice).
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: "It could either be a velvet decoration around the hem of a woman's skirt, or very, very specifically in the 1840s, a bouquet of flowers worn in a woman's hair." (27:56)

N — 9/10 ("Nine-Tenths") Coat

• Definition: A women’s A-line coat reaching to or below the knee, especially popular in the 1960s.
• Mystery: The origin of the term’s fraction is unclear. Hosts speculate it might refer to length.

O — Owl Glasses

• Definition: Oversized, heavily framed sunglasses, usually round—named for their resemblance to owl eyes; a trend of the 1960s–1980s.
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: "Oversized, extra large sunglasses which have a very heavy rim which give an impression of a surprised owl." (30:28)

P — Pomander

• Definition: Decorative, often ornate perfume containers (usually spheres) filled with fragrant herbs or flowers; worn on chains at the waist, prevalent in Middle Ages and Renaissance.
• Comparison: Early “wearable aromatherapy.”
• Quote:
  • Cassidy: “It was like a little sphere that held scented materials. And oftentimes women in particular wore them on little chain around their belt.” (31:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fashion, Trends, and TikTok:
  • Cassidy: “If you all think that TikTok trends are like, new. No, no, no, no. The things that are in fashion magazines from the 18th century are still the same things...” (11:08)
• On Economic Realities of Dress:
  • Cassidy: “If the gentleman, by way of etiquette and decorum, is always going to be wearing his jacket over his waistcoat or vest, why would you put the expensive fabric on the back? You don’t. You just save it for the front.” (06:32)
• On History Repeating Itself:
  • April: “This is just aromatherapy, friends. We just call it something different now.” (32:47)
• On the Fun of Learning:
  • Cassidy: “I just learned something. I feel like we're both going to learn things right alongside our listeners in this episode.” (06:03)
• On Fashion’s Cultural Impact:
  • April: “The Dolly Varden dress craze began after Dickens death in 1868… the name was being applied to all sorts of things, including a polka dance, popular racehorse, even a political party.” (09:08)
• On Social Judgements in Fashion:
  • April (re: Lovelock): “It actually proved quite a point of contention for religious conservatives who found any ostentatious display of fashion immoral and ungodly.” (24:50)

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Noteworthy Timestamps by Segment

• 01:01 — Episode theme introduced; explanation of the Alphabet Fashion Game
• 03:11 — Adrian gown defined
• 04:51 — Bombast padding explained
• 06:32 — Cheats and the economics of men’s dress
• 09:08 — Dolly Varden fashion and cultural craze
• 12:23 — Eelskin mashers and the dandy
• 13:03 — Folly bells: fashion and superstition
• 14:08 — Grow bag (infant’s sleep sack)
• 15:05 — Hair shirt and penitential fashion
• 19:27 — "Inching" (period term for garment measuring)
• 21:27 — Justaucorps and the birth of the three-piece suit
• 22:38 — Kipper necktie and the male peacock revolution
• 24:21 — Lovelock and its connections to both love and Native American styles
• 27:56 — Matilda as a decorative accessory
• 28:59 — 9/10 coat trend in women’s wear
• 30:28 — Owl glasses
• 31:18 — Pomander perfume spheres

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Final Thoughts

The episode highlights fashion’s rich vocabulary and multifaceted history, demonstrating how clothing and accessories serve as markers of cultural, social, economic, and even moral realities across centuries. With humor, expertise, and curiosity, April and Cassidy make obscure words like “cheat,” “folly bells,” and “justaucorps” come alive, while continually connecting the past to present-day ideas and trends.

Stay tuned for Part II, where the alphabetical adventure continues.

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Connect & Learn More

• Follow visual content: @dressedpodcast on Instagram
• Book recommendations: Dressed Bookshop Bookshelf
• Website, newsletter, tours, and courses: dressedhistory.com
• For ad-free listening: Dressed History Patreon and Airwave History Plus (see show notes for links)

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May you consider the A to Z of your wardrobe next time you get dressed!

Transcript

[April Callahan]

I didn't expect this. TikTok has more short dramas than I could ever finish. Each episode leaves you wanting the next. Download TikTok now and try it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

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[April Callahan]

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[Cassidy Zachary]

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[April Callahan]

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[Cassidy Zachary]

Plus, score a can of Red Bull on us while you go from TA Done. And remember, Red Bull gives you wings. Supplies are limited.

[April Callahan]

Terms apply. Visit the website for more information. Please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from the Dressed archive of over 500 plus shows. Dressed the History of Fashion is a production of dressed media. With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed welcome

[Cassidy Zachary]

to Dress the History of Fashion, a podcast where we explore the who, what, when of why we wear. We are fashion historians and your hosts,

[April Callahan]

April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary. Dress listeners today we thought it would be fun to play a bit of the Alphabet game, but by way of the history of fashion, of course. And because we are both fashion history and word nerds, if you've listened to this show for the last seven seasons, we are huge word nerds. So we thought it would be really fun and entertaining to explore some of the more unusual terms used for garments and textiles and accessories from the past. Many or maybe even most of which we did not know before doing this episode. So learning fun all around.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes. And then if this concept seems familiar to you all, it we did do one of these in the past and we got such a great response from it that we thought we would do another one, but this one is a little bit different. To make it even more fun, Cass and I are actually going to be trying to stomp one another and we have divided up the Alphabet. We have done our research separately. Neither one of us know what the other person is going to say. And are we keeping a scorecard in here? Cass?

[April Callahan]

Yes, possibly. We could totally do that. And dress listeners, feel free to keep your own scorecard and see how many of these you actually know. Okay, let's play Fashion by the letter April. Your name starts with A, so it's only fitting that you go first. And of course my name ends with Z. So easy way to divide it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay, so my first term. And let me preface this with saying that you absolutely know this silhouette. You know what this is? Do you know what an Adrian gown refers to? Because I did not know this either.

[April Callahan]

An Adrian gown No, I'm only familiar with Gilbert Adrian the designer.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, and we're not talking about Gilbert Adrian the designer. I'm going to give you perhaps a temporal clue, 18th century.

[April Callahan]

Nope, no idea.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Ah, so apparently Adrian gown is another name for a sack gown, AKA a robe a la francaise. And so our listeners, for any of you, thank Marie Antoinette, think that very, you know, fitted bodice with the wide skirts worn over the panniers and that wato pleated back. Apparently another term for this is an Adrian gown.

[April Callahan]

Oh, super. Interesting.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, I know, I was, I saw that one, I was like, ooh, that's a good one.

[April Callahan]

I know there's so many words, it was actually hard for me to pick which ones I wanted to highlight. But I have done my best to narrow it down. So dress listeners, April, we've all heard of this song, Perhaps boom bostic, Mr. Fantastic.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I Listeners, I grew up in a cult and contraband in most teenagers rooms, like drugs or like pornography or something. The contraband in my room was fashion magazines and mixtapes.

[April Callahan]

Well then maybe you've heard of the term bombast.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Ah, I do know what this is. It's a type of fabric.

[April Callahan]

Not quite.

[Cassidy Zachary]

So was it a weave structure?

[April Callahan]

No. Many of us are probably familiar with the highly artificial shapes of the 16th century. So think Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth. Right. So highly structured silhouettes, fashionable silhouettes. But have you ever wondered how the giant sleeves in say Queen Elizabeth's portrait kept their shape? Or how about those card pieces worn by Henry?

[Cassidy Zachary]

So it's the padding.

[April Callahan]

Yes.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Within the codpiece or within the sleeves of borders.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, it's a type of filling or stuffing used to give structure to garments in the 16th and 17th centuries. And it could be made from everything from wool, cotton, horse hair and even sawdust.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, quite interesting. Yeah. Also too, when women in the 18th century wearing their Adrian gowns, when the volume shifted from the panniers, which were kind of like basket like structures at the sides of the hips, to. To the kind of bottom roll in the back. Sometimes they use really unusual materials like you just mentioned. Also sometimes they used cork.

[April Callahan]

Yes, I am familiar with the cork rumps of the 18th century.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah.

[April Callahan]

And just to word nerd a little bit. So the term bombast was first recorded at the turn of the 17th to the 18th century. And the word comes from the noun bombast, which means pompous and pretentious speak or words, but was first used in the English language around the mid 16th century in reference to a type of padding that came from the bombax family of trees, so.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, interesting. So it was relating to botany in some way.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. And I think a cotton tree is part of the bumbox family of trees, and hence the term bumbas being used for cotton.

[Cassidy Zachary]

That was very interesting. I just learned something. I feel like we're both going to learn things right alongside our listeners in this episode.

[April Callahan]

Oh, I learned so much. What do you got for me with a C, April?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, that would be a cheat. And beings you come from a theater and costume design background, you might know what this is. But do you know what a cheat was?

[April Callahan]

I feel like you've mentioned this before in terms of some type of ticket.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Not a ticket. We have. It has two slightly different meanings within the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. So during the 17th and 18th century, it referred to a man's waistcoat, aka what we would now call a vest, that had the very expensive fabric on the front and cheaper fabric on the back. And that's because, of course, we've talked about on the show many times, textiles were incredibly valuable at this time. So if the gentleman, by way of etiquette and decorum, is always going to be wearing his jacket over his waistcoat or vest, why would you put the expensive fabric on the back? You don't. You just save it for the front. And this also parlays in a different sort of way into the 19th century when the term referred to a man's false shirt front. So the collar would be attached and it wouldn't be a full shirt. It didn't actually have sleeves. It just was the front of the shirt. Shirt. Like maybe what you call a dickie. Yes, we actually did a fashion history mystery about.

[April Callahan]

Yes, we did.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Years ago. Remember my mom used to make me wear them when I was a kid and horrified me. But yeah, so basically the cheat was a false shirt front that you could change every day. So it was like nice and clean. But you would have your. In the 19th century, you would have your vest and your jacket over it.

[April Callahan]

So so does it have to do with cheating, then, the art of the cheat? Because you're deceiving people as to the reality of your garment.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, but it was very widespread. This was like not necessarily a niche practice.

[April Callahan]

Super interesting.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. If we look at 19th century men's fashion advertising, you actually see them advertised. So it wasn't like something that was necessarily hidden. It was just something that was for use of economy. Maybe upper class men would have a fresh shirt every day, but maybe if you were like middle class, like lower class, you would Use cheat. And you would cheat.

[April Callahan]

Interesting.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. What about D? D? My middle name begins with a D. Yes.

[April Callahan]

April Dawn. So have you heard of Dolly Varden?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Well, I'm assuming this is some sort of a play on Dolly Parton.

[April Callahan]

No, but that's a great guess. Is.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Can you spell it? Is it all one word?

[April Callahan]

No. Dolly Varden. V, A, R, D, E, N. And this might. Some of our listeners actually might recognize this name, especially if you are a Charles Dickens fan, as she was a beguiling, flirtatious, and vibrantly dressed character from Dickens 1841 historic novel Barnaby Rudge, which was set in 1780. So this was actually a huge dress craze known as the Dolly Varden dress craze of the 1870s, specifically the year 1872, which is fascinating and I have to give a shout out to historian, historical cons. Apparently the Dolly Varden dress craze began after Dickens death in 1868, and a few years after that, all his property was sold. And that included this Dolly Varden painting, which Natalie writes, quote, aroused enormous public interest. And so much so that by early 1872, the name Dolly Varden was being applied to all sorts of things, including a polka dance, a popular racehorse, and even a political party. And most notably for our audiences, of course, is its influence on fashion, because the novel was set in the 1780s, and the 1870s is the period of the bustle gown. The polonaise gown that was popular during the 1780s was a really popular kind of application to the bustle gown. Very similar silhouette. Right. So the polonaise of the 1780s was essentially an over skirt that was arranged in three swaths at the back of the skirt supported by hoops. So it had this really bulbous effect. And I think it had something to do with the fact that Poland at the time. Right. April, was divided into three states.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes, yes.

[April Callahan]

So that's super interesting. Just intersection between politics and fashion. So it translated perfectly into these fashionable bustle silhouettes of the 1870s, notably those for day wear. They're often brilliantly colored after the characters close, and they even led to fabric themselves, earning this moniker of Dolly Varden. So things like brightly colored calicoes and Dolly Varden patterns. So it's just super, super interesting. And as a testament to the style's popularity and Vogue and Harper's Bazaar alone, it's mentioned 534 times. Okay.

[Cassidy Zachary]

What I was going to say is if you all think that TikTok trends are like, new. No, no, no, no. The things that are in fashion Magazines from the 18th century are still the same things that people talk about today. Trends, acceleration of trends. This is nothing new. Humans at their core still are the same. They want to talk about the same things. They're interested in the same things, the same.

[April Callahan]

They want to follow the fashion leaders, though.

[Cassidy Zachary]

How things look in the. And how the information about fashion was disseminated is different, but the people remain the same.

[April Callahan]

Yes. What do you have for E?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, I would like to know.

[April Callahan]

We're 0 for 0, by the way.

[Cassidy Zachary]

We're off to Paris very soon, and I have been thinking quite a lot about packing because it's going to be fall when we are there, so usually we're there in summer. I would like to know, Cass, if you will be packing your eel skin mashers.

[April Callahan]

No, thank you.

[Cassidy Zachary]

No eel. No eel in your wardrobe. Okay, so what are eelskin mashers? This has to do with dandy culture of the 1880s. So this is about a decade later than your Dolly Varden. They are apparently very, very exquisitely tight trousers worn by the dandies, who apparently sometimes were also known as mashers. I had never heard this term for dandyism before because they were literally the pants. The trousers were tight as an eel's skin.

[April Callahan]

Interesting. Okay, that's good. That's not where I saw that going. So I'm glad it's fabric and not eel skin, but that's.

[Cassidy Zachary]

No.

[April Callahan]

Eels were harmed in the making of these mashers.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. In the making of this eelskin masher trend. So that brings us to F. F.

[April Callahan]

Have you heard of folly bells?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Nope.

[April Callahan]

Very short blurb here. I could not actually find that much information on these, but I loved the. The term folly. As we know, folly is often related to fashion throughout history, but. So apparently these are decorative bells that were popular during the 15th century, often worn suspended from a girdle with chains by both men and women. And they served a decorative effect, but also a superstitious one as well, because they were believed to ward off evil spirits.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay. I think I've seen this in depictions, and these probably are not at all primary source depictions, but I think I've seen those in depictions of court gestures of that time period.

[April Callahan]

Yes, absolutely. But they were also depicted just by, like, upper class portraits, et cetera.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, okay. I'm gonna look out for that. In the history of art now. That's interesting. So you have a toddler, and this next term has to do with children's wear. Do you know what a grow bag was?

[April Callahan]

No. I'm laughing because we Just have. I have no idea what any of these things are. So.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, so this also relates to a kind of now anachronistic term, baby bunting. We don't really use that term anymore as well. That's more of a 19th century term. But essentially these still exist, Friends. It was a quote infants outdoor combination blanket sack with a zipper front with a separate hood attached or detached, and can also be made with legs instead of a sack bottom. So basically this is just an infant's onesie.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. It also reminds me of a sleep sack. Leah would sleep in a sleep sack, which doesn't have legs, but it's like a blanket for the little body.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yep, Yep.

[April Callahan]

That's exactly what this period is.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Been around from from a really long time. This in particular, grow bag was a 19th century term.

[April Callahan]

Interesting. So it has a.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And so it's like they're in their little sleep sack and they can grow and they can move around a little bit.

[April Callahan]

But yeah, interesting. Have you heard of a hair shirt?

[Cassidy Zachary]

I have heard of them being a form of corporeal punishment. Like someone is sentenced to wear a hair shirt. Are they itching?

[April Callahan]

They're very itchy. Yes, I think that is one form of it. So you have. I would count this as a April. Finally got one. It is a shirt or a loincloth made of horse hair and worn. I haven't read about it being worn for punishment, but for penance. So in Lourdes's class. This actually takes me back to grad school. Lourdes, who you've heard us talk about so many times on the show, teaches Lourdes Font. Lourdes Font, wonderful history of fashion course at FIT in New York. And we had to dissect the fashions on view and the famous historic portrait. Everybody was assigned one portrait. And I was given Hans Holbein the Younger's 1527 portrait of Sir Thomas More, which has since become one of my favorite portraits in fashion history, especially because I've seen it up close at the Frick in New York, and you would not believe how meticulously and realistically imitated the velvet on his sleeves are. It literally looks like you can reach out and touch the sleeves. So it's so exquisite. But my examination of this portrait actually took me to very unexpected places, because what I made the subject of my presentation was not what you could see in the image, but something that you could not see. Again, the assignment was to explain what the wearer was wearing. And I found out in my research on Thomas More that underneath his layers, his getting dressed Every day would have involved him first putting on a hair shirt. So it was meant to be uncomfortable and he wore it next to the skin for penance, which is just. It's very interesting. Pieces of it survive because he. If you don't know who Thomas More is, he was an English statesman, humanist, author. Also a devout Catholic who lost his head to King Henry VIII's despotism, but was much later canonized as a saint. So a piece of his hair shirt survives as part of a relic associated with him.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Where's that?

[April Callahan]

Yeah, exactly. So there you go, dress listers. A hair shirt.

[Cassidy Zachary]

So I guess when I said I've heard it in the context of punishment, I guess I mean penance. Same thing, self. It's a different context. Yeah. I wonder if also people were sentenced to wearing a hair shirt as well. I think that might have also been a thing as well.

[April Callahan]

Probably. Maybe within the context of the Catholic Church. Yeah. I'm not sure though.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. If the Inquisition and Catholic guilt at all. So good, so good, so good.

[April Callahan]

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[Cassidy Zachary]

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[April Callahan]

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[Cassidy Zachary]

Grab that boho look for that rooftop dinner, those sandals that can keep up with you.

[April Callahan]

And hang some string lights to give your patio a glow up.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Spring's calling, Ross. Work your magic. Pam, are you here to game with me?

[April Callahan]

In a minute, Ryan. But first it's time to share what's happening on the 10 News podcast.

[Cassidy Zachary]

The 10 News is a kids news podcast for curious 8 to 12 year olds that even grown ups can learn from. What else is there to say?

[April Callahan]

That we cover everything from the Supreme Court in the war in Ukraine to Pokemon and Minecraft. And we'll always tell you 10 things you need to know and we're available

[Cassidy Zachary]

wherever you get your podcasts. Is it game time now, Pam?

[April Callahan]

It's game time, Ryan. Let's go.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay, Cass, I know for a fact that you have engaged many times in this next term. Okay, you know what entering is entering. Entering. Like I n C H E R I N G. The verb of inching.

[April Callahan]

No, no.

[Cassidy Zachary]

It is an 18th century term for taking the measurements of a person in order to make or fit a garment.

[April Callahan]

Interesting.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Entering.

[April Callahan]

Entering how? Entering.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Working in film and tv, I'm sure you injured so many people.

[April Callahan]

I have injured a lot of people and now I'm going to start using that and see how many people look at me askance. Askance. Okay. I actually do think you've probably heard of this next term, but I didn't know. I've never really considered it within this context or history that I'm going to talk about. Do you know what a juice de corps is?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes, I do. It is a transitional garment. So late 17th, early 18th century that was like a transitional upper torso garment for men that spanned from the doublet to the waistcoat or vest almost. Okay.

[April Callahan]

But you're right about it being a transitional garment, just not about the silhouette. So it's a long, fitted, knee length button front coat with a full skirt that replaced shorter doublets. So moving out of the shorter doublet era of the 16th and early 17th century. Yes. So it's definitely a transitional garment, but it's more of a coat and it really becomes like if you look at 17th century, early 18th century men's fashion, that's the silhouette you associate with those eras. It also has a full skirt, I believe I said, and it becomes the dominant form of male garment in this era. And what I had never considered is that it's. It was actually made popular by King Charles II of England, who if you know about his history, and we've certainly talked about him before on the podcast, really important historians track the origin of the modern three piece suit to King Charles II of England and 1666. I believe he was.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And he was adopting a form of Persian dress.

[April Callahan]

Yes. Inspired by similar suits styles worn in Persia. And what makes this unique is he wore this justicorp with a waistcoat or vest for us in America. And again, as I said, by pairing these three garments, he also made it regulatory to wear or he certainly inspired other men to adopt this form of dress. He was really trying to get away from the ostentation of fashion at that time. And so he was really hoping people would adopt a more uniform, simple appearance. And so this is really cited as the origin of the three piece suit that would dominate men's wardrobes for centuries thereafter. So there you go, the juice. D'. Accord.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yep, yep, yep, yep. I knew it was like that weird transitional menswear time period situation.

[April Callahan]

Yes, absolutely. I think you're a two for zero on me.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, you're gonna give me that one? Okay, maybe I get one and a

[April Callahan]

half because it was okay. Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay. So the 1960s cast are one of your areas of interest as a fashion historian. And I will give you a heads up that this dates to this time period. And, like, our last term relates to menswear. Do you know what a kipper was? And I don't mean, like the little fish that sometimes people eat like a sardine.

[April Callahan]

No idea.

[Cassidy Zachary]

It's a necktie. And think of, like, the neckties of the late 1960s, early 1970s. You know how they get super wide at the bottom? So a kipper was a necktie where the base that had the pointed ends reached about 4 to 5 inches wide. So it's like those super duper crazy neckties of the late 1960s, early 1970s. And typically, they were made in a very loud striped or pattern fabric. And that is what a kipper was.

[April Callahan]

Interesting. Yes. Of course, the 60s is a period of the male peacock revolution. That's a nice transition out of the Justacorp, actually, because we always talk about the great male renunciation of the early 19th century, where men gave up their right to be beautiful, adopted that uniform standard suit that had been developing for a century, and really, it became societally unacceptable for men to embrace that decorative element of fashion. But the 1960s brought it all out again, which is always super fun and exciting to learn about. So the kipper sounds like it's definitely part of that culture.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay, what do you have next?

[April Callahan]

Yes. So another menswear term. And actually, I do think we're doing

[Cassidy Zachary]

so much menswear today.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. And I think actually this is a more common term, and so you probably have heard of it. But again, the history that I learned about this fashion trend is super fascinating. So have you heard of a lovelock?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes. So that would be a 17th century little hair situation that men had, and it was a little bit of a curly Q thing that they would wear at the base of their neck.

[April Callahan]

Yes. So the love loc I speak of is, as April Mitch just mentioned, it's. So it started in the late 16th century, went into the 17th century. It's a men's hair fad in which they wore a long lock of braided hair hang over the chest as an emblem of love and devotion, hence the title. So apparently it was hanging close to their heart. It was just on the one side. And this is a period when men wore their hair very long and full. And so that was an extension of that.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And is it like a sign of I'm taken?

[April Callahan]

I don't know. But it's Definitely speaking as an emblem of your love for someone. So my guess is yes. But it was also just a fashion trend of the period. And something that I found fascinating about this Love Lock is that it actually proved that quite a point of contention for religious conservatives who found any ostentatious display of fashion immoral and ungodly. And this holds especially true for Puritans like the moralist William Pern or Prynne, who wrote not one, but two treatises on the topic, including 1628's the Unloveliness of Love Locks, or A Summary Discourse Proving the Wearing and Nourishing of a Lock or Love Lock to Be Altogether Unseemly and Unlawful unto Christians. And yes, that was the title, the full title of the treatise every period.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I said this on the podcast the other day when I can't remember who I was talking to. Oh, it was Joe. I was talking to Joe Weldon. I was like, all the moralists, they're always there. They always have a lot to say about fashion just yet.

[April Callahan]

Yes. And usually it's about women's fashion. So this is really fascinating. And again, in 1646, almost 20 years later, he's still lamenting the style. He's writing about it in another pamphlet called A Gauge for Long Haired Rattleheads who Revile All Civil Roundheads, which is so interesting. But again, while I'd certainly heard of lovelocks prior to doing research for today's episode, I did learn something in my research that is particularly interesting, especially in relationship to our recent episodes on indigenous fashion history. So something I learned is that love locks were actually inspired by and worn an imitation of Native American hairstyles, specifically the asymmetrical hairstyles worn by Powhatan men. So apparently Pocahontas husband John Rolfe commented on this influence, as did others, and one source even cited it coming to England via the returning survivors of the roanoke colony in 1586. So, American history buffs, that is one of the very first, if not the first, American colonies or British colonies, British American colonies in the US it failed horribly. And so apparently the survivors that returned had the lovelock hairstyle, or what would become that Lovelock hairstyle. So just another example of how pervasive and influence indigenous fashion has had historically that often doesn't get its due.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And also an example of fashion trickling up.

[April Callahan]

Yes, exactly.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, it happens all the time. Wow, that's like, super interesting. I feel like we might need a mini. An entire mini.

[April Callahan]

I know. Well, I was thinking even just that title, the Unloveliness of Love Locks is a great title, so maybe it will be in a future episode.

[Cassidy Zachary]

There's so much more to unpack about. Yeah, for sure. Okay. I'm gonna take us to a entirely different direction, but I'm going to cite us in the 19th century all around. Cass, do you know what a Matilda was in the 19th century? It has to do with women's fashion.

[April Callahan]

Is it a type of coat?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Not a type of coat. It has a couple different meanings. Very interesting. It could either be a velvet decoration around the hem of a woman's skirt, or very, very specifically in the 1840s, a bouquet of flowers worn in a woman's head hair.

[April Callahan]

Oh, interesting. I wonder who it's named after.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Decorative. Decorative embellishment.

[April Callahan]

Embellishment.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Floral embellishment. Probably around your skirt or maybe in your hair. But yeah, there was a lot of that in the 19th century, for sure. Yeah. I don't know. I didn't find any information about who it might possibly refer to. But of course, also in the 1840s, that very specific 1840s bodice style that kind of had the puckers and fold over at the top was called a Bertha. So they were giving these fashion trends or silhouettes, women's names.

[April Callahan]

Oh, yeah. Something we will get to here in a little bit. One of my terms as well.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Amazing.

[April Callahan]

Very common.

[Cassidy Zachary]

What's next?

[April Callahan]

So have you heard of a 910 coat?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, I have not.

[April Callahan]

So 9 tenths coat is a women's. A line coat reaching to or just below the knee. Popular in the 1960s, but I've actually found reference to them beginning in 1929. Vogue, which appeared to be a similar straight style. It's often worn with a matching dress. So very ubiquitous during the 1960s especially. I have no idea where it got its name. I could not find, like, an origin point or even anything that tried to explain it. But, yeah, it's called a 910 coat, which I thought was fascinating.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Would the hem of the dress, depending on what point in the 60s we're talking about and how fashionable one was, would the hem of the dress be slightly longer than the 910 coat? So it's like the coat is just slightly longer than the hem of this.

[April Callahan]

I don't think so.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Dress or skirt?

[April Callahan]

I don't think so. It was interesting. It basically, every picture I saw, it was about the same length as the skirt. So, yeah, I. I have no idea what that means. Maybe it's just implying that it's not a full. A 10th coat would reach the ground, and maybe a 9, 10, coat. Just your knee.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I'm not sure, listeners, maybe some of you know more about this than we do. So if you do, hit us up.

[April Callahan]

Share.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay, I'm gonna say we've got a limb here, and this is a pun intended. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that a lot of our listeners out there have worn the next term, which is owl glasses. You know what those were?

[April Callahan]

Owl glasses? I have no idea.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oversized, extra large sunglasses which have a very heavy rim which give an impression of a surprised owl from the 80s. I don't know. I think this is more of a 60s term. Like those big, very kooky sunglasses. Yeah, yeah, I had never heard this term before either, so. And I'm like, oh, I think I own a few pair of those.

[April Callahan]

Yes, definitely comes in and out of fashion. So speaking of material culture of fashion, especially smaller items, I have no idea where this fascination comes from, but if you've listened to the show for a while, you know that I am obsessed with miniature or small things. And again, this is probably something people have heard of. It's not super obscure, but. April, do you know what a pomander is?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes, I do. This is one I definitely do. So pomanders were born late Middle ages into the Renaissance. And it was like a little sphere that held scented materials. And oftentimes women in particular wore them on little chain around their belt. So when they would go out into public with maybe be like ill smelling situations that it would scent the air.

[April Callahan]

Yes, again, I knew you would know it. And it's not necessarily obscure, but these are just so fascinating to me. As you said, these little small spheres of gold or silver, they can be quite elaborate, inset with gemstones, decorated, filled with any number of fragrant herbs or flowers, you know, at a time when bathing wasn't priority or they actually thought it could be hazardous to your health, these kind of scents. There's even pictures with women holding them up to their nose or keeping them in their vicinity. A number of them survive in museum collections. They're depicted in numerous portraits of the era. And again, just one of those fascinating aspects of material culture that we don't necessarily have today anymore. I guess we wear our perfume more than we do actually hold it, but I just find them incredibly lovely.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, these are really great. And also too, going back to that topic that I mentioned earlier, of people's interests or things don't really change that much. This is just aromatherapy, friends. Yeah, we just call it something different now.

[April Callahan]

Dress listeners, we have had so much fun with you today and there are still so many more letters that we did not get to. So we are going to be bringing this to you in a part two where we continue this conversation and this contest that April is clearly already winning on Friday. Until then, Dressed listeners, may you consider the A to Z of your wardrobe next time you get dressed.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Please head to eressedpodcast on Instagram or REST Podcast without the underscore on Facebook to check out the visual content associated with each week's episodes.

[April Callahan]

And remember, we always love hearing from you, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do [e-mail] dressed history.com is also our website where you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, our in person tours and online fashion history courses and you can check out whatever else we have up our finely tailored sleeves.

[Cassidy Zachary]

We get so many questions from you all about our recommendations for fashion history books, so if you are interested you can always find a link in our show Notes to our Bookshop Bookshelf. So that address is bookshop.org shop dressed and there you can find over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles and

[April Callahan]

do you love Dressed but want to skip the ads? You can now sign up for Ad free listening with any tier on our Dressed History Patreon.

[Cassidy Zachary]

We are also excited to now be part of the Airwave Network and their premium ad free History subscription Airwave History plus available on Apple Podcasts. The subscription brings dressed and also 27 other popular history podcasts ad free for just $5.99 per month. More information on Patreon and Airwave is available at the link in our bio.

[April Callahan]

Thank you as always for tuning in and more dressed coming your way very soon. The History of Fashion is a production of Dressed Media.