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April Callahan
History of Fashion is a production of dress media. With over 8 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed.
Cassie Zachary
Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast that explores the who, what, when of why we wear. We are friends, fashion historians and your.
April Callahan
Hosts Cassie Zachary and April Callahan. Dress listeners tis the time once again on the show to hear from some of our all time favorite guests. You we do so appreciate all the time and effort that many of you spend shooting messages our way with your emails and your DMs. And we must say we are so often thrilled with the questions and or content that you send us. Right Cass?
Cassie Zachary
Yes. And of course our regular listeners have heard us say this more times than we can count at this point, but we do actually personally read each and every message that you send us. Not that we have the luxury of time to respond to all of you. So apologies if you send us a message and you don't hear from us, but we do try our very best. There's just the two of us, but these messages really mean a lot to us so we always read them. And you know it's not a social media assistant, it's always us replying to you if we do respond. So please keep those messages coming so we can keep building our ever growing dressed community.
April Callahan
And speaking of community, by the time this episode airs, we should have officially launched our community centered Patreon which we've been promising you only for years now.
Cassie Zachary
Yes, it did require us getting an assistant to help us finally get There. But you have asked for it and we are now delivering. I think at this point, we. We've recorded this episode a couple weeks in advance, but our Patreon should be up and running. And the link in our bio.
April Callahan
Yes. And just kind of like how we set things up at the moment. And we looked at a lot of different ways that different people were doing this. But we're going to have three tiers, right. $5, $10, and $20. But you guys get to pick what you pay because all of those price levels are going to get you the same thing. So if you. If you really want to support us and give us 20 bucks a month, that would be amazing. But we'll also take your five bucks, too.
Cassie Zachary
Yeah. And so all of those tiers will have the same thing. There's going to be a chat, which I'm really excited about, so people can be in constant conversation with one another. April and I will actually monitor that chat. So you will hear from us as well. And then we have our ad free back catalog of the show. So all of our 500 past episodes ad free. And then you'll also get ad free new episodes. And then tell them about the thing we're particularly excited about.
April Callahan
April. Yeah. Multiple times a year. I'm not sure exactly how many that'll be yet, but we will do live Q&As with you all on Patreon. So you can submit your questions in advance. You can ask something that is like a burning fashion history question in the moment. Give us episode suggestions. Yeah. So just a way for all of us to connect further.
Cassie Zachary
So we really look forward to continuing to connect with you. And we have so many exciting things up our sleeves this season, and that includes we've now officially launched our newsletter. And that newsletter will come to you once a month and you can sign up on our website.
April Callahan
So without further ado, perhaps we should get to the reason why we are all here to hear from you. Yeah, that was a pun. Totally broke me down, Cass. It's all your fault. But the first listener mail I'd like to share pertains to one of our most recent episodes, which was the debut of our Fashion Scandals series. And it was on the painter John Singer Sargent's portrait of Virginie, Amelie Avignon Gautreau, who art enthusiasts might know better as Madame X. And this piece is one of Sargent's most famous works, famous portraits. And the painting basically sensationalized Paris when it first debuted to the public in 1884. Not only for the fact that Amelie's dress strap was rendered as slipping from her shoulder, but also her very unusual and over the top use of cosmetics. And prior to its revelation to the public at the time, Madame Gautreau called the work a masterpiece in advance in some correspondence to a friend. And it also seems that her mother agreed in advance of the exhibition as well.
Cassie Zachary
However, as we learned in that episode, art critics and the court of public opinion vehemently disagreed. And Madame Gattroux's reputation in the wake of the scandal was significantly, if only somewhat temporarily tarnished. And this actually inspired listener Stephanie V. To write to us with the following. She writes, hello, I just listened to your Madame X episode today and story reminded me so much about the Miley Cyrus Annie Leibovitz Vanity Fair scandal, which I had never heard of before. And she says, do you guys remember this one? If I'm remembering correctly, Miley and Billy Ray, who's of course her father, raved about the photo and obviously went along with it while it was being taken. But then once it was released and there was backlash, they changed their tune. Miley was pretty young, hence the scandal of being photographed in a sheet. So I don't think she was in the wrong at all. But I think her parents went after Annie Lebovitz pretty hard after. It certainly turned out better for Miley than for Madame X, but the parallel felt interesting.
April Callahan
History repeats that it does, and we're going to give a couple different examples of that. But before we do that, if any of our listeners like Cass and also me, I needed a refresher on this, this scandal. It appeared in the pages of Vanity Fair and that was in all the way back in 2008 and 15 year old Miley Cyrus was photographed for an editorial spread in the magazine by the legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz. She was photographed seated and she was only draped partially in a white bed sheet. And the image incensed many readers for its sexualization of an underage girl. And there were apologies issued at the time. But Cass, I also did some additional more recent sleuthing and found some very interesting follow up commentary from Miley herself.
Cassie Zachary
Yes, and actually Miley recently revisited the scandal in a 2023 interview with the Independent, noting that technically speaking, it wasn't even Annie that took the photo, rather it was her eight year old sister. She says, quote, my little sister Noah was sitting on Annie's lap and actually pushing the button of the camera taking the pictures. She said, quote, my family was on set and this was the first time I ever wore red lipstick.
April Callahan
And Miley goes on to talk about how, quote, her time on the Disney Channel had ultimately encouraged her makeup artists on the shoot to put red lipstick on her. She says, quote, patty Dubrov, who did my makeup, thought that it would be another element that would divide me from Hannah Montana. And she goes on to say, this image of me is a complete opposite of the bubblegum pop star that I had been known for being. And that's what was so upsetting. And by that she means to the public. But in 2023, Miley says that she now feels differently about the controversies surrounding her Vanity Fair spread. She said that she feels proud the shoot represented some really bold artistic choices in its creation. And in no way did she at any point feel uncomfortable during the shooting. So, you know, I mean, what, here's what to say. You know, I, I personally, I, of course, I want to support young women's power and initiative to embrace their budding sexuality when they're becoming young women, but. And I also get this whole breaking with her really clean cut image for the fictional character that she portrayed on TV, but 15 is still a little bit young. What do you think about this?
Cassie Zachary
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I mean, and it's not her, right? It's just, it's what people are interpreting that as. They look at that image and putting her out there in that way kind of opens her up to that scrutiny. So. But I agree with you, I, if Miley feels good about it, I'm not, who am I to disagree with her? And April, you mentioned context and bringing up a couple different examples, and I'm sure this immediately brought to other people's minds, it certainly did ours. The scandal involving another 15 year old that took place, gosh, 28 years prior in 1980. And of course, I'm talking about the now infamous series of Calvin Klein jeans ads and commercials starring the one and only 15 year old Brooke Shields. This advertising campaign was beautifully shot by Richard Avedon and a bit esoteric, it must be said, as Calvin Klein branding can be. But there is of course, this very specific commercial where Brooks states, you want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing at 15. So that was obviously the one that caused public outrage, as to many it inferred that she was not wearing any underwear under the jeans. But, you know, much like Cyrus Shield now looks back on that campaign as, quote, fun, innocent, and, yes, sexy as hell. And Shields actually told People magazine in 2023 that, quote, the tagline had a different meaning for her. She says she recalled, I had a dog and I would say, nothing comes between me and my puppy. It was an expression. So it seems at the time it all felt very harmless to her. It goes without saying both of these scandals are examples of kind of that delicate tightroping that young women walk that are in the public eye and media. There's certainly many, many young models still today that enter the fashion industry in their teens. But, you know, that also exposes them to people in the public and the.
April Callahan
Public at large, and everyone has something to say.
Cassie Zachary
Yeah. And there are certainly issues and concerns about the sexualization of teenage girls in the media and especially within the fashion industry. But both women, Cyrus Shields, look back, say they didn't feel that way at the time. And so this is a rather sensitive topic. But of course, we really appreciate your inquiry, Stephanie, and we wanted to put it into a broader historical context, as we do.
April Callahan
Yeah. And I have more, I have more to say about this. Speaking of those Calvin Klein commercials Cass Brook's mom kept, who was our manager, kept three pairs of the jeans from that now very famous shoot. And one pair of them, I just found out, is in the collection at the Costume Institute at the Met. And then another one of these three pairs, Brooke recently parted with herself and it was sold a few months ago in like October or November at an auction. And get this. Do you want to venture a number guess as to how much this single pair of jeans went for?
Cassie Zachary
My guess is the tens of thousands.
April Callahan
You would be correct because it was more than $68,000.
Cassie Zachary
Wow.
April Callahan
On a single pair of jeans. And it was part of this studio auctions sale that was themed From Bombshells to Blasters. An auction you can't refuse. And the catalog record when they're putting it up for auction calls the jeans possibly the most famous pair of blue jeans in pop culture history.
Cassie Zachary
Absolutely. And speaking of famous performers who got their starts as teens, this leads right into our next listener mail from former showgirl Marissa B. Who wrote to us recently and said, hi girls obsessed by your podcast and insta. I have information on Moulin Rouge's association with fashion in general. Here's a pic of me with Naomi Campbell at the Moulin Rouge taken by Herb Ritz when we were 19. I am on the floor in my Josephine Baker costume. This was a great shoot and one of many that took place there during my 16 year tenure as their menus de revue.
April Callahan
Yes. And while my French is now getting better that I'm in Paris a tad more this term, menus was unfamiliar to me, so I had to look it up. But essentially my understanding of it is that is the feminine form for star of the show. So essentially one of the lead performers who in French are sometimes also called vedettes. They were, they could be stage performers, dancers all around, entertainers in a cabaret type show. And Marissa was one of the lead showgirls for the legendary Moulin Rouge for more than 15 years. Cass apparently I found out that she moved to Paris to work at the Moulin Rouge when she was just 17 and she didn't depart until she was 33. And as of a few years ago, she held the record of the longest running performer in the cabaret's legendary 130 plus year history. She's like the longest dancer.
Cassie Zachary
Wow. And you know she has some stories to tell. So Marissa, thank you so much for sharing this message. You also shared a photo with us and you know April, I think we absolutely would like to hear from her on the podcast at some point in the future to get that real life insights to scoop on working at the Moulin Rouge, which I know happens to be the subject of one of my all time favorite movies. Okay. And with that we are going to take a short break for a word from our sponsors, but more about historic depictions of clothing on the silver screen when we get back.
April Callahan
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Foreign.
Cassie Zachary
Welcome back dress listeners. Our next listener mail comes to us from Anna A. Who very recently wrote to us about what is admittedly a very niche topic, medieval millinery, and specifically a style of women's headdress known as a hennin. And if you don't think you know what that is, more than likely you already do, because it has graced the silver screen and and colored screen and many, many films. But you just might never have known the official term for that conical hat of sorts, kind of like a dunce cap worn by modern day depictions of medieval princesses.
April Callahan
Found at your nearest costume shop as well, I'm sure. Yes, and oftentimes complete with this really long flowing veil trailing behind it. So pretty much it's like a towering cone with this trailing veil. I'm sure you all know exactly what we're talking about, and this is something I do speak about very, very Briefly on my fashion history tour of the Met in the context of it being this quote unquote, princess trope today, because we don't see hennins in person, but we see them often in art of the late 15th century. So just for our episode today, to dot my I's and cross my t's, I did go back to my bookshelf and pull out my very also niche book, A Cultural History of Hair in the Middle Ages. This book was edited by Roberta Milliken, and it has chapters from various authors, including Hannah Hopwood Griffiths, who defines the hennin for us as a, quote, cylinder shaped cone placed far back on the head with a translucent veil placed over it. It was during this period, too, that noble women plucked their hair to ensure a wide and plain forehead, and thus hardly any hair was visible. So basically, they were plucking the top of their hairline. So it was hidden under the hat.
Cassie Zachary
Yes. And this covering of the hair had some very real respectability politics attached to it, of course, because clothing is never just clothing and neither are accessories. There's always a meaning there. And Griffiths again writes, quote, in the 13th century, for example, Etienne de Bourbon commented, quote, women who decorate their hair show themselves venal, which is, I guess, another word for available for purchase. And the quote continues, these are the signs of lightness and whoredom.
April Callahan
Nothing like a medieval moralist to basically be like, hey, stop doing your hair. Cute whores.
Cassie Zachary
Yeah.
April Callahan
Also, by the way, if you want to know a little bit more about horror history, we have of course done a fantastic episode with Jo Weldon on, on her one woman show, which is called what I Wore to Work. And it's all about her various incarnations over many decades of working in the sex worker industry. So.
Cassie Zachary
But she's also quite the scholar and historian. So that I think that's a two part episode, Right? You guys talk about the history of sex worker style too, which is we.
April Callahan
Talk about kind of like the history aspect, and then part two is more contemporary stuff. But I did mention this in one of those episodes when I went to see Joe's one woman show. Primary sources are so important to her. She had her partner come around and hand everybody a card that had a QR code on it with all of her bibliography and footnotes to the show. Yeah, okay.
Cassie Zachary
We love you, Joe.
April Callahan
Yeah. So basically, Griffiths goes on to make another very real point that, quote, head coverings came to further represent the tension of demonstrating wealth, a noble upbringing, and beauty on the one hand, and virginity, modesty and humility on the other there was no easy way for the medieval woman to navigate all of the rules placed on her by society. So they were damned then if they did, just like we are now. And damned if you don't know what.
Cassie Zachary
I was gonna say. This feels really contemporary. So while we know a bit about why medieval women were wearing headdresses like the hennin at this time, that also does not really answer Anna's question about how and what they were made of. And to be honest, we don't precisely know Anna. The details, details about their technical construction is a bit in question because we see them exclusively in art and but one thing that we do want to stress is just how valuable textiles were during these periods. They could truly be status symbols in the 15th century in and of their own right. And because of that, wearing as much fabric as possible spoke to your wealth and station. And that included that trailing veil. Of course, these are all handmade hand woven textiles at this time.
April Callahan
And this is something that I do mention on my Met tour as we see these fashions and millinery change during the Middle Ages. I had a sneaking suspicion that the hennin became popular so women could show off their very expensive gossamer veils, which could now be exponentially longer. It was a lot more decadent when they were mounted to these steeple like hats. But a medieval specialist I am not. So if some of our listeners out there have worked on this topic in further detail and or know of where any possibly extant versions of hennin are in museum collections, let us know. I. I did go hunting for you, Anna, but I came up empty handed in the limited time that I had to to do that dive.
Cassie Zachary
Yes please, if you know of any existing Hennons, I would love to see that. They're so fascinating. And speaking of archives, that brings us to our next listener mail, which came to us from former archivist Marva F. Some months ago she wrote to us to say hi, I'm not sure you know about this conference, Pop Con, Pop Music, Fashion and Style at the Edge starting today in la. And no, I had never heard of that. And she goes on to say I only heard about it a few days ago and will be attending today's roundtable on the nudie suit. I was a reference librarian at the Autry Museum of the American west when the Nudies Rodeo Taylor's archives was brought in. It includes customer files and order forms, some with fabric, sequin and or rhinestone samples attached. She goes on boot pattern designs, photographs and more representing the breadth of nudie's designs and business operations. And during my long career at the Autry, the Nudies Archives was one of the most consulted collections and became my favorite. I worked with two of the panelists on the project and looked forward to this discussion. There are other interesting sounding sessions that highlight fashion as a window into history, as a reflection of history and as an element of change in history. And you demonstrate this so well in your posts, podcast classes and tours. Best regards, Marva. Well, thank you so much Marva for reaching out and for telling us about this Nudie Archive, which I certainly had never heard of.
April Callahan
Yeah, and Dressless Nurse. If you haven't heard our past episode that's on Nudie Cohen, you might not be familiar with this term nudie suit. It is not. It is not when someone was walking around naked or unclothed, but rather it's a reference to the Russian born American based designer Nudie Cohn who is known for his very famous, very over the top motifs, studded and sequined suits which were adored by the likes of John Wayne, Elton John, Cher, and this one cracks me up, even John Lennon. Just if you really kind of want to get the essence of it, think of that very blinged out country look of the 1950s and the 1960s. Although it must be said that nudie's popularity lasted way longer than that. And even original nudie suits are highly sought after by vintage collectors today.
Cassie Zachary
And you know who did not wear a nudie suit, April?
April Callahan
I do. It's Dolly Parton.
Cassie Zachary
Dolly Parton. Very controversial association there that we will leave you to check out our past episode on Dolly Parton to figure out. And dress listeners. April did an entire episode back in 2022 about Nudi cone so you can tune back into that episode if you'd like to dip your steel toed boot into a little bit of country and rock and roll fashion history. And Marva, what a special delight it must have been to have worked with the Nudie Archive on a regular basis. Having worked in archives myself, it can often be feel like a treasure. You're opening a box of treasures every day. Every day. So thank you so much for sharing that experience and we wanted to pass this along to other fashion historians who might not have been aware of this very special archive of Nudi Cone's work.
April Callahan
Because we were not either. Dressed Listeners. Please keep sharing with us so we can pass along all of this information to you. Keep up the emails and the dms and also as Cass said, head over to our website atdressedhistory.com where you can now sign up for a monthly newsletter and to stay up to date on everything happening in our dress universe that does it for us today. Dressed listeners, may you consider what messages your clothing communicates? Next time you get dressed, please head over to DressedPodcast on Instagram or DressedPodcast without the underscore on Facebook to check out the visual content associated with each week's episodes.
Cassie Zachary
Remember, we love hearing from you dressed listeners, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do so at hellorushistory.com/trusthistory.com is also our website where you can sign up for our monthly newsletter, our in person tours and online fashion history courses. And there you can also check out whatever else we have up our finely tailored sleeves.
April Callahan
We get so many questions from you all about our recommendations for fashion history books, so if you're interested you can always find a link in our show notes to our bookshop.org bookshelf so that address is bookshop.org and there you will find over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles.
Cassie Zachary
Do you love Dressed but want to skip the ads? We are so excited to now be a part of the Airwave Network and their premium ad free history subscription Airwave History plus and this is available on Apple Podcasts and the subscription brings you our podcast as well as 27 other popular history podcasts casts ad free for 599 per month. More information is available at the link in our bio.
April Callahan
Thank you as always for tuning in and more Dressed coming your way soon. Dressed the History of Fashion is a production of dressed Media.
Fashion History Now #67: Listener Mail – Detailed Summary
Released on May 16, 2025, "Fashion History Now #67: Listener Mail" delves into insightful listener contributions, connecting historical fashion scandals with contemporary issues, exploring the glamorous world of Moulin Rouge, unraveling the intricacies of medieval millinery, and shedding light on the iconic Nudie suits. Hosts Cassie Zachary and April Callahan engage in vibrant discussions, enriched with notable quotes and historical perspectives.
[05:30 – 11:24]
The episode opens with a listener mail from Stephanie V., who draws a compelling comparison between the scandal surrounding John Singer Sargent's Madame X and Miley Cyrus's controversial Vanity Fair photo shoot.
Madame X Scandal: In 1884, Sargent's portrait of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, known as Madame X, stirred public outrage due to the provocative depiction of her dress strap slipping and her bold makeup. Initially praised by Gautreau and her mother, the painting later damaged her reputation as critics lambasted its sensuality.
Miley Cyrus Controversy: Stephanie highlights a similar backlash faced by Miley Cyrus in her 2008 Vanity Fair shoot, where a 15-year-old was photographed partially draped in a sheet, leading to accusations of sexualization. While Cyrus and her father initially supported the shoot, public opinion swiftly turned against them.
Notable Quotes:
The hosts explore how societal perceptions of women's fashion and portrayal have enduring implications, emphasizing the delicate balance young female public figures must navigate between self-expression and public scrutiny.
[08:59 – 14:01]
Cassie and April delve into the 1980 Calvin Klein jeans advertisement featuring 15-year-old Brooke Shields, drawing parallels to Cyrus's experience.
Brooke Shields Campaign: The infamous "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing at 15" campaign sparked controversy by implying Shields wasn't wearing underwear. Shields later clarified that the tagline referred to her bond with her puppy, showcasing her innocence.
Legacy and Collectibility: One pair of the original jeans from the shoot sold for over $68,000 at auction, underscoring the lasting cultural impact and collectible nature of such iconic fashion pieces.
Notable Quotes:
The discussion highlights how fashion advertisements can become pivotal cultural moments, reflecting and shaping societal attitudes towards youth and sexuality.
[13:07 – 14:41]
Listener Marissa B. shares her extensive experience as a lead showgirl at Paris's legendary Moulin Rouge.
Marissa's Tenure: Starting at 17 and performing until 33, Marissa holds the record for the longest-running performer in the cabaret's history. Her career offers a unique window into the intersection of fashion and performance art.
Cultural Impact: Marissa provided a photograph captured by Herb Ritz, showcasing her in a Josephine Baker costume alongside Naomi Campbell, exemplifying the fusion of historical and contemporary fashion influences.
Notable Quotes:
The hosts express enthusiasm about potentially featuring Marissa in future episodes to garner firsthand insights into the Moulin Rouge's storied fashion history.
[17:12 – 22:33]
Anna A.'s inquiry about medieval millinery introduces a deep dive into the hennin, a distinctive women's headdress from the late 15th century.
Design and Symbolism: The hennin, characterized by its cone shape and trailing veil, symbolized nobility and adherence to societal norms regarding modesty and appearance.
Cultural Significance: According to Hannah Hopwood Griffiths in A Cultural History of Hair in the Middle Ages, hennins represented the tension between displaying wealth and maintaining modesty. Noblewomen also plucked their hair to ensure a wide, plain forehead, further emphasizing the headdress's role in fashion and social signaling.
Notable Quotes:
The discussion underscores how fashion items like the hennin were not merely decorative but also conveyed complex social messages and adhered to the rigid norms of their time.
[22:33 – 25:43]
Marva F.'s contribution introduces the world of Nudie Cohn's flamboyant "nudie suits," celebrated at the Autry Museum's Nudie Rodeo Taylor archives.
Nudie Suits Explained: Designed by Russian-born American Nudie Cohn, these embellished, sequined, and studded suits became iconic in country and rock and roll culture, worn by stars like John Wayne, Elton John, Cher, and John Lennon.
Cultural Reverence: Original Nudie suits are highly prized by vintage collectors, with one pair fetching over $68,000 at auction, reflecting their enduring popularity and significance in fashion history.
Notable Quotes:
The hosts encourage listeners to explore the richness of the Nudie Archive, appreciating how such collections preserve the vibrant legacy of influential fashion designers.
[25:43 – 27:28]
Cassie and April wrap up the episode by thanking their listeners for their active participation and encouraging continued engagement through emails, direct messages, and their newly launched Patreon community. They highlight additional resources available on their website, including newsletters, fashion history books, and exclusive content for subscribers.
Notable Quotes:
The episode emphasizes the importance of listener contributions in enriching the discourse around fashion history, fostering a vibrant and informed community.
Overall, "Fashion History Now #67: Listener Mail" offers a captivating exploration of fashion's interplay with culture and society, enriched by personal narratives and historical analysis. The hosts' engaging dialogue, supported by listener insights, provides a comprehensive understanding of how fashion both influences and reflects the evolving dynamics of society.