Podcast Summary:

Dressed: The History of Fashion
Episode: "'Tis the Season II: Fashion History Gift Hits (and Misses) (Dressed Classic)"
Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary

Overview

This festive episode dives into an imaginative exchange of gifts drawn from the annals of fashion history. April and Cassidy, both fashion historians, celebrate their annual tradition of "hypothetical holiday gift-giving," where each gifts the other with rare, whimsical, and sometimes outrageous objects, garments, or beauty products from fashion’s past. As they “shop the archives,” they unearth fascinating historical tidbits, question gift practicality, and reflect on bygone customs—melding playfulness with a love for historical detail.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: The Holiday Gift Exchange Tradition

[01:58 – 02:52]

• April and Cassidy introduce their annual holiday tradition—a playful, hypothetical gift swap of historical fashion treasures.
• They clarify: “We do not obviously condone actually pulling things from museum archives and wearing them. Cough. Kim Kardashian, Kauf, Marilyn Monroe.” (Cassidy Zachary, 02:18)

2. Gift #1: Rimmel’s Costume Crackers (April to Cassidy)

[03:05 – 04:55]

• April gifts Cassidy 19th-century Parisian “costume crackers”—not edible, but exploding paper party favors with wearable caps and jackets, inspired by Harper’s Bazaar, December 1868.
• Cassidy reveals the tradition still lives on in her family’s Irish gatherings, with paper crowns and games—a link between past and present.

  "Actually, April, I do this every holiday season with my family. These still very much are a thing."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 04:23)

3. Gift #2: Marie Antoinette’s Diamond Bracelets (Cassidy to April)

[05:55 – 08:54]

• Cassidy gives April the lavish, three-strand diamond bracelets once belonging to Marie Antoinette, with a backstory involving their secret smuggling during the Queen’s imprisonment and their recent multi-million dollar sale at Christie’s.

  "This is a chic three strand bracelet pair of bracelets. They're set with 112 diamonds and valued between 2 million to $4 million."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 08:33)

4. Gift #3: Silver Lyre Chatelaine Pin Case (April to Cassidy)

[09:17 – 11:59]

• April’s next present is a figural silver lyre with detachable pins, made to hang from a chatelaine (women’s belt accessory of household tools), sourced from Harper’s Bazaar, Dec 1891.
• Discussion of the practicality, price comparison to Tiffany’s charms, and the charm and utility of chatelaines in history.

  "They could be decorative or utilitarian, but they're just one of those items from fashion history that went away that we want to see come back..."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 11:48)

5. Gift #4: Schiaparelli Newspaper Print Handbag (Cassidy to April)

[12:03 – 13:49]

• Cassidy searches archives and finds a rare 1930s Schiaparelli newspaper print handbag (not the dream scarf but still a marvel), as highlighted in WWD, Dec 4, 1936.

  "I have certainly never seen a purse version. So there you go."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 13:41)

6. Gift #5: Putnam Dry Cleaner—Vintage Laundry Solution (April to Cassidy)

[13:49 – 16:33]

• April gifts Cassidy a box of early 20th-century Putnam Dry Cleaner, promising miraculous results for delicate washing—if you’re fine soaking gloves in gasoline, as per Good Housekeeping, 1915.
• The hosts marvel at the product’s longtime advertising, dubious safety, and potential explosive hazards.

  "Your gloves might look like new, but I bet they smelled like Pew."
  (April Callahan, 15:01)

7. Gift #6: Gerda Wegener-Illustrated “Surtalon Rouge” (Cassidy to April)

[16:36 – 18:47]

• Cassidy finds a rare 1929 French erotica book, Surtalon Rouge, illustrated by famed Danish artist Gerda Wegener, a nod to April’s admiration for her work.

  "It's 12, not 9, illustrations... equal parts eroticism, sensuality, but also... her signature wit and playfulness."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 17:41)

8. Gift #7: Alice Brady & Lady Duff Gordon’s “Ideal Office Gown" Pattern (April to Cassidy)

[22:15 – 24:37]

• April gifts Cassidy a 1916 paper pattern for an “ideal office gown,” designed by Lady Duff Gordon for career women, distributed at a business show with help from Broadway star Alice Brady.

  "What stenographer had an extra 500 bucks to drop on a single outfit at that time?"
  (April Callahan, 24:15)

9. Gift #8: Three Detachable Bangs via Montgomery Ward (Cassidy to April)

[24:50 – 27:15]

• Cassidy’s whimsical trio of attachable 1890s “bangs” comes complete with descriptions and period prices, with wigs for men and dream options for the extravagant bewhiskered gentleman, too.

10. Gift #9: Eggnog Shampoo (April to Cassidy)

[27:44 – 29:01]

• April presents a delightfully 1940s touch: eggnog shampoo, in egg-shaped containers, accompanied by a chance for a hairstyle consultation with famed stylist Mr. Lewis after mailing in a photo and form.

  "Mr. Lewis will personally send you his own suggestion for the hairstyle best best suited for your personality..."
  (April Callahan, 28:43)

11. Gift #10: Lucien Lelong Golden Grotto Lipstick & Perfume (Cassidy to April)

[29:01 – 30:56]

• Cassidy offers a 1935–40 Lucien Lelong Parisian vanity presentation: a gilt case with perfumes and lipsticks, relating Lelong’s impact on preserving French couture during WWII and expanding into beauty.

12. Gift #11: “Pierce Your Own Ears at Home” Kit (April to Cassidy)

[30:57 – 32:32]

• A bizarre 1969 kit advertised to painlessly pierce your own ears with 14k gold rings that “slowly, gently... work their way through your earlobes.”

  "In a few days, your ears are completely pierced and you've never felt a thing."
  (April Callahan, 31:45)

• Cassidy wonders if listeners have tried this method and suggests ear-piercing history would be a worthy future episode.

13. Gift #12: Richard Hudnut Vanity Case (Cassidy to April)

[32:59 – 35:21]

• Cassidy tracks down a striking 1920s vanity case by cosmetic mogul Richard Hudnut, coming complete with shocking pink lining, gold compacts, nodding to his “first major American beauty fashion purveyor” status, and April’s past experiment with Hudnut’s “success course.”

14. Gift #13: Bridgerton-Inspired Jewelry (April to Cassidy)

[35:32 – 37:48]

• April gifts a modern, collaborative jewelry piece designed by Bridgerton costume designer Ellen Miragenik and jeweler Monica Rich Kosan. Selection includes posy rings, charms, and lockets with pronounced Regency flair—a nod to the continued cultural relevance of historical costuming via contemporary media.

  "The world is our oyster and so is history."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 37:58)

15. Gift #14: 1920s Galen Dog Coat for Clementine (Cassidy to April/Clementine)

[38:02 – 39:45]

• Cassidy’s last gift is truly adorable—a 1920s House of Galen silk-velvet dog coat discovered in the Met's collection, complete with an embroidered collar and leash, intended for April's own Frenchie, Clementine.

  “She is about to be fashionably decked out, y’all..."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 38:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On fashion archives as shopping grounds:
  “We dug into the archives, into, you know, Vogue magazines, et cetera, et cetera, into museum collections and gifted, quote, unquote, each other things from fashion history."
  (Cassidy Zachary, 02:14)

• On practical gift value:
  "Your gloves might look like new, but I bet they smelled like Pew... can you imagine going out in public wearing gloves that you just soaked and washed in gasoline?"
  (April Callahan, 15:01)

• On playful competitiveness:
  “Well, now, that makes my next gift to you, which is also jewelry or jewelry adjacent, seem a little shabby...”
  (April Callahan, 09:17)

• Contemporary connections:
  “It was really the Bridgerton connection... I mean the world is our oyster and so is history. Right.”
  (April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary, 37:54–38:01)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Holiday Gift Exchange Introduction: [01:58]
• Costume Crackers: [03:05]
• Marie Antoinette’s Bracelets: [05:55]
• Silver Lyre Chatelaine Pin Case: [09:17]
• Schiaparelli Handbag: [12:03]
• Putnam Dry Cleaner: [13:49]
• Gerda Wegener Book: [16:36]
• Ideal Office Gown Pattern: [22:15]
• Detachable Bangs: [24:50]
• Eggnog Shampoo: [27:44]
• Lucien Lelong Vanity Set: [29:01]
• Pierce-Your-Own-Ears Kit: [30:57]
• Richard Hudnut Vanity Case: [32:59]
• Bridgerton Jewelry: [35:32]
• Dog Coat for Clementine: [38:02]
• Season Wrap-Up & Listener Thanks: [40:07]

Closing Notes

• The hosts reflect on the fun and learning embedded in their research for “gifts” and in sharing these snippets with listeners.
• They announce the upcoming season hiatus and encourage listeners to re-explore the Dressed archive, engage via social media, and share their own fashion history curiosities.
• April signs off:

  “May you consider the gift of fashion in your closet next time you get dressed.” (April Callahan, 40:54)

Episode Tone & Style

The episode is lively, affectionate, and historically geeky, filled with camaraderie, gentle teasing, and delight in the oddities of fashion’s past. Both hosts weave scholarship with wit, making deep cuts of material history accessible and entertaining for all.

For More:

• Find visuals and bonus content on Instagram (@dressedpodcast) and Facebook (DressedPodcast).
• Browse their companion book list: bookshop.org/shop/dressed.
• For ad-free listening and extras, visit their website or Apple Podcasts (details in the outro).