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Dressed: The History of Fashion
'Tis the Season II: Fashion History Gift Hits (and Misses) (Dressed Classic)
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- [00:03]
Narrator
Kids, they grow up so fast. One day they're taking their first steps and the next they don't fit into the tiny sneakers they took them in. You blink your eyes and their princess dress is two sizes too small. And their dinosaur backpack isn't cool anymore. But don't cry because they're growing up. Smile because you can profit off of it. For real. There are a bunch of parents on depop looking for the stuff your kid just grew out of. Download depop to start selling.
- [00:33]
April Callahan
So good, so good, so good.
- [00:35]
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- [00:46]
April Callahan
How did I not know Rack has Adidas?
- [00:48]
Cassidy Zachary
There's always something new.
- [00:50]
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- [01:01]
Dressed Media Announcer
The History of Fashion is a production of dress media.
- [01:04]
Dressed Media Host
Please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from the Dressed archive of over 500 plus shows.
- [01:22]
April Callahan
Foreign. With over 7 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day, we all get dressed.
- [01:35]
Cassidy Zachary
Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast where we explore the who, what, when of why we wear. We are fashion historians and your hosts.
- [01:43]
April Callahan
Cassidy Zachary and April Callahan. Well dressed listeners, we would like to welcome you to the party today.
- [01:53]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes, w. Welcome to the party. The holiday party, of course. Tis the season.
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April Callahan
Yes, yes, yes. And Cass and I had so much fun last year doing our hypothetical gift exchange of gifts from history that, well, now we've decided to make it an annual tradition.
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Cassidy Zachary
Yeah, this was super, super fun last year. 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. And of course, I want to say, you know, we do not obviously condone actually pulling things from museum archives and wearing them. Cough. Kim Kardashian, Kauf, Marilyn Monroe. But, you know, this is just a really fun way for us to kind of get in the mood for the holidays right before we go on our annual hiatus and, you know, have fun guessing what we think the other person would like and then sharing with you a little bit of history along the way.
- [02:52]
Anne Boeckle
Yes.
- [02:53]
April Callahan
Well, I think that we should just get right to it because I can't wait to give you the gifts that I got for you, Cass, and I can't wait to see what you have in store for me.
- [03:02]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes, super excited. April, would you like to go first?
- [03:06]
April Callahan
Sure. Well, I had to order your first gift way in advance because it had to be shipped from France, where apparently serving these crackers is all the rage at dinner parties. My first gift to you are some Rimmel's costume crackers. How do those sound?
- [03:24]
Cassidy Zachary
Those sound amazing. And also I'm thinking of costume jewelry. So I'm very curious what these costume crackers are.
- [03:33]
April Callahan
Well, you are, like, headed in the right direction. So before you whip up an appetite, there is one thing that I should probably tell you about these crackers. They are not edible. They're delicious. And they're sweet, perhaps, but not for eating as described in the December 1868 issue of Harper's Bazaar. Quote, rimmel's costume crackers are very amusing and in Paris are brought on with dessert at fashionable dinner parties. They are huge mottos which, when pulled, explode with a loud report and disclose grotesque paper caps, jackets, et cetera.
- [04:11]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, yes.
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April Callahan
The guests put on the articles which fall to their share amidst shouts of laughter. And I think this is so charming. And I think that we should bring this back.
- [04:23]
Cassidy Zachary
Actually, April, I do this every holiday season with my family. These still very much are a thing.
- [04:29]
April Callahan
I did not know that.
- [04:31]
Cassidy Zachary
Yeah, I would say more a European tradition than American. And I think we started doing them because Sean's sister lives in Ireland with her husband Sam and Sarah. And. Yeah, you, like, pop these open. I'm gonna send you some now. You pop them open and they have, like, little paper crowns in them. And then there's like, little games and kind of a whistle that everyone plays to create a song. So it's super, super fun. I had no idea the tradition extended back so far, though.
- [04:56]
April Callahan
And specifically, you could get ones that were specifically that had little paper garments in them, which is really sweet. And then they also talked. This one particular article also talked a little bit about other crackers, which also seemed very fun, that they were rose water or violet crackers and they contained, quote, fountains of these perfumes. So we want to send some of those along, too. I wouldn't be mad.
- [05:20]
Cassidy Zachary
Let me head back in the fashion history time machine. It was so funny when I was thinking about this episode. I don't know if you're a Bill and Ted's excellent adventure fan.
- [05:29]
April Callahan
I've seen it would I say was a fan. Not so much.
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Cassidy Zachary
For those who don't know, they had Bill and Ted head back in like a phone booth time machine to history and collect all of these historic figures like Socrates and Napoleon. And they put them in their time machine and bring them back into the present. So we can hop maybe in our 18th century carriage and head back in time to get these gifts for each other.
- [05:54]
April Callahan
That sounds good.
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Cassidy Zachary
Which I actually did not have to head back in time. I just headed over to Christie's magnificent jewel cell auction last year in Geneva for your first gift. So, April, I happen to know that you are going to be partying like it's 1788 at Versailles next summer.
- [06:15]
April Callahan
Yes, that is. That is true. And so will you.
- [06:19]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes, yes, yes, yes. I don't know if you want to tell dress listeners a little bit about it. We are, of course, going to be there next summer for a couple weeks. And you have this on your agenda. Do you want to tell people about this Versailles ball? Yes.
- [06:33]
April Callahan
So we have talked about Fete Galant on the show before. Fete Galant is one night of the year that you're allowed to be at Versailles in costume. And it's a very fancy event. All the historic costuming community comes out. I mean, they bring their A game.
- [06:49]
Cassidy Zachary
This is in historic 18th century dress. Like. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
- [06:53]
April Callahan
So what we're talking about is actually not Fete Galant, it is this other party that I discovered that they do at Versailles in June, and it is the Grand Masked Ball Ball. So it is a mask ball that is held in the gardens at Versailles mid June. And it's separate from fat Galant in that it's more of like a dance party, like a rave. And I think they're kind of like conceptualizing it as if you were at a party that was thrown similarly feeling in the 18th century. But bring it forward until today. So costumes are required, as is wearing a mask the entire party. And you better bet my butt is going to be dancing in The Orangery Aversai June 2023.
- [07:43]
Cassidy Zachary
And hopefully you'll be wearing this gift that I bought you because I just spent a little bit of money and bought you some of Marie Antoinette's diamond bracelets. So I hope you don't find this tale too morbid, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you. And I read this Town and Country article about the history of these bracelets. So they said, during Queen Mar Antoinette's final years, when she was locked away in the Tuileries palace in Paris, she secretly packed her jewels in a wooden crate and sent them to Austrian Ambassador Count Merci Argenteau for safekeeping. Feeling so confident that she would soon be exonerated and be free to retrieve her jewelry, the doomed monarch even ordered a Bergiou watch while awaiting trial. Obviously, she would never get the chance to claim neither watch nor box of jewels because Marie Antoinette was sent to the guillotine in 1793. So more than two centuries later, a pair of diamond bracelets that have been packed away in said wooden crates have resurfaced, and they were sold at Christie's Magnificent Jewel sales in Geneva on November 9th of last year. This is a chic three strand bracelet pair of bracelets. They're set with 112 diamonds and valued between 2 million to $4 million.
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April Callahan
Well, this is certainly the gift of a lifetime, I have to say. Thank you very much.
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Cassidy Zachary
You're absolutely welcome. Enjoy.
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April Callahan
I will be more than happy to repatriate the. The bracelets back to her side.
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Cassidy Zachary
Yeah, I mean, they only put me out $8.2 million, but go ahead and gift them, regift them, no problem.
- [09:17]
April Callahan
Well, now, that makes my next gift to you, which is also jewelry or jewelry adjacent, seem a little shabby. But it is jewelry. It's actually an add on for something that I gifted you in our previous gift episode last year. Would you care to venture a guess what that might be, given that you have the hint that it's jewelry adjacent?
- [09:42]
Cassidy Zachary
I mean, I love a good chatelaine always, as we know. So that would be. That would be my guess. Yes, that would be my guess.
- [09:50]
April Callahan
It's for your chatelaine, which I gifted you last year. It's an add on.
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Cassidy Zachary
Ooh.
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April Callahan
It is a silver lyre, which is, of course, an ancient stringed instrument, and it has detachable pins as the strings, and it's meant to attach to your chatelaine. And so pin cases were super popular for chatelaines, Little stick pins that they carried around in, like, a little box. But in this case, this is more of a figural piece in the shape of a musical instrument. So whenever you need a stick pin, all you have to do is pop out one of the quote unquote strings of the liar, and voila, there you have it.
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Cassidy Zachary
Oh, amazing.
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April Callahan
Yeah. So this is sourced from Harper's Bazaar 1891, the December issue. Its retail price at the time was $9 and 50 cents, which would be about $300 today, which is a far cry from the $8 million that you spent on my gift.
- [10:50]
Cassidy Zachary
Hey, you know, I don't have expensive taste, so I appreciate this. Absolutely. And you know, I love a good chatelaine.
- [10:58]
April Callahan
So I was like, I was curious, actually, because it's kind of like a. Like an oversized charm of sorts.
- [11:03]
Cassidy Zachary
Right.
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April Callahan
So I was like, I wonder how much charms are going for today. So I popped over to on the Tiffany's website to see how much their charms are for their charm bracelets. And. And this would have been about the same price as a kind of more on the simple end of a silver Tiffany's charm today to add to your bracelet. So decidedly more useful, though, with the stick pins.
- [11:26]
Cassidy Zachary
Yeah, absolutely. And for our listeners who might not remember what a chatelaine is, we've talked about them a lot because they're fascinating, but it's basically women would wear their purses on their hips, basically. It's like a belt that had everything you could possibly need at your fingertips. Scissors, keys. Yeah, it was kind of like a charm bracelet with the idea that it was connected.
- [11:46]
April Callahan
Mm. It's like a charm belt almost.
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Cassidy Zachary
And 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 because they're so beautiful and so cool.
- [11:59]
April Callahan
Yes. Well, now you have an extra accoutrement for your chatelaine.
- [12:03]
Cassidy Zachary
Merci beaucoup. So I am heading Back to the 30s for your next gift, April. And let me just tell you, you recently mentioned on our Schiaparelli episode that we revamped and re aired earlier this season that you were dying to get your hands on a piece of newspaper print Schiaparelli, which. And you said it's incredibly rare. So if anyone has it to, you know, reach out to you and you are not lying, like, you cannot find it anywhere. I looked really, really hard throughout fashion history. I took our little carriage. I went all the way back to the 30s. So the Philadelphia Museum of Art has a scar scarf. The Fidim Museum Fashion Institute of Design merchandising in LA has a swatch. And I think maybe the Musee des Arcs Decoratif has like a blouse or a scarf, but it's super rare. However, I actually was able to find you a handbag.
- [13:06]
April Callahan
What?
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Cassidy Zachary
Yes. That I read about in Women's Wear Daily, December 4, 1936. And they write about how she has these novel resort bags at Dunhills. One of the most interesting novelties of the season was advertised recently by Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. A series of handbags created for resort wear. These are fashion of a Schiaparelli newspaper print imported by them, a white crepe with black design, which is a faithful facsimile of current papers. There are two bag types, a cigarette holder and case and tobacco pouch. And anyways, isn't that fabulous? I have Certainly never seen a purse version. So there you go.
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Anne Boeckle
Happy.
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April Callahan
Thank you. But for real, if anybody actually does have Schiaparelli newsprint stuff, I'm going to say it again for like the fourth time on the show. Hit me up. Okay, so cats are regular listeners probably know by now that you had a baby this year. And of course, new moms are always looking for ways to simplify by their lives. And I have got your back because my next gift to you is to help with laundry.
- [14:21]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, thank you. I do a load every day. Yes, yes, yes.
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April Callahan
I'm going to gift you some Putnam Dry Cleaner. It is supposed to cost 1 8, the cost of professional dry cleaning and works wonders on, quote, laces, fine waste silks, embroidery, furs, suits, skirts, curtains, etc. And apparently it works especially well for white gloves. You can get your soiled gloves as good as new by, quote, washing them in a mixture of Putnam Dry Cleaner and gasoline using a stiff brush.
- [14:58]
Cassidy Zachary
You're so kind.
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April Callahan
Be sure that you rinse them also in clear gasoline. This quick and easy and inexpensive method makes gloves look like new. Wow. So your gloves might look like new, but I bet they smelled like Pew. I mean, can you imagine going out in public wearing gloves that you just soaked and washed in gasoline?
- [15:24]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, my goodness, no, I cannot. And you also have to wonder. I mean, it's one thing to advertise something to write, and it's another to know if someone actually used it or how many people actually used it. So there's a question for you.
- [15:37]
April Callahan
Well, well, a couple of different questions and had that exact same question. And I was like, okay. So I found one instance of this. I found instances of these ads for, like, the next seven years.
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Cassidy Zachary
Oh, no.
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April Callahan
Yeah, so they. This was. This was a thing. It was like into the 19, early 1920s, these ads were still running. And this particular one I found in 1915 in Good Housekeeping magazine. But it also, like, begs the question, what would happen if you were wearing these gloves that were. Had been soaked in gasoline and then you lit a cigarette?
- [16:09]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, my goodness.
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April Callahan
When I was looking for the other articles and found all the additional advertisements, I was more looking for, like, an.
- [16:17]
Cassidy Zachary
Article of, like, somebody went up in flames.
- [16:20]
April Callahan
Yeah, exactly. I don't know. So I guess you are going to have to test it out.
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Cassidy Zachary
I'm going to have to test it. I'll let you know. Well, thank you, April. Thank you very much.
- [16:33]
April Callahan
I don't know if you should thank me for that one.
- [16:37]
Cassidy Zachary
Again, dress listeners, this is just a fun opportunity for us to Also air out some interesting research tidbits we've come across on this season. So, April, I happen to know that you are a huge fan of one Gerda Wegener. You've of course done an entire episode about her in our very first season. She was really a prolific artist and illustrator of fashion plates, erotica. And so I actually tracked down a book entitled Surtalon Rouge, illustrated by Gerda Wegener in 1929. It's the second of Eric Olatini's books to be illustrated by Gerda. It was published by Georges Bruffaut in 1929. And so it's a romantic novel set in 18th century France in which everything is undone, from language to high fashion. And it is in many ways a clever play on the French penchant for the gallant, which we talked about earlier. And Gerda Wegener is actually it's 12, not 9. Illustrations are a highly skilled pastiche of engravings from France's romantic past. And I'm reading from honesterotica.com that did a little bit of a review for us. It has pictures of these incredible, I mean, illustrations. They're so Gerda like that, equal parts like eroticism, sensuality, but also that characteristic, her signature wit and playfulness. And so such a beautiful book. There was only 449 copies and I got you one. So happy holidays.
- [18:12]
April Callahan
Thank you. And actually, you know what that does is it rounds out my collection of pieces from Sir Talon Rouge because I actually already own one of the plates.
- [18:22]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, fabulous. Yes. Now you own an entire book.
- [18:26]
April Callahan
Yeah, you mentioned that. It's erotica. And I'm not going to tell you what is happening in the plate because it's not safe for work.
- [18:36]
Cassidy Zachary
As many of her, as many of her pieces are not, I guess something we can expressly describe to you on here, but you'll just have to go check it out for yourself. Dress listeners.
- [18:47]
April Callahan
Yeah, you can google it on the Internet and it'll that they will pop up.
- [18:54]
Dressed Media Announcer
Dress listeners stumped for a gift idea for a certain loved one. Because you feel like you've exhausted your typical gift list.
- [19:01]
April Callahan
How about this year you give them.
- [19:03]
Dressed Media Announcer
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- [19:08]
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- [19:24]
Cassidy Zachary
We watch it every day like TV.
- [19:27]
Dressed Media Host
Because it's so fun to revisit these precious memories together. And the Skylight Frame is personal, it's meaningful, and it's so easy to use that even the least tech savvy person in your family will love it.
- [19:37]
Dressed Media Announcer
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- [19:54]
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- [20:13]
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- [21:12]
Anne Boeckle
Hello listeners. This is Anne Boeckle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I tag all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately. And I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading. Next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years, and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change, or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything, you'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what should I read next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and Visit our website whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com to find out more.
- [22:15]
April Callahan
Okay, Cass, so to make up for what could be a potentially disastrous gift that I gifted you last, this is a nice one. And it's a really good thing that I happen to live in New York City, because I had to. And there doesn't seem to be any other way that I could have gotten you this gift if I didn't live in New York. I had to show up in person for this one to the business show that was being held at the 25th Street Armory on October 21, 1916. There I had to make my way to the booth of the Oliver Typewriting Company, who invited all business girls of New York to meet Alice Brady. And apparently Alice Brady was a very fashionable star of the Broadway stage at the time. And also she was like an early silent screen actress as well. During the 1910s and the 1920s, her wardrobe was also regularly discussed in fashion magazines, in Women's Wear Daily, and also in the New York Times. So she was a very fashionable it girl of the moment. So upon arriving and meeting Alice in person, who was at the Oliver typewriting booth, she took down my name and my address and promised to send me what I am gifting to you, which are dun dun dun paper patterns for, quote, the ideal office gown.
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Cassidy Zachary
Oh, interesting.
- [23:41]
April Callahan
This ideal office gown was designed by none other than Lady Duff Gordon.
- [23:46]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, well, thank you. I'll take it.
- [23:50]
April Callahan
So these paper patterns were intended for, quote, business women and stenographers with full directions showing you how to make this model at a cost of only $18 for materials and findings. And what I think is really fascinating about this is $18 at that time might seem like a bargain today, but in 1916, that was somewhere around the equivalent of $500.
- [24:13]
Cassidy Zachary
Holy moly.
- [24:15]
April Callahan
For a DIY dress. And it kind of seems a little bit outrageous to me for day wear for a sewn at home office look, that you would be spending that much money on the materials. Like what stenographer had an extra 500 bucks to drop on a single outfit at that time? You know, I'm guessing that she probably wouldn't be a stenographer if she did.
- [24:37]
Cassidy Zachary
I mean, maybe the idea was because it was a pattern, you could make that dress in like 10 different incarnations, right? You can make it in a bunch of different fabrics and then you got maybe five dresses for 500 instead of just the one. Yeah, so.
- [24:50]
April Callahan
So I don't know. But this is also the exact same year that Lucille launched a mail order collaboration with Sears and Roe Book. Those dresses, which were made to measure. You would send in your measurements to Sears and Roebuck and then they would make it custom for you and then send it back. They were also quite expensive, about 500 to $900 in today's money. But those were made for you versus these that are the paper patterns. And then you have to go out and spend $500 on materials. I don't know. But let me know when you get your dress whipped up. We'd love to see photos.
- [25:23]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, yes, absolutely. Well, I'm so glad that you mentioned mail order catalogs because my next gift for you comes from a mail order catalog, but not from Sears. It comes from Montgomery Ward, which like Sears has been around. I don't know exactly when the mail order business started, but at least in the 19th century, this specific guest from comes from the 1890s. And April, I am gifting you not one, not two, but three different attachable bangs.
- [25:53]
April Callahan
Oh yes. I think this might be payback from last year. If I'm not wrong. I think gifted you some detachable bangs last year.
- [26:05]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, that's funny if you did, because these are new. I'm not re gifting them back to you by any means. But the first is the lat.
- [26:12]
April Callahan
It would be very appropriate if you did.
- [26:13]
Cassidy Zachary
The first is the latosa bang quote. Ladies who do not require large heavy front, which is another word for bangs, will find this a little gym light and fluffy, ventilated. And it has a ventilated foundation. And that was a dollar 25 in 1897. Then we have the feather bang, which is a new fluffy bang, fine natural curly hair for 250. And then we have the princess Bang made of natural curly hair on the weft, which is a popular bang being light and easy and it's the least expensive at 50 cents. And then, you know, I actually sent them a sample of your hair that I discreetly took off your pillow when you visited me in August. And so you, you know, the hair color should match and I hope you enjoy. And what's really fascinating and interesting is they also had, you know, this is human hair. They also have men and women's human hair wigs and that included full beards, so mustaches on wire goatees and even whiskers for any gentleman friends.
- [27:15]
April Callahan
Yes, yes, yes, yes. This is amazing. Um, I just want to say, dress listeners, Cass and I did not tell each other or discuss what we were gifting each other at all before doing this episode. So it just happens to be that my next gift for you also happens to be hair related, Cass. And anyone who knows you in person knows that you have incredibly thick hair. I'm always so jealous of it. If I had that much hair, I. It would always end up in knots because mine's a little bit wavy.
- [27:44]
Cassidy Zachary
But you would never know because it's always in a top knot, as you know.
- [27:50]
April Callahan
Well, I think we could both probably benefit from your next next gift, which is also holiday appropriate because it is eggnog shampoo.
- [28:00]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, thank you. I love a little eggnog.
- [28:04]
April Callahan
That's right, friends. Quote, the private shampoos of America's foremost hair stylist now can be yours if you accept this thrilling offer from Mr. Lewis for his shampoos containing real egg. Apparently, these were sold in distinctive egg shaped containers that held enough concentrated liquid for five or more shampoos at home. And that's not all, Cass. If you happen to save the box top from your eggnog shampoo package and you fill out the blank form inside the box, you can send along a snapshot of yourself along with a $50 in today's money. And Mr. Lewis will personally send you his own suggestion for the hairstyle best best suited for your personality to make you look your loveliest.
- [28:52]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh, wow. Thank you. Yes.
- [28:56]
April Callahan
Well, thank you, Mr. Lewis. And also thank you, Char magazine of December 1944.
- [29:02]
Cassidy Zachary
Well, I'm heading back, I guess, to the early 40s for your next gift. Actually, that's not true. It's 1935 to 1940. I am gifting you a Golden Grotto lipstick and perfume presentation kit by Lucien Lalong.
- [29:18]
April Callahan
Oh, yeah, I love lipstick.
- [29:21]
Cassidy Zachary
Au Couturier Extraordinaire, 1935-1940. Of course, we know that Lucien Lalong is largely responsible for keeping the French haute couture alive and in France during World War II. So not shortly after, but I guess he actually had been creating perfumes under the name Parfum lucien Lalong in 1926. So this particular set that I'm talking about is in the collection of FIDM in la and they have this wonderful blog where they constantly are highlighting objects in their collections. And this is one of them. It's this beautiful gold. You'll love it. Gold and silver glittered container. And then it has two lipsticks and two perfumes. And so that blog tells us that he introduced perfume in 1926 and that he, you know, shortly after established a Chicago branch of his perfume company. And the company produced Lolong's perfumes for the North American market along with other Lalong branded cosmetics. And the couturier took a very personal interest in the appearance of his perfume and cosmetics, often designing the packaging himself. And I guess actually the museum got a huge donation from someone who worked in the company in America. So they have a huge collection of this, like, of these beautiful Lalan cosmetics in their collection. And I am gifting one to you.
- [30:44]
April Callahan
Well, thank you. Maybe next time we go visit Kevin, Christina and Lee, they will let us look at them in person. Yes, that would be amazing. Okay, Are you ready for your next one?
- [30:56]
Cassidy Zachary
I am.
- [30:57]
April Callahan
Okay. Well, I'm actually not sure if you are. So here we go. If Mr. Lewis, you know the hairstylist, because you're going to send in your photo and get your hair recommendation, if he recommends an updo for you, your next gift will probably come in handy because you're going to want to show off your dainty earlobes to their best advantage by adorning them thanks to your pierce your own ears at home kit.
- [31:23]
Dressed Media Host
Oh.
- [31:24]
April Callahan
Offered in Women's Wear Daily in November of 1969. Your kit contains quote, 14 karat gold Pierce rings. To do the job automatically, painlessly, while you work, sleep, and serve as your very first pair, wear them 24 hours a day. Slowly, gently, they work their way through your earlobes. In a few days, your ears are completely pierced and you've never felt a thing.
- [31:47]
Anne Boeckle
Wow.
- [31:49]
April Callahan
Half inch in diameter. $98. That would be $15.
- [31:53]
Cassidy Zachary
How did you find that? Those are one. I looked for, like, really obscure gifts for you, and I had a really hard time finding that.
- [32:01]
April Callahan
I mean, I have never heard of such a thing as things that are supposed to pierce all on their own. I'm curious if any of our listeners have ever tried this or ever even heard of it. Because if it works, it seems like, why haven't we all been doing it this way versus the other way?
- [32:17]
Cassidy Zachary
Well, because the other way is one and done one second and it's like ouch and over. But yeah, yeah. That immediately reminded me of that scene in Greece where they pierce Sandra T's ears, but they do it with a hot needle and not something that is supposedly painless. So.
- [32:33]
April Callahan
Right, right. So if any of you have tried these back in the day, give us a shout out. We'd love to hear how it went.
- [32:38]
Cassidy Zachary
And something that. That brings up in my head, April, just maybe a future fashion history mystery is I wonder when women started wearing, like, multiple studs in their ears and when that trend for, like, piercing them all the way up. I'm sure, you know, obviously it exists in different cultures around the world. Ear piercing. But that might be a really fascinating episode for the future. Just saying.
- [32:58]
April Callahan
Yeah, we can totally do that.
- [32:59]
Cassidy Zachary
Absolutely. So while we're on the subject of beauty, April, I cannot tell you how far and wide I searched for the perfect vanity case for you to take to accompany you to Versailles next summer. Let's just say I did not find it. But I was introduced to, you know, kind of this idea of traveling boxes, which come in all different shapes and sizes. They go back as far as, like, the 14, when people packed everything but the kitchen sink to travel abroad. And, you know, I was obviously looking for something that was a little bit more beauty related. And I found it in this exquisite. It's in the collection of the metropolitan museum. This 1920s vanity case by the designer Richard Hudnut. Does that name ring a bell?
- [33:48]
April Callahan
It sure does. He owned the company Duberry, which is cosmetics company. And we have actually done an episode on their own, quote, unquote, success course.
- [33:59]
Cassidy Zachary
Yeah, well, we haven't just done it. You actually did the course. Much to the, like, our listeners were not happy about that. That was pretty interesting. What do you want to call it? Like, a case study and us, like, doing something while you did it. I didn't going back in history and, like, following one of these regimens, it.
- [34:16]
April Callahan
Was the diet that people really had issue with because it was extreme. And there was like, 16 oranges a day, and it was like tomato broth with, like, cabbage in it. Yeah, it was a diet that was. That people really took issue with, but it was an experiment and, you know, something that was extremely popular at the time.
- [34:34]
Cassidy Zachary
Yeah. And you only did it for a few days. Well, this is a beauty set. It comes complete with anything you could possibly need to get prepped and pretty in the 1920s. And Richard Hudnut is just super fascinating because he's actually considered to be, like, maybe the first major American beauty fashion purveyor, which is just really interesting. He really created an cosmetic empire beginning in the 19th century. He retired by 1916, but sold many of his businesses, which included Deberry cosmetics. So I'm gifting you this beautiful. It's kind of like a shocking pink case interior, gold compacts, and everything you would need to get ready in the 1920s, so.
- [35:19]
April Callahan
Oh, well, thank you.
- [35:21]
Cassidy Zachary
I still think you could take it with you too because Du Barry, obviously Madame du Barry was Louis XV mistress. So I think it's quite fitting. Great.
- [35:30]
April Callahan
We seem to be on a Versailles theme today.
- [35:33]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes.
- [35:35]
April Callahan
And, and a jewelry theme because my next gift to you is also jewelry related and actually co designed by none other than a past dressed guest. Do you want to guess which guest that might be because you interviewed this individual.
- [35:52]
Cassidy Zachary
Well, I was going to guess your good friend Bliss Lau who of course was on the show and is a jewelry designer, but I did not actually interview her, so I'm not entirely sure.
- [36:02]
April Callahan
Ah, well, it would be Ellen Miragenik. Oh, from Shondaland, the geniuses behind Bridgerton comes the Seat at the Table initiative which partners quote the talented artists behind their various productions to create products that are both representative of the creator's work on their respective shows as well as the creators themselves. And you guessed it, your next gift was co designed by Bridgerton costume designer and past dressed guest Ellen Wirojnick and also fine jeweler Monica Rich Kosan who have partnered together on a line of jewelry and stuff inspired by Bridgerton, which.
- [36:39]
Cassidy Zachary
Is of course one of our favorite favorite shows. I'm like obsessed with season two.
- [36:42]
April Callahan
I can't wait for season two.
- [36:46]
Cassidy Zachary
Cotton candy is all I could say.
- [36:48]
April Callahan
Well, just listers if you too are also Bridgerton fans. Monica and Ellen have designed quote three core styles for the collection. A posy ring, a charm and a locket. Posy rings date back as early as the 15th century and bore poetic inscriptions that were exchanged as a expressions of friendship, inspiration and love. And just a little bit about the collection. The pieces are offered in sterling and also in 18 karat gold. Some have diamonds and sapphires. Price ranges for pieces in the collection range anywhere from 160 to. The most expensive piece, which is of course has a ton of diamonds it is $3200. So if anyone out there would like to check out the Bridgerton inspired jewelry collection which is entitled Bridgerton Times the Monica Rich Cozon Fine Jewelry, you can head over to Monica richkosan and that's K-O-S-A-N-N.com to check it out. If you actually happen to be in New York City, Monica has a store in Columbus Circle and in Hudson Yards and pieces are also available there.
- [37:49]
Cassidy Zachary
Oh lovely. I didn't even think to shop contemporary gifts for you.
- [37:54]
April Callahan
Well, it was really the Bridgerton connection.
- [37:58]
Cassidy Zachary
I mean the world is our oyster and so is history. Right.
- [38:02]
April Callahan
True that.
- [38:03]
Cassidy Zachary
So, okay, I have your last gift, and it's actually not for you, but for the adorable little Frenchie that I often see behind you in all of our recording sessions. Clementine.
- [38:16]
April Callahan
The one where we just had to stop the recording because she was chewing on the couch pillow.
- [38:21]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes. Yes. Well, she is about to be fashionably decked out, y', all, because I went into the Met Museum collection and found this 1920s coat by the design house of Galen. It's got a fabulous floral embroidered collar. It's silk velvet. It's kind of like in a grayish purple color. And of course, it's a harness coat so that she will be fash, as fashionable as her mother this winter. And just a little blurb from the Met. They say that today, as in the 1920s, dogs are sometimes seen as fashion accessories, with different breeds rising and falling in popularity according to prevailing tastes. I would say Frenchies are definitely in fashion. They've been in fashion for quite a while. Small dogs known as the quote unquote toy breeds often appear in ads the 1920s. Fulfilling the dual role of companion and status symbol for stylish women, this couture ensemble clearly was meant for just such a pampered pet. It includes this coat as well as a matching collar and leash and features refined details such as gold tone metal studs, fine silk threads, and a tag engraved with the name of the dog, who apparently was a Pomeranian named Fifi. Obviously, we're changing that to Clem. So decked out in this set, Fifi would have been an accessory as alluring as a fetching hat or elegant parasol. So.
- [39:45]
April Callahan
Oh, well, Clemmy says thank you. She will love to wear that on the streets of New York City. Won't you, Clem? Well, Clementine sends you tons of big slobbery kisses and says thank you very much. Thank you. Also, a big thank you to all of our listeners because this is the last episode of season five.
- [40:08]
Cassidy Zachary
Yes, it is. And with that, we're concluding our holiday gift exchange. April. That was so fun. And we are just gonna take a little bit of a hiatus, but we're gonna be back in a month on January 17 with season six. But do not fret, dressed listeners. We are actually going to be highlighting eight of the episodes we discussed in our Dressed guide to Dressed over the next four weeks. So hopefully that will keep you busy with some of our favorite episodes.
- [40:35]
April Callahan
Yeah, so we won't be airing new episodes while we're on hiatus for a month. Take a little time off over the holidays. But we will still we'll be re airing some of our favorite episodes from the past. I think that does it for us today. Dressed listeners, may you consider the gift of fashion in your closet.
- [40:54]
Dressed Media Announcer
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.
- [41:08]
Dressed Media Host
Remember, we love hearing from you dressed listeners, so if you'd like to write to us, you can do so at hello@dream dresshistory.com DressHistory.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.
- [41:26]
Dressed Media Announcer
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 actually address is bookshop.org shop dressed and there you will find over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles.
- [41:47]
Dressed Media Host
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 history popular history podcasts ad free for 599 per month. More information is available at the link in our bio.
- [42:12]
Dressed Media Announcer
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.