Episodes
Why would God care what we wear? A tour through Islam, Mormonism, and Judaism, and all of their varying and overlapping commands. For more images and information, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 04/24/24
Published 04/24/24
Sometimes it’s liberating to be naked. Sometimes it’s really really not. Notes, links, and images at articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 03/20/24
Color. Why we need it. Why we fear it. And where its future might lie. Images and links at articlesofinterest.substack.com Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Articles of Interest. Thank you! https://on.prx.org/3sbvvOR
Published 11/08/23
On stage in Toronto, with the help of shoe designer Aurora James and shoe historian Elizabeth Semmelhack, we go over a few shoes- and what they say about ourselves and the world. Images of all the shoes discussed are at articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 10/25/23
You and I both know this. The supply chain is super messed up. The way humans make clothing is deeply messed up. So should we just make garments made of human hair? A very real question, with very real answers. For links, images and more information, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 10/11/23
This is a special re visit of one of my favorite stories: Pockets. Followed up by a special live interview with Hannah Carlson, author of the book Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close, to see what’s changed since the original episode came out. To see images of all kinds of pockets and to stay in the loop on articles of interest, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 09/27/23
Plus-sized fashion seems to live in a separate trend cycle. There are different patterns, different cuts. And most notably, women’s shirts often have holes in their shoulders. And this separate plus-sized fashion universe reveals a lot about the way clothes are made and measured… and the way clothes dictate who is allowed to participate in public life. This episode was made in collaboration with the show Weight For It. Links, images, and more at articlesof interest.substack.com
Published 09/13/23
A secret society. A secret tradition. And a cloth that somehow lends itself to ritual. articlesofinterest.substack.com (I can’t believe that, fatefully, this is the 11th episode of the year.)
Published 08/30/23
Himanshu kept seeing paisley everywhere: from his home temple to his couch cushions to his mom’s pants. Some of these products were Indian but a lot weren’t. How did this pattern get embraced by the world? See articlesofinterest.substack.com for images, links and more.
Published 08/16/23
This is about two examples of cloth-alternatives. One that went extinct. And one that’s very much alive. This story deals with sex and sexuality. But in a fun way! Images, links, and more details at articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 08/02/23
In the 1980s, Budapest was not quite socialist and not quite capitalist, and there was one fashion designer who thrived in this moment. This is the story of Tamás Király, an unusual artist from an unusual period of Hungarian history, both of which were unusually short-lived. Because Király was murdered in 2013. Photos of Király and his designs are at https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/
Published 07/05/23
The tricky thing about fashion is that, in order to preserve its history, you need to preserve physical garments. And, alas, closet space is finite, cloth gets sun-bleached and eaten by moths, and Americans notoriously do not care about their fashion heritage. So this is why one woman decided to put a call out across the country and make a scrappy archive all by herself. This story was reported by Enya Hennings. Pictures, details and more at articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 06/21/23
Prison uniforms are not, in fact, uniform. There are so many types of clothes that are worn across different facilities… including … some prisons that don’t have uniforms at all. This episode is a special collaboration between Articles Of Interest and Ear Hustle, dropping on both of our feeds. For images of the Broad Arrow, and to see a prison without uniforms, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 06/07/23
Think of this mini episode as a tiny makeover in your ears. Amy Smilovic, the founder of Tibi, has some of the best advice when it comes to gathering a wardrobe and putting outfits together. These are some of my favorite tips from Amy’s book, The Creative Pragmatist. For links, transcript, and more, go to Articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 05/24/23
Behind the scenes at the Costume Institute, we see how long it really takes to dress a mannequin. And learn about a few famous mannequins from the past. For images, links, and more, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com
Published 05/10/23
On the ten year anniversary of a horrible manufacturing disaster- a look at what has changed, what hasn’t, and the massive secret industry behind it all. If you’d like to sign the petition from Clean Clothes Campaign, click here or head to articlesofinterest.substack.com for more links and resources on the audit industry and audit deception.
Published 04/26/23
The pointe shoe is a design that balances at the very tip of both tradition and innovation. What can make it change?
Published 04/12/23
Ever since 1995, a generation has been dreaming of Cher’s digital closet from the movie Clueless. So why don’t we have it yet? It’s not the technology. It’s a psychological problem with the way fashion works.
Published 03/29/23
I have a confession to make. To see images, notes and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn Barnes Theme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae Royal Proud member of Radiotopia!
Published 12/07/22
As the 80s turns into the 90s, preppy is everywhere. All over the planet. In the United States AND Japan. And sure, preppy sort of morphs into business casual. But it also turns into something else. Something way more fashionable. To see images, notes and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn Barnes Theme...
Published 11/30/22
Ralph Lauren ascends. And so does a slender little joke book that no one expected to be a colossal, massive bestseller. Just in time for the secret fashion revolution of the 1980s that no one ever talks about. To see images, notes, and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn Barnes Theme songs are by Sasami,...
Published 11/23/22
Ivy starts to go out of style, thanks to the counterculture (with a lot of help from corporate America). But Ivy finds an unlikely savior in a Jewish college dropout from the Bronx. To see images, notes, and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn Barnes Theme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from...
Published 11/16/22
The look of the elite somehow becomes the look for everyone. And as more and more people are taking on Ivy, it only becomes cooler and cooler. Which goes against everything I thought I knew about trends. To see images, notes, and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn Barnes Theme songs are by Sasami, with...
Published 11/09/22
So where does Ivy begin? The short answer: Princeton University. The long answer is a spiral that takes us from a 1940s Chinese prison camp, to the raucous party culture of 1920s London, to the docks of downtown New York City after The War of 1812. To see images, notes and full transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.com Articles of Interest is made by Avery Trufelman Edited by Kelly Prime Mixed and Mastered by Ian Coss Album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty...
Published 11/02/22