In this episode, we unravel the origins of the qipao or cheongsam. This garment is inextricably linked to the formation of modern China and has origins going back to at least the Qing Dynasty. Join us as we explore its role as a symbol of elegance and empowerment. If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello (we're friendly and Mr. B won't bite), drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also find us on social media: Instagram:...

Join us as we explore the fascinating and multi-faceted history of the polka dot. These innocuous little spots contain multitudes, from technological advancements to a risqué dance craze. If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying hello, drop us a line at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  and/or follow us on social media: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/p/History-Unhemmed-100084597553601/ Support us...

Today's episode delves into the life of April Ashley, a fashion icon and a pioneering figure in the transgender community. Despite facing tremendous challenges and frequent discrimination, Ashley emerged as a resilient advocate for transgender rights, contributing to greater awareness and acceptance. Support us at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel...

EPISODE NOTES: It's that time of year again! Hopefully you have your "Eatin' Pants" clean, mended, and ready to roll. Enjoy today's episode, and a little snack, as we explore the history of the elastic waistband and your favorite stretchy slacks! ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠⁠⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying hello, drop us a line at...

EPISODE NOTES: Leather Face and Norman Bates and their penchant for human skin is the stuff of horror movies and fuel for more than a few nightmares. Sometimes, however, the truth is weirder (and creepier) than fiction! ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying hello, drop us a line at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ and/or follow us on social...

EPISODE NOTES: From the flagellant confraternities of the Middle Ages to the penitents of of the Spanish Inquisition, from Dunce Caps to the uniform one of the most hated terrorist organizations in the United States, the long face-covering cap has quite the colorful and interwoven tale to tell. ⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠ https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying hello, drop us a line...

EPISODE NOTES: For millennia, Dhaka was renowned for its exquisite cotton textiles. The resplendent fabrics from Bengal were highly sought after in markets from China and Indonesia to France and England. Particularly muslin. In the late 18th century the British ultimately murdered Dhaka Muslin. ⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠ https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying hello, drop us a line...

EPISODE NOTES: Holy cow! We've hit our 20th episode! In the second half of the twentieth century, Barbie and other fashion doll makers grapple with issues of identity and representation. THe third of History Unhemmed's three-episode segment on the history of the fashion doll. If you would like, you can support us at: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed⁠⁠ https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed⁠ If you have any requests or questions, or simply feel like saying...

EPISODE NOTES: In the twentieth century, the pandora doll had disappeared as a professional tool. The relationship between fashion and dolls, however, remained a very close one. After WWII, the plastic fashion doll for children arose from some less than wholesome beginnings, to take the world by storm. In this second of three episodes on the fashion doll, History Unhemmed takes a closer look at some little fashionistas who had a huge impact. If you would like, you can support us...

EPISODE NOTES: She inspired fashion trends on a global scale. She taught young girls and grown women alike about the dressing styles of royal courts across Europe and how to wield fashion as tool…and a weapon. Before there was Barbie, there was Pandora. This episode is the first of three exploring the family tree of Mattel’s most famous It girl and her contemporaries. If you would like, you can support us...

History Unhemmed Episode 17 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 and Its Lasting Legacy EPISODE NOTES: The shirtwaist emerged in the mid-late nineteenth century. It soon became a symbol of the modern working woman, and by the early twentieth century, shirtwaists were mass manufactured and widely available. However, this would come at a devastating cost to the workers (mostly women) who produced them. On the afternoon of March 25, 1911, fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist...

History Unhemmed is a podcast about the sometimes shiny...more often sinister and shady side of fashion history. Tune in for tales of sartorial scandals, fashionable foibles, and deadly duds every other week! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyunhemmed/support

EPISODE NOTES: "It's better to be looked over than overlooked." So was the motto of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors. The company's brash and bombastic frontman Nudie Cohn, an early twentieth-century Ukrainian Jewish immigrant. From humble origins, Nudie carved out a name for himself as the king of sparkly western wear favored by everyone from country crooners to rock and roll royalty. If you would like, you can support us...

History UnhemmedEpisode 15Dressing the Social Register:The *Almost* Secret Life of Ann Lowe Episode Notes: From humble beginnings in rural Alabama, Ann Cole Lowe rose to become one of the most sought after fashion designers of the twentieth century. Her life story is one of tremendous highs and cruel hardships. Tune in to hear about New York high society's "best kept secret" of the mid-twentieth century. If you would like, you can support us...

History Unhemmed Episode 14 Masked in Mayhem: Costumes and Mardi Gras in New Orleans (Partie Deux) Episode Notes: Dressing up in costumes and masks has been at the heart of carnival celebrations since the founding of the city in the 1718. In the twentieth century, new groups emerged challenging the status quo and reshaping the festivities into the celebration that is the biggest tourist draw and the most famous public festivities of the Crescent City. If you would like, you can support us...

History Unhemmed Episode 13 Masked in Mayhem: Mardi Gras Costumes in New Orleans (Part 1) Episode Notes: Every year, one of the biggest parties in the United States takes place in the 300-year-old streets of New Orleans. This episode traces the history of Mardi Gras and its costuming practices in New Orleans up to the twentieth century. Support us at : https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed https://anchor.fm/historyunhemmed/support Follow us on: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook:...

History Unhemmed Episode 12 Undressed for Success Red Underwear for a Happy New Year Episode Notes: Eat your greens and black eyed peas, make your champagne or whiskey toasts and enjoy some fireworks. The New Year brings with it many traditions, and in many parts of the world that includes wearing red underwear for luck. Tune in to delve into the origins of this tradition and why a little piece of red fabric carries such a huge and varied history! Support us at : ...

History Unhemmed Episode 11 Decked Out and Ready to Sleigh (Slay) The History of the Christmas Sweater Episode Notes: It's not the holiday season without a tacky and over-the-top sweater! This episode will examine how the popular festive garment came to be. Support us at : https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed https://anchor.fm/historyunhemmed/support Follow us on: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook: History Unhemmed Thank you! 3 Resources: Blackman, Anne Marie, and Brian Clark...

History Unhemmed Episode 10 Hot off the Dresses! Paper Garments in 20th Century Europe and America Episode Notes: Sort of a continuation on the subject of Episode 9, this episode will explore the rise and subsequent fall of paper fashion trends in Europe and American through the 20th century.  Support us at : https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed https://anchor.fm/historyunhemmed/support Follow us on: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook: History Unhemmed Thank you!...

History Unhemmed Episode 9 Ritual, Regalia, and Rags: Paper Clothing in Japan and Korea Episode Notes:   Though paper is not the first material for clothing we typically think of, it has been used to make garments going back centuries. This episode will explore the that long-lived tradition in Korea and Japan. Support us at : https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed https://anchor.fm/historyunhemmed/support Follow us on: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook: History Unhemmed Thank you!...

History Unhemmed Episode 8 A Dress Possessed: The Wedding Gown of Anna Baker Episode Notes:  Everyone loves a good ghost story, so settle in and snuggle up as today's episode examines the story of a heartbroken bride to be, an iron-willed business man, and a haunted wedding dress! Resources: Anna Woods Baker letters and diary, 1850-1905, The Penn State University Dobrowolsky, Cory. “Madness at the Mansion: Mirror Reporter Spends Night in ‘Haunted’ Altoona Landmark.” The Altoona...

History Unhemmed Episode 7 A Most Unfashionable Murder: Marie Manning and The Bermondsey Horror Episode Notes What better way to kick off spooky season that with a grisly Victorian murder? Tune in for a complicated tale of love, betrayal, murder, and a not-so-little black dress! Resources/Further Reading: Bassett, Lynne Z. Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion and Its Legacy. Hartford, CT: Connecticut Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art, 2016. Borowitz, Albert. The Woman Who Murdered...

History Unhemmed Episode 6 The Zoot Suit PART 2: Defiant Design and the War at Home This episode is a follow up to episode 5 where we got into the nitty gritty of the zoot suit’s origins. This episode is dedicated to the bloody conflict that surrounded the suit nationally and internationally in the 1940s, including the infamous zoot suit riots of Los Angeles. Bibliography/Additional Reading: Alvarez, Luis. The Power of the Zoot: Youth Culture and Resistance During World War II....

History Unhemmed Episode 5 The Zoot Suit PART 1: Clothed in Controversy The first of two episodes dedicated to a controversial and incredibly consequential piece of twentieth century menswear. This episode will delve into the history of the zoot suit and the different groups and individuals who helped bring it about and how it became an icon of social and political resistance.  Bibliography/Suggested Readings: Benda, Camille. Dressing the Resistance. New York: Princeton University Press,...