You Must Remember This – Make Me Over
Film historian Karina Longworth’s podcast, dedicated to the myths and narratives of 20th-century Hollywood, has long been a fascinating listen. For beauty fans, semi-spinoff Make Me Over takes that to the next level. From the birth of waterproof makeup (thanks to Million Dollar Mermaid star Esther Williams) to the racism (and subsequent skin bleaching) endured by the actor Merle Oberon, this miniseries is filled with You Must Remember This’s signature mix of glamour and dread.
Leah Harper
Available on Apple
The Collector’s House
Ever wanted to know what Kanye West is like to work with or why Luton Town FC are called the Hatters? Then look no further than the matchesfashion.com’s podcast series, presented by the fashion journalist Danielle Radojcin. Each 40-minute episode is an informal conversation recorded in the attic of Matchesfashion.com’s broadcasting and showroom hub, Carlos Place in Mayfair, London. Highlights include the photographer Nick Knight talking about the influence of skinheads on his adolescence, and photographing campaigns for Fendi. The milliner Stephen Jones discusses his treasured top hats, working with Dior and Marc Jacobs, and shares a potted history of hatmaking in Britain, while the artist Shirin Neshat gives her views on the #metoo movement, and Iran and feminism today.
Helen Seamons
Available on matchesfashion.com
Nobody Panic
An apt title for the current climate, perhaps, but the hosts, Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates, have been running this show since 2017, when it was known as The Debrief Podcast. Weekly episodes are squarely aimed at a millennial audience, offering a “guidebook to being a fully functioning adult without screaming all the time” and have previously covered ethical fashion (What Is It and How Can I Do It?) and how to be more stylish on a budget – although it’s worth rooting through the back catalogue for gems such as How to Keep Your Houseplant(s) Alive and How to Deal With the News Without Crying.
LH
Available on Acast and Apple
Dior Talks
The first series of this new podcast hones in on feminist art, a theme that is also central to each of Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri’s collections. Every episode is hosted by London-based art historian and writer Katy Hessel, who meet and interviews the notable female artists, including Tracey Emin and Judy Chicago. Dior Talks offers access to intimate discussions of their work, their relationship to the art, and the ways in which their work has influenced Dior’s collections.
Peter Bevan
Available on Spotify, Apple, and dior.com
Great Lives
The biographical series, which asks its guests to pick one person who has inspired them, is just as likely to cover Victorian social reformers as it is to touch on anything fashion-related, but within the back catalogue there is plenty for those on the hunt for style content. A recent episode saw Channel 4 News’s international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, delve into the incredible life of Lee Miller, the supermodel, journalist and Pablo Picasso muse who reported on the horrors of the second world war for Vogue. Others include the author Hanif Kureishi talking all things David Bowie – from music to makeup and androgynous style – and the singer Mica Paris on Josephine Baker, her dance sauvage and her radical claiming of black beauty in the 1920s.
Ellie Violet Bramley
Available on BBC Sounds
The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown
Technically an audiobook, not a podcast, but still a lockdown must-listen thanks to its ability to transport listeners back to a glitzy 80s New York – especially when the everyday can feel a little lacking in glamour. The illustrious editor Tina Brown talks openly about moving from London to the Big Apple, and the self-proclaimed “cocky” behaviour that led her to edit Vanity Fair. She speaks to Madhulika Sikka about the secrets of making a great magazine (it’s about the mix of high/low culture, clean design and how the package is put together), how Annie Leibovitz came to visually define the magazine and the surprising value of gossip.
Priya Elan
Available on Stitcher
Pikes
If you are looking for armchair escapism, or perhaps missing your annual Ibiza excursion, sit back with the new season of the Pikes podcast. The Pikes boutique hotel is an institution that is steeped in rock’n’roll history. Established in the 1970s by the late Tony Pike, who came to epitomise the hedonism of the island, it it became famous in the 80s as the location for Wham!’s Club Tropicana video. Recent episodes include the TV presenter and Love Island host Laura Whitmore chatting about her favourite cocktails – quarantini inspiration, if ever any were needed – and Pikes’ creative director, Dawn Hindle, on the hotel’s new Rockovery Retreat wellness programme.
Jo Jones
Available on Apple
The Memory of … With John Galliano
An insight into the mind of one of fashion’s most visionary – and divisive – designers, who has remained elusive since his dramatic dismissal from Dior in 2011, following an antisemitic rant. The podcast has become a fascination for many fashion geeks, and, owing to Galliano’s otherwise reclusive nature, developed a cult following. In roughly 10-minute bursts, the designer talks you through his inspirations, as well as the techniques behind his designs; expect plenty of “bias cut” chat, and unexpected insights into the way he translates wild concepts into collections, all delivered in his striking London accent.
PB
Available on Spotify and Apple
Wardrobe Crisis
You probably wouldn’t expect a fashion podcast to feature discussions about Australia’s bushfires and the end of capitalism, but that’s what you get from Wardrobe Crisis. Its presenter, the sustainable-fashion expert Clare Press, is suitably cross when talking about climate-crisis villains and extremely enthusiastic about innovative companies and individuals doing great work in the sector. It is in no way escapist, but it does provide hope, giving ideas for the ways we might build a more caring industry after the current crisis.
Hannah Marriott
Available on Apple
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