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DRESS:FANCY is a podcast about dressing up.
Join us for a fashion history lesson, fired from a confetti cannon.
It’s about ordinary people in extraordinary outfits. Not on stage or screen but in real life; weaving together sartorial and social history to tell powerful, surprising stories of identity.
Hosted by author Lucy Clayton together with a selection of special guests from designers, artists, experts, writers, activists and of course, the dresser uppers themselves. This show explores the way we dress, in all its creative, sequinned, and chaotic glory.
From plague masks to plastic tiaras, kitchen table to couture salon, ballroom to battlefield, our listeners are transported to moments in time where the clothes tell the story. Did you know that Drag played an important role in Prisoner of War camps? Who wore what to “The Party of the Century”? What possessed that guy to dress as a budget Viking when he stormed the Capitol? And why are lots of people deciding to live as mermaids in 2021?
Embracing eccentricity and tackling marginalised, beautifully bonkers themes DRESS:FANCY is intellectually curious, playful and tender. Often raucous and always relevant, each episode explores a new theme from ancient to contemporary.
And look out for our bonus episodes "Dressing Up With..." where we showcase an individual's unique perspective on fashioning their sense of self.
Follow @dressfancypodcast on Instagram to see the images that accompany each conversation.
Join us and our amazing community of listeners each season for some costume drama!
In this episode we go behind the scenes at the Met for the Costume Institute’s new exhibition “Women Dressing Women” with curator Melina Plottu, textiles conservator, as our guide. Learn about the process of preparing garments for...
In this episode we explore the life and work of iconic artist, Lee Miller, in anticipation of the new film starring Kate Winslet. Links Follow Follow
Today’s episode takes us to the Museum of London – where the major contribution of Jewish designers in making London an iconic fashion city is recognised in a new exhibtion. Revealing the stories of Jewish fashion makers who became industry...
This episode celebrates a new exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum here in London: “The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit” with curator, writer and broadcaster Amber Butchart. Discover how...
You can trust Lucy Clayton to take you to some dark places each Halloween but this year, we bring you the ultimate guide to Goth. Author Cathi Unsworth has written the definitive history of Goth and joins us to talk …
Lucy Clayton meets with Soho House's editorial director and former style director for British GQ and Esquire, Teo van den Broke to discuss his debut book - a memoir about self discovery and finding yourself through fashion. Links Follow Follow …
As promised! Following our interview with Barbie designer Carol Spencer, author of “Dressing Barbie” host Lucy Clayton meets up with Carol once more, to discuss the Barbie Movie. This treat sized episode is a forensic and fabulous dissection...
Welcome to this end of season message from host Lucy Clayton. Full of recommendations for things to see and read over the summer. Please . Links Follow Follow
Ghost. Iconic 90s fashion – accessible, desirable and machine washable. In the latest episode of Dress: Fancy, Lucy Clayton revisits this fashion moment with the Ghost founder herself, Tanya Sarne, whose rollercoaster, rock-and-roll lifestyle makes...
At DRESS:FANCY podcast we are eagerly anticipating the release of Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie (July 20th). To prepare, host Lucy Clayton tracks down Carol Spencer, who designed Barbie's wardrobe for over 35 years - this is a gorgeous and revealing...
Join host Lucy Clayton and curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott Williams on a grand day out at Kensington Palace. This is Part Two of a two part special, recorded after the curator tour of the exhibition itself. If you’ve …
Join host Lucy Clayton and curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott Williams on a grand day out at Kensington Palace - for a behind the scenes tour of the new Crown To Couture exhibition. This is Part One of a …
Founder, Producer, Co Host
Lucy is the founder, co-host and producer of DRESS:FANCY podcast. Her TED talk on costume as a tool for political protest “The True Power of a Good Outfit” has been watched over 72,000 times but her life highlight is leading a parade to the secret ballroom while podcasting live from the Royal Academy’s epic “Summer Lates” party. Lucy loves dressing up so much she recently wormed her way onto Season 4 of The Crown for the ultimate fancy dress experience in 1980’s nylon, which almost certainly contributed to the show’s BAFTA success. Lucy is a judge for this year’s British Podcast Awards.
As CEO of Community Clothing (founded by Patrick Grant), a social enterprise with a mission to create jobs in the UK garment industry, Lucy was honoured in the Financial Times and HERoes inaugural list of top 50 Women Role Models in Business.
In 2020 she published How To Go To Work (Penguin) a guide for young people starting out in their careers. Passionate about discovering and mentoring talent, she is part of Speakers 4 Schools - a network of leading figures who want to give back to young people in state schools. She regularly gives talks about how to break into fashion in schools and for the British Fashion Council.
Lucy lives in London in a house that also contains her archive of thousands of vintage dresses, her boyfriend, son Kit and new baby Thora.