Articles of Interest

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.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossAlbum art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossAlbum art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossAlbum art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossAlbum art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossAlbum art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A trend forecaster follows up on a trend report from 2016. A prominent fashion buyer tells me his trends for fall 2022. And I wonder why one particular trend, against all odds, seems to come back over and over againTo see the jeans of the future, along with more images, notes and transcripts, go to articlesofinterest.substack.comArticles of Interest is made by Avery TrufelmanEdited by Kelly PrimeMixed and Mastered by Ian CossWith album art by Helen Shewolfe Tseng and photography by Matty Lynn BarnesTheme songs are by Sasami, with additional music from Rhae RoyalProud member of Radiotopia! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear. And for a long time, one particular look has come back in style again and again and again. Or maybe it never went away. Season 3 will get to the bottom of it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A wedding was once seen as a start of young adulthood. Now, a wedding has come to represent a crowning achievement -- a symbol that your whole life is together and you have accrued the time and space and resources to afford your ascent to another level of fulfillment. And there's no greater symbol for this day, and all the pressure it brings, than a white dress. Articles of Interest is a limited-run podcast series about fashion, housed inside the design and architecture podcast 99% Invisible. Launched in 2018 by Avery Trufelman, the show encourages people to rethink the way we look at what we wear and what it says about us. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Diamonds represent value, in all its multiple meanings: values, as in ethics, and value as in actual price. But what are these rocks actually worth? The ethics and costs of diamond rings have shifted with society, from their artificial scarcity perpetuated by DeBeers to their artificial creation in labs. Articles of Interest is a limited-run podcast series about fashion, housed inside the design and architecture podcast 99% Invisible. Launched in 2018 by Avery Trufelman, the show encourages people to rethink the way we look at what we wear and what it says about us. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ian Kelly, a historian and biographer, dives into the life of Beau Brummell, the man credited with revolutionizing men's fashion. They explore how Brummell’s influence ushered in the era of minimalist suits, blending elegance with restraint. Discussion spans the shift from ornate court dress to modern tailoring, the significance of military-inspired uniforms, and the rise of fashion celebrity culture. They also touch on how contemporary icons like Billy Porter challenge the norms, suggesting that a new style revolution might be on the horizon.