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 and co-hosted by Dr Benjamin Wild 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!