Stay ConnectedA smart, playful and interrogative take on contemporary fashion and its context – weaving together sartorial and social history to tell powerful, surprising stories of identity.
Hosted by Lucy Clayton together with a selection of special guests including designers, artists, writers, activists, academics and of course, the dresser uppers themselves, this show explores the way we dress in all its creative, sequinned and chaotic glory.
Copyright: © 2019 Lucy Clayton
Getting into the summer spirit in central London, Lucy and Ben re-join the Royal Academy for another Lates costumed extravaganza. Talking with revellers, hosting the Georgian Moonlit Promenade and, most importantly, bestowing rosettes on the very best of the best-dressed, the Dress: Fancy duo were in their fancy dress heaven. Indulge, or re-live, the magical experience with our highlights.
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In Pride and Prejuduce Jane Austen extolled the virtues of indulging the imagination 'in every possible way'. With this in mind, Lucy and Ben joined members of the Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society (JAPAS) for a costumed picnic at the National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey on one sunny (and rainy) Sunday. In preparation, Lucy spoke with JAPAS founder Sophie Andrews to discover just what it takes to be a fully fledged Jane-ite.
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Lucy and Ben record live from the front row at the British Museum, listening in on Grayson Perry as he talks with Kensai Yamamoto, and dissecting the fashion and cosplay catwalks inspired by the Museum's current, must-see Manga exhibition. Interviews with participants recreate the special atmosphere and reveal the marvellous, metamorphosing abilities of Manga.
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On Saturday 20 July, Dress: Fancy will be hosting a costumed parade at this year's Royal Academy Summer Show Lates event. The theme, excitingly, is 'Georgian Pleasure Garden'... To prepare for the festivities, Lucy and Ben provide an essential guide to costuming and getting into your Georgian character. A special visit to the National Theatre's costume department should provide inspiration for even the most seasoned fancy dress revellers. No excuses!
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Pristine, pure, powerful, peaceful: the meanings of white are many and various. It should occasion no surprise, then, that dressing in white (and its opposite, black) have long been a popular theme in costumed entertainments. Tracing the history of this colour through clothing, Lucy and Ben discuss some of the more intriguing uses of white in dressing up, from the seventeenth-century royal masque to Donald Trump's recent, regrettable UK State Visit.
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If you were to think of your costumed alter-ego as a creature, it's unlikely you'd immediately conjure an image of a bat, and yet as this super niche episode demonstrates, bats have long been – and continue to be – popular subjects for dressing up, and not simply as Batman or Batwoman. Proving that no topic is too small for them to ponder, Lucy and Ben investigate the origins, symbolism and frightening beauty of the bat costume. Prepare to be stupefied!
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This week, Dress: Fancy speaks with Professor Therèsa M. Winge from Michigan State University to explore the compelling, complicated and challenging world of cosplay. A distinct form of fancy dress, cosplay is unique for enabling people to explore themselves and their society by adopting the clothing and character traits of favourite (fictional) characters. As Professor Winge explains, few forms of costume are simultaneously as escapist and revealing about contemporary society and politics as this increasingly popular entertainment.
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Children playing dress-up is age-old and innocent. Or is it? Lucy and Ben go behind the seams to consider if children really do enjoy fancy dress as much the coaxed smiles in family photos suggest. Are these kids really avatars, conduits for the adults in their lives to express their views and to demonstrate their status? One thing's for sure: you'll never look at the children's costume party in the same way again!
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In 2011, Teen Vogue drew attention to harmful consequences of insensitively chosen fancy dress costumes that reduce beliefs, cultures and people to garish stereotypes. In previous episodes of Dress: Fancy, Lucy and Ben have considered the painful consequences of badly informed costume choices and in this episode they continue this dialogue, reflecting in far more depth on the widening debates about cultural appropriation and dressing up.
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The pink carpet has been walked and Lucy and Ben reflect on the costume highs and lows of this year's Met Gala held on 6 May 2019. Were the outfits sufficiently camp? Why is Ben falling out of love with Julianne Moore? And why is Lucy falling in love with Kim Kardashian? Dress: Fancy provides 'the' definitive round-up of the year's most fantastical night in fashion.
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