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Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud

Each week join the renowned fashion designer Bella Freud as she invites a special guest to lie on the couch and explore the connection between fashion and identity.

Bella’s conversations begin with questions about style: what we reveal and hide through the clothes we wear. Bella also shares her own anecdotes and the conversations expand into deeper discussions on life’s universal themes – love, identity, culture, anxiousness, and politics.

Through a series of tailored questions, Bella creates a relaxed, intimate atmosphere where her guests – ranging from fashion icons to cultural figures in sport, art, music, film, and literature – reveal more about themselves than they might expect. Fashion is often dismissed as surface, but in this podcast it becomes the lens through which we examine our inner lives, relationships, and society.

Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud offers a unique, thoughtful, and engaging conversation that goes far beyond what we wear, diving into the unspoken language of clothing and the ways in which we use style to navigate and communicate in the world.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

www.fashionneurosis.com

www.fashionneurosis.substack.com

@fashioneurosis_bellafreud

Copyright: ©️ All rights reserved. The podcast content, including audio, music, and interviews, is the intellectual property of Bella Freud. Unauthorised use, reproduction, or distribution is prohibited without prior written consent.

Latest Episodes:

Grace Coddington Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Grace Coddington is a British fashion editor, stylist, and model.

After winning a Vogue model competition in 1959, Grace pursued a modelling career in London and Paris. Landing a job as Junior Fashion Editor at British Vogue in 1968, she worked under the legendary Bea Miller, and then as Fashion Director under a young Anna Wintour. Lured to New York by Calvin Klein in 1986 to be his design director, she was invited back to Vogue when Anna Wintour took over as Editor in Chief of American Vogue in 1988. Coddington worked as Creative Director at American Vogue until 2016.

Grace rose to wider fame as the standout of The September Issue, R. J. Cutler’s documentary about Vogue magazine. Since leaving Vogue in 2016, Grace has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Astier de Villatte on capsule collections, styled for Vogue and W Magazine, and modelled for brands including MERIT.

Coddington wrote an eponymous memoir in 2012, and is the author of the Phaidon titles Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue, Grace: The American Vogue Years, Marc Jacobs Illustrated , and Grace: Now, which was published this year. She has written and illustrated the series The Catwalk Cats with her partner Didier Malige, and is the muse for the three-book GingerNutz series, created by her close and frequent collaborator, the late Michael Roberts.

She lives in New York City and Long Island with Didier Malige, her boyfriend of nearly thirty years, and their two cats, Bart and Pumpkin.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Grace Coddington discuss changing your hair after a breakup, Sex, and Anna Wintour.

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Blindboy Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Blindboyboatclub is an award-winning Irish author, documentary‐maker and podcaster.

As a writer, he has published three collections of best-selling and critically-acclaimed short stories, blending myth, satire and the vernacular power of Limerick into fiction that is both darkly comic and profoundly humane. In 2026, these stories were adapted into a play “Animals” which is debuting at Ireland's national theatre, The Abbey.

He began his podcast in 2017, combining social commentary and insightful interviews, quickly gaining a large following. He regularly tours his podcasts globally, with sell-out shows where his mix of sharp wit, empathy and social insight draws audiences into bold conversations about culture, politics and the human condition.

His screen work, including documentaries on modern slavery and the UK housing system, has won a Grierson award in 2025, an RTS award, a Sky Arts nomination and the BAFTA long list, establishing him as one of Ireland’s most distinctive documentary voices.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Blindboy discuss Autism, Alpha Male codes in the changing room, and if Psychoanalysis is like After-Sex talk.

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Tim Walker Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Tim Walker is an English photographer. He began taking pictures as a young boy and, after leaving school, worked in the Cecil Beaton archive at the Condé Nast Library before studying photography at Exeter College of Art.

After university, he moved to New York to assist Richard Avedon, before returning to England where he shot his first fashion story for Vogue aged just 25. He became known for his lavish tableaux and ambitious narrative-driven shoots on location around the world, working with extraordinary props and sets, often in collaboration with set designer Shona Heath. Walker has made six short films, including 2010’s The Lost Explorer and has created album art for artists including Harry Styles and Kate Bush.

He has staged solo exhibitions at major institutions including The Design Museum, Somerset House, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Walker’s photographic prints are housed in private collections and in public institutions including the V&A and London’s National Portrait Gallery.

His newest exhibition, Tim Walker’s Fairyland opens this week at London’s National Portrait Gallery.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Tim Walker discuss healing heartbreak through sex, being fired by Richard Avedon, and what is Extreme Beauty.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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Glenn Martens Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

We recorded this episode in the summer before the announcement that Glenn Martens would be stepping down as Creative Director of Diesel.

Glenn Martens is a Belgian fashion designer and the creative director of Maison Margiela.

Martens graduated first in his class from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and then worked as a Junior Designer at Jean Paul Gautier from 2008 to 2012. Martens had an eponymous label which released three collections, before he joined Y/Project in 2013, quickly becoming Creative Director following the death of co-founder Yohan Sefarty. Martens worked at Y/Project until 2024.

In 2020, he became the Creative Director of Diesel, where he redefined the brand’s approach to denim through experimentation with silhouettes, innovative washes, treatments and materials, while also introducing more responsible practices. He also led collaborations with the Tom of Finland Foundation and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty. Martens announced his departure from the role in September 2026, with his final show at Milan Fashion Week.

In 2025, Martens was announced as the new creative director at Maison Margiela, and will show his fourth major collection with the brand at Paris Fashion Week this month.

Martens won the ANDAM Grand Prize in 2017 with Y/Project and received a special prize, the Family Fund Award, from ANDAM in 2020.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Glenn Martens discuss being a good leader, the sexiness of women’s necks, and designing Chloë Sevigny’s wedding dress.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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Carlos Acosta Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Carlos Acosta is a Cuban dancer, choreographer, and director. Acosta won the Prix de Lausanne aged 16, and became the youngest Principal at the English National Ballet in 1991, aged 18.

Acosta returned from classical ballet in 2016 after 28 years of performance. During his ballet career, he wrote and choreographed Tocororo, which broke box office records at Sadler’s Wells when it premiered. He also choreographed Royal Ballet productions of Don Quixote and Carmen. In August 2026 Acosta returned to the Royal Opera House stage for a weeklong run of shows, including performing Havana Suite with his eldest daughter Aila

In 2016, Acosta established his dance company Acosta Danza, which tours the world and has a training academy in Havana and London. Acosta is curating a double bill of his company at Sadler’s Wells in October 2026. He became the Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2020, reinvigorating the company with commissions including Black Sabbath the Ballet.

Acosta has written two books; his memoir, No Way Home published in 2007, and a novel titled Pig’s Foot. Yuli, a film inspired by his life, was released in 2019, with Acosta playing his adult self. In 2015 Acosta was awarded a CBE and earlier this year he received an Honorary Doctorate in Oxford.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Carlos Acosta discuss sugar addiction, ballet dancers’ smiles, and the importance of male ballet dancers.

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Martine Syms Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Martine Syms is a multidisciplinary artist working across film, video, photography, and publishing.

Born and raised in California, she studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and gained an MFA from Bard College. From 2007 to 2012, she co-directed Golden Age, an artist-run space in Chicago, and had her first solo exhibition at Bridget Donaghue gallery in New York in 2015. She has exhibited at international art institutions including the ICA, MoMA, Sadie Coles HQ, and the Walker Art Museum.

Syms has published several books including PICTURES 2014-2024 and SHE MAD, and has her own publishing imprint, Dominica Publishing, which publishes artist books and zines.

Syms practice combines conceptual grit, humour and social commentary. Her videos and installations are highly technical, reflecting her acute attention to detail in cinematography, sound and editing. Syms uses filmmaking as a means of storytelling to uncover personal and societal truths and employs sound to foster dialogue and form/perform identities. In 2023, she made her feature directorial debut with The African Desperate, and is premiering her new film RW-LO in a solo show at Sadie Coles HQ in September 2026.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Martine Syms discuss matching your nails to your underwear, Taurean energy, and Original Sin.

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Anthony Vaccarello Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Anthony Vaccarello is a Belgian fashion designer. Born to Sicilian parents in Brussels, he studied law for one year before moving to the renowned La Cambre art and design school. Upon graduation, Vaccarello spent two years working for Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi in Rome, and then launched his eponymous label Anthony Vaccarello in 2009.

Since 2016, Vaccarello has been Creative Director of Saint Laurent. During his ten years at the helm of the brand, Vaccarello has upheld Yves Saint Laurent’s creative legacy with irreverent modernity. Across his tenure, he has steadily reinforced the House’s identity with coherence and authority, mixing genres, and empowering a highly desirable vision. Through Vaccarello’s work, Saint Laurent has developed relationships with cultural icons from Madonna to Charlotte Gainsbourg, Connor Storrie to Charli XCX, and Zoe Kravitz to Kate Moss.

In 2023, after working with some of cinema’s leading directors including Pedro Almodovar and Jean-Luc Godard, Vaccarello established Saint Laurent Productions, with the house being the first luxury brand to support filmmaking. Since then, Saint Laurent Productions has supported films from luminaries including Paolo Sorrentino, Claire Denis, David Cronenberg, and Jacques Audiard.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Anthony Vaccarello discuss the ankle fetish, Saint Laurent women, and how he wanted to dress his mother.

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David Sedaris Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

David Sedaris is an American author and humourist.

David’s first book, Barrel Fever, was published in 1994, and he has since published fourteen books including Calypso, and Me Talk Pretty One Day, with his essay collections regularly appearing on the New York Times’ bestseller list. His latest book, The Land and Its People, was published in May 2026.

He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and to NPR. His BBC Radio 4 series, ‘Meet David Sedaris’, won a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2026. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and David Sedaris discuss loving Comme des Garçons, his bullying father, and living in a nudist colony.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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RERUN: Rick Owens Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

RERUN: In the first episode of Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud, I was joined by the legendary fashion master of avant-garde gothic elegance Rick Owens as he lies on the couch. Rick Owens is known for his preoccupation with distortion and exaggeration of the human form through clothes. Together he and I talk about how this plays out with his own physical transformation; what are his current obsessions; and how nothing could be cooler than not having to hold a glass in his hand when he (rarely) walks into a social situation. Honest and insightful, this is a conversation with one of fashion's most enigmatic figures that you won't want to miss.

Rick Owens is an American fashion designer. Born and raised in Porterville, California, Owens studied pattern-making and draping at Los Angeles Technical-Trade College, launching his eponymous label in 1994.

Since 2003, he has lived in Paris with his partner Michele Lamy, in a five-story townhouse which serves as both home and atelier.He has launched five fashion labels, a furniture line, and written four books on his own work and two about the designer Larry LeGapsi, who he has cited as a major inspiration

Owens was a recipient of the 2002 Perry Ellis Award for emerging talent, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA in 2017, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Award for fashion design, and Menswear Designer of the Year Award at the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards.

His first museum exhibition and retrospective, chronicling over 20 years of his life's work, entitled, "Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman" opened at the Triennale di Milano in 2017, and in 2025 the Palais Galliera showed a retrospective of his work entitled “Temple of Love”. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rick Owens discuss nipples, his authoritarian father, and the freedom of wearing a heel.

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RERUN: Zadie Smith Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

RERUN: Zadie Smith was one of my first recordings of Fashion Neurosis. She arrived on a bicycle in the pouring rain, a more typical June day in London 2024. I didn't know Zadie well, but she owned a couple of my velvet suits and she is one of those writers who dresses as brilliantly as she writes. Writing is such a glamorous thing. Seeing a body clothed with style makes me wonder how that person thinks. This is why I was so keen to see Zadie Smith lying on my couch - to see her and to hear her.

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Zadie Smith is a British novelist, essayist, and short story writer.

She is the author of six novels and her first book White Teeth was completed during her final year at Cambridge University. Published in 2000, White Teeth became an instant international bestseller - winning numerous awards, making her one of the most sought after and widely read young literary figures. Smith’s most recent book is The Fraud, published in 2023. She is also the author of two short story collections, including Dead and Alive published in 2025, and a play, The Wife of Willesden.

Zadie Smith has lived in Rome and New York, where she taught fiction at Columbia, then joining New York University as a tenured professor of fiction in 2010. In 2023, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Zadie Smith discuss the importance of lipstick, being inspired by the fashion of fictional characters, and losing her entire wardrobe in a fire.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:21 What are you wearing today?

00:01:19 Obsessions

00:02:20 Zadie’s Mother’s Style

00:05:44 Fashion Dreams

00:08:00 Beauty and intelligence

00:12:18 Where to start an outfit

00:14:52 Clothing individuality

00:19:30 If you fancy someone…

00:24:40 Clothes to improve mood

00:33:00 Shyness

00:41:20 Nudity

00:43:30 Dressing like literary figures

00:47:00 Hair

00:50:14 Outro

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