Gear: Chapter 5

Gear: Chapter 5

Author: Avery Trufelman November 19, 2025 Duration: 57:41

A pattern for blending in. And for standing out.

For images and links go to articlesofinterest.substack.com

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Avery Trufelman’s Articles of Interest digs into the often overlooked stories stitched into the fabric of our daily lives. This isn't just a fashion podcast in the conventional sense; it’s a deep, curious exploration of why we wear what we wear, treating clothing as a tangible record of culture, labor, identity, and even rebellion. Each episode feels like unfolding a carefully preserved garment from a trunk, revealing the hidden histories and complex meanings in everything from blue jeans and pockets to specific uniforms and forgotten trends. Trufelman’s approach is both personal and rigorously researched, blending narrative storytelling with insightful interviews. Listeners hear the rustle of taffeta and the hum of sewing machines, but also the voices of designers, historians, and everyday people, all piecing together how our wardrobe choices reflect deeper societal shifts. The series, nestled within the broader Arts and Beauty landscape, redefines these categories by arguing that what we put on our bodies is one of our most intimate forms of expression and communication. Tune in for a thoughtful, beautifully produced journey that will change the way you look at your own closet and the world walking past you on the street.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 60

Articles of Interest
Podcast Episodes
American Ivy: Chapter 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:53
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 imag…
American Ivy: Chapter 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:59
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 transcri…
American Ivy: Chapter 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:32
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, no…
American Ivy: Chapter 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:54
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…
American Ivy: Chapter 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:15
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 se…
American Ivy: Prologue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:15
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 abou…
12. Wedding Dresses [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:51
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 aff…
11. Diamonds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
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 t…
10. Suits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:25
Menswear can seem boring. If you look at any award show, most of the men are dressed in black pants and black jackets. This uniform design can be traced back to American Revolution, classical statuary, and one particular…
9. Perfume [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:44
The world of high end perfume is surprisingly lucrative, considering that scent is often the most ignored of our senses. But one can't judge a scent solely by the brand and shape of the bottle. With the right amount of a…