Fashion is Spinach

What was the fashion industry like in 1920s Paris? What did fashion "sketchers" do and why was it a morally grey job? Which fashion houses were allowed free samples from fabric manufacturers, and which designers went bankrupt? Find out in this episode from writings by a fashion designer's Elizabeth Hawes.

[@CM-ss5pe]

"I've got diamond bracelets up to my elbows. Would I be happier if they reached my shoulders?" Damn, girl, what a quote though!

[@Eloraurora]

This is even funnier because I'm imagining the abrasive potential of a diamond-covered bracelet at armpit level. Ouch.

[@michellewilliamsen8783]

Yes I would😂

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

It is so eerie how so many of her comments sound completely modern. There's nothing new under the sun!

[@frankharr9466]

People are still people.

[@hannahnohlgren989]

Huzzah. Another interesting and very niche episode of things I never imagined I would listen and learn about. 😊 Lovely. I googled and the search result says: For Elizabeth Hawes, the American fashion designer, celebrated author, activist, and social critic, it meant the fashion industry is as nonsensical as the statement. But I like a comment that it meant that it keeps her happy and healthy. 😂

[@saraquill]

One nasty aspect of modern fashion is the side effects of bodycon. The tight or revealing clothes aren’t inherently bad. The pressure to remold your body to resemble a photoshopped ideal while wearing bodycon is.

[@nadyarek]

I guess Karolina herself did a video on the topic! The downfall of structural undergarments and rise of tighter, more revealing clothing mean that you can’t achieve fashionable silhouette wearing right designs, but have to change the body itself.

[@marcherwitch9811]

i may have said this before: i have a couple of rich frat boy of the 1800s self published travel books, harriette wilson's memoirs, a few other bits and bobs... if you ever want me to scan some, let me know!

[@SeXiMoNkEy95]

@marcherwitch9811 I know you werent asking me, but omg, please do!

[@linellcorban4194]

Thank you, Karolina! I read this book when I was a student worker at our public library. In the early 1960's! This was the begining of my fascination with the world of high fashion & then backwards into historic fashion. That interwar period really was the hight of the couture world! Another interesting title is 'In My Fashion' by Bettina Ballard. It's hard to find in the US but you might have better luck in Europe.

[@I_am_Lauren]

The woman who wrote this book seems like she was very observant and din't want to compromise ethics for fashion.

[@Orincaby]

No way this drops right as I open KZbin

[@BeckyDooWop]

Based on the drawing in the beginning you mention, with the mother(mainstream fashion) feeding broccoli (whatever was in "style") to her daughter (Elizabeth) who decides it's spinach and says it's pure rubbish .. so in conclusion I got: fashion is whatever you make of it. Wear what you love and to hell with the labels. Love ya Carolina! Long time fan meme mum.

[@SeXiMoNkEy95]

To me, "fashion is spinach," is her way of saying fashion keeps her alive an healthy. She wouldn't be happy without it.

[@lfgifu296]

Fashion is to us what spinach is to Popeye

[@SeXiMoNkEy95]

@@lfgifu296 This 👆🏼

[@sarahwatts7152]

Plus if you cook it wrong, it stinks. I took it as sort of a good-with-the-bad analogy

[@SeXiMoNkEy95]

@sarahwatts7152 for sure! After I commented, it occurred to me that spinach isn't the tastiest thing. That probably plays into the idea that the nutrients are needed to be healthy and therefore happy in the long term. With a bitter taste, it is unpleasant in the short term.

[@kloassie]

Fashion is spinach, don't reuse/reheat it

[@Marie-iq5tr]

Just missed my bus and have to wait an hour for the next one (live in the middle of nowhere) so this was absolutely perfect timing. Thanks ❤

[@Lili-xq9sn]

Spinach wilts quickly and soon dies. As fashion is "in" then very quickly "out". I think that's what she meant.

[@ugthump2753]

Wasn't the US cartoon character Popeye created to encourage children to eat spinach? (Spinach was seen as iron-rich and healthy, but unpleasant to eat.) At some point, broccoli seems to have taken over its place as something children have to eat, even if it tastes unpleasant. So the child realises that the new, trendy vegetable she is being offered is just like the old vegetable - she doesn't really enjoy it, and (to hell with it!) she's not going to take part.

[@kohakuaiko]

This is the point. I agree.

[@rebeccalawson6093]

I think you've got it

[@bloodorange9]

I strongly recommend "Elegance" by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux! There was an (imcomplete) reprint recently, but I have an original 1964 edition and boy, does it deliver!

[@OfficialROZWBRAZEL]

✍️👀

[@LS-um3zq]

I think the title means fashion is whatever the designer says it is. This was such an interesting podcast! I love insider info!

[@Steph-zo5zk]

I'm also curious about the meaning of spinach here. I'm guessing it means something frivolous and unnecessary with little substance? Something you can eat forever and never be satisfied by. But honestly no idea I hope someone knows more

[@GuilhermePalacio]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@wherefancytakesme]

I'm wondering if, since her daughter said broccoli is spinach, she means fashion is subjective to the individual.

[@i.n8826]

Spinach spoils really fast. I wonder if it has to do with the never-ending fashion cycles that she mentions multiple times! (Smth fashionable this year is ugly the next)

[@Steph-zo5zk]

​@@wherefancytakesme @i.n8826 both of these ideas make so much sense! I don't know which one is more likely. Can anyone help us crack this mystery??

[@Steph-zo5zk]

@@wherefancytakesme oh yeah I didn't consider it that way, that makes perfect sense too

[@Jinx_mori_]

I used to have an *enormous* walk in closet full of clothes, but most only got worn on occasion. I recently moved and went through all of my clothes and realized that half of them I only wore consistently for a year or so before buying newer clothes, and none of them were even to the style that I really wanted to wear anyway, they were just what happened to be at Target that year

[@karljiks]

ayoooo early presence on a Karolina Zebrowska video!!!!

[@Historyofstitchery]

I went to fashion design school and have encountered modern fashion designers. High end designers. A lot of them cannot sew a stitch. In fact, Parsons still doesn’t require you to sew. Still today, average fashion figures are at least 9 heads tall, some go up to 11. I never bought into the cult of personality around designers. Behind every big name designer, chances are there’s a team of skilled artisans doing the heavy lifting.

[@RH-hb6qh]

Absolutely love this podcast series - one of my favorites 🥰

[@frankharr9466]

I took it as Fashion is what I say it is. I'm fascinated that the fabric makers saw the small dressmakers not necessarily as customers, but loss leaders. New people just keep cumming up and have ot learn the same old lessons.

[@lindagates9150]

❤check the thrift shops for those things you want that are out of fashion ☘️🍀💚🍀☘️😘💕💞💕🖖🤷🏼‍♀️👍

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

These are cool and all, but I miss the videos. 😢

[@sinimeg]

I feel the “I like this type of clothing but I can’t find it anymore because it’s not trendy anymore” so much!!! I like a type of legging that goes past the knee but it’s not full length, a little less is also fine, like covering just till the knees, because I use them to exercise in summer and I don’t like showing my thighs while exercising, but it’s been hard to find lately because apparently they’re not trendy anymore. I only have two, one I don’t like the color that much (it was a gift) but whatever, and the other has a tiny hole that I have to fix because I fell while skating. And now I can’t exercise peacefully with them on because of the anxiety of what will happen if they break in a way that can’t be fixed 🥲💔

[@SusanYeske701]

If you are in a place where you can access the ThredUp site and not have crazy mad shipping fees, you may be able to find some on there.

[@sinimeg]

⁠@@SusanYeske701Thanks, I’ll try it, but as you say, the shipping fees are my worst enemy 🥲 Still, it’s worth it to at least take a look :)

[@chocobere]

Ooooh I realized the Mrs Nicole Groult who gave Elizabeth a job is Benoîte Groult's mother! Benoîte Groult (Groo) was a famous first-wave feminist who wrote many books, including autobiographical content. In a book that I read where she speaks of her mother, her mom came home one day and said to her adult daughter something like hi I was just at my lover's, I wish you too have fun and make love at 60 just like me! 😁 What Elizabeth says about her being a rule breaking free spirit ties in well with what her daughter writes of Nicole :)

[@jamestolson2804]

Thanks!I always look forward to your new content, happy 4th of July everybody needs independence

happy 4th of July! 🎉

[@jamestolson2804]

Can declare independence but need to fight for it daily to keep it❤

[@jodenise894]

The person looks like Britanny brosky and I can’t unseen it

[@Suite_annamite]

*@**8:50**:* "Boucher" (French for "butcher") is my aunt Louise's family name. And Nicole happens to be another French-Canadian aunt of mine.

[@MirA12334]

1:05 HOWEVER- *youtube decides to play an ad* lol idk why but it made me laugh

[@paigeellis1033]

I’ve been checking everyday for a new episode!

[@ZacherlJem]

Karolina, is there anyway you can increase the volume when recording these? I have trouble hearing them.

[@ssgtmole8610]

As a person with 50 years in tech, I found I had to upgrade my sound system on my computer due in part to my natural loss of hearing due to age - and some due to excessive noises at some of my job sites. I have a $600 surround sound amplifier with a dedicated center channel hooked up to my NVidia graphics card. The center channel speaker is $150 if I remember correctly. The cheaper version of this is to get a pair of Sennheiser headphones. They are excellent and nowhere near as expensive as my surround sound set up. I'm just offering this suggestion as I can hear Karolina's uploads without having to crank up any settings. What are you using to listen to her content?

[@tuanoini]

Question for Karolina: Do you record your episodes in a studio? The vocal quality is very enjoyable! 👌

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

She is great

[@j.lightlady7596]

Children used to be forced to eat spinach, because it was "good" for them, even though they didn't like or enjoy it, they needed the nutrition it provided, in the days before effective multivitamins. I was anemic as a little girl, and ate canned spinach nearly every blessed day,*sigh* I still don't care for spinach. . .

[@HaapainenRouske]

What a fun episode!

[@kloassie]

Fashion Pashion Pashicn Spahicn Spanich Spinach

[@metztreme8283]

New merch idea right here 😆

[@J_Gamble]

Back then, kids were stereotypically unfond of spinach. The kid saying, "well it may be broccoli but to me it's spinach" kind of means "whatever, they are all icky green things you are trying to make me eat." So...if fashion is spinach...Something necessary and nutritious but has a bad taste/is distasteful? Hmmm. Don't know. Thanks for the interesting reading!

[@alagamed1121]

interesting story

[@icyboi13]

This was hilarious! Drinking game movies are funny of y’all

[@asamhie]

I just want to say, I really appreciate TEXTORY. 💗 It might be my most favorite podcast, and because of you, I got into history and I'm able to connect and understand the people from the past and how they lived their life! (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠) 🌸💖

[@SnoriSnorison]

Loving the fashion history! "Fashion is Spinach" may mean that Fashion can be unpleasant. But living through the experience makes you stronger.

[@angel_cat]

"The hypocrisy of fashion" 🙌🏻

[@obliviouscandybar]

I was thinking about Channel when you read that most designers design for themselves.

[@barbaraszpunar6909]

Tak muzyka w tle jak z challengers ❤

[@ramflight]

Is this 'Emily in Paris' but actually... good?

[@m.p.6039]

I'd like to put in a request for a review of 1999's tv show "Aristocrats". I thought the costumes were unusually beautiful, but were they accurate? Give it a look, please!

[@Esther-1914]

I heard you say, Karolina, that having read the book, you are no closer to understanding what the author meant by "Fashion is Spinach". I have not read the book. I clicked on the title to find out what "Fashion is Spinach" actually meant. I still don't know. And that's okay to not know what I don't know!😉

[@TrollOfReason]

Awww-ye! Interwar fashion shenanigans, & Pilzudski(sic?) is in his blocky-headed prime! Constantly trying to step down as dictator of Poland, but Poland keeps going, "naw bro, keep domming me!"

[@charlkriek4863]

Know the difference between style, fashion and elegance. As for the shoe you are looking for visit a cobbler. Have the shoe copied

[@CyberMercy]

Fashion has always been "fast" it's the Clientele that got slow 😎☕💋

[@SusanYeske701]

So if you want more coverage/modesty in a bathing suit, Land's End company is the place to look. Good luck!

[@amberly0317]

I’m assuming she means fashion is spinach in where it withers away with time?

[@WVgrl59]

The book was only about 300 pages? 😊

[@Heothbremel]

👗👗👗👗👗👗👗💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[@ahnyisbillingsley8589]

Im extremely early! Woah!

[@Suite_annamite]

*"Fashion"* means nothing to someone who has *style.*

[@sarahstroot1561]

I went to audible to find the audio book for this and it's so bad!! The narrator reads it like some sort of erotica and the cover image for it looks like a poorly photoshopped dropship ad 😭😭

[@hewhoadds]

i had to stop watching because the audio balance makes it so my ears are booty blasted by advertisements please double check the levels on the next video because i can’t be rocking the volume like im a deep house dj

[@Squossifrage]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_say_it%27s_spinach