Why isn’t Cher’s Clueless wardrobe a household staple yet? 5 podcasts that take a deep dive into the forces behind fashion

Iranian-born British comedian Shaparak Khorsandi hilariously reflects on the fashion sense of women on the day they turn 50. That’s when they start dressing like a toddler – all elasticated wide trousers and bright clashing colours, one of which is always aquamarine. When I watched her perform in London last month, I belly laughed with the rest of the crowd, who were also largely dressed in vivid Boden comfortcore.

The wider point is that we all recognise the uniform we are expected to wear for each phase of our lives, and most of us strictly abide by it. Starting with your big sister’s garish hand-me-downs, regardless of your gender, we wander through adolescence decked in feathers and bits of foil or whatever signifies being one of the crowd at the time. There’s a brief phase, if you’re lucky, of hoodies and jeans as a student and then it’s a lifetime of chic monochrome for the office and exquisite heels for going out followed by – plop – the sound of you landing back in your toddler wardrobe. Young people needn’t be smug; it’s inevitable for you, too.

Our implicit acceptance of the uniform is a multi-layered understanding we have negotiated with our cultural environments and physical supply chains, a river of deep currents that can sweep us along without too much thought. I am reminded of Meryl Streep’s searing take-down of Anne Hathaway’s cerulean jumper in the 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada.

Not everyone subscribes to the uniform, of course, but maintaining a unique personal style requires effort, the best examples of which are an art form in their own right. Conscious or not, our fashion choices are shaped by forces worth understanding. To start you off are this week’s recommendations of fashion podcasts that will make you think.

1. Articles of Interest

Originally released in 2018 as a mini-season about the clothing industry for design podcast 99% Invisible, Articles of Interest has become a chart topper in its own right. Its creator and host, Avery Trufelman, a producer at 99% Invisible until 2020, delves into the social history of fashion through episodes on items such as suits, wedding dresses, prison uniforms and Hawaiian shirts. Rather pleasingly, the miniseries has begat its own miniseries: American Ivy, a seven-parter on the perennial global popularity of the preppy look, as exemplified by Ralph Lauren. Fans of Clueless (1995), a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, will also appreciate the episode on why lead character Cher’s smart wardrobe is still not a staple in all our homes, nearly 30 years later.