France’s exciting new anti-fast fashion bill reminds Ali of the country’s long history of protecting its fashion industry. Just up for air from her usual deep dive, she shares some fascinating facts from Versailles and the lace-loving Louis kings to now. Jo, meanwhile, looks at Australia’s softly-softly approach at tackling fast fashion, and wonder…

Once considered bottom of the stylists pile by the upper echelons of fashion, so-called 'celebrity stylists' (sometimes 'red-carpet stylists') are suddenly being given the credit they think they deserve. As Zendaya's renowned stylist Law Roach explains: “There’s been this idea that I’m supposed to be grateful [to have a celebrity client]. No. She’s…

In true Questioning Fashion style, Ali and Jo grapple between the joy of cheap and cheerful group dress-ups and the mountains of dumped plastic spangles left in their wake. When Ali finally got her Eras tour ticket, a year after Jo overdressed for Harry Styles, it struck them both that while it isn’t a new phenomena (remember the Bay City Rollers’ …

Ali and Jo go on an excursion to talk to sustainable fashion designers Gary Bigeni and Sally Jackson at Sally's Join the Dots studio in Marrickville. We discuss their approach to sustainable fashion and specifically their work with the Opera House developing upcycling workshops for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We apologise for the very "r…

This week we're talking clothing care and sharing our favourite tips for washing, repairing and storing our clothes - because true sustainable fashion isn't about only buying from ethical brands or going op shopping all the time, it's about wearing the clothes you already own forever.Email us: questioningfashionpodcast@slogue.com.auOur Instagram ac…

If you don't already know Terrance Williams - a fashion designer and influencer from Dallas, Texas - then boy are you in for a treat.We get to know the man who rose like a phoenix when a post went viral and filled his inbox with hate.We hear how he grew up poor and as the only kid of colour in school, was bullied for his secondhand clothes, began a…

Remember how Downton Abbey used to LOVE doing Christmas Specials? Well, this is ours. We take a deep dive into Downton's costumes, do some weird impressions of McBride and Violet, and discuss how Jo met one of the Downton maids at drama camp in Manchester, England. Ali as always has done some actual research so listen for some fun facts. We also as…

In our last official episode of the year, we head back to Ali's History Corner and learn all about sequins and sparkle. We talk about the EU's recent glitter ban, the history of sequins and how to style sequins. Email us: questioningfashionpodcast@slogue.com.au Our Instagram accounts: instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast instagram.com/jogambale …

This week Ali tells Jo all about Oleg Cassini, a costume and fashion designer who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s and led an action-packed life throughout Europe, Hollywood and New York. Oleg Cassini loves to credit himself with... well, basically everything. What's your claim to fame? The interview with Gene Tierney is here Email us: quest…

Today marks the release of the most FABULOUS new book about vintage and personal style. We were lucky enough to talk to the author of the book, deliciously titled How To Be Fabulous, for this week's episode, about all things vintage, secondhand, personal style and "bowerbird capsule wardrobes". Charlotte Dallison has worn many (fabulous) hats, from…

We get all fangirly with our latest guest, fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes Bell, who's absolutely killin' it in the UK with her infinite knowledge on the subject. She's turned what she admits was a dry subject to study (cue snores in the lecture room) to a relatable and fascinating phenomenon that sees her as a regular on panels as well as the…

We catch up with the delightfully named Gwen Venn of Save the Children to talk about the Love Rack, a super fun and clever initiative that allows the op shop to sell clothes in need of repair to those happy to take them on. As advocates of "better done than perfect" and "lazy sewing" if it means you get more out of your wardrobe and dump less on op…

Jo and Ali talk about what comes over them while shopping away from home, and why we buy things that might be a bit out of character for us usually. We hear from a few listeners about the strange things they've bought on holidays - tell us yours! Email us: questioningfashionpodcast@slogue.com.au Our Instagram accounts: instagram.com/questioningfash…

Welcome to Season 2!!!! Ali and Jo start off with a BANG, interviewing the awesome Veronica Milsom of Triple J and ABC fame, a year after the release of her ABC podcast Threads. In the lead-up to a very cool online event where Ali and Jo get to help Veronica with her wardrobe woes Live for the Garage Sale Trail Tutorials, they chat with Veronica ab…

We love Clueless! And we think you do too, which is why we chose to devote our Season 1 finale (!) to the incredible costuming on this iconic movie. We'd LOVE to hear all of your thoughts! Find us at instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast Contact Jo: jogambale@gmail.com instagram.com/jogambale tiktok.com/@slogue_joannegambale Contact Ali: ali@bell…

We speak to Ali's friend Simon about his project to wear a different band t-shirt every day until he runs out of t-shirts. We discuss the "rules" around wearing band t-shirts, how we can use clothing to preserve memories and why Simon doesn't own any Hanson t-shirts. Simon's daily t-shirt videos can be found on his instagram story highlights - inst…

After telling everyone at Footprints Ecofestival to channel their inner child when shopping their own wardrobe, Ali and Jo discuss what that actually means, recalling their own childhood dressing, their children's self-styling and why we lose the capacity to just "play" with our looks, without fear of judgement. For photos of some of the childhood …

Jo and Ali attempt to figure out why people get so fixated on planning the perfect, non-cookie-cutter-wedding, but mostly just end up talking about their own weddings. Maybe that in itself answers the question? Something about humans being innately self-centred and weddings being the ultimate 'look at me' event? We'd love your thoughts. Find us on …

We discuss everything from Boomer feminism to lazy sewing and repair hacks from the 'Jamie Oliver of Sewing'. Guests include regular listener Laurel and an accidental appearance by Ali's mum Robyn. Both help us to unpick the problem that arises from so few being able to mend or adjust their clothes. The book Ali recommends is called Sew it Yourself…

We all have favourite pieces that we've worn over and over. We also all have pieces we love that we don't wear as much as we'd like to. This episode is all about different ways we can elevate our less worn pieces to the status of new favourites - we also happen to be currently obsessed with the Matildas, and try to turn the whole thing into a sport…

After Jo's first foray into red carpet styling, for actress Kate Box at Australia's biggest TV Awards (AKA the Logies), Ali and Jo delve into the most famous Red Carpet event of all; the Oscars. From Grace Kelly in blue silk-satin to Billy Porter in a tux-gown, they pick 11 looks that tell the story of the Oscars fashion evolution, peppered with fu…

Ali has been seeing videos all over Tiktok dedicated to the never-ending quest of discovering and labelling one's personal style - whether it's through choosing a Gen Z-approved "aesthetic", finding the "three words" that define your style or locking down a specific colour palette. Is this at all useful or necessary, and why do we feel the need for…

In the first of our new sub-podcast Fictional Fashion, which unravels the looks of our favourite fashion moments on screen, we delve into the polarising style of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Jo, an avid fan, passionately defends all the 'worst dressed' looks dreamt up by SJP and Patricia Field as "self aware", "tongue in cheek" and groundbr…

This week Ali and Jo question whether marketing, merchandising and sales tactics used by big retailers are sneaky or just good business. Ali decided on a whim to ask her tiktok following for input and accidentally went viral - thanks for all the comments! Find us on instagram: instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast Contact Ali: ali@bell-street.com…

In this episode we join the age-old but apparently new debate that questions the ethics of resellers and 'thrift-flippers'. We discuss the specific issues many have with resellers: that they are robbing op shops of potential profits/at the same time as forcing charity shops to put up their prices. [confused face] .... hmmmmm .... If you have anythi…

Ali and Jo head to the Carla Zampatti exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum and Jo gets in trouble straight away. Apart from that, we mostly just have a series of fashion-y conversations sparked by what we saw in the exhibit. Find us on instagram: instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast Contact Ali: ali@bell-street.com instagram.com/bellstreet tiktok…

In the wake of both Australian Fashion Week and the 10-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, we ask whether we're doing enough and discuss Jo's new one-woman campaign and shopping ban, which she's titled: 'My S**t, My Problem'. The seven-month shopping ban has since turned into one whole year, in the hope the severity of it might gain some pu…

Ali goes to Afterpay Australian Fashion Week and talks to as many people as she can find - we talk about how we choose outfits for fashion week, what are the biggest issues in the fashion industry and what can we do about them. Featuring: Sarah Jane Adams, Amy Morgan, Tess Nguyen, Phoebe Blogg, Nadine Muyambo, Jason Ma, Megan Jarrott, Elise Faust, …

This week we answer a listener question about where we sit on the scale of minimalist capsule wardrobes vs keeping a vast personal archive, and talk about how we manage our own wardrobes. We'd love you to send in your questions via any of the contact methods below, or come along to our workshop with Inner West Council: https://www.eventbrite.com.au…

This week, Ali digs up an old research paper from uni about "The Swinging Sixties" and tries to pass it off as a topical episode. We talk about Mary Quant, Chelsea, Carnaby Street, Mods, Biba, and who we'd try to meet if we went time travelling. The books Ali mentions are "Quant on Quant" by Mary Quant and "In My Own Fashion" by Oleg Cassini. Our I…

We have our first guest on the show! Mia from Ruby Raisin joins us to talk about all things small business and whether there is merit to the idea of just staying small. Our Instagram accounts: www.instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast www.instagram.com/joannegambale www.instagram.com/bellstreet www.instagram.com/ruby_raisin_ Our TikTok accounts: …

This is our ode to the blog/books/movie doco phenomenon that is Advanced Style. We discuss the 10-year-old movement that celebrates stylish women over 60. We talk about great personal style as a long-term evolution, made possible by life experience, wise and creative fashion consumption, and perfecting the art of not giving a sh!^ . Get ready to be…

Today we're talking sustainable basics - where do we get the little bits and pieces that we don't tend to buy second hand? Undies, socks, activewear, swimwear, sneakers - we go through some sustainable brands we've found and talk about whether there are any other options too. Links: We owe all of our research to https://goodonyou.eco Undies: https:…

Just weeks after Harry Styles' Love On Tour turned Sydney into a giant dress-up party, we ask what has inspired such a sartorial response from fans. We discuss his gender fluid outfits, his in-demand stylist Harry Lambert, forgotten feminist fashion renegade Elizabeth Hawes and those Glam Rock and New Romantic stars that came before Harry (Elton! P…

In our 6th episode of Questioning Fashion, we ask how much truth there is to the idea that people were smaller in "the old days" and if not, why are vintage clothes so tiny? W discuss a lot of tricky body-related topics in this one so feel free to skip this one if that's not for you, or use the time stamps below to pick and choose which bits you'd …

In our fifth episode of Questioning Fashion we look at how to make "good" purchases that we don't regret. We do a show and tell session with some of our favourite things we've ever bought, and talk about how to buy less and buy better. Warning - the audio on this episode isn't the best, we were recording in a different room than usual and also made…

In our fourth episode of Questioning Fashion we are discussing all things NEW - new things we've bought lately, why we crave new things and what we can do when we feel the itch to buy something new. Shops/brands mentioned: Route 66 - Vintage shop specialising in jeans on Enmore Road The Vintage Clothing Shop - fancy vintage shop in the city Bond Ey…

In our third episode of questioning fashion we are talking about our favourite fashion movies. If you want to skip to a particular movie, we talk about - Pretty Woman at 03:30 Atonement at 07:38 Clueless at 09:34 Love Story at 12:17 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes/ How to Marry a Millionaire 13:37 Moulin Rouge at 16:14 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at 18…

In our second episode of Questioning Fashion we discuss 'outfit panic' - why is it SO hard to choose an outfit for a night out? We’re talking about those situations that lie somewhere in between “everyday life” and “special occasions” - dinner with friends, a date, birthday drinks… You try on 14 different outfits and end up rushing out the door in …

Welcome to our first (proper) episode of Questioning Fashion! You can find our four Youtube episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqnxDOMrRzs&list=PLg4BKZ2IOgXEWlb8JbinNbMu_qUbmRk0Q Our instagram accounts: http://instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcast http://instagram.com/bellstreet http://instagram.com/joannegambale Our TikTok accounts: …