Redressing Fashion

Dr. Laura Beltran Rubio, fashion historian and style coach, shares a personal recap of London Fashion Week focused on what actually mattered to her: how designers rework cultural dress, how garments are made, why business readiness matters, and whether runway shows are still the best way to present fashion. It’s a thoughtful, insider view shaped by Laura’s multiple roles as historian, buyer, stylist, and advisor.

In this episode, Laura looks at a wide range of designers and presentations, from Indian, Korean, West African, Colombian-Chilean, and European craft traditions to the practical realities of production, pricing, and selling. She also asks a bigger question: do fashion weeks need the runway at all?

Full episode transcript, photos, brand names and websites, and further resources: https://laurabelru.com/a-fashion-storyteller-in-london-fashion-week-recap/ 

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

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STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

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THANK YOU!

Special thanks to I.DEA PR for the many invitations and hospitality during London Fashion Week, and to Fashion Scout for making me part of their community since I first moved to London already 3 years ago.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Let’s talk about London Fashion Week!

01:51 How I go through fashion week

06:51 Redressing cultural influences from the Indian subcontinent

13:30 Reconstructing the Hanbok

16:09 Borrowing European textile traditions

19:45 Materiality: textiles and weaving

22:55 Nostalgia, manufacture and sustainability in Anciela

27:28 My obsession with menswear

29:40 A beautiful human behind a beautiful brand

31:12 The one that made my inner horsegirl happy

32:49 Where’s the business?!

36:35 Do we actually need a runway?

40:32 We’ve made it!

Dr. Laura Beltran-Rubio reflects on her first year after leaving academia and what that shift has meant in practice, emotionally and professionally. This episode is a personal solo reflection on career change, but it also offers concrete takeaways for anyone navigating a major pivot, especially across academia, cultural work, and independent practice.

Full episode transcript, photos, and further resources: https://laurabelru.com/i-quit-academia-one-year-ago-heres-what-ive-learned/

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/ 

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/ 

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/ 

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/ 

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/ 

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/ 

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru  

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RELEVANT LINKS

5 questions that unlock your personal style and make fashion feel effortless: https://laurabelru.com/5-questions-that-unlock-your-personal-style-and-make-fashion-feel-effortless/

Apply for style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/redress-your-style/ 

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Hello again!

00:41 An end-of-summer reflection

04:06 The disillusionment with academia

10:48 Five lessons from my first year out of academia

11:38 Lesson 1. On academic PTSD

16:20 On breaking free from academic structures

24:19 Lesson 2. On the value of the humanities

27:24 What building a business means

29:58 Lesson 3. No part of the journey is wasted

34:59 Applying academia into style coaching

36:20 Lesson 4. On transferable skills

45:34 Lesson 5. The contradiction I've been living with

50:00 Episode recap

In this episode, Dr. Laura Beltran-Rubio revisits the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Schiaparelli exhibition and explains why it left a much stronger impression than expected. She shares how the show uses object analysis, visual storytelling, and exhibition design to illuminate Elsa Schiaparelli’s work, her collaborations, and the house’s revival under Daniel Roseberry.

This is a solo episode focused on fashion history, curatorial practice, and the relationship between fashion and art. Laura also reflects on the limits of the “genius designer” narrative and on how exhibitions can educate through carefully chosen objects, not just spectacle.

Full episode transcript, photos, and further resources: https://laurabelru.com/fashion-becomes-art-review-of-schiaparelli-at-the-va/ 

RELEVANT LINKS ✨

Fashion-loving exhibitions in London: https://laurabelru.com/10-must-see-fashion-loving-exhibitions-in-london-this-summer/

Another mention of the Pomellato exhibition: https://laurabelru.com/a-trip-to-paris-fashion-history-and-my-journey-in-style/

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

In this episode, Kailey Waskall (@occupationbeauty) joins Dr Laura Beltrán-Rubio to discuss the intersections between accessible makeup, fashion, and occupational therapy. In this conversation, we reflect on the personal and societal importance of self-expression through style and beauty as we challenge industry and social norms about accessibility and fashion. We underline that inclusive beauty and fashion are not just practical concerns but vital avenues for personal empowerment and societal progress. Everyone benefits when design prioritizes accessibility, diversity, and self-expression.

Full episode transcript, photos, and further resources: https://laurabelru.com/accessible-beauty-with-kailey-waskall/ 

Follow Kailey Waskall at Occupation Beauty for resources, tips, and a community committed to accessible beauty:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/occupationbeauty/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@occupationbeauty
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@occupationbeauty
• Substack: https://substack.com/@occupationbeauty

Consider subscribing to Kailey’s free Accessify database for ongoing updates on adaptive and inclusive products.

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WORK WITH LAURA 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive and transcripts: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Soundbites

00:40 Hello, Kailey Waskall!

01:24 Kailey's journey to accessible beauty

05:56 Parallel journeys in fashion and beauty

07:56 When beauty falls to the wayside...

08:57 Quick words about the internet

10:54 What is accessible makeup?

12:34 Beauty and Universal Design

16:42 The next wave of inclusion is disability inclusion

18:23 The nuances of clean beauty and sustainability

25:01 Navigating information abundance

26:28 Aligning with your moral compass

30:06 When you have less choice

33:00 Filtering information and building trust

36:16 Makeup, fashion, and self-expression

41:11 Fashion, makeup, and mental health

42:55 Occupational fashion...?

44:54 Accessibility helps us all!

46:33 How to make fashion and beauty more accessible?

50:34 Three little things to make beauty more inclusive

53:35 Thank you! and next steps

Join host Laura Beltrán Rubio as she shares her recent Paris adventures centered around fashion, art, and personal style coaching. Discover how travel intertwines with self-expression and professional growth, and get inspired to explore your own style journeys.

Full episode transcript, photos, and further resources: https://laurabelru.com/a-trip-to-paris-fashion-history-and-my-journey-in-style/ 

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back!

01:44 Personal shopping in Paris

04:03 A fashionable stay

08:32 Our day-by-day itinerary in Paris

10:52 Lunch at Le Grand Café

12:43 Matisse at Grand Palais

14:29 A nap and a bookstore run

17:27 Wine at Mon Square

19:06 First personal shopping session

20:22 A visit to Paris's oldest jewelry house

24:13 Shopping intermission: Lunch at Le Voltaire

24:54 Back to shopping: Maria de la Orden

27:27 Quick stop at Galeries Lafayette

28:51 Dinner at Mischief

29:55 Method dressing for Calder

31:19 Shopping at Le Marais

34:36 Dessert break and our final stop: Chanel

35:42 Last dinner at Recoin

38:30 One last exhibition: Pomellato

43:11 A small rant about fashion exhibitions

45:50 One last ritual: Angelina

48:13 And of course I cried!

50:58 Thank you! & PSA

Unlock the secret to truly expressing your authentic self through style. As a seasoned fashion historian and personal stylist, I reveal my unique sociological approach to uncovering your Style Essence—a deep, personal core that guides what you wear and how you express yourself through fashion. This episode isn’t about trends; it’s about understanding who you are and shaping your style such that it reflects your identity, values, and ambitions with confidence and authenticity.

Imagine your style as a story—one that encapsulates your cultural roots, life experiences, dreams, personality, and ambitions.

In this episode I introduce my powerful five-question framework that helps you unearth your true style motivations, from childhood memories to aspirational visions of your higher self. As we go through the questions, I also share my own journey with style, illustrating how personal history, cultural identity, and life changes shape our fashion choices.

KEY DISCOVERIES

1. The sociological foundation of style as a social and political negotiation, not just personal preference
2. How our earliest fashion memories influence current style frustrations or confidence
3. The importance of knowing your Fashion Why and how wardrobe ingredients tell your story
4. How to align your clothing choices with your core identity and ambitions
5. Practical exercises—including journaling and visualisation—to connect with your ‘style future self’

STYLE ASSESSMENT FORM

https://laurabelru.com/redress-your-style/

FURTHER RESOURCES

Fashion theories in action: https://laurabelru.com/fashion-theories-in-action/

Must-see fashion exhibitions in London this summer: https://laurabelru.com/10-must-see-fashion-loving-exhibitions-in-london-this-summer/

On pocket activism: https://laurabelru.com/loose-thoughts-on-making-a-difference-with-our-everyday-choices/

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Luxury fashion tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Excavating your Style Essence

04:23 Fashion vs style

06:46 Uncovering your Fashion Why

09:13 Five questions to reconnect with your style

10:48 Start with who you are

20:33 Early memories of fashion

27:56 More recent experiences

39:29 Connect with your Higher Self

45:43 Manifesting with your style journey

47:59 Three Little Things

Join me as I explore ten exciting exhibitions in London that every fashion enthusiast should visit. From royal celebrations to contemporary critiques, this episode covers must-see showcases that blend fashion, art, music, and history—perfect for your summer cultural itinerary. Thanks for tuning in, and happy fashion exploring!

🚨 Book your FASHION HISTORY & SHOPPING TOUR OF LONDON — https://laurabelru.com/contact/

For all links, references and more information about the exhibitions mentioned, visit: https://laurabelru.com/10-must-see-fashion-loving-exhibitions-in-london-this-summer/. 

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

📍 Fashion history & shopping tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 Instagram: https://tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

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THANK YOU!

To Dr Madeleine Hadden for the invitation to view The Music is Black: A British Story.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back to Redressing Fashion!

02:29 Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style

05:51 NIGO: From Japan with Love

08:26 Paint, Pattern, Print

09:56 Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art

14:17 The Music is Black: A British Story

19:02 Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait

21:39 James McNeill Whistler

25:33 Jewel Tones

30:43 High Seas; Closed Skies

35:13 Zurbarán

38:57 Coming soon!

Welcome back to my adventures as a fashion historian and style coach—and to a new and upgraded version of my Life Lately. I hope you do take that ‘upgraded’ seriously because we’re experimenting with new formats (blending audiovisuals with writing) and finally reporting from the other side of my most recent life changes.

In this episode I reflect on shedding the last of my academic identity, embracing styling as my main and preeminent professional practice, and connecting deeply with creative passions. I’ve come to call June as my ‘happy artsy month’ but it was also one heavy in self-discovery and the courage required for any new beginning. I hope you like it!

View all links, restaurant names and art references at https://laurabelru.substack.com/p/the-other-side-of-academic-trauma.

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

🗺️ Fashion history tours of London: https://laurabelru.com/storytelling/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹

✨ Redressing Fashion archive: https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Embracing Change: A New Chapter in Life

02:18 I’ve closed a chapter so I needed a break!

08:09 Wait—but I’m still researching

10:35 Order of the day

11:52 A new experience of London in June

15:04 London Gallery Week(end)

15:33 A workshop with Campbell Addy

20:09 A daytrip to Hastings

20:56 Collecting as the pursuit of love

22:01 A couple of exhibitions (more next week)

23:48 Treasure House Fair

27:03 London eats in June

28:11 What I read in June: French!

31:33 A murder mystery

32:34 A new love of fantasy

34:59 The *one* fashion history book that made the cut

36:39 Upcoming adventures

Today, I’m joined by Kaitlyn Moore, a body image advocate and influencer, to explore the realities of existing in fashion as a fat girl. We dive into how fashion industry norms impact fat bodies and discuss strategies to empower diverse self-expression through clothing. This candid conversation is packed with insights for anyone interested in challenging fashion stereotypes and embracing authentic self-acceptance—regardless of your body size! Tune in for some tips to break the rules in fashion, an analysis of changing trends around body size and beauty ideals, and some unfiltered thoughts on what sustainable fashion should really address.

ABOUT KAITLYN

Kaitlyn is a plus size lifestyle creator based in the Bay Area, CA. She encourages folks of all shapes and sizes to live their lives with confidence. In addition to being a body image advocate, she is a cat mom of 4, line dancing instructor, pickleball enthusiast, avid reader, and expecting her first baby this summer.

📱 Kaitlyn’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sass.and.cellulite 

📽️ Kaitlyn’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sassandcellulite 

🎙️ Kaitlyn’s podcast, “A Dose of Sass”: https://open.spotify.com/show/3CTWLGNVigz6hYxt4YgLk2 

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FURTHER READINGS 📚

BOOK - Lauren Downing Peters, Fashion Before Plus-Size: Bodies, Bias, and the Birth of an Industry* (Bloomsbury, 2023).

ARTICLE - Lauren Downing Peters, “You Are What You Wear: How Plus-Size Fashion Figures in Fat Identity Formation,” Fashion Theory 18, no. 1 (2014): 45–71.

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WORK WITH LAURA 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/ 

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/ 

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/ 

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STAY IN TOUCH 🌹 

✨ Redressing Fashion (blog & podcast): https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/ 

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/ 

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru 

📽️ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurabelru

Welcome back to Redressing Fashion! It’s been way too long, as life has been life-ing a bit too hard for me recently. But I’m back with an episode I’ve been wanting to create for ages, inspired by the shift in my career. Since leaving my academic post a few months ago and embracing personal style coaching, I’ve realized I’ve become my clients’ personal fashion anthropologist.

Today, I’m bringing five core definitions of fashion theory out of the classroom and linking them back to the mundane, practical, actionable aspects of getting dressed. I cover theories that explore fashion as a situated bodily practice, a practice of assemblage, a system of signs, an articulation of our fluid identities, and the cultural construction of the embodied identity.

At a more personal level, I dive into how we can consciously use fashion’s capacity as language and construction to shape our relationships with the world and determine how we are perceived. The ultimate lesson is that fashion is not about achieving a specific look or following trends, but about self-expression, self-empowerment, and feeling so good from the inside out that you inevitably look good.

👗 Find out more about style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/ 

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REFERENCES 📚

Fashion Theory. https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rfft20. 

Barthes, Roland. The Language of Fashion*. Edited by Andy Stafford and Michael Carter. Translated by Andy Stafford. Editions du Seuil, 2004. Reprint, Bloomsbury, 2013.

Entwistle, Joanne. “Fashion and Fleshy Body: Dress as Embodied Practice.” Fashion Theory 4, no. 3 (2000): 323–48.

Kaiser, Susan B. and Denise Nichole Green. Fashion and cultural studies*. Bloomsbury, 2021.

Lurie, Alison. The Language of Clothes. Henry Holt, 2000.

Woodward, Sophie. “‘Humble’ Blue Jeans: Material Culture Approaches to Understanding the Ordinary, Global, and the Personal.” In Fashion Studies: Research Methods, Sites and Practices*, edited by Heike Jenss. Bloomsbury, 2016.

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RELEVANT LINKS 💡

Life updates:

- Newsletter: “The world is burning and all I think about is fashion” - https://laurabelru.com/the-world-is-burning-and-all-i-think-about-is-fashion/

- Video: “A very belated update” - https://youtu.be/SbyPQjICPEE 

Podcast episode: “Fashion, ecology, and plastic-free living with Dr Georgia Ennis” - https://laurabelru.com/fashion-ecology-and-plastic-free-living-with-dr-georgia-ennis/ 

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WORK WITH ME 🧚🏻‍♀️

👗 Style coaching: https://laurabelru.com/style/

🎙️ Speaking and guest lecturing: https://laurabelru.com/speaker/

👩🏻‍🏫 Writing, editing, research, and other academic support: https://laurabelru.com/contact/

------------

STAY IN TOUCH 🌹 

✨ Redressing Fashion (blog & podcast): https://laurabelru.com/redressing-fashion/

📧 Substack: https://laurabelru.substack.com/

📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabelru 

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru

📽️ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurabelru