Unlocked: The Fashion Episode, ft. Emanuela Scarpellini

Emanuela Scarpellini is a Professor of Modern History at the University of Milan, Italy. She is the author of several books, including Material Nation: A Consumer's History of Modern Italy (2011) and Food and Foodways in Italy from 1861 to the Present (Palgrave, 2016).

We talked about Professor Scarpellini's book, Italian Fashion since 1945: A Cultural History, along with class structure in modern Italy, the influence of textile workers in the Italian left, the grand tradition of dandyism in politics, the political functions and rationale of different wardrobes and styles, and much, much more.

Enjoy the episode, and check out her book if you get the opportunity. I will probably make this one public in a few weeks, after we get through some more episodes on Feltrinelli and the Red Brigades.

Cover image from "Extreme paparazzi: glamour and violence in 1970s Italy - in pictures," The Guardian, October 3, 2014, which showcases pieces from the exhibition, Amor e Piombo, featured at the 2014 Brighton Photo Biennial commissioned by the Archive of Modern Conflict and Photoworks.