Forever Ago host Joy Dolo is looking for the perfect outfit for the Brains On Ball, but her massive closet has too many different articles of clothing to choose from. Lucky for Joy, Brains On producer Rosie duPont knows the best way to find the perfect outfit: a game of First Things First! Grab you Smarty Pass for a game that’s as fun as it is glam!
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SMARTY PAL: Now entering Brains On! Headquarters.
JOY DOLO: Smarty Pal, thank goodness you're here! I'm rummaging through my closet, looking for the best outfit and can't find anything. You see, tonight is the Brains On! ball, and everyone will be there. Molly Bloom, Gungador, and most importantly, the biggest cake you can imagine. But I shan't be going to the party if I can't find an acceptable outfit.
ROSIE DUPONT: Joy, what is taking so long?
JOY DOLO: Brains On! producer, Rosie DuPont, thank goodness you're here! I need help picking an outfit. Uhh, the Brains On! ball starts in 10 minutes. That means 10 minutes before I get a bite of that delicious cake.
ROSIE DUPONT: Ugh, we need to get going now.
JOY DOLO: I'm just so stuck. None of these outfits work. Black suit? Too formal. Wet suit? Too wet. Zoot suit, too zooty. Birthday suit?
ROSIE DUPONT: Ooh, let's, uh, keep searching.
JOY DOLO: Oh.
ROSIE DUPONT: You know what's a great way to look for an incredible outfit?
JOY DOLO: Shopping montage.
ROSIE DUPONT: No, we play a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING] First Things First!
I'll list off some clothes, and you tell me what was invented first, what came second, and what came most recently.
JOY DOLO: OK, let's play!
ROSIE DUPONT: All right, reaching into your closet, I see a feather boa that goes perfectly with this pink gown.
JOY DOLO: Ooh, a feather boa is kind of like an extravagant scarf made of colorful feathers.
ROSIE DUPONT: I also have a fedora hat that looks great with this pinstripe suit.
JOY DOLO: A fedora is a type of hat with a brim. Sometimes you see it in old movies.
ROSIE DUPONT: And lastly, these high heels that would look perfect with anything. So, Joy, your items are a feather boa, a fedora, and high heels. Joy, which do you think was invented first? Which popped up second? And which was created most recently?
JOY DOLO: Rosie, these are really great items. I can't believe I have them all in my closet. I should really dig deep and maybe do some spring cleaning. But I would say this is-- OK, so this is all based on facts. The Joy Facts is what I'm going to call them. So I think that the first, the oldest in history, was high heels, because-- I think according to a Fancy Man episode, absolutely, from Forever Ago, we talked about how dudes used to wear high heels, like a little stub on their heels, to be fancy. And so I'm going to go with that being the oldest.
And then I'm kind of stuck between feather boa and a fedora, because-- I mean, a feather boa-- I don't-- I don't know. I feel like that would be maybe older, because pheasant and, like, hunting and, you know. I don't know if it used to be like duck feathers. If you have a good hunt, you get duck-feather necklace. And then a fedora, because I think fedora is like in the old movies. I think they were famous from 1920s maybe? OK, so I think it's going to be one is high heels. Two is a feather boa. And three, the most recent in history is a fedora. Do you think that's right, Rosie?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, Joy, all we're doing here, we're all just doing our best, right? And you are correct! Woo-hoo! Yes!
JOY DOLO: What?
ROSIE DUPONT: 100% correct, Joy! You're a genius. The order of First Things First is high heels, feather boa, fedora. Ding, ding, ding. 100 points. OK, let me just give you a little historical context and confirm your brilliant, brilliant educated guess.
JOY DOLO: Brilliantness. Can we also call all of my teachers from middle school and high school and let them know that I am actually very smart, and not just a theater person?
ROSIE DUPONT: That's the historical genius, Joy Dolo, in the house. OK, so high heels were invented in Persia in the 10th century, and they were originally designed for men.
JOY DOLO: I knew it! Thanks Forever Ago.
ROSIE DUPONT: And it was wealthy men, who wore them to give them additional height. And when they rode on horseback, the heels clicked into the stirrups. And so these Persian royalty then traveled to European courts in the 17th century. And they brought the trend with them. And soon heels were widespread among men in European courts. There was click, clack, click, click, clacking down hallways and talking in fancy voices. Wealthy women would then begin to wear the shoe for its status and height-giving powers. And by the 18th century, it was considered a piece of feminine footwear. Too bad the transfer happened, because, honestly, I don't really like wearing high heels.
All right, next up we have feather boas. So the origin of the feather boa is kind of hard to pin down. So this guy, Henri Bendel, who was a fashion designer claims to have invented the feather boa in the late 1800s. But imagery in paintings shows boas as early as the 17th century. So we're not really sure. But we do know, at least, that high heels were invented before boas.
And, finally, the history of the fedora. It's much easier to pin down, because the hat's name is based on a play that came out on December 11, 1882. And the play was called Fedora, unsurprisingly. And in it, the protagonist Princess Fedora Romazoff wears the hat.
JOY DOLO: And she started it.
ROSIE DUPONT: And she started it, which is pretty interesting, because when it came to the United States and really gained popularity in the Prohibition era in the 1920s and 1930s, it was gangsters and movie stars who were most often seen wearing the hat. Since then, the fedora has been seen on super famous people like Michael Jackson, Indiana Jones, and my dad.
JOY DOLO: I love First Things First. Now that I know the order my accessories came in, I know exactly what to wear.
ROSIE DUPONT: What's that?
JOY DOLO: All of them.
ROSIE DUPONT: Really? Really? Oh.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Oh, how do I look?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh my gosh, Joy, stunning, gorgeous.
JOY DOLO: Rosie, get your jaw off the floor, and let's go.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK! Party time! Let's eat some cake.
JOY DOLO: Yum!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Shaffer. Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
Bye!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: Smarty Pal, thank goodness you're here! I'm rummaging through my closet, looking for the best outfit and can't find anything. You see, tonight is the Brains On! ball, and everyone will be there. Molly Bloom, Gungador, and most importantly, the biggest cake you can imagine. But I shan't be going to the party if I can't find an acceptable outfit.
ROSIE DUPONT: Joy, what is taking so long?
JOY DOLO: Brains On! producer, Rosie DuPont, thank goodness you're here! I need help picking an outfit. Uhh, the Brains On! ball starts in 10 minutes. That means 10 minutes before I get a bite of that delicious cake.
ROSIE DUPONT: Ugh, we need to get going now.
JOY DOLO: I'm just so stuck. None of these outfits work. Black suit? Too formal. Wet suit? Too wet. Zoot suit, too zooty. Birthday suit?
ROSIE DUPONT: Ooh, let's, uh, keep searching.
JOY DOLO: Oh.
ROSIE DUPONT: You know what's a great way to look for an incredible outfit?
JOY DOLO: Shopping montage.
ROSIE DUPONT: No, we play a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING] First Things First!
I'll list off some clothes, and you tell me what was invented first, what came second, and what came most recently.
JOY DOLO: OK, let's play!
ROSIE DUPONT: All right, reaching into your closet, I see a feather boa that goes perfectly with this pink gown.
JOY DOLO: Ooh, a feather boa is kind of like an extravagant scarf made of colorful feathers.
ROSIE DUPONT: I also have a fedora hat that looks great with this pinstripe suit.
JOY DOLO: A fedora is a type of hat with a brim. Sometimes you see it in old movies.
ROSIE DUPONT: And lastly, these high heels that would look perfect with anything. So, Joy, your items are a feather boa, a fedora, and high heels. Joy, which do you think was invented first? Which popped up second? And which was created most recently?
JOY DOLO: Rosie, these are really great items. I can't believe I have them all in my closet. I should really dig deep and maybe do some spring cleaning. But I would say this is-- OK, so this is all based on facts. The Joy Facts is what I'm going to call them. So I think that the first, the oldest in history, was high heels, because-- I think according to a Fancy Man episode, absolutely, from Forever Ago, we talked about how dudes used to wear high heels, like a little stub on their heels, to be fancy. And so I'm going to go with that being the oldest.
And then I'm kind of stuck between feather boa and a fedora, because-- I mean, a feather boa-- I don't-- I don't know. I feel like that would be maybe older, because pheasant and, like, hunting and, you know. I don't know if it used to be like duck feathers. If you have a good hunt, you get duck-feather necklace. And then a fedora, because I think fedora is like in the old movies. I think they were famous from 1920s maybe? OK, so I think it's going to be one is high heels. Two is a feather boa. And three, the most recent in history is a fedora. Do you think that's right, Rosie?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh, Joy, all we're doing here, we're all just doing our best, right? And you are correct! Woo-hoo! Yes!
JOY DOLO: What?
ROSIE DUPONT: 100% correct, Joy! You're a genius. The order of First Things First is high heels, feather boa, fedora. Ding, ding, ding. 100 points. OK, let me just give you a little historical context and confirm your brilliant, brilliant educated guess.
JOY DOLO: Brilliantness. Can we also call all of my teachers from middle school and high school and let them know that I am actually very smart, and not just a theater person?
ROSIE DUPONT: That's the historical genius, Joy Dolo, in the house. OK, so high heels were invented in Persia in the 10th century, and they were originally designed for men.
JOY DOLO: I knew it! Thanks Forever Ago.
ROSIE DUPONT: And it was wealthy men, who wore them to give them additional height. And when they rode on horseback, the heels clicked into the stirrups. And so these Persian royalty then traveled to European courts in the 17th century. And they brought the trend with them. And soon heels were widespread among men in European courts. There was click, clack, click, click, clacking down hallways and talking in fancy voices. Wealthy women would then begin to wear the shoe for its status and height-giving powers. And by the 18th century, it was considered a piece of feminine footwear. Too bad the transfer happened, because, honestly, I don't really like wearing high heels.
All right, next up we have feather boas. So the origin of the feather boa is kind of hard to pin down. So this guy, Henri Bendel, who was a fashion designer claims to have invented the feather boa in the late 1800s. But imagery in paintings shows boas as early as the 17th century. So we're not really sure. But we do know, at least, that high heels were invented before boas.
And, finally, the history of the fedora. It's much easier to pin down, because the hat's name is based on a play that came out on December 11, 1882. And the play was called Fedora, unsurprisingly. And in it, the protagonist Princess Fedora Romazoff wears the hat.
JOY DOLO: And she started it.
ROSIE DUPONT: And she started it, which is pretty interesting, because when it came to the United States and really gained popularity in the Prohibition era in the 1920s and 1930s, it was gangsters and movie stars who were most often seen wearing the hat. Since then, the fedora has been seen on super famous people like Michael Jackson, Indiana Jones, and my dad.
JOY DOLO: I love First Things First. Now that I know the order my accessories came in, I know exactly what to wear.
ROSIE DUPONT: What's that?
JOY DOLO: All of them.
ROSIE DUPONT: Really? Really? Oh.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Oh, how do I look?
ROSIE DUPONT: Oh my gosh, Joy, stunning, gorgeous.
JOY DOLO: Rosie, get your jaw off the floor, and let's go.
ROSIE DUPONT: OK! Party time! Let's eat some cake.
JOY DOLO: Yum!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Shaffer. Brains On! is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
Bye!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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