Podcast

Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud

Arts, Fashion & Beauty, Relationships, Society & Culture

Each week join the renowned fashion designer Bella Freud as she invites a special guest to lie on the couch and explore the connection between fashion and identity.

Bella’s conversations begin with questions about style: what we reveal and hide through the clothes we wear. Bella also shares her own anecdotes and the conversations expand into deeper discussions on life’s universal themes - love, identity, culture, anxiousness, and politics.

Through a series of tailored questions, Bella creates a relaxed, intimate atmosphere where her guests - ranging from fashion icons to cultural figures in sport, art, music, film, and literature - reveal more about themselves than they might expect. Fashion is often dismissed as surface, but in this podcast it becomes the lens through which we examine our inner lives, relationships, and society.

Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud offers a unique, thoughtful, and engaging conversation that goes far beyond what we wear, diving into the unspoken language of clothing and the ways in which we use style to navigate and communicate in the world.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

www.fashionneurosis.com

www.fashionneurosis.substack.com

@fashioneurosis_bellafreud

Fashion & Beauty chart
#2
Episodes
100
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
1 hr 17 min
On air since
2024
Latest episode
6 days ago

Episodes

100 episodes, newest first

  1. Nathaniel Mary Quinn

    Show notes

    Nathaniel Mary Quinn is an American artist.

    Born and raised in Chicago, Quinn began drawing at an early age, and went on to receive an MFA from New York University in 2002 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana in 2023.

    Quinn’s practice operates within a world of visual metaphor, in which identifiable forms and features are mobilized to reveal aspects of character. Memories and found images unite to form composite portraits that are at once neo-Dada and adamantly realist, evoking the intimacy and intensity of a face-to-face encounter.

    His first solo show was at London’s Pace Gallery in 2014, and his most recent exhibition was at the Chicago National Public Housing Museum, with a show called A Love Letter to my Mother. Quinn’s work is now held in major institutional collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Museo Jumex, Mexico City; and Centre Pompidou, Paris, amongst others.

    In 2026, Quinn created the art for the cover of the Rolling Stones album Foreign Tongues.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Nathaniel Mary Quinn discuss his drawings of gang members in the Chicago Projects, how Cubism informed his portraits, and making the Rolling Stones album cover.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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    1 hr 28 min
  2. Grace Coddington

    Show notes

    Grace Coddington is a British fashion editor, stylist, and model.

    After winning a Vogue model competition in 1959, Grace pursued a modelling career in London and Paris. Landing a job as Junior Fashion Editor at British Vogue in 1968, she worked under the legendary Bea Miller, and then as Fashion Director under a young Anna Wintour. Lured to New York by Calvin Klein in 1986 to be his design director, she was invited back to Vogue when Anna Wintour took over as Editor in Chief of American Vogue in 1988. Coddington worked as Creative Director at American Vogue until 2016.

    Grace rose to wider fame as the standout of The September Issue, R. J. Cutler’s documentary about Vogue magazine. Since leaving Vogue in 2016, Grace has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Astier de Villatte on capsule collections, styled for Vogue and W Magazine, and modelled for brands including MERIT.

    Coddington wrote an eponymous memoir in 2012, and is the author of the Phaidon titles Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue, Grace: The American Vogue Years, Marc Jacobs Illustrated , and Grace: Now, which was published this year. She has written and illustrated the series The Catwalk Cats with her partner Didier Malige, and is the muse for the three-book GingerNutz series, created by her close and frequent collaborator, the late Michael Roberts.

    She lives in New York City and Long Island with Didier Malige, her boyfriend of nearly thirty years, and their two cats, Bart and Pumpkin.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Grace Coddington discuss changing your hair after a breakup, Sex, and Anna Wintour.

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    59 min
  3. Blindboy

    Show notes

    Blindboyboatclub is an award-winning Irish author, documentary‐maker and podcaster.

    As a writer, he has published three collections of best-selling and critically-acclaimed short stories, blending myth, satire and the vernacular power of Limerick into fiction that is both darkly comic and profoundly humane. In 2026, these stories were adapted into a play “Animals” which is debuting at Ireland's national theatre, The Abbey.

    He began his podcast in 2017, combining social commentary and insightful interviews, quickly gaining a large following. He regularly tours his podcasts globally, with sell-out shows where his mix of sharp wit, empathy and social insight draws audiences into bold conversations about culture, politics and the human condition.

    His screen work, including documentaries on modern slavery and the UK housing system, has won a Grierson award in 2025, an RTS award, a Sky Arts nomination and the BAFTA long list, establishing him as one of Ireland’s most distinctive documentary voices.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Blindboy discuss Autism, Alpha Male codes in the changing room, and if Psychoanalysis is like After-Sex talk.

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    1 hr 52 min
  4. Tim Walker

    Show notes

    Tim Walker is an English photographer. He began taking pictures as a young boy and, after leaving school, worked in the Cecil Beaton archive at the Condé Nast Library before studying photography at Exeter College of Art.

    After university, he moved to New York to assist Richard Avedon, before returning to England where he shot his first fashion story for Vogue aged just 25. He became known for his lavish tableaux and ambitious narrative-driven shoots on location around the world, working with extraordinary props and sets, often in collaboration with set designer Shona Heath. Walker has made six short films, including 2010’s The Lost Explorer and has created album art for artists including Harry Styles and Kate Bush.

    He has staged solo exhibitions at major institutions including The Design Museum, Somerset House, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Walker’s photographic prints are housed in private collections and in public institutions including the V&A and London’s National Portrait Gallery.

    His newest exhibition, Tim Walker’s Fairyland opens this week at London’s National Portrait Gallery.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Tim Walker discuss healing heartbreak through sex, being fired by Richard Avedon, and what is Extreme Beauty.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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    1 hr 20 min
  5. Glenn Martens

    Show notes

    We recorded this episode in the summer before the announcement that Glenn Martens would be stepping down as Creative Director of Diesel.

    Glenn Martens is a Belgian fashion designer and the creative director of Maison Margiela.

    Martens graduated first in his class from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and then worked as a Junior Designer at Jean Paul Gautier from 2008 to 2012. Martens had an eponymous label which released three collections, before he joined Y/Project in 2013, quickly becoming Creative Director following the death of co-founder Yohan Sefarty. Martens worked at Y/Project until 2024.

    In 2020, he became the Creative Director of Diesel, where he redefined the brand’s approach to denim through experimentation with silhouettes, innovative washes, treatments and materials, while also introducing more responsible practices. He also led collaborations with the Tom of Finland Foundation and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty. Martens announced his departure from the role in September 2026, with his final show at Milan Fashion Week.

    In 2025, Martens was announced as the new creative director at Maison Margiela, and will show his fourth major collection with the brand at Paris Fashion Week this month.

    Martens won the ANDAM Grand Prize in 2017 with Y/Project and received a special prize, the Family Fund Award, from ANDAM in 2020.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Glenn Martens discuss being a good leader, the sexiness of women’s necks, and designing Chloë Sevigny’s wedding dress.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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    1 hr 1 min
  6. Carlos Acosta

    Show notes

    Carlos Acosta is a Cuban dancer, choreographer, and director. Acosta won the Prix de Lausanne aged 16, and became the youngest Principal at the English National Ballet in 1991, aged 18.

    Acosta returned from classical ballet in 2016 after 28 years of performance. During his ballet career, he wrote and choreographed Tocororo, which broke box office records at Sadler’s Wells when it premiered. He also choreographed Royal Ballet productions of Don Quixote and Carmen. In August 2026 Acosta returned to the Royal Opera House stage for a weeklong run of shows, including performing Havana Suite with his eldest daughter Aila

    In 2016, Acosta established his dance company Acosta Danza, which tours the world and has a training academy in Havana and London. Acosta is curating a double bill of his company at Sadler’s Wells in October 2026. He became the Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2020, reinvigorating the company with commissions including Black Sabbath the Ballet.

    Acosta has written two books; his memoir, No Way Home published in 2007, and a novel titled Pig’s Foot. Yuli, a film inspired by his life, was released in 2019, with Acosta playing his adult self. In 2015 Acosta was awarded a CBE and earlier this year he received an Honorary Doctorate in Oxford.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Carlos Acosta discuss sugar addiction, ballet dancers’ smiles, and the importance of male ballet dancers.

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    1 hr 30 min
  7. Martine Syms

    Show notes

    Martine Syms is a multidisciplinary artist working across film, video, photography, and publishing.

    Born and raised in California, she studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and gained an MFA from Bard College. From 2007 to 2012, she co-directed Golden Age, an artist-run space in Chicago, and had her first solo exhibition at Bridget Donaghue gallery in New York in 2015. She has exhibited at international art institutions including the ICA, MoMA, Sadie Coles HQ, and the Walker Art Museum.

    Syms has published several books including PICTURES 2014-2024 and SHE MAD, and has her own publishing imprint, Dominica Publishing, which publishes artist books and zines.

    Syms practice combines conceptual grit, humour and social commentary. Her videos and installations are highly technical, reflecting her acute attention to detail in cinematography, sound and editing. Syms uses filmmaking as a means of storytelling to uncover personal and societal truths and employs sound to foster dialogue and form/perform identities. In 2023, she made her feature directorial debut with The African Desperate, and is premiering her new film RW-LO in a solo show at Sadie Coles HQ in September 2026.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Martine Syms discuss matching your nails to your underwear, Taurean energy, and Original Sin.

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    1 hr 24 min
  8. Anthony Vaccarello

    Show notes

    Anthony Vaccarello is a Belgian fashion designer. Born to Sicilian parents in Brussels, he studied law for one year before moving to the renowned La Cambre art and design school. Upon graduation, Vaccarello spent two years working for Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi in Rome, and then launched his eponymous label Anthony Vaccarello in 2009.

    Since 2016, Vaccarello has been Creative Director of Saint Laurent. During his ten years at the helm of the brand, Vaccarello has upheld Yves Saint Laurent’s creative legacy with irreverent modernity. Across his tenure, he has steadily reinforced the House’s identity with coherence and authority, mixing genres, and empowering a highly desirable vision. Through Vaccarello’s work, Saint Laurent has developed relationships with cultural icons from Madonna to Charlotte Gainsbourg, Connor Storrie to Charli XCX, and Zoe Kravitz to Kate Moss.

    In 2023, after working with some of cinema’s leading directors including Pedro Almodovar and Jean-Luc Godard, Vaccarello established Saint Laurent Productions, with the house being the first luxury brand to support filmmaking. Since then, Saint Laurent Productions has supported films from luminaries including Paolo Sorrentino, Claire Denis, David Cronenberg, and Jacques Audiard.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Anthony Vaccarello discuss the ankle fetish, Saint Laurent women, and how he wanted to dress his mother.

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    58 min
  9. David Sedaris

    Show notes

    David Sedaris is an American author and humourist.

    David’s first book, Barrel Fever, was published in 1994, and he has since published fourteen books including Calypso, and Me Talk Pretty One Day, with his essay collections regularly appearing on the New York Times’ bestseller list. His latest book, The Land and Its People, was published in May 2026.

    He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and to NPR. His BBC Radio 4 series, ‘Meet David Sedaris’, won a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2026. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and David Sedaris discuss loving Comme des Garçons, his bullying father, and living in a nudist colony.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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    1 hr 11 min
  10. RERUN: Rick Owens

    Show notes

    RERUN: In the first episode of Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud, I was joined by the legendary fashion master of avant-garde gothic elegance Rick Owens as he lies on the couch. Rick Owens is known for his preoccupation with distortion and exaggeration of the human form through clothes. Together he and I talk about how this plays out with his own physical transformation; what are his current obsessions; and how nothing could be cooler than not having to hold a glass in his hand when he (rarely) walks into a social situation. Honest and insightful, this is a conversation with one of fashion's most enigmatic figures that you won't want to miss.

    Rick Owens is an American fashion designer. Born and raised in Porterville, California, Owens studied pattern-making and draping at Los Angeles Technical-Trade College, launching his eponymous label in 1994.

    Since 2003, he has lived in Paris with his partner Michele Lamy, in a five-story townhouse which serves as both home and atelier.He has launched five fashion labels, a furniture line, and written four books on his own work and two about the designer Larry LeGapsi, who he has cited as a major inspiration

    Owens was a recipient of the 2002 Perry Ellis Award for emerging talent, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA in 2017, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Award for fashion design, and Menswear Designer of the Year Award at the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards.

    His first museum exhibition and retrospective, chronicling over 20 years of his life's work, entitled, "Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman" opened at the Triennale di Milano in 2017, and in 2025 the Palais Galliera showed a retrospective of his work entitled “Temple of Love”. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rick Owens discuss nipples, his authoritarian father, and the freedom of wearing a heel.

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    59 min
  11. RERUN: Zadie Smith

    Show notes

    RERUN: Zadie Smith was one of my first recordings of Fashion Neurosis. She arrived on a bicycle in the pouring rain, a more typical June day in London 2024. I didn't know Zadie well, but she owned a couple of my velvet suits and she is one of those writers who dresses as brilliantly as she writes. Writing is such a glamorous thing. Seeing a body clothed with style makes me wonder how that person thinks. This is why I was so keen to see Zadie Smith lying on my couch - to see her and to hear her.

    -

    Zadie Smith is a British novelist, essayist, and short story writer.

    She is the author of six novels and her first book White Teeth was completed during her final year at Cambridge University. Published in 2000, White Teeth became an instant international bestseller - winning numerous awards, making her one of the most sought after and widely read young literary figures. Smith’s most recent book is The Fraud, published in 2023. She is also the author of two short story collections, including Dead and Alive published in 2025, and a play, The Wife of Willesden.

    Zadie Smith has lived in Rome and New York, where she taught fiction at Columbia, then joining New York University as a tenured professor of fiction in 2010. In 2023, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Zadie Smith discuss the importance of lipstick, being inspired by the fashion of fictional characters, and losing her entire wardrobe in a fire.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

    Chapters:

    00:00:00 Intro

    00:00:21 What are you wearing today?

    00:01:19 Obsessions

    00:02:20 Zadie’s Mother’s Style

    00:05:44 Fashion Dreams

    00:08:00 Beauty and intelligence

    00:12:18 Where to start an outfit

    00:14:52 Clothing individuality

    00:19:30 If you fancy someone…

    00:24:40 Clothes to improve mood

    00:33:00 Shyness

    00:41:20 Nudity

    00:43:30 Dressing like literary figures

    00:47:00 Hair

    00:50:14 Outro

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    52 min
  12. RERUN: Kate Moss

    Show notes

    RERUN: I never expected to have Kate Moss as a Fashion Neurosis guest. I knew she hated being filmed and is famously private. I had been doing little experiments with set ups before Covid and one day we were having tea together and I showed her. ‘I want to do this,’ she said. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I knew I must have made something good if Kate wanted to be part of it. Her episode will always be one of my favourites. Her brilliant irreverent wit is second to none.

    -

    Kate Moss is an English model. Born in Croydon, she started modelling aged 15 after she was scouted in an airport. She rose to fame in the 90’s during the era of the Supermodel, quickly becoming the most sought after of them all. She is beloved by photographers and designers for her remarkable ability to bring a kind of spellbinding magic to the table. Her work ethic is legendary and she has an instinct for recognising a good idea before anyone else – and wanting to be involved. When I started my brand and decided to have my first catwalk show in 1994, I got a call from Storm Models saying ‘Kate will walk in your show’. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. This was a typical act of the generosity and imagination she is also known for.

    Kate Moss holds the world record for appearing on the most Vogue covers: 78 of the ‘Big Four’, 43 of them British Vogue. As well as starring in countless ad campaigns she has designed collections in collaboration with various fashion brands including Top Shop, Longchamp, and Zara; guest edited magazines; and created her own skincare and beauty range Cosmoss. In 2002 – just as she became pregnant with her daughter Lila she sat for a naked portrait by the artist Lucian Freud which was later sold at Christie’s for £3.93 million.

    She is more in demand at age 50 than she has ever been – both in front of the camera and as a celebrity guest on the front row. Kate Moss is a cult name, and her face is recognized throughout the world. She is a private person and rarely gives interviews. She is loved and admired for her iconic sense of style, no one puts a look together like she can. She is famous for her humour and charm, casting a kind of dazzling spell on those who meet her – it is known as ‘being Mossed.’

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Kate Moss discuss Fashion Police, wearing a heel to feel naked, and sitting for my father Lucian.

    00:00:00 Intro

    00:00:18 What are you wearing today?

    00:01:14 Childhood fashion

    00:03:10 Body

    00:06:20 Clothes that make you feel different

    00:08:00 Dressing up friends

    00:12:00 Where to start with an outfit

    00:14:19 Fashion police

    00:20:57 Attractive clothing

    00:22:14 If you fancy someone…

    00:25:49 Walking for Vivienne Westwood

    00:32:03 Supermodel era

    00:37:13 Stripping and nudity

    00:39:18 Clothes to improve mood

    00:39:55 Presents

    00:41:51 Fashion kinks

    00:46:35 Outro

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    47 min
  13. Laurie Anderson - Live at Tribeca Festival Bonus

    Show notes

    A live, audio-only recording from my conversation with Laurie Anderson at the Tribeca Festival in June 2026.

    Laurie Anderson is an American writer, director, composer, visual artist, musician, and vocalist whose groundbreaking work spans art, theater, experimental music, and technology.

    She has created numerous multimedia stage performances, published ten books, and been nominated for five Grammy Awards, with her visual art exhibited globally at institutions including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm. Anderson has a BA in Art History from Barnard College and an MFA in Sculpture from Columbia University, and has been a fixture of the New York avant-garde art scene since the 1970s. Her notable early performances include Duets On Ice and Institutional Dreams. She shot to global fame in 1981 with the release of her song “O Superman”.

    She made her directorial debut in 2015 with the film Heart of a Dog. In 2021 she delivered the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University, Spending the War Without You: Virtual Backgrounds. In 2024, she premiered ARK: United States Part 5 at Factory International in Manchester, released her studio album Amelia on Nonesuch Records, and was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Gold Medal for Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

    She currently has two installations at the Venice Biennale Arte 2026, titled In Minor Keys. Her latest album, Let X=X, was released in May 2026.

    In this special live episode of Fashion Neurosis at Tribeca Festival in June 2026, Bella Freud and Laurie Anderson discuss extreme courage, loving Lou Reed, and Sigmund Freud.

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    1 hr 17 min
  14. Shania Twain

    Show notes

    Shania Twain is a Canadian songwriter and artist. She is a five-time GRAMMY Award winner, and the top-selling female country-pop artist of all time.

    Born in Ontario, Shania Twain experienced a childhood fraught with deprivation. From the age of 8, her mother would take Shania to perform after hours in local bars in order to raise grocery money, but also to showcase the extraordinary talent of her daughter.

    Through her bold and boundary-pushing lyricism and musical style, Twain helped redefine country music for a global audience, opening the door for the genre-blending sound and cultural crossover shaping country and pop music today.

    Often nicknamed the Queen of Pop, Twain has released seven acclaimed studio albums, with more than 100 million albums sold worldwide. Her era-defining catalog includes timeless hits such as “Any Man of Mine,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “You’re Still the One,” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”.

    In 2022, the career-spanning documentary Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl, was released, with an accompanying Highlights album. In July 2026, Shania released her seventh full-length album, Little Miss Twain, which marks her most personal and introspective work to date, and was a special guest for Harry Styles during his Wembley Stadium residence.

    A renowned fashion icon and enduring cultural force, Twain continues to influence generations across music, style, and pop culture.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Shania Twain discuss taking her horse on tour, Dolly Parton, and being attracted to great hair.

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    1 hr 20 min
  15. RM

    Show notes

    RM is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, music producer, and the leader of pop royalty BTS.

    His discography includes solo mixtapes RM (2015) and mono. (2018), as well as solo albums Indigo (2022) and Right Place, Wrong Person (2024), which showcase his remarkable versatility across genres. BTS have released ten studio albums since 2014, are among the world’s best-selling musical acts, and have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards worldwide.

    As a creative powerhouse and avid art enthusiast, RM is renowned for crafting profound lyrics often inspired by various art forms. He has an extensive personal art collection with a focus on both contemporary and antique Korean art, and is curating an exhibition with SFMOMA for late 2026, pairing Korean artists with Western ones.

    His flexible and philosophical approach to music and ability to push creative boundaries with cutting-edge collaborations has led him to work with a diverse range of artists, including Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, Lil Nas X, Mahalia, and more.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and RM discuss Stendhal Syndrome, Rick Owens, and the mantle of leadership.

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    1 hr 5 min
  16. Rashida Jones

    Show notes

    Rashida Jones is an award-winning American actor, writer, producer, and director with a dynamic body of work spanning film, television, and documentary filmmaking.

    Her extensive acting credits include Sofia Coppola’s On The Rocks, The Social Network, Celeste and Jesse Forever, as well as the television series Parks and Recreation, The Office, Angie Tribeca and Sunny, which Jones executive produced. Jones will star in Lena Dunham’s upcoming film Good Sex, alongside Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo.

    In 2025, she received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her performance in “Common People,” the premiere episode of the latest season of Black Mirror.

    In addition to her work in front of the camera, Jones has built an acclaimed career as a writer, director, and producer. She co-directed the Grammy and Critics Choice Award–winning documentary Quincy and co-directed and co-produced the short documentary A Swim Lesson, which was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards. Her directing credits include episodes of the television shows #blackAF and Angie Tribeca. Jones co-produced the Emmy-nominated documentary Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.

    Jones co-wrote the film The Invite with longtime creative collaborator Will McCormack, directed by Olivia Wilde, which was recently released. Additional writing credits include the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive,” the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4, and the Independent Spirit Award–nominated Celeste and Jesse Forever, in which she also starred. Jones and McCormack also run the production company Le Train Train, through which they have developed and produced a range of film and television projects.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rashida Jones discuss fathers with style, Sofia Coppola, and falling in love with Kermit the Frog.

    Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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    1 hr 2 min
  17. Flea

    Show notes

    Flea, born Michael Balzary, is a musician, writer and actor. He is one of the founding members and the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

    Flea is a legend in the musical fraternity. His style, both sartorially and musically is instantly recognizable and brings an emotional charge to everything he is involved with.

    Flea met Anthony Kiedis in high school in Los Angeles, and they formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1982. The band achieved major mainstream success with their album Blood Sex Sugar Magik in 1991. The band most recently released their thirteenth album, Return of the Dream Canteen, in 2022.

    In 2001, Flea co-founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, which is dedicated to supporting young people in learning about and performing music

    In 2019 Flea released his memoir Acid for Children, which describes his chaotic and turbulent childhood until forming the Red Hot Chili Peppers.Flea has won six Grammys and has just released his first solo album, Honora, which sees him pick up the trumpet once again and includes collaborations with Nick Cave and Thom Yorke.In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Flea discuss unpredictable parents, finding freedom in music, and the role of the moustache.

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    1 hr 33 min
  18. Leïla Slimani

    Show notes

    Leïla Slimani is a French-Moroccan writer. Born in Rabat, Morocco, she moved to Paris aged seventeen to study media and journalism at Sciences Po.

    She is the author of seven books published in the English language. Her debut Adèle was published in 2014, followed by Lullaby, which made Slimani the first Moroccan woman to win France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. Her non-fiction work Sex and Lies compiles accounts of sex and sexuality from Moroccan women she had interviewed while on a book tour, while The Scent of Flowers at Night is a meditation on art, life and the craft of writing. Since 2020, Slimani has published a trilogy of semi-autobiographical works, beginning with The Country of Others, followed by 2022’s Watch Us Dance and I’ll Take The Fire, released in 2025.

    A journalist and frequent commentator on women’s and human rights, she is French president Emmanuel Macron’s personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture. She has served as a jury member at Cannes and as a judge for the International Booker Prize.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Leïla Slimani discuss the attraction of Russian novels, how grief can lead to creativity, and phobias.

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    1 hr 18 min
  19. Charli xcx

    Show notes

    Charli xcx is a British musician, artist, and actor. Raised in Essex, she recorded her first album at the age of 14, and was discovered after posting demos on MySpace and performing at East London raves. She has since released six studio albums, with her seventh album Music, Fashion, Film releasing on the 24th of July.

    One of the defining artists of our time, Charli moves seamlessly between the experimental and the mainstream, building a career characterised by reinvention, collaboration, and a singular approach to artistry that has influenced both the sound and visual language of contemporary culture.

    Her work has earned widespread critical acclaim including five BRITs and three Grammy Awards, as well as the prestigious Ivor Novello Songwriter of the Year award in 2025, cementing her status as one of contemporary pop’s most influential creative voices.

    Beyond music, Charli has become a defining presence in fashion and contemporary image-making and has expanded her creative practice into film, where she acts, writes, produces and scores projects, including a recent collaboration with John Cale of the Velvet Underground on the Wuthering Heights soundtrack. In 2026, Charli starred in and produced the film The Moment, a mockumentary about the musician preparing for a world tour, and is set to feature in films by directors including Gregg Araki, Takashi Miike and Romain Gavras.

    In this episode, Bella Freud and Charli xcx discuss Music in Fashion, working with the legendary John Cale, and when being jealous is the greatest compliment to a peer.

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    1 hr 11 min
  20. John Currin

    Show notes

    John Currin is an American painter. Currin is widely recognised for his figurative oil paintings in which themes of sexual personae and historical painterly genres appear in surreal and sometimes disconcerting guises. Oscillating between a graphic sexuality and playful symbolism, Currin captures the tones and textures of everyday life with an acute sensitivity and a meticulous attention to detail.

    Currin has exhibited internationally at galleries including Sadie Coles, Dallas Contemporary, Museo Stefano Bardini in Florence and Gagosian in New York. His first solo show was at White Columns in 1989, and in 2003, a mid-career survey of his paintings travelled to the Serpentine Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

    His most recent exhibition is Opening Credits at Sadie Coles HQ in London.

    In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and John Currin discuss the importance of clothes in his paintings, Jarvis Cocker, and the nuance of Sean Connery vs Clint Eastwood.

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    1 hr 27 min