The Ultimate Podcast Rundown
These three fashion and culture podcasts will get you through the summer.
BY BELLA TABAK ★ JULY 6TH, 2025
Photo Credit: Ava Caiati
Some of us are bored with our playlists. I mean…you can only shuffle the same songs so many times! Whether you're tanning by the pool or embarking on a long road trip, it may be time to ditch the tunes and switch to a podcast. After a long search for the best podcasts, I’ve found a few that satisfy my need for fashion and cultural mental stimulation. So, here are the top three podcasts to fill the quiet spaces in your summer routine.
“Giggly Squad”
This is the podcast for the girls who love to giggle. Hosts Hannah Berner and Paige Desorbo are best friends — who you may recognize from Bravo’s hit reality TV show “Summer House.” Today, Berner is best known for her comedy, putting in the work for a good laugh through her solo tour and Netflix special. Desorbo is our fashion girlie — she boasts a notable social media presence and has a new loungewear company, Daphne.
The pair use their podcast to dive into all things fashion, career updates, pop culture, horoscopes, mental health and more with (of course) lots of giggling. It's an easy listening experience; you truly feel like you are in on the joke, chatting with your girlfriends. I am an avid giggler, tuning in every week. I simply need to keep up with why Desorbo wore that dress on “Love Island,” or how Berner met Tina Fey. If you also can’t get enough, they have merch and a New York Times bestselling book, “How to Giggle.”
“Fashion Neurosis”
Where fashion meets the therapy couch. Host Bella Freud is a London-based fashion designer interested in exploring the link between fashion and mental health. Each episode features a special guest who is invited to ‘lie on the couch’ and chat with Freud about topics like fashion, culture, love, family relationships or politics. You may be thinking, “Wait… is it that Freud?” Yes, Bella Freud is Sigmund Freud’s great-granddaughter. Talk about being qualified to host this podcast!
I was first introduced to “Fashion Neurosis” through Instagram, where clips of notable figures chatting with Freud on her couch were gaining attention. The full episodes, similar to the clips, are truly a peaceful and insightful listen. Freud’s smooth, soft voice could almost be categorized as ASMR. It is easy to see how her guests would feel comfortable diving into not only fashion but also their personal lives. Alex Consani talked with Freud about her experience as a widely successful model and how her parents supported her journey through gender identity.
“What’s Contemporary Now?”
If you want to know the who, what, where, when and why of it all, this is the podcast for you. Host Christopher Michael interviews thought leaders from different industries to find out what is truly relevant in our modern day. Michael does a notably impressive job asking thoughtful questions and giving his guests the time to answer. If you know anything about interviewing, you know there is nothing worse than talking over your interviewee.
I was drawn to this podcast through my hope of demystifying the magazine industry. I have listened to chats with Willa Bennett, the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen, about her passions and successes in the media industry. Or, how System Magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jonathan Wingfield, was set on his career path after chasing the cultural influence of London. If you're also interested in how thought leaders have risen to their thrones of cultural influence, I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen.