That said, I’ve been leaning into winter this year by cooking a lot of warm, brothy foods. One of my staple meals is a red lentil dahl from an old cookbook at my parents’ house. It’s so easy: boil red lentils in vegetable broth with turmeric. Separately, fry onions in olive oil until they’re translucent and slick. Add finely chopped garlic with coriander, cumin, and fresh jalapeño (the recipe calls for a green chili, but they’re harder to find). Dump the cooked lentils into the onion pan, add canned coconut milk and diced tomatoes. They’ll lift the fond as you stir it all together. I like it served over basmati, and I’ll gladly eat it four days in a row.

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What happened

The Olympics

I hardly watched this year, save for some figure skating (I’m more of a summer Olympics girl). Like everyone else, Alysa Liu has completely captivated me. Protect her at all costs! I did watch the men’s hockey final. And yes, I did pay attention to the locker room joke, and to Kash Patel getting sloshed with the “boys.” I feel like I’m supposed to perform some outrage — and regarding the Patel bit, I am outraged! — but in terms of the joke… I guess I’ve known one too many hockey boys because this wasn’t exactly shocking. Regrettably, I feel like we have bigger fish to fry. Glad other people had the energy to clock them though!

Fashion month

All love to the hard working people of the fashion establishment but… tough season. Very little stood out. Kallmeyer is still my top pick and like everyone else, I’m obsessed with the Colleen Allen hook and eye fleece. Allen’s whole collection was strong — I’m excited to see what celebrity wears the first look, which is an unlined lace dress.

As has been true for the past several years, I enjoyed Tory. It wasn’t her best collection, but her proportions and use of color are so interesting that it keeps me stimulated. I liked Bottega. I thought Diotima was okay. I wasn’t taken with anything at Ferragamo, which surprised me because it’s been one of my favorite shows since Maximilian Davis has been creative director. Maria Grazi Chiuri’s debut at Fendi featured some nice suiting, but she’s just… never going to do it for me. And for the kicker: I really, really didn’t like Demna’s debut at Gucci. Kate Moss and Alex Consani looked great in it though.

Awards season

Is it just me or have the shows been really good this year? I already talked about my Grammy favorites, but we just had the Brits, BAFTAS, and SAGs (I will not be calling the latter the “Actor Awards”). Quickly, I just need to discuss Rosalía in custom Chanel at the Brits: delicious!!! It’s so cool how joyful she is. Michael B. Jordan winning for Best Actor on Sunday? A much needed surprise and a total TREAT in what has otherwise been a fairly dramaless season overall. One thing’s for sure: Jessie Buckley will be taking home the Oscar.

Condé Nast sold them

Condé Nast’s LGBTQ brand, them, was acquired by Equalpride. Equalpride publishes Advocate and Out, the latter of which was once edited by Phillip Picardi — who also founded them under Anna Wintour during his time as editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. (Picardi left Out in 2019 and declined a significant severance package because he didn’t want to be bound to an NDA, since the company’s owner was donating to anti-gay politicians.) This news comes just after a slew of staffers were laid off at Equalpride, so none of it makes much sense at all. Still, the company’s CEO Mark Berryhill said, “Adding the ‘them’ brand accelerates our mission and expands the ways we can champion LGBTQ+ voices year‑round.”

Paramount beat out Netflix to take over Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery is officially being acquired by Paramount Skydance. As reported in NBC News, “the takeover bid, factoring in WBD’s debt load, comes to a total of more than $110 billion.” Where does this leave your Paramount+ and HBO Max subscriptions? “We do plan to put the two services together, which today gives us a little over 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers,” Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said, per NBC.

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WW3?

At the top of each year, my friends Sam, Christine, and I make a list of pop culture predictions in a shared Note. This year, one of them wrote: “World war 3 begins at the close of the Olympics.” Not too far off, I fear! On Saturday, February 28, the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing at least 201 people, per the Iranian Red Crescent. Israel has since hit Beirut, Lebanon, with airstrikes; the Lebanese Health Ministry says the death toll has reached 51, with 154 people injured. According to a February Politico poll, the public is more convinced of the likelihood of intensifying global conflict than they were just one year ago:

The share of voters predicting a new global conflict has risen sharply since independent pollsters Public First asked the question in March 2025. “The changed attitudes of the Western public in under a year reflect a dramatic move to a more insecure world, where war is seen as likely and alliances are unstable.”

What’s in my cart

Emily Dawn Long Marit Highland Wool Sweater

As I said a couple weeks back, I’m completely taken with Emily Dawn Long. I’m not the only one. This sweater in particular has me in a chokehold. A very sexy knit!

Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars

I’m a hater of coconut water, but a lover of coconut desserts. Lately, I’m clinically addicted to these little bars, which are surely venture backed but I don’t want to look too closely and ruin a good thing. The lovely ladies at Isetta sent them to me and now I keep re-stocking my desk drawer with them. They’re not too sweet, not too big. They have the classic healthier-but-still-good mouthfeel of your typical Whole Foods product. I’ll pop one after lunch and then, temporarily satisfied, move on with my life for the afternoon.

What I read

“What Makes an Object Sexy?,” The New Yorker

I’m working on a book review and since reviews are tough to get right, I’ve been reading lots of them over the past week. To me, a good review should really read like a feature — something that stands on its own and isn’t wholly reliant on its subject. Lillian Fishman’s latest in The New Yorker, covering Anastasiia Fedorova’s new book, Second Skin: Inside the Worlds of Fetish, Kink, and Deviant Desire, came right on time. She so smoothly weaves her critique of the book into a contemporary critique writ large:

For all the warmth and camaraderie in Fedorova’s writing, “Second Skin” also captures some of our culture’s antisocial drifts: it would be hard to summon a more apt metaphor for our age of isolation and hyper-specific consumer preference than two people fucking alone together, shielded from each other by a full-body membrane.

Something From Nothing, Alison Roman

I’m just getting into the new Alison, even though I was quick to buy a signed copy on launch day in November. I’m so devoted to this woman and her recipes, so I was genuinely surprised when I didn’t love the Goodbye Meatballs, the first and only Alison recipe I won’t make again. They were fine, but for a classic spaghetti situation, I much prefer these Barefoot Contessa ones. They’re quintessential, cheesy, and delicious (though I do 100% beef and I’m still not settled on the sauce). The next Something From Nothing meal I’ll make is the Slow Cooked Tuna with White Beans and Aioli. There’s lots of lemon, garlic, and red onion paired with the fish. Incredibly up my alley! I like her recommendation to use the leftovers for a Niçoise, too.

“The Truth About Celebrity Styling with Kate Young,” Vanity Fair

For those interested in styling, be it editorial or celebrity, I think Vanity Fair’s new series, “Stylist Sessions,” is going to be really great. The first interview in the column is conducted by the wonderful José Criales-Unzueta with longtime celebrity stylist, Kate Young. She started at Vogue and as many stylists have over the past 20 years, crossed over to red carpet. I don’t think she’s as good as she once was, but as she explains in this interview, the entire relationship between stylists and clothes has been forced to change over the past decade or so. Since she’s been operating at such a high level in this industry for so long, her insights are invaluable. Plus, she validated my hatred for method dressing.

The reality is that brands are who hold the purse strings right now. When I started doing this, movie companies paid. I would make money doing a press tour, and now I am paid less for the same work than I was 15 years ago. And production companies now really rely on movie stars having brand deals to subsidize this. I think that’s even true with magazines. I don’t know whether you all want to admit it. We talk so much in this industry about the decline of luxury, but in fact, who has money? Dior and Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Movie companies aren’t making the money anymore. Magazines aren’t making the money anymore. Even celebrities, to a certain degree, aren’t making the kind of money making movies that they make from brand deals. I think really, you can just follow the money to see where the industry’s changed.

What I watched

The Alabama Solution (2025)

I attended On Air Fest in Brooklyn on Thursday. Unfortunately, Roxane Gay cancelled due to the blizzard earlier in the week, but I was lucky enough to catch Malcolm Gladwell interviewing Andrew Jarecki, co-director of the 2025 documentary, The Alabama Solution. The story follows a mother whose son was murdered in prison, as well as multiple incarcerated activists who use contraband cell phones to help the filmmakers show the conditions inside prison to the outside world. In a sense, the doc becomes a murder mystery, too. Needless to say, the treatment of inmates is horrifying beyond belief. And, as is true of prisons all over the country, the fact that many folks are in for nonviolent crimes will only amplify your disbelief. The entire film is a total feat of collaboration between the inmates and the film crew. It’s available on HBO, and I sincerely can’t recommend it enough.

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (2026)

This show is not good, but it is fun. And you know what? That’s beautiful. Throughout all the fashion discourse about the show, what has continued to strike me most about Carolyn as an icon is that it’s not men who have built her up in this way, but women. Like, I’m not convinced her cashmere sweaters and Prada loafers do as much for the average guy as they do for me. I also think much of the nostalgia around her has a lot to do with pre-Instagram face. It’s refreshing to see someone with a long nose and natural teeth be so revered. Hers is a look we almost never get to see and celebrate anymore. Princess Diana has the same appeal. That kind of beauty, typically only available to statuesque blonde white women, has given way to filler and so-called “preventative” botox. I’d like to think a trend toward getting less invasive work done — or, call me crazy, no invasive work done — would come from this, but I know too much to trust that fantasy.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025)

As I push through the Oscars lineup before March 15, I have to say: A$AP Rocky was the best little surprise in If I Had Legs. I LOVE a side character that works as a steadying force in the way that he does here. A chill guy who permits us to see just how far Rose Byrne’s character is drifting away, and who can hold the gravity of the situation in the way neighbors often do: knowing something’s off, but not quite what. The movie did give me an animal cruelty nightmare though. I wasn’t super into that.

What I listened to

“Straightiolab”

Comedy podcasts have been giving me some serious levity lately. Namely “So True with Caleb Hearon” and “Straightiolab” by George Civeris (do we all have a crush on him?) and Sam Taggart (again, crush?). They’re so specific in their thinking and opinion-making — a quality I value. Cheers to men who know themselves! I still need to watch Civeris’ new Apple TV special, A Sense of Urgency.

Thanks for reading Close Friends! If you like what you’re getting, please feel free to show it by clicking the like and/or share button — it makes a huge difference when it comes to reaching new readers.

For more, you can follow me on Instagram. And to submit tips, ask questions, or send assignments my way (calling all editors!), you can always reach me at ericamarrison10@gmail.com.

What happened

The Grammys

My predictions came to fruition! I love when that happens, even if Best New Artist was a dead giveaway. (Speaking of Best New Artist, I’m re-hooked on listening to nominee Leon Thomas’ Tiny Desk on repeat.) Surprises and delights of the night? Lola Young winning for Best Pop Solo Performance; Bilal’s voice in the D’Angelo and Roberta Flack tribute, led by Lauryn Hill; Pharrell and Clipse beautifully performing “So Far Ahead.” I didn’t like the gospel choir in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton (which of course Pharrell is Creative Director of), but the falling snow — a gesture to Clipse’s penchant for the cocaine trade, “there’s no business like snow business” etc. — made me LOL. Bad Bunny winning Album of the Year felt so obvious and yet, still so moving, particularly his reaction. What a lead up to tonight! (Yes, I’m publishing this live from a watch party.) Unfortunately, I still cannot get behind a live Justin Bieber performance. He sounds good, but possesses a degree of self-seriousness only child stardom and megachurch Christianity could breed. Then pair that with a Skylark marketing moment… I’m good. Billie and Finneas winning for the newer version of a song that tried and failed to win a Grammy the year previous? Tacky IMO. But Billie uttered the phrase “stolen land” on the Grammy stage, so there’s a silver lining in everything. No Taylor or Beyoncé in sight and you know what? It was refreshing.

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Minneapolis Protests

There’s little to say that most of you won’t already know. Protests erupted in January in resistance to major ICE raids in Minneapolis, MN. We’ve watched as even very young children are sent to detention centers and protestors are tear gassed, surveilled, and of course, executed. Simultaneously, we’ve seen the beauty of a community rising to resist the crackdowns and protect their neighbors (more on that below). For those who aren’t there but want to help, get involved in your own local mutual aid networks. And continue to send financial support to Stand with Minnesota.

The “Wuthering Heights” press tour

There’s no other way to slice it: for years, Margot Robbie’s red carpet looks have been underwhelming (barring a few exceptions). In situations like this, I typically have the urge to say, “fire your stylist!” But ultimately, it’s Robbie herself who doesn’t seem to have great style. Or rather, she doesn’t have any style at all. Previously, she worked with Kate Young. Now she’s with Andrew Mukamal, who also styles Zoë Kravitz and Hailey Bieber — two heavy hitters who almost always look excellent. So it’s confounding that in all of her years of being one of the biggest actors on earth — and one of the most beautiful women — the looks have rarely, if ever, been memorable.

The first “Wuthering Heights” press tour fashion moment was custom Schiaparelli for the LA premiere. I get that she’s method dressing. I really do! I just think this contrast is so… unflattering. Then we got custom Chanel, nice but nothing I’ll remember beyond next week — not to mention, it also carries the baggage of her years trapped in her prior Chanel contract. The Mark Gong dress and boots (?) on SiriusXM… Someone would have to write a persuasive essay for me to get it. In the Thom Browne corset dress and suspender skirt, she looked completely uncomfortable.

But then, we got the first of two vintage Galliano looks. It was great (save for the red stockings which, as stylist Dione Davis noted on Instagram stories, would have been better swapped for baby blue or off-white, given the pale shoe). My immediate thought was, I love this jacket. I would like it with a trouser. Well, lucky me: Just yesterday, she pulled out another vintage Galliano look — this time with a skirt over pants. REDEMPTION. It’s perfect. Robbie’s appeal is ultimately mainstream, so when a stylist tries to do too much with her, it can quickly feel like she’s wearing a costume. This was the first time where her stylist seemed to really hit the venn diagram of her gorgeous face, “basic” demeanor, and movie’s theme. And God, is it good.

The gutting of legacy media marches on

On Wednesday, The Washington Post laid off 300 of approximately 800 journalists. Quickly, “laid off Posties” began sharing the news on X in disbelief at the magnitude, despite the dire context of modern media we’ve all been swimming in. Each time the lay offs still burn. The same day, Hearst employees walked out, citing “a month of contract negotiations with management [that] failed to reach a deal,” per Deadline.

Popularity of sports gambling reaches freakish levels

Okay so this whole sports betting proliferation… Dystopian, if I may! Kendall Jenner dropped a Super Bowl ad with Fanatics Sportsbook, “the sportsbook and casino that’s just better,” as the brand refers to itself. Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia has been promoting DraftKings. Somehow, the nation has forgotten what betting is for: making a major profit off peoples’ risk — and often, addiction. As Dan Piepenbring wrote in The New Yorker, “Even the addiction hotline 1-800-GAMBLER suddenly sounds like the number you’d dial to start gambling.”

What’s in my cart

Lié Studio The Beatrice Ring

I want many things from Lié Studio (namely the Norma Tote in moss green) but they just dropped this ring and I instantly screenshotted. Very much must acquire!!! I love the silver with the smokey quartz stone.

Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV

One of the perks of being in consumer-oriented media is that I get some free items to test. I’ve had my eye on the Moccamaster for ages — my best friend from college, Chloe, who now lives in Finland where these are very popular, put me on years ago. I knew it would suit me because I’m shallow and think it looks good, but also because I’m extremely pro-drip. Espresso is too finicky. Additionally, at the top of each year, I like the corny ritual of picking one or two words for the year, as an affirmation of sorts. One of my words for 2026 was “ease.” For some years now, my life has been, um, difficult! These days, I’m trying to simplify where I can, which in this case meant ditching my manual Hario V60 setup. An automatic drip machine is a nice support for my mornings, my preferred time to write and work and read. And because this one is “the best” of the drip world, according to coffee people, I feel chic, Scandinavian, and on top of my shit when I use it. I picked the polished silver.

Sophie Bille Brahe Jewelry Box

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, this is a directive for anyone who reads my newsletter and is giving a gift to a woman this year. While most of us can’t afford Sophie Bille Brahe diamonds, the brand also sells this little velvet box that is so giftable and sweet; I think you should buy it for her. It’s perfect for displaying on her dresser and for travel. It comes in a ton of colors. It’s also inessential, which is romantic. My other recommendation, of course, is just to take her out for dinner at a nice restaurant and pay for it with no expectation of return, for the love of God. Add a bouquet (preferably not wrapped in plastic). If she says she doesn’t care about that stuff, I want to remind you that women can be good liars, too.

What I read

“Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong” by Adam Serwer for The Atlantic

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend this story on ICE protestors and organizers in Minnesota. The piece is beyond necessary — it unpacks the Trump administration’s hopes, the ways neighbors are organizing covertly, and how the right’s idea that all leftists will forgo their values at any indication of sustained pressure may be true for some political leaders, but not millions of Americans. “Perhaps the Trump-administration officials had hoped that a few rabble-rousers would get violent, justifying the kind of crackdown he seems to fantasize about,” Serwer writes. “Instead, what they discovered in the frozen North was something different: a real resistance, broad and organized and overwhelmingly nonviolent.” This paragraph is a clincher, too:

The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone. In Minnesota, all of the ideological cornerstones of MAGA have been proved false at once. Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave. Minnesotans have shown that their community is socially cohesive—because of its diversity and not in spite of it. Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority. Minnesotans have preserved everything worthwhile about “Western civilization,” while armed brutes try to tear it down by force.

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White Negroes, Lauren Michele Jackson

I’ve been chipping away at building out a “feminism and pop culture” syllabus, and this book of essays was something I had been meaning to read for a while in case it’d be of use. It is, and then some! The essays are about cultural appropriation, from music to fashion, language, and beyond. Jackson has that tough-to-find skill of weaving fact after fact with beautiful prose. I found her arguments stickier — in a good way — than others I’ve read on the subject. I’ll be turning back to it again and again. (I should add that I read this on Kindle through Libby, which I recently converted to, and now love.)

“What Makes a Good Mother?” by Rebecca Mead for The New Yorker

This month, I received a copy of Amil Niazi’s new book, Life After Ambition (a spinoff of her essay, “Losing My Ambition”). As a fellow Canadian and longtime fan of her series “The Hard Part” in The Cut, I’m excited to see this book popping up. I’m still midway through, so I’m inclined to hold back any comment, but it was just excerpted in The New Yorker, as part of a broader conversation on the state of motherhood. “If the supermom thought she could have it all, and the Pinterest mom prided herself on doing it all, and the performative trad wife believed that she could be it all, Niazi offers a depleted maternal alternative: fuck it all,” Rebecca Mead writes. It’s an interesting addendum to Jia Tolentino’s coverage of Angela Garbes’ Essential Labor, though not as thorough. And noteworthy, as two major movies this year, Die My Love and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, both featured severely struggling mothers.

What I listened to

Is Your Social Life Missing Something? This is for You, The Ezra Klein Show

The news cycle has been so dire, so this month most of my listening has just been trying to stay on top of the daily news. But this episode of The Ezra Klein Show (with which my relationship is… complicated) provided a nice breather. Klein interviewed Priya Parker, who famously wrote The Art of Gathering, a book on bringing people together that I’ve been meaning to read since it came out in 2018. The pair get into not just why it’s important to gather, but the ways to do it so people actually have a good time. I grew up in a family that “hosted” all the time (I’d prefer we all just call it “having people over”). I don’t think there was a day that went by during my childhood when there weren’t other people in my home. As a quiet, introspective kid with outgoing parents, I resented it at times, longing for a bit more privacy. But as is typical, in adulthood I’ve turned out very much like my mom and dad, and there are few things I’m more grateful for that open door policy. It taught me so much about extending care beyond our immediate families — love gets overwrought and a bit calcified when just poured into four or so people who are already, for the most part, covered. This episode left me thinking about how I can start to organize gatherings beyond my own friend group. And in particular, how I can be better at bringing people together more intergenerationally (hanging out exclusively with people my age gives me the creeps). The episode was both validating and a call to action.

Thanks for reading Close Friends! If you like what you’re getting, please feel free to show it by clicking the like and/or share button — it makes a huge difference when it comes to reaching new readers.

For more, you can follow me on Instagram. And to submit tips, ask questions, or send assignments my way (calling all editors!), you can always reach me at ericamarrison10@gmail.com.

One thing about spending days on end doing physical chores though is that it leaves plenty of time to think. Each run back up and down my three-floor walk up or subway ride to and from the Redhook IKEA allowed me to consider the incoming year a bit more seriously: what I want to leave behind, what I want to allocate time for, and most importantly as it relates to this letter, what I want to write.

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When I started Close Friends at the top of 2025, I committed to writing an essay each month, but in the end, I couldn’t keep pace alongside my other commitments. Consequently, I’m wary about over-committing in the new year. I’ve sat with it all and landed on this: I’m keeping The Weekly Wrap (which became the thing friends, acquaintances, and colleagues alike have stopped me to say they like), as well as the Monthly Recaps. I do want to keep writing occasional essays here — things that don’t quite fit anywhere else — I just don’t think forcing myself to write something when I have nothing to say serves the reader. And since I plan to do more freelance magazine writing this year, I’ll be sure to circulate any of that work here. I’m also hoping to incorporate a bit more reporting in the newsletter, so if ever you have hot tips regarding my coverage areas (culture, fashion, media, politics), please HIT ME UP.

Without further ado, find my fall recap below! Cultural updates include Olivia Nuzzi’s latest disaster, that Vanity Fair piece, MNZ officially closing, and Bari Weiss’ recent fumble, among other items. I’m wishing you all a reflective and celebratory last day of the year — I can’t wait for 2026.

What happened

The Olivia Nuzzi-Ryan Lizza Horror Show

Olivia Nuzzi, who famously had a “digital affair” with the vaccine-hating, botox-loving Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following her profile of him for New York Magazine, released her first book, American Canto. The memoir details her relationship with him (who she calls The Politician) and was met with scathing reviews and low sales. After an excerpt of the book was published in Vanity Fair, where she was infamously hired as West Coast Editor, her former fiancé, ex-New Yorker writer and fellow political reporter, Ryan Lizza, published two Substack articles detailing his side of the saga. As many people have said, it was a sort of revenge porn. On her pub day, Nuzzi wrote a hilarious piece in Feed Me, “Signs Your Book Rollout Has Gone Awry,” (memorably “Monica Lewinsky reaches out to check on your mental health” was the second entry). Lisa Taddeo — a writer I typically love — responded to the criticism Nuzzi was facing in a piece for AirMail. I found it far too personally biased and laden with metaphor for anything more than an Instagram caption. I also find the ongoing Monica Lewinsky comparisons pretty trite. Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House intern; Nuzzi is in her early 30s and, at the time of her affair, already one of the biggest voices at New York Mag — a position most young political journalists today would kill for, and likely spend decades working toward, should they ever reach it. I’m certainly not saying the gender comparison is nothing, but it doesn’t adequately consider the differences between Lewinsky and Nuzzi’s power. After Lizza claimed that Nuzzi had a more extensive relationship with RFK than she had admitted, and alleged that she had another relationship with a reporting subject, Vanity Fair ended her contract. “Vanity Fair and Olivia Nuzzi have mutually agreed, in the best interest of the magazine, to let her contract expire at the end of the year,” Condé Nast said in a statement shared with The New York Times.

The New School for Social Research is facing major cuts and pausing PhD admissions

The New School for Social Research, my alma mater, is pausing PhD admissions and undergoing serious changes as The New School as a whole faces a projected $48 million operating deficit for this fiscal year. The proposed cuts to compensate for this deficit “are designed to put the New School, which includes the Parsons School of Design, the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts and the New School for Social Research, back on firm financial footing,” The New York Times reported. But according to New School economist Sanjay Reddy, the university’s financial issues stem from “mismanaged spending on real estate, expanding administrative costs, incompetent marketing and student dissatisfaction with support services such as advising.” The New School is far from the only institution of higher education facing a shortfall due to lost federal funding and lower international student enrollment, leading many to cut programs or funding for PhD students. More bad news for the girlies surveying the dismal job market and texting their group chats “should I just go back to grad school?” I recommend writer and New School faculty Hannah Leffingwell’s coverage in Jacobin.

Katy Perry hard launched her relationship with Justin Trudeau

Well well well, the woman who voted for Rick Caruso in the Los Angeles mayoral election against Karen Bass is now dating former Liberal Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. As two people who weren’t quite cancelled, but certainly fell out of favor, this somehow makes sense. After a marriage to Russell Brand (who was just charged with sexual assault, again) I have to say: happy for her.

Golden Globes Nominations dropped

Before I can hit you with predictions, I’m planning to use the next couple weeks to catch up on all of the films I have yet to see (which is a lot).

Vanity Fair launched under Mark Guiducci

With a *men* in Hollywood issue captioned, “Let’s Hear it for the *Boys*!,” Mark Guiducci — who was at Vogue off and on for over a decade — cemented Vanity Fair’s new era with him at the helm. The cover story, featuring Michael B. Jordan, Jeremy Allen White, Glenn Powell, Callum Turner, and more (there are three covers), was shot by Theo Wenner and written by Otessa Moshfegh. The magazine also dropped two pieces on Trump’s inner circle, featuring photographs of J.D. Vance, Karoline Leavitt, and the like, taken by Christopher Anderson. They caused some serious commotion (and a lot of left-wing praise) online. I’ve enjoyed art director Emily Keegin’s analysis of it all on Instagram stories.

Chanel Pre-Fall 2026 show in Bowery station

Matthiew Blazy’s Chanel Pre-Fall 2026 show — his second with the fashion house — was held in NYC’s decommissioned Bowery station. Amid the cold weather which can easily make you wonder why exactly you live here, leave it to Blazy to remind us. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see denim.

Netflix and Paramount are competing to take over Warner Brothers

When news broke that Netflix had the leading bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery (enterprise value of $82.7 billion, equity value of $72.0 billion), Paramount Skydance fired back with a bigger offer — about $108 billion for the entire company. Per BBC, “Warner Brother’s board ‘unanimously’ recommended rejecting the offer and agreed the deal with Netflix was in the firm’s best interests.”

Zohran Mamdani is moving into Gracie Mansion

Huge news for our new mayor and his preternaturally chic wife: they’re going to the Upper East Side, baby! As Mamdani shared on Instagram, “This decision came down to our family’s safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for.”

Rama Duwaji was on the cover of The Cut

Winner winner, chicken dinner!!! Cover of the year, cover of the past five years, etc etc etc. Lindsay Peoples’ record at The Cut remains unimpeachable, and Jessica Willis is simply not given enough shoutouts for her styling. The photography by Szilveszter Makó is outstanding, Danya Issawi’s writing is excellent as always. I could go on, but if you haven’t yet, just check it out for yourself.

Jeremy O’Harris was arrested in Japan on alleged drug smuggling charges

The polarizing writer of the Tony-nominated play, Slave Play, was detained in Japan on drug charges. Not quite posting through it, but he has been on Instagram since.

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Maryam Nassirzadeh’s namesake fashion brand, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, is shutting down

The Lower East Side store that played a major role in the 2010s New York fashion scene, with all of the coolest downtown girls wearing their suede slides and barely-there tops, is shutting down. Unfortunately, I think anyone with eyes on fashion saw this one coming. The physical location has been covered in graffiti for at least a year and the shoes — arguably MNZ’s strongest category — were hardly ever in-stock. About a year ago, some supporters of the designer weren’t happy with a piece about the brand that ran in The Cut, “How Does Maryam Nassir Zadeh Stay in Business?” On the one hand, I heard them: critiquing one of few women working independently in fashion, and one who had so much influence over the past decade plus, felt off. On the other, “how on earth does she stay in business” was a legitimate question I asked myself every time I thought about the brand. Even people who worked there said that no matter how successful MNZ appeared, it never stopped feeling precarious, per The Cut. And at a certain point, asking people to pay hundreds of dollars for itty bitty crop tops and selling them in a near-deserted boutique gets old. I’m not a businessperson and I won’t pretend to know what goes into making a small brand run, but I do know that being cool is never enough to sustain anything of substance. I do hope Maryam continues to create, though. And long live the Olympia Wedge!

Bari Weiss comes under fire (at last!)

In a huge month for Canadian wins, Bari Weiss finally got called out in a major way after she pulled a 60 Minutes segment on CECOT Prison at CBS News in the U.S., but not before it was syndicated to Canadian streaming. When it aired, Canadians captured and shared the segment on social media. Insiders at CBS then shared investigative journalist Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to staff (which I recommend reading), outlining that she believed Weiss’ decision to be political, not editorial. Weiss — who despite her position as head of a major news network, has no previous broadcast experience — has defended her decision in a statement: “My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.”

What’s in my cart

Tom Ford-Era Gucci Bag

2025 was my year of learning how to thrift, but in-person is tough for me — I can’t stand rummaging through a pile! Poshmark and Depop are more my speed. I made the greatest find of my life back in June: a Tom Ford-era Gucci shoulder bag for… $108. It was a bit worse for wear, but the glorious staff at my favorite Uptown shoe and leather repair, Jim’s, cleaned it up beautifully.

Pottery at the Greenpoint Ceramics Market

Little did I know, there’s a sweet ceramics market in Greenpoint each year. My ceramicist friend, Miko (who you can take classes from at Choplet in Williamsburg) was selling there, so I made my way over. Tip for next year: the place is packed with beautiful little things, from one-of-a-kind crockery to tiny Magic World Girl figurines, previously featured in The Strategist. It would be a great spot to get ahead on holiday gifting. I picked up one of Miko’s mugs and deadstock plates by Off Center Ceramics (if I remember correctly), which they were selling off after making a ton for a restaurant.

Valentino Colorgraph Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Brown Fondant

Dua Lipa made me want to start wearing eyeliner again (something I swore off in the years following Lauren Conrad and Taylor Swift’s black liquid wing dominance). I’m obsessed with this one, which has a touch of shimmer and comes in this easy-to-smudge (in a good way) gel pencil. It’s the perfect shade of brown and has a brush on the opposite end for blending, making it extra forgiving. Plus, I feel very grown when I use it, thanks to the gold caps.

What I read

“What Was Beauty in 2025?” Jessica DeFino

Jessica DeFino is one of my most trusted voices in beauty. For her Substack, Flesh World (formerly The Review of Beauty, and before that The Unpublishable), she just published a review of the year in beauty trends, most of which she predicted. Think: the skinny BBL, “feelings [as] luxury in the era of the girlborg,” and rhinoplasty revisions.

FLESH WORLD by Jessica DeFino

What Was Beauty In 2025?

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4 months ago · 232 likes · 7 comments · Jessica DeFino

Filthy Animals, Brandon Taylor

When Brandon Taylor’s latest novel, Minor Black Figures, dropped, I started a deep dive into all of his work and attended two of his events: one at the Centre for Fiction, another at The Strand. I started with his Story Prize-winning short story collection, Filthy Animals. It’s the first work of fiction I’ve read in a minute (I’m typically a nonfiction girl) and it’s incredible. A few of the stories connect — almost giving it the feel of a novel — and follow a couple of dancers and a former math student, largely set on a college campus. As someone who spent nearly eight years between college and two graduate programs, and 17 years dancing, it speaks to all of my comforts. For those less taken with those elements, know that Taylor writes some of the best sex scenes in contemporary fiction (it makes perfect sense that he’s such a Rooney fan). The title story really got me, though. It’s violent and incredibly depraved, but also full of desire.

What I listened to

“A Masterclass on Status, Power, and the Economy with Tressie McMillan Cottom”

I’ve spoken about Tressie McMillan Cottom in this letter before — I’m on a bit of a McMillan Cottom kick, if you will. She’s just so smart, specifically in the way I’m looking for in these times: open-minded but an expert who’s full of directives. No one is doing it like her! This podcast episode, hosted by Katie Gatti Tassin for Morning Brew’s “The Money with Katie Show,” is wide-reaching, diving into everything from ‘Bama Rush as a canary in the coal mine for the 2024 presidential election, beauty as the only real power women are allowed to wield (but never own), and how hiding your plastic surgery is a liberal woman’s game — not a conservative one. I listened three times.

West End Girl, Lily Allen

As I said in October: this is my Album of the Year. I love a woman baring her sophisticated rage and I love Allen, specifically — unabashed, imperfect, British — reminding us that it’s all too often these American guys who want to present as progressive, literate in feminist theory, and culturally aware who are the most up to no good! Allen wrote the album over 10 days in L.A., but told Mel Ottenberg for Interview, “we did go back and tweak things. It was very important to me that I didn’t sound like a victim, so I’d be like, ‘We have to change that line. It just sounds too, ‘Poor me.’ I wanted it to feel brutal and tragic, but also empowering, that there was joy in being able to express it.” Because of that, the album is in control and comedic, yet remains a devastating portrait of loss and a specific kind of betrayal — a self-betrayal, in many ways. The kind that any woman with a history of heterosexual relationships has surely experienced.

What I watched

Urchin (2025)

I saw Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut, Urchin, at IFC with Chrisaleen, my best film teacher (who also wrote a gift guide I approve for all seasons). Frank Dillane, who plays the protagonist, Mike, was so good. I’ll be looking out for what he does next.

Bugonia (2025)

Note: spoilers ahead!

It must be said: Yorgos Yanthimos has too much time on his hands. Why am I watching Emma Stone be tortured (again) for one minute shy of two dragging hours only for her to end up in some floor-is-lava-esque land with aliens speaking a fake language? Immediately I’m pissed off. Immediately I need to put my corded headphones in and blast “Ruminating” as I take the long way home from Regal Essex. Just as Everything, Everywhere All At Once didn’t need to do all that to say “we’re healing generational wounds,” Bugonia didn’t need to zero in on Stone being brutalized for so long that I had to leave the theatre to say “late stage capitalism is bad :(.” Later, when a male friend said, “Okay she was assaulted, but she wasn’t sexually assaulted” … Annoyed again. Ruminating again! Stone was excellent of course, as was Jesse Plemons. But please, someone stop this man.

Heated Rivalry (2025)

I have never been so proud of my country.

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It helps that I had a lovely summer. It was maybe too busy and surely too hot, but I spent several days by the ocean, visited family in Canada, and settled into long evening after long evening eating and drinking under New York City street lamps with people I love. After my birthday, I spent a lot of time taking stock of how I want to prepare for the final year of my twenties. I feel focused and sure, similar to how I did entering my current decade, but this time with much sturdier ground beneath my feet.

What happened

We entered what might be called “Girlboss Era 2.0”

At this point, I hate the term “girlboss” as much as the next woman, but it has its use cases when trying to capture that 2010s moment of women-led DTC achievement, which seemingly all came crashing down in 2020. IYKYK. But this summer, Ty Haney returned to Outdoor Voices, the company she founded; Audrey Gelman returned to hospitality with the official opening of The Six Bells Inn; and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode was acquired for $1B. I, and likely many others, have found myself asking: is the girlboss having a renaissance? It’s a complicated question for me. Corporate feminism is no one-and-done salve and as we’ve seen, the promise of inclusive, equitable business practices has been compromised at the hands of men and women alike. But after years of seeing women torn apart by reputational damage, never again able to rebuild what they once had (all while men who have done far worse go on unscathed), I think we need to find a way to hold women accountable that doesn’t immediately pivot to some form of destruction. I guess I’m looking for nuance this time around. And I hope that our fellow media makers can resist sensationalism in their reporting on this new era, both as it comes to women having success and faltering.

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Summer of skinny

Can you say Ozempic! Wegovy! Ro! I am feeling more and more genuine unease at the rise of GLP-1s, protein as God, ad campaigns featuring models so thin I feel like I’m on Tumblr #thinspo… My head is spinning. Tressie McMillan Cottom is the person I look to most for perspective. I need to learn how to write about it.

Chloe Malle is in at Vogue

The decision is made! I know of Chloe most distinctly through Vogue’s podcast, The Run Through, but admittedly, I haven’t been a particularly close follower of her work, especially compared to other editors at the magazine. I’ve seen a ton of heartfelt congratulations sent her way though — she seems very beloved. According to The New York Times, she’s the brains behind DOGUE, as well as Vogue hiring Jack Schlossberg as political correspondent (the latter I thought was witty and smart). She also profiled Lauren Sánchez Bezos for that cover story. I’m interested to see what she does come 2026. Likely higher quality paper in print! I’m also intrigued by the fact that she’s a writer and journalist first, not a stylist, as Wintour was. I think that might be indicative of what’s prioritized at the top of the Vogue masthead, and that of other magazines, going forward.

What’s in my cart

MNZ Lido Wedge

I didn’t have any weddings to attend this year, but if I had, I would’ve wanted to wear these.

Mansur Gavriel Glove Slip On Flat

My search for flats that don’t have a bow or a Mary Jane strap has been surprisingly difficult. For anyone who has the capital to start a brand right now, I’m begging you: small leather accessories. You cannot find a good leather shoe or clutch within the $200-$300 mark to SAVE YOUR SOUL (sole?). It’s $78 Steve Madden or it’s $500 and up. Anyway! Need these. (Would never pair them with yellow.)

Larroudé Anne Boot

More shoes! Thank you to the lovely ladies at Larroudé who sent these my way. I’d been eyeing them since Molly Dickson styled them on Kaia Gerber. I expect to be wearing them all fall.

What I read

I didn’t read much this summer. Kind of depressing (minimal free time), also kind of freeing (being *present*). I really don’t know how some of you are working a 9-5; writing a Substack; being a good employee, friend, daughter; eating enough protein; making time to move your bodies; making time to clean your apartment; making time to see all the movies, to read all the books. The list really does go on! Maybe you aren’t?

While my TBR pile remains high, I do consume articles and podcasts like a total fiend (what passes for an attention span in our modern day, I guess) so here’s the one book I finished and a couple reads I still find myself thinking about:

Empire of the Elite, Michael M. Grynbaum

For the editorially obsessed among us, this is a book of gems. More on it soon.

“On Weightlessness,” Lena Dunham

This summer we were blessed with Lena Dunham’s return to the public eye as she did press for her new show, Too Much. I ate it all up. During the show’s release week, she wrote a personal essay (RIP Lenny Letter) for the Substack of her production company, Good Thing Going. I’m still thinking about her perspective on appetite.

For anyone who has gone through life with a big appetite, there are phrases you become accustomed to: “Don’t spoil your supper.” “You’re going to make yourself sick.” “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” In reality, my life has been immeasurably enhanced by my appetite, not just for food but for love, for experience, for art. My favorite people are the ones whose appetites cannot be controlled, who are piloted by that kind of hunger. They’re the most interesting, complicated, and desirable people I know. It doesn’t always show on their bodies, that feeling of "too muchness," but I can always see it in the way they move through the world.

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Practical Advice: The Creative Independent, Long Live, Capital Pleasure

Part of why I haven’t been reading a ton of capital-L literature is because I’ve been busy trying to ~professionalize~. Most of my twenties have been made up of ferocious information collecting and consuming; I like to know a lot about what I’m doing, to really be able to cross my Ts and dot my Is. But approaching everything as an artist and academic isn’t particularly helpful when it comes to building a business and, god forbid, a personal brand. I’ve been seeking out more and more information about how to make real money as a fashion and culture person (taboo I know!), and I’m sure it comes as no shock, but the best advice hasn’t come from legacy media. I really liked this interview with Sandy Sanchez for Capital Pleasure and I’ve been turning to Erika Veurink’s newsletter, Long Live. The Creative Independent also remains a source of insight for me; I love Carina del Valle Schorske on strategy.

What I listened to

The Grill Room

In my interview with Elise Loehnen, which I recently published but took in 2024, I said I don’t listen to male-hosted podcasts. That’s mostly true, particularly as it relates to the world of wellness, but it’s not wholly true. Lately, I’ve been turning to The Grill Room. (I think I’m late to it?)

Hosted by Dylan Byers, it’s reflective of its parent company, Puck: willing to say what the other magazines and papers aren’t, or at least quicker to get the scoop. It gets at what’s really going on within the industry. That said, if you don’t work in media, it’s probably not for you. However, if you want to work in media, it’s definitely for you. For so many of us who saw the media as aspirational from the outside looking in, we trained in the art and craft of things, but not the business operation. I like that Byers talks about that in a serious way — I always learn something. It often feels like the kind of chatter you’d hear in the Condé or Comcast cafeteria. I saw him moderate a panel at The Spiral earlier this week and I was very impressed.

TASTE

I found this when I was doing some research, as they did an episode on Cake Zine, and I’ve kept going through the podcast’s archive since. Now in my late 20s, narrowing in on a hobby has felt important (writing and fashion were always mine, but now those things are my job), so food has bumped into the top spot. I grew up in a highly used kitchen, so this is no shock. TASTE has had guests like Danny Myer (Setting the Table), New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao, Instagram chef Hailee Catalano, and more. I used to really like Cherry Bombe, but it’s lost its sauce for me. Taste, Grub Street and a few great newsletters are what I find myself turning to for food media, though I’m always open to recommendations.

What I watched

Splitsville (2025)

Would you believe me if I said I’ve only seen one movie, in full, all summer? It was Splitsville at Angelika. I regret to inform you, I hated it.

What I wrote

I’ve been keeping up the pace with The Weekly Wrap, but missed my essay for this month. You can expect it in the coming week! Hint: it’s a book review.

Find me on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky.

I didn’t always feel this way — in my teens and early 20s, when I had a smaller social network, summers were tough. You feel like you’re supposed to be having all this fun, but with who? I’ve worked really hard to build a life around myself that feels solid. Last Friday, a close friend and I got martinis, tomato toast, and grilled snap peas at Layla in Williamsburg. When she reminded me it was summer solstice, we finished with late night gelato at Gentile. Last year, we were in Portugal for a friend’s wedding and enjoyed plenty of gelato there, so this felt reminiscent. The next day, a few friends and I piled into a car and went to Rockaway Beach, where I got a delicate sunburn on my body and a harsh one on my literal eyeballs. We sang the whole way home. I’ve since purchased sunglasses (more on those below).

But I’ve held onto plenty from my more solitary days. After a long work day, there are few things more soothing than listening to a great album and walking home alone. When I’m in the mood and have an evening to myself, I’ll trek from 30 Rock, down through Times Square, and finally make it out on the other end to get dinner, usually in the East or West Village. Virginia’s is one of my favorite spots and just one block from me. Tartine has the nicest staff. A solo meal in the sun is one of the quickest ways to remember that not everything needs to be so complicated.

What happened

Sabrina Carpenter is dropping a new album

My god, what fury you guys have created over the cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s new album, “Man’s Best Friend.” The world does not need another TikTok take, but I feel inclined to say that I think it’s totally fine!!! Probe me further in the comments if you must.

Love Island is back

You guys are watching this six nights a week?

Glossier’s CEO is leaving the company

I’m an Emily Weiss historian (I love her, to be clear) so anytime there’s Glossier gossip, I’m reading it. In 2022, ahead of the birth of Weiss’ first child, Kyle Leahy (formerly VP at Cole Haan, senior analyst at Nike) was ushered in as CEO with Weiss stepping down to “focus more of my time as Founder (and now, Executive Chairwoman) on the areas that I love: product, creative, brand.”

Leahy presided over Glossier’s expansion into retail at Sephora and was a major player in the brand’s fragrance boom, specifically the “You” line’s expansion to include four scents. Now, the brand also carries body mists. None of this has done anything for me — all of their scents smell so artificial. I miss the OG Glossier days, when the goal was to make the packaging look like products you’d find at a French pharmacy. But that era is long gone. I’m eager to see who they slot in next.

Looks like ELLE Magazine partnered with Trump Hotels?

Hearst, the company that owns ELLE, is famously broke and wow, does it show. It’s common knowledge within the industry that their employees are constantly watching their backs, in perpetual fear of layoffs, I just never thought they’d stoop this low. As someone who works on brand partnerships, I can assure you this is bringing in serious dollars. It feels in line with their Blue Origin cover from April. I do wonder what their employees are thinking. I’ve written for ELLE before and met a few editors there — all have been lovely. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at their happy hour.

Zohran Mamdani won the democratic mayoral primary

What a day!!! And what a campaign. Zohran Mamdani has been steadfast, thorough, and ruthlessly on message. On his win, he told New York Magazine:

We have tried to listen more and lecture less, and it’s in those very conversations that I had with Democrats who voted for Donald Trump many months ago that I heard what it would take to bring them back to the Democratic Party — that it would be a relentless focus on an economic agenda… And when I asked those same Democrats who voted for Trump why they did it, what they told me again and again came back to rent and child care and groceries and even the $2.90 that it costs for a MetroCard, which is now out of reach for one in five New Yorkers.

The interview I want to read next? A profile of Zara Rahim, who seems to be Mamdani’s Communications Director. She used to head up comms at The Wing and Vogue, and has worked on campaigns for Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, too.

Refinery29 named Naked Beauty’s Brooke Devard as Chief Content Officer

Put this at the top of the list of news I did NOT expect to hear. To catch anyone up who isn’t familiar: Refinery29 came about in 2005 as a city guide, co-founded by Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and, most famously, Christine Barberich, who was Editor-in-Chief. In 2020, amid a slew of female founders stepping down from their posts, Barberich resigned after former employees described a “toxic culture” at Refinery. I will say, I’ve heard this first-hand. But from the outside looking in, the brand was unique, smart, and solid.

Last week, the publication announced that Brooke Devard has been appointed to Chief Content Officer and it is so deserved — her podcast, Naked Beauty, is great. I’m pretty jaded about the media industry at this point, so I worry that this appointment won’t last, none of these businesses are sustainable anymore. But I hope I’m wrong.

Anna Wintour is stepping away from her Editor-in-Chief role (but not leaving Vogue)

More news I didn’t expect to hear this month! “Anna Wintour is stepping back from her role as editor-in-chief of American Vogue and hiring a new regional ‘head of editorial content’ to oversee the title’s day-to-day operations,” per Business of Fashion. There were signs, as BoF pointed out. In December 2024, Marc Jacobs was the first guest editor of an American Vogue issue. Could he take over?

I’m inclined to say no. I would have expected Mark Guiducci to take over the editorial post, but he just left Vogue to take the helm at Vanity Fair. On the How Long Gone podcast, Lauren Sherman predicted that Samira Nasr, who’s currently Editor-in-Chief at Harper’s Bazaar, would fill the role. As Sherman said, people like Eva Chen, at Instagram, or Rickie De Sole, at Nordstrom, make too much money to go to Vogue now.

However, in the Friday episode of her own podcast, Fashion People, Sherman claims to have been swayed in another direction, but her final prediction is behind a paywall. There’s talk that Sara Moonves could move from W. Or that Nicole Phelps, who works on Vogue Runway, could take the role. I think someone like Naomi Elizée is probably still too young by Vogue’s standards. Would Sarah Harris ever leave the UK? In my fantasy world it’s Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, but I can’t see her going back to that now and honestly, I want more freedom for her. Ultimately, I’m with Sherman’s original prediction.

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The Sánchez-Bezos Wedding

I have so much to say — none of it good. Bezos’ filler, the comical guest list, the digital Vogue cover dropping one day after the Anna news, the fact that the couple is wearing Dolce… on a grey carpet… These are very tacky people. When asked about her something blue? “Well, Blue Origin,” Sánchez replied.

Fascinatingly, Vogue.com editor Chloe Malle reported that Stefano Gabbana explained, “[Sánchez] didn’t want to do something very flashing or bling bling.” Noted.

“Chloe, the last time we talked I was just engaged, about to go to space,” Sánchez told Malle. “It’s true,” Malle wrote. “18 months ago, when I interviewed the couple in the foothills of Texas’s Sierra Diablo mountains for Vogue, Bezos made us margaritas in a rocket-shaped cocktail mixer.”

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Chanel is launching a magazine

This was only a matter of time. I wonder if it will be good? I’d love to see them hire a proper editorial staff. I’ve often wondered if LVMH will eventually just buy Condé Nast and use publications like Vogue as direct advertisers. It would make a lot of sense and lord knows Condé could use the money, but it’s a dying business and likely a bad investment. If it ever comes to that, I doubt I’ll still have two feet in this industry.

Jonathan Anderson made his Dior Men debut

“For me, style is how you put things together,” Jonathan Anderson told Vogue Runway. “Over the next period, that’s what I want to work on.” I’m glad to hear it, given that Dior has been bland for years. Like everyone else, I’m thrilled at the idea of him adding his touch to the house. From the collection, I’m especially into the suede fisherman sandals and the denim — very “me.” I will say, I see ALD’s influence. I can’t wait for his women’s debut.

What’s in my cart

Kosas Cloud Set Airy Setting Spray + Smoothing Mist

Full disclosure, this was gifted — working in legacy media, you get a lot of free product — but no one is paying me to say that it is really good. Somehow it keeps my makeup in place all day without feeling sticky or tacky. I thought for sure it would erode my foundation and concealer like a rose water mist might. Instead, my skin just looks more hydrated after I use it and by the end of day, I still look alive, full face of make-up (mostly) intact. I recommend setting it with a powder though, so as to look dewy, not wet. I haven’t tried the new Kosas powder yet, but I’m hitting pan on this cheap Charlotte Tilbury dupe I’m using right now (also gifted; not horrific, not particularly good), so I’ll try it next.

The Attico Gigi Rectangular Sunglasses in Black

I went upstate with some friends in the fall and one of them, who has great taste, had these sunglasses. I don’t like how I look in glasses (though I better get used to them because I think my once perfect vision is abandoning me), so I was surprised to try these on and be into them. After burning my eyes at Rockaway (this has happened to me once before, but in the snow, not the water), I ordered them. I love how delicate the frames are — I’m not someone who looks good in anything chunky, be it shoes, jewelry, etc. — and the narrow, rectangular shape is good for people with high cheekbones.

Benriner No. 64 Japanese Mandolin

I keep a list of “kitchen wants” in my Google Docs because I’m an Alison Roman evangelist and I would like to have all of her tools. She’s a practical woman (precisely why I adore her) so her list of recommendations actually isn’t that long. That said, over the past couple of years, I’ve started with the small things: flakey salt, a 9” tart pan, a Microplane. This summer, I want to get into making fennel salads — she makes one to pair with crispy cutlets and it’s such a sexy meal. I can see it: You’re dating someone new and want to make them a dinner that feels casual, but requires just enough effort to make it feel special. Your vegetables are shaved perfectly on the mandolin — nothing uneven or too thick — and tossed in a salty/sweet vinegar dressing. The chicken is perfectly cooked, the crumb coating golden, and there’s a dollop of aioli or mustard on the side, your date’s choosing. Then you take it, with a bottle of crisp orange or batched martinis (as recommended by Alison), to the roof. Well executed simplicity is hot.

What I read

Girl on Girl, Sophie Gilbert

I’ve loved Gilbert’s work over the years and was very excited when this book was announced. It’s dense at parts, but she weaves it with lighter fare pop culture very well. The chapter “Girls on Film” revealed a lot, mostly that I completely missed an entire genre of 90s and early aughts movies, and that’s probably a good thing. She discusses films like American Pie (1999), Scary Movie (2000), and Knocked Up (2007), and the way that era birthed an entire genre: the “hommecom” she calls it, or the “bromance.” According to her, “it almost obliterated the romantic comedy altogether,” which was the one genre women consistently got leading roles in.

In that same chapter, Gilbert outlines Todd Phillips’ work pre-Academy Award winning Joker (2019): Road Trip (2000), Old School (2003), The Hangover (2009). He made a career off of bro-forward comedy and when the world finally wouldn’t tolerate that pervasive misogyny, he made a film about a murderous incel. Needless to say, it shifted my perspective on Joker.

I love the final few pages of this book, in which Gilbert traces a back and forth pattern of how progress is inevitably met with punishment for women. How the girlboss was soon counterbalanced by Gamergate, which Gilbert describes as a campaign “against women’s perceived influence in the world of video games that anticipated both the internet and American politics were heading.” Similarly, when #MeToo arrived — in particular, she discusses Jian Ghomeshi in Canada and Harvey Weinstein — people were quick to call it necessary and also probably an overreaction. “Before the ink had dried on the print edition of the first Weinstein expose,” she writes, “people wondered aloud about whether #MeToo had gone too far.” In the end, she argues that art gives us space to reconfigure, unlearn, and make new.

“How to Make More Money Without Working Yourself Into the Ground,” The Cut

On a monthly to bi-monthly basis, I overwork myself into a three day migraine. It’s been my pattern since college and, at last, I’m trying to get a grip! I had never been a corporate girl until I got my current job; previously, in my adult life, I’ve gotten by with a series of fellowships, scholarships, and arts or administrative gigs I’d managed to cobble together. So to make things worse, I was working myself into the ground for menial pay. Now, in my late twenties, I’m finally learning how the corporate world works, and how I might be properly compensated. This article had some rare, legitimately good advice, specifically in response to the question: “So, what are some ways to get more recognition for the work that you’re already doing?” I think for us in the arts, the pursuit of financial or business literacy is deemed “capitalist” and we end up unprepared and with less knowledge, but these basics are useful for all of us. And in the year of our lord 2025, get your money UP.

“Welcome to Cancerland,” Harper’s Magazine

I re-read this essay this month, as I’m percolating on a longer project surrounding women’s bodies, beauty, and consumption. (If anyone has book or essay recommendations on those subjects, I’d love to have them!) It’s clear to me now that so many of the writers I love most are working in Ehrenreich’s tradition — integrating personal narrative and humor into longform journalism. I love this essay in particular because it feels taboo. In it, Ehrenreich discusses her own experiences with breast cancer and criticizes the corporatization of the disease, made possible by cultural understandings of femininity (and feminine purchasing power). I imagine many will find it blunt, but in my eyes, Ehrenreich is really just trying to get to the heart.

What I watched

Materialists (2025)

Spoilers ahead!

Even though Dakota Johnson isn’t a good actress, I did have hope for this movie. I’m a fan of hers generally (mostly the AD tour) and, like everyone else, I adore Pedro Pascal. Unfortunately, I’m less compelled by Chris Evans, which was unhelpful given that his character, John, is 37, unmotivated and broke, living in a feral apartment with toothpaste sprays on the bathroom mirror and two lazy roommates. Despite these considerable drawbacks, he’s occasionally charming. Meanwhile, Lucy (Johnson) STILL CHOOSES HIM. The broke-ness isn’t even the issue, actually. It’s all of the other things — it’s that this 37-year-old actor has never once taken a part in a commercial?

True to form, the only parts that had me vaguely entertained involved the wealthy, sweet, successful Harry (Pascal) — he had a nice apartment, adorned with silk sheets, Staub dutch ovens, and $40 Comme Si socks. Both men were gracious, but to the film’s point, it was easier to see Harry’s various desirable qualities than to attempt to see it through John’s apartment swamp. To that end, this film only worked to make me more materialistic. It’s unfortunate, because I am, in real life, a frequent critic of people’s obsession with status in dating, and I liked what the director, Celine Song, had to say in this New York Times interview with Kyle Buchanan:

When we see trailers for a movie like this, people just start calling it a chick flick — there’s a very easy way that you can dismiss it. I’m really interested in directly addressing the way that we completely dismiss matters of the heart. Not a single one of us actually can escape this problem, which is love. [...] I respect [romantic comedy] so much because it’s a genre where every single person can walk into it and feel connected. You must relate because love is a drama that you are in. You cannot go through life without any relationship to love whatsoever.

I agree with her and I like her line of questioning, I just don’t think she succeeded on her own terms. So much of Materialists felt too on the nose, yet devoid of both romance and comedy. It made me think of the ending in La La Land, which was much more effective in laying out the stakes of navigating love and material life. That film wrecks every time; this one left me annoyed.

The Bear, Season 4 (2025)

On the other hand, The Bear still works for me. And I notoriously don’t watch TV! Were the first two seasons better than the third and fourth? Yes. But I still love what it’s trying to do — to explore the nitty gritty of relationships, to navigate what it means to be good to one another, to be hospitable. I loved the fourth episode, directed by Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, which delves more into Sydney’s family. I also love that Molly Gordon and Will Poulter have returned, we need some sexual tension back in Chicago.

What I listened to

Virgin, Lorde

Top to bottom bangers!!! I’ve never played instruments so I’m horrible at legitimately reviewing music, but I was a dancer from age four through 22, so the way I hear music is very much about how you might move to a song, rather than being able to identify a synth or whatever. I love “Hammer,” “Shapeshifter,” “Favourite Daughter,” and “Current Affairs.” But honestly, I think this is a no skip album for me.

Lemme Say This

This podcast is what I listen to when I want pop culture opinions, but need a break from the pretension the industry rewards. I love Hunter Harris, writer of Hung Up, so much. She’s brilliant yet so casual about it. She and Peyton Dix, her best friend and co-host, have a banter you can tell is based on years of legitimate friendship. In this episode, they discuss Materialists and per usual, I agree with Hunter on everything. God bless her.

What I wrote

“Maybe Cool it on the Oura Ring?”

Before writing this, I had a lot of complex feelings about the Oura Ring. At first I was tempted to buy in, but increasingly it seemed like a trap. Since publishing the essay, it’s reached thousands of people — the first time my writing has ever circulated in this way. I sincerely appreciate all who read it, subscribed, and engaged in the comments, and don’t take your time for granted.

Follow me: Instagram, TikTok, X, and Bluesky.

To that end, I’ve been thinking about the future of this Substack. In my experience, I have to try something new for a few months before I can see the forest through the trees. Now four months in, I have a more concrete idea of where this is all going. So, here are a couple of takeaways, as well as what you can expect from Close Friends this summer.

The literary crowd — i.e. traffic driving from within the Substack app — is into the essays. You didn’t get one this month (see: little trip away) but I have a consumer wellness story coming out this month that I think you’ll be into. Now that I’ve figured out how long these essays are actually going to take me to write and edit (longer than predicted, per usual) I’ve landed on a proper schedule for them. Starting in June, you can expect an essay in your inbox on the third Tuesday of each month.

As for the monthly recaps, they tend to appeal to readers who want to stay current with pop culture but aren’t necessarily up for a full essay. As a way to help readers get to know me better, they do the job, but sometimes I worry they’re a bit too “me”-focused. (Chrisaleen, my editor, will likely remind me: “This is your Substack, it should be about you.” She’s usually right.)

My other concern is the frequency: once a month isn’t quite enough to keep things timely. As it stands, the recaps blend personal highlights with zeitgeisty news, but the news component tends to favor the end of the month because of recency bias (and our ever accelerating news cycles). That’s why, starting in July, I’ll be sending weekly recaps to your inbox every Friday, aggregating news coverage across fashion, culture, and media. The monthly personal recaps will still be there — they’ll just have a more defined role alongside the added weekly news format.

Maybe you didn’t need to know all of that, but I’m compulsively honest and, frankly, am relying on you as accountability partners. Anyway! A few May highlights below.

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What happened

Cannes

The red carpet takeaway: fringe! Lucky for me, I love it. Rihanna wore Alaïa on the carpet, but she was spotted in a Khaite drop-waist fringe dress with Giuseppe Zanotti PVC heels while out and about. Dakota Johnson wore a pink fringe Gucci strapless at the premiere of Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. At the premiere of Ari Aster’s Eddington, Julia Garner wore a long-sleeve shoulder-padded dress by Haider Ackerman for Tom Ford — fringe. And Isabelle Huppert in a brat green of sorts? Balenciaga fringe (if we can call it that). Honorable mention to Pedro Pascal, who did not wear fringe but did keep my Instagram feed alight for an entire week.

As for the films themselves, I think we’re already in a Jennifer Lawrence Oscar campaign for her role in Die, My Love, a thriller-comedy in which Lawrence’s character has postpartum depression. I’ve heard to watch out for the Sound of Falling, per The Run-Through. Like everyone else, I’m dying to see The History of Sound starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor.

Maria Grazia Chiuri is leaving Dior

After nine years as the head of womenswear — the first woman to fill the role in Dior’s 78-year history — Maria Grazia Chiuri is departing from her post. This needed to happen. Like Chanel, the brand had gotten stale. (I’m willing to bet she was pushed out to make room for Jonathan Anderson, who was announced as the new head of Dior Men in April). Of Chiuri’s departure, fashion critic Vanessa Friedman wrote:

“Ms. Chiuri… helped grow Dior to what is estimated to be close to $9 billion in revenue and expanded its identity more than anyone may have realized. She is quoted in the documentary ‘Her Dior’ — a study of Ms. Chiuri’s work with female artists directed by Loïc Prigent and released in March (an early sign, perhaps, of legacy building) — saying she knew what she was doing. She did.”

Rhode Acquisition

As you’ve surely heard, Hailey Bieber sold her three-year-old beauty brand to e.l.f. Cosmetics in a $1B deal. “The Walmart brand?” someone asked me. Indeed. I can only imagine that they’re trying to enter a more luxury market and Rhode is the perfect bridge — soon to retail at Sephora, but no single product costs more than $40.

I’m very averse to magazines suddenly calling Bieber a billionaire, though. It’s categorically untrue (unless her prior financial situation had her locked in). As reported by Puck, “the deal stipulates $800 million at closing (a combination of cash and stock) with a potential earnout of $200 million based on Rhode’s performance over the next three years.”

Some of the girls on Tiktok do not understand acquisition and instead think this is an e.l.f. collab… dire. All of this has distracted people from the Justin Bieber caption, and thank god for that.

Cowboy Carter World Tour

In February, I wrote in this very newsletter, “if you have an extra tour ticket, PLEASE HIT MY LINE.” I’m thrilled to report that multiple people did indeed hit my line and I made the pilgrimage to East Rutherford, New Jersey on Wednesday. It poured sheets of rain, but I didn’t encounter a single person in a bad mood. The girls to my left, best friends, had come up from the South just for the concert. The man to my right had a great hat on (“It’s her collaboration with Levi’s,” he told me). Someone I met in line made his own outfit by hand. And I — alone among about 50,000 people — sang every word to an immaculate PURE/HONEY / SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN mashup.

What’s in my cart

47 Knicks Cap

Much like Hunter Yvonne Harris, I’ve been getting my head in the game. Top of mind, of course, is looking the part. But after last night… I’ll put the cap away for next year.

Havaianas Women’s Core Flip-Flops

I’ve said it before, and I’m still saying it: I’m pro flip-flop. Recently, I bought these, as I didn’t own the wide strap version. It’s the easiest shoe and Gigi Hadid’s new contract with the brand is only supporting my stance.

What I read

“Zohran Mamdani Crashes the Party,” New York Magazine

The New York City mayoral election is coming up on June 24 and Zohran Mamdani is polling second, behind Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani — a democratic socialist — is certainly the most online of all the candidates, which appeals to my age demographic. This profile, written by E. Alex Jung paints an excellent picture of his life. Mamdani’s father is a scholar, his mother a renowned filmmaker. I liked how he spoke about them and how he navigates his politics as a bearer of “relative privilege”:

“Sometimes the impulse is to wash your hands of the guilt, to slip away from it,” he says. “But what that assumes is that your responsibility ends because you’re not directly involved when in fact it continues, just without you.” I ask him to tell me more about his interest in politics and desire for executive power — how is he different from, say, Cuomo? “I think it’s a question of who it’s for. Power for us is for the people,” he says.

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True and False Magic: A Tools Workbook, Phil Stutz and Elise Loehnen

I briefly mentioned this book in relation to a podcast last month, but I hadn’t read it just yet. While (mostly) stepping away from the internet for about 10 days, I got into it. In the workbook, Stutz lays out three universal, inescapable truths: pain, uncertainty, and the need for constant work. According to him, these will be features of our lives as long as we live and if we want to be creative people in the world, we’ll need to learn to work through them — not resist them. He also says that goodness is not the antidote to evil, creativity is. Some of it was basic, other parts were illuminating. His definition of self-esteem as “your ability to expand your pain tolerance” struck me. I recommend it to anyone who finds themselves facing creative (or material) blocks.

My Brain Finally Broke, The New Yorker

In Jia Tolentino’s latest, she writes about the current state of political affairs within the U.S., specifically how the government seems to have figured out how to operate in tandem with the breakneck speed of the internet. “There was once a time when my physical surroundings felt more concrete than whatever I was looking at on my phone, this year has marked a turning point. Now the cognitive tendrils of a phone-based psychosis frequently seem more descriptive of contemporary reality… than the daffodils I see springing up in the park,” she writes, describing her now, potentially forever blurred understanding of what’s true and on time. It made me wonder if we are going through a collective brain fog (I go in and out of mine) and question, like Tolentino, if “the opaque feeling in my head can also be traced to a craven instinct: it’s easier to retreat from the concept of reality than to acknowledge that the things in the news are real.”

What I listened to

“A Chat with Steve Madden,” The Cutting Room Floor

I’ve previously said that Popcast is my favorite podcast, but it’s tied with The Cutting Room Floor, hosted by Recho Omondi. In an industry that’s so heavily dictated by PR relationships, which consequently dictates our journalism in disturbing ways, Omondi cuts through the noise with smart questions and a willingness to be wrong (though she’s usually right). The $6 I pay Patreon for her podcast each month might be the best money I spend on media. This episode with Steve Madden is a breath of fresh air, thanks to his authentic discussions of his life and career — his crimes committed with Jordan Belfort, building his business model on duping designer brands (“You know, there’s been the odd little shoe that I’ve nicked here and there”) and what fathering generationally wealthy children looks like for him. The episode has since gone viral and if you haven’t listened yet, I recommend that you do.

“Elissa Slotkin to Fellow-Democrats: ‘Speak in Plain English’,” The New Yorker Radio Hour

Like so many others, I’m feral for any discussion of how Democrats can perform better. I liked this take from Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who has taken issue with Bernie and AOC’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. For Slotkin’s part, she agrees with the sentiment, but is urging her party to “speak in plain English,” rather than using complex terms. Her opinion has been hotly debated, but full disclosure, I agree with her.

I saved my April recap for post-Met Gala so we could catch that wave together. I fear I love the Met. Much like awards shows, it’s one of the few broadcasts we have left that air live, so there’s a communal (somewhat competitive) feel to watching. Like sports! This year’s theme felt less costume-y, a win in my books. Some called “tailoring” a boring theme. To them I ask: Have you no taste?

I was running around a lot this month, so I gravitated more towards podcasts than books and TV (huge shocker on the latter). And I’m taking a vacation this week! Going home — to God’s country, one might say. I’m writing this from the airport, in fact. A beverage, alone time, and my laptop… idyllic, frankly.

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What happened

The Met Gala

Much less messy than anticipated! The theme was “Tailored for You,” affiliated with the current costume institute exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, co-curated by Andrew Bolton and Monica L. Miller. The exhibition opens to the public today, May 10, and was inspired by Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.

Let’s get into the real tea: best and worst. My best dressed list, in no particular order:

• Lewis Hamilton in Wales Bonner (unlike me to pick a man, I know)

• Grace Wales Bonner herself

• Ayo Edebiri in Ferragamo

• Chioma Nnadi in Martine Rose

• Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu

• Zendaya in Louis Vuitton (shoutout to her glam team, the lip was doing a lot)

• Aurora James in Thebe Magugu

• Quinta Brunson in Sergio Hudson

• Joey King in Miu Miu

• Sofia Richie in Tommy Hilfiger (I’m surprised too)

• Ugbad Abdi in Michael Kors

• Lauryn Hill in Stella McCartney (mostly because she’s Lauryn Hill)

• Questlove in Gabriela Hearst

• Imaan Hammam in Magda Butrym

• It’s kind of insane that I could keep going??

The likes of Blake Lively and Katy Perry had sense enough to stay home. There was one durag offense, courtesy of Amelia Gray. Every man in Louis Vuitton pants needed new pants (Pharrell, please explain). Absolute worst goes to Heidi Klum in a Zara (jk, Vetements) black strapless number. Oh my god, Shakira in Prabal Gurung. Bad. Hailey Bieber in West Village Girl cosplay was also… not good. Not because she looked bad, but because she could have been anywhere. Specificity is the whole thing at the Met and this was so blah. (Do not tell the Rhode PR list I said this!)

For context, because a lot of people don’t understand how the whole Met-designer-talent venn diagram works: Bieber is under a contract with YSL and at the Met, it’s typically the designer who buys a table and invites guests. That’s why you get huge swaths of people in Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Prada, etc. And no, according to Lauren Sherman at Puck News, Anna does not review every look.

My beef is that some of these mega celebrities can afford to take a risk and wear a small designer — actually use their power a little bit (we all know the media will bend to them anyway). To that end, Kendall Jenner is coming under similar #corporategirl fire to Bieber, but I actually liked that she wore Torishéju, a small Black designer based in London, styled by the brilliant Gabriella Karefa-Johnson (who also styled Gigi Hadid). I wasn’t wowed by the look itself, the tailoring, ironically, was imperfect (the lapel and front closure were pulling), but props to Jenner for not just turning to a major house.

Looks that come to mind on the “underwhelmed” list? Doechii in Louis Vuitton; Sabrina Carpenter in Louis Vuitton; Chappell Roan in Paul Tazewell (though love that she wore him); Demi Moore in Thom Browne (wait I hated this, actually); and Laura Harrier in GapStudio.

What’s in my cart

n+1 Subscription

A lot of small indie magazines that exist right now are pretty lackluster. A vanity project, one could say! Not the case with n+1. Over the past year and a half, the editors and writers affiliated with the publication have put out some of the best journalism I’ve read. Media is an industry that often forgoes integrity and I turn to n+1 in moments of doubt. The magazine just announced that due to the Tr*mp administration’s budget cuts, they will not be receiving a $12,500 grant they rely on to pay authors, editors, and cover distribution. n+1 put Andrea Long Chu on the map with her near perfect essay, “On Liking Women.” More recently, the magazine also published this incredible piece by Erik Baker after Aaron Bushnell self-immolated. I don’t want to lose it. Subscribe!

Tibi Crispy Nylon Maxi Skirt

Tibi is so good!!! I can see this with a pointed toe, low heel or flat. Or flip flops (a shoe I love and I don’t care if you disagree) for more casual dressing. Bless the versatility.

L’Occitane Cleansing & Softening Almond Shower Oil

You may be sensing a body care theme across newsletters — I’ve been on a soft skin journey, if you will. I bought this and, unfortunately, it’s really good. I’ve always been a $2 Dove bar soap girl, but I can’t resist this now that I’ve seen the results. (My friend touched me the other day and literally said, ‘you are soft’). The full size is $48. Fuck.

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What I read

No books, sadly. But here’s a series of articles that stood out to me. (As a media worker, I have subscriptions to basically everything, so hit me up if you need a gift link.)

“Are We All Living Beyond Our Means Now?,” The Cut

In April, The Cut (my dream media employer) published a series called Debt Week. It was a refreshing collection of pieces on personal finances, in which writers and reporters talked to folks about their experiences of debt in America. As someone who took out a significant loan to come to the US, I found the series refreshingly frank and clarifying. I felt a sense of camaraderie with the interviewees in our shared slog to pay down our debt. This piece, about the insidious one-two punch of lifestyle creep and the ever-increasing cost of non-negotiables (hello food and healthcare), was the buzziest. “For millennials and Gen Z, however, [the] highs [of a cyclical economy] may feel elusive,” Claire Lampen wrote. “Our tenure in the workforce has been marked by global crisis after global crisis, recession after recession, layoff after layoff. Acknowledging that pattern, [financial educators] Perez and Aliche recommend talking to people about all of this stress. ‘Shame shields solutions,’ says Aliche.”

What I listened to

“Are You Holding Yourself Back?,” Pulling the Thread with Elise Loehnen

Elise Loehnen, former goop COO and current host and writer of Pulling the Thread, is one of my personal heroes. She started as an English major, “made it” in magazines, and now runs her own thing — writing, interviewing, strategizing. I’m pretty woo woo and Loehnen’s approach, which combines spirituality and a sturdy moral compass, has given me a framework to reconcile politics and personal ambitions with my innate sense of faith — a high bar to clear. I listened to this episode, “Are you Holding Yourself Back?”, on a day when I‘d been frustrated with an interpersonal situation. I hadn’t acted on how I really felt or said what I actually meant — I have a nasty habit of sublimating my thoughts and opinions in uncomfortable conversations (likely why I’ve been attracted to the written word). When a loved one suggested that I “need to get a little meaner” and “start bragging more,” I shrugged it off. Just after, I pressed play on this podcast with Elise.

In it, she discusses the previous episode, which covers her new book True and False Magic, co-written with Phil Stutz (yes, Jonah Hill’s Stutz). She explains that Phil told her “I need to be 10% more evil… [he] told me that I need to, definitely, brag.” I burst out laughing at the specific synchronicity between his wisdom for her and my earlier conversation. I couldn’t ignore it. It set me on a bit of a spring and summer resolution. (I think I’m in my Saturn return… there’s a lot happening.) I’m working very hard not to feel guilty or apologetic about my admittedly high standards. Pretending I don’t have a clear sense of what I want and deserve from work, personal relationships has run its course. Twenty-eight plus years later, my expectations don’t seem to be going anywhere, so I’m just going to claim them proudly.

(PS. I interviewed Loehnen about her book On Our Best Behavior in 2023. I never found a place to publish it, so you might find it in this very newsletter sometime soon).

“Ocean Vuong Was Ready to Kill. Then a Moment of Grace Changed His Life,” The Interview

I haven’t listened to enough episodes of The Interview to say how I feel about the show as a whole, but the few I’ve listened to — Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Sally Rooney, John Oliver — have been fascinating. In this one, journalist and host David Marchese is in conversation with writer and literal genius, Ocean Vuong. I’m a big fan of Vuong’s — as a writer, yes, but more so as a thinker and speaker. The way he discusses class is singular and, in a few ways, I connect to his personal experiences. He gets into some pretty serious moral questions in this episode and I listened to it twice.

What I watched

Sinners (2025)

I’ll be shocked if Michael B. Jordan ever wins a Best Actor award at the Oscars. (His work in Just Mercy, based on a brilliant book of the same name, was a mess.) However, if the Academy were to announce a gold statue for Best Charisma, boy is he taking it! He seems so fun to be around, something I rarely say of men. I did almost descend into a panic attack because horror is not my thing but this kept me hooked. So sexually charged! And as far as metaphors go, “bloodsucking” is pretty effective for the parasitic leech that is whiteness. Anyone who can balance heavy subject matter and entertainment intrigues me. Cheers to Ryan Coogler.

What I wrote

“So You Want to Look Hot?”

My deeply unbiased family and friends are saying this is one of the best things I’ve ever written. Read it and weep!

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Anyway! It’s spring, thank god. This month, I’ve been mostly thinking about politics (bad) and the continuation of fashion month (fun). There was a lot going on: the Oscars aired, Haider Ackerman debuted his first collection at Tom Ford, HAIM dropped new music. My brain has been well fed.

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What happened

The Oscars

Let’s start with the bad news: the red carpet. Quite possibly the worst I’ve ever seen! The best stylists — Danielle Goldberg, Karla Welch, Dani Michelle, Dara, Law Roach — didn’t have talent nominated for awards, and you could feel their absence.

Mikey Madison, a woman I adore, in Dior Haute Couture… was… not good. Elle Fanning in Sarah Burton’s Givenchy… no. Zoe Saldana in Saint Laurent… why the gloves? Demi Moore in custom Armani Privé… fine, I guess. Lupita Nyong’o in Chanel… also fine, I suppose. Timothée Chalamet looked like a limoncello popsicle (not a stick of butter) in Givenchy and, somehow, it was one of my favorites. I liked Miley Cyrus in McQueen. I loved Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton. Da'Vine Joy Randolph looked great in Tamara Ralph. Selena Gomez looked better than ever in Ralph Lauren. Coleman Domingo took it in Valentino.

The Vanity Fair Oscar Party is always where the looks get good, but still, only a few stood out: Olivia Wilde, styled by Welch, in Chloé; Lily-Rose Depp, styled by Spencer Singer (an up-and-coming great), in Chanel; and Stephanie Suganami, styled by Edward Bowleg III, in Ashlyn New York.

As for the show itself, Conan O’Brien delivered such a solid monologue that he’s already set to be back again next year. His Karla Sofia Gascón joke landed perfectly. (It going over her head only made it better.) Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s opening? I may have cried. The James Bond tribute? Bizarre. I still think Nickel Boys should have won Best Picture but knew it wouldn’t. I loved Anora, so I was mostly here for the near-sweep, but I couldn’t help but feel for Demi Moore after such a winning streak. Much like The Brutalist, Adrien Brody’s speech needed editing.

Fashion’s Creative Director Shuffle Continued

For the uninitiated: The major fashion houses — from Chanel to Loewe — have been experiencing some major shake-ups on the creative director front. It’s been going on for a while, but I feel like it hit an apex this month, with Demna Gvasalia leaving Balenciaga for Gucci. More important to me is that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are leaving Proenza Schouler, the brand they founded in 2002 as new Parsons grads, and are set up to take over the helm at Loewe, which Jonathan Anderson has officially vacated (he’s rumored to be headed to Dior). The Cut made a solid list to help us keep track of which designers are leaving their posts and where they’re going:

Fashion Month (Yes, Still)

I loved Haider Ackerman’s Tom Ford debut almost as much as everyone else did (I hope to see a bit more lightness next time, but I get it — it’s Tom Ford). I liked the use of orange at Saint Laurent. I’ve always been a Chloé girl, but Chemena Kamali is doing a particularly incredible job. Really good trench coats at Victoria Beckham.

What’s in my cart

Tory Burch Multi Buckle Monk Strap Shoes

I hate the way I dress for the office. Corporate is tough — zero pizazz! This year, my goal is to invest in better workwear and my mood board is mostly Tibi’s creative director, Amy Smilovic. She’s sophisticated and professional without forgoing ease and cool. These aren’t Tibi, they’re new Tory, but they give me the same energy: The Row’s younger, more high-spirited sister. My friend Holland affirmed my affinity for them over Instagram DM, “this is what the weird hot chic girls are wearing for socks and sandals this spring you’ve called it.” They’re 30% off right now and I want to pull the trigger bad.

Bormioli Rocco Mini Drinking Glasses

My mom says I’ve always loved tiny things. I used to walk around with small figurines in my hands, not to play with, but to hold. Maybe that’s why every time a waiter hands me one of these mini glasses in a New York City restaurant, I’m elated. “Chic” is an abused (and, often, an inappropriately used) term, but I think these are it. I like that they’re unfussy, yet fine. And now that I know you can score 12 for $33, it’s clear that they lend themselves well to a party. It’s nice to have nice things you don’t have to be precious about.

&Daughter Caragh Chunky Crewneck

This lambswool sweater is a small fortune. I won’t be buying it! At least for now. But I do have a hot, and pretty simple, tip for buying good pieces that I hope may help me here: buying out of season. I bought my staple black coat in the spring because I knew something similar would cost me way more come fall. I did the same thing with this Guest in Residence cardigan (which I need to take to the tailor because the clasp always pops open and I don’t wear anything under it WHOOPS). Manifest a discount on this perfect sweater with me.

Soft Services Buffing Bar

When I was in college, I liked the First Aid Beauty KP Scrub. As an adult, I think it’s too messy and I’m over having so many plastic bottles in my shower. Since then, I’ve pivoted to the Nécessaire Body Exfoliant Bar, which I love. I never thought I’d stray, but I’ve been eyeing this Soft Services Buffing Bar for a minute (one of their body acne creams, now discontinued, did wonders for me). I saw Paloma Elsesser talking about the bar in a W Magazine interview and now I feel spiritually obligated to try it. I’ll report back on how it holds up.

What I read

“Girl, What Waist?,” The New Yorker

I first read this back in October when it was initially published. I returned to it again this month amid Demna’s appointment at Gucci. The author, Doreen St. Felix, begins with the (in)famous Trompe l’Oeil Sweatpants Demna designed for Balenciaga, which had faux-boxers attached at the top. “It was the suggestion of male underwear… a look called sagging,” she writes. The pants — and Balenciaga — have been scrutinized for their commercialization of Black codes of dress. The essay isn’t just about those pants though, it’s about race, gender, and contemporary culture’s obsession with the waist. “The dissolution of strict gendered dressing is the stale chat of this millennium. But what’s explored less often is the disarticulated element of race play,” St. Felix writes. Her piece is a corrective.

“Ella Emhoff Likes a Sugar Burst,” Grub Street

I don’t talk enough about how much I love “The Grub Street Diet.” It’s my favorite column on the internet. This most recent edition, featuring Ella Emhoff, was a really good one. Not to be a “pick me,” but I think she and I have the same palette. She loves Cosme and Mission Chinese. She doesn’t like Jack’s Wife Freda, a famously bad restaurant in my house. She likes having a European beer alone (few things are better). She keeps an assortment of candy on hand (classy).

The Tell, Amy Griffin

This book has been very heavily promoted, which would normally leave me suspicious, but I had a feeling it would be good. In it, Amarillo, Texas girl turned New York City venture capitalist, Amy Griffin, shares her experience of coming to terms with a repressed memory through MDMA therapy as an adult. The book is a real triumph, as she gets so close to the bone, and I like the way she uses her experience to illuminate the ways issues of consent show up in her life.

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What I watched

Mickey 17 (2025)

I typically hate sci-fi (I won’t get into my thoughts on Interstellar here…), so I wasn’t sure that this would be my thing. In the end, I liked! As with most movies of the moment, there’s a crisis in editing. Everything is too long, including this, which could have been shaved down by 30 minutes. Will I remember any of it at the end of 2025? Probably not. But I laughed a lot, and I think that’s enough.

Severance (2022)

I know you’ve all seen it, but I’m begging: no spoilers! I’ve finally made it through the first season, please clap! It helps to have someone repeatedly ask if you’ve been keeping up. Anyway, now I’m hooked. I won’t have anything thoughtful to say until I finish, but I hope Tramell Tillman wins many, many awards.

What I listened to

“Relationships,” HAIM

The girls are SO BACK and very much on repeat in my apartment. The video, styled by Erin Benach and shot by Camille Summers-Valli, is delicious. “You know: Hot summer. Easy, breezy,” Benach told GQ. “Layers coming off, layers going on.”

“If Only I Could Wait,” Bon Iver feat. Danielle Haim

More Haim! This time just Danielle, paired with Bon Iver… pretty perfect.

Front Burner, CBC

So, the news is pretty bad!!! And there’s a Canadian election coming up. I’ve been trying to get all of my updates through podcasts, as other sources can be overwhelming. For Canadian news, my friend Sam mentioned Front Burner to me in passing and I’ve been listening ever since, as my favorite Canadian political show, Power & Politics, which my parents put me onto long ago, is hard to access on podcast platforms in the U.S.

What I wrote

Still in the works — see you in April ;)

However, it’s been abundant with good pop culture to keep us entertained while we’re stuck inside: award shows, fashion month, good books. There was even a break in the cold last weekend. I ate lunch outside! How lucky.

What happened

Grammys

Kendrick Lamar taking home five awards for being a hater will never not be funny. Sabrina Carpenter in JW Anderson was my best dressed. Doechii had the best performance. I was glad Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year, even if Cowboy Carter isn’t her best album. On that note, if you have an extra tour ticket, PLEASE HIT MY LINE.

The Super Bowl

I’m Canadian, which really lends an extra layer of I do not understand this game to my participation in the whole event. What I do understand is that the Celine jeans Kendrick Lamar wore during his half-time performance are flares. (I may or may not have unfollowed you if you called them bootcuts.)

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Critics Choice

Sorry, I didn’t watch it.

SAGs

Selena Gomez looked great in custom Celine! She’s working with Erin Walsh now, who has transformed her red carpet presence and god, am I grateful. Anna Sawai was also stunning. She wore Armani Privé styled by the impeccable Karla Welch. (For more on Karla’s work, this episode of The Cutting Room Floor was excellent.) I’m an earnest person, so Timothee Chalamet’s Best Actor acceptance speech was perfect to me. I’ve watched it back three times.

BAFTAs

Saoirse Ronan is working with Danielle Goldberg, bless. I didn’t watch the show itself, but my sources tell me Take That’s performance was lackluster: “ROBBIE SHOULD HAVE PERFORMED. Would have been legion.”

Fashion month

I’ll keep it brief: Colleen Allen and Diotima have my full attention. Christopher John Rogers was exceptional as always. Maria McManus is still perfect (she collaborated with Don’t Let Disco on the accessories). Dying over Daria Werbowy in the latest Alaïa campaign. The Albus Lumen lookbook also caught my eye.

What I read

The Motherload, Sarah Hoover

Even though I’ve probably only followed her for a few years, I’ve loved Sarah Hoover for what feels like forever. I knew her first as a figure in the art world (she was a longtime art liaison, dealer, and director at Gagosian); I’m sure I discovered her through fashion magazines. She has *this thing* I admire so much in a woman — the ability to hold seemingly conflicting identities with confidence and humility in equal measure. This book, about the “identity rupture” she experienced in becoming a mother, is so generous in its honesty. If you’re looking for a more digestible version than the book, she spoke at length about how motherhood radicalized her on High Low with Em Rata. In the chapter “Balthazar,” she also tells the tale of how she and her husband, Tom Sachs, fell in love. It’s the sweetest love story I’ve read in a long time, made better by the fact that it’s true.

The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead

I saw Nickel Boys (2024) in December. It’s absolutely gutting. It also deserves Best Picture. I couldn’t stop thinking about the film, so I ended up downloading the book on my Kindle. What struck me most about it is that it’s astonishingly readable. I love when a writer can deal with such heavy, complex subject matter without forgoing plain language.

“Jia Tolentino on Joan Didion’s ‘everywoman.com’,” The New Yorker

My love for Jia Tolentino knows no bounds, so naturally her writing on Joan Didion on Martha Stewart, more delightfully complicated women, is a dream to me.

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What I watched

Almost nothing! I’m just getting into Severance (TV is my cultural blind spot — very time consuming) so maybe we can discuss that next month. I did see these two movies though:

A Complete Unknown (2024)

My initial takeaway was Wow, those fingernails are feral! Timothée Chalamet really got into character on this one. Whatever they did to puff out his cheeks was also pretty incredible (I know he gained 20 lbs for the role, but I feel like they did something extra there). I liked this movie a lot. Chalamet was expectedly good and Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez, was shockingly good. Sublime. A star! The most distinctly Bob Dylan thing about this film is that I left knowing little more about his life than I went in with. An enigma, indeed.

The Brood (1979)

I saw this at Metrograph, where Haley Mlotek curated a film series, The Divorced Women’s Film Festival, to celebrate the launch of her new book, No Fault: A Memoir of Romance and Divorce. I laughed a lot during this, which was surely not the desired effect, given that it’s a body horror. I think the friend I went with put it right: Thanks to the speedy evolution of special effects, it’s a challenge for old horror movies to scare us. But horror’s not my thing anyway, so the fact it didn’t actively repel me was preferable.

What’s in my cart

Asics x Juliana Salazar Gel-Keyano Sneakers

Okay, I bought these. They were nearly impossible to get my hands on (asics.com, we have beef) but I scored what was likely the last men’s 6 available on CNCPTS. There’s not much to say other than Juliana Salazar has immaculate taste. The suede and silver details do a lot for me! I’ll be wearing them with a white tank and trench coat all spring long, I can feel it.

Éliou Diero Necklace

Miami-based brand Éliou has been doing the beaded jewelry thing very well for years, but I’m not the person who can pull off accessories that look like they’re made of candy. I’m into this gemstone necklace as a sort of intermediary between that and my usual gold chain. It’s colorful, but muted. The beads are significant, but not too big. I need to wear it on a hot New York City day with a tube top and the Deiji Studios Pocket Pants, if I decide to pull the trigger on those.

Flore Flore Esmé Tank

Flore Flore has had me in a chokehold for well over a year, specifically this tank. I’ve been resisting the buy until I can see the cut and fabric in person. (In the t-shirt department, the Sunday Best Little Ribbed T-Shirt is a great dupe for the Flore Flore Car Baby Tee.)

What I listened to

André 3000 Interview & Surprise Newsroom Performance!, “Popcast”

Real ones know, my favorite podcast is “Popcast” by The New York Times (sometimes called “Popcast Deluxe,” but that’s confusing for the uninitiated). It’s co-hosted by Jon Caramanica (legend) and Joe Coscarelli (read his book, Rap Capital), who are both so brilliant, thoughtful, and rigorous — I hope listening to them means those qualities will rub off. Before the Grammys, I kept going back to this episode they did with André 3000. Among other things, I like what he has to say about age as it relates to art-making.

What I wrote

“Anora is Dressing for the Job She Wants”

I saw Anora at the end of 2024 and couldn’t stop talking about it. Whenever that happens, I know I have to write it out. I tried to connect my thoughts, mostly on what Ani’s clothes say about her desires, here.