SEPTEMBER 2015 No. 661 VANIT YFAIR.

COM

FEATURES
252 TAYLOR CALLS THE TUNE By JOSH DUBOFF
As Taylor Swift shot to superstardom, it was often a
lonely orbit. But since she found herself a high-powered
sorority of B.F.F.’s, Swift has had the courage to take
on (and win over) Apple—and even fall in love again.
Photographs by Mario Testino.

262 V.F. PORTRAIT: LINDA GREER

By STELLA MCCARTNEY A fashion crusader celebrates the
Natural Resources Defense Council’s Linda Greer,
whose Clean by Design program is aimed at making green
the new black. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

264 DARKNESS INVISIBLE By LILI ANOLIK

The April suicide of pioneering dermatologist to the stars
Fredric Brandt shocked his adoring clients. Did a
sitcom caricature of the doctor’s inimitable style deliver the
coup de grâce? A friend delves into the reasons Brandt
couldn’t help himself the way he helped so many others.

270 IN MANOLO’S FOOTSTEPS

Spotlight on Manolo Blahnik, sharing his passions in a new
book, and Kristina Blahnik, now running her uncle’s shoe
company. By Amy Fine Collins. Photograph by Jason Bell.

272 THE 40-YEAR-OLD VISION

Spotlight on Giorgio Armani, entering a fifth
decade of timeless design. By Martin Scorsese.
Photograph by Tom Munro.

274 A CLINTON TO THE CORE By EVGENIA PERETZ

For years, Chelsea Clinton seemed to want to get as far
away as possible from her parents’ world, its conflicts, PHOTOGR A PH, L EF T, BY MA R I O TE ST IN O ; D RE SS BY CHL O É; S HO ES BY GIU SE PP E Z A NOTTI
and its scandals. Today, at 35, she has stepped up her role DES I GN; J E WE L RY BY CH A NE L F I NE J E WE L RY; F OR DE TA I LS , GO TO VF. CO M/ CRE DI TS

in the $2 billion family foundation and is proving her

presidential pedigree.

280 MANHATTAN GOTHIC

Spotlight on off-screen partners Jennifer Connelly and
Paul Bettany as she stars in his directorial debut,
Shelter. By Krista Smith. Photograph by Theo Wenner.

Taylor Swift, photographed at the Beaufort Bar, in
London’s Savoy hotel (page 252).
ON THE COVER
Taylor Swift wears clothing by
Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane; earrings by
Bulgari. Hair products by Oribe. Makeup
products by Nars. Nail enamel by Opi.
Hair by Sam McKnight. Makeup by
Val Garland. Manicure by Trish Lomax.
Set design by David White. Produced on location by
10-4 Inc. Styled by Jessica Diehl. Photographed exclusively
for V.F. by Mario Testino at the Beaufort Bar, in the Savoy
hotel in London. For details, go to vf.com/credits.

07
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CON TI NUED FROM PAGE 79

282 SOCIAL PRINCESS

This month’s “It Girl” is Gigi Hadid: supermodel,
social-media star, and #girlsquad leader.
By Derek Blasberg. Photographs by Sebastian Faena.

286 BEAUTY AND THE BRUSH

Spotlight on David Downton, fashion’s premier
portraitist, whose new book is out next month.
By Laura Jacobs. Portraits by David Downton.

294 MR. SHOW RIDES AGAIN By GEORGE GURLEY

Twenty years after their groundbreaking sketch-
comedy series, Mr. Show, Bob Odenkirk and David
Cross have re-united, updating their “silly stuff”
for the Netflix generation. Photographs by Jeff Lipsky.

299 SPYING FOR SPIELBERG

Spotlight on Austin Stowell, who’s in two Spielberg
projects—Public Morals and Bridge of Spies—later this
year. By Andrea Cuttler. Photograph by Richard Phibbs.

300 THE BOY WHO LOVED CHANEL

By INGRID SISCHY The cutest face of Chanel is Hudson
Kroenig, Karl Lagerfeld’s seven-year-old godson,
who walked the runway at two, has a closet full of
custom clothes, and rubs elbows with Rihanna, Anna
Wintour, and Pharrell. Naturally, his show-and-tell at
school is a bit unusual. Photograph by Karl Lagerfeld.

( PSYCHO GE OGR A PH Y ), BY DA NN Y GH IT I S/T H E N EW YOR K T IM E S /R ED UX ( B RA N DT ) . IL L UST RAT I O N BY RI SKO

304 EAST SIDE STORY

KROE N IG PH OTO GRA P HE D BY KA RL L AGE RF E L D. PH OTOG RA P HS F ROM A N DY RO M ER P HOTO GR A P HY

Spotlight on Metropolitan, Whit Stillman’s sardonic
dissection of gilded youth, being re-released
after 25 years. By Mark Rozzo. Photograph by
Jonathan Becker.

306 THE HOST OF UTOPIA By AMY FINE COLLINS

Dustin Yellin’s monumental sculptures match the
scale of his ambition and the scope of his mission.
The 40-year-old artist is mixing up a potent brew
of culture, science, and social scene in his Brooklyn
compound. Photographs by Jonathan Becker.

164
A Psychogeography sculpture by Dustin Yellin (page 306); Hudson Kroenig (page 300);
Dr. Fredric Brandt (page 264); Mindy Kaling (page 320).
VANITIES
QUALITY QUALLEY
Teddy Wayne reimagines the M.T.A.’s “Courtesy
Counts” posters; Scott Jacobson, Mike Sacks, and
Ted Travelstead conjure pickup lines for Telluride.
Edwin John Coaster’s continued correspondence.

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 CON TI NUED FROM PAGE 90

FANFAIR & FAIRGROUND

217 30 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE
Fashion Watch: 70s-inspired looks. Camel tones for
men. Graphic black-and-white accessories. Hot Tracks:
Alabama Shakes. Private Lives: Donald Robertson’s
fashion illustrations. My Stuff: Edie Parker designer
Brett Heyman. Hot Type. Beauty: Narciso Rodriguez’s and
Azzedine Alaïa’s debut scents; Louboutin’s lush lipsticks.

235 AROUND THE WORLD, ONE PARTY AT A TIME

Titans of the art world flocked to Moscow to fête the
opening of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

COLUMNS
172 THE INTERNATIONAL BEST-DRESSED LIST
As the roster marks its 75th anniversary, this year’s
lineup includes haute Hollywood, dapper princes, and
pop princesses, in 27 pages of fashion inspiration.

240 ADMISSION: IMPOSSIBLE? By MICHAEL KINSLEY

Affirmative action is the bane of alumni whose kids didn’t
get into their elite alma maters. But even the Supreme
Court can’t change the equation. Illustrations by Barry Blitt.

244 TINDER IS THE NIGHT By NANCY JO SALES

Is Tinder killing romance? A debrief of twentysomethings
who swipe reveals the downside of dating apps.
Photograph by Justin Bishop.

248 A NEW DAY-LEWIS Spotlight on musician

Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, who’s shaking off his “son of”
PHOTOGR A PH BY M A RI O T EST I NO ; COAT BY B A L MA I N; PA NTS BY A LT UZA R RA ; B RA BY SA I N T
L AUR EN T BY HE DI S L IM A NE ; NE CK L ACE BY LE VI E V; F O R D ETA I L S, GO TO V F.CO M/ CR ED ITS

syndrome. By Kia Makarechi. Photograph by Cyrill Matter.

ET CETERA
122 BEHIND THE LIST THE SUBSTANCE OF STYLE
132 CONTRIBUTORS
142 EDITOR’S LETTER MEN, WOMEN, AND THE
GREAT IN-BETWEEN
148 LETTERS HOMECOMING SAGA
162 60 MINUTES POLL
Taylor Swift, photographed in London (page 252). 238 OUT TO LUNCH THOM BROWNE
320 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE MINDY KALING

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 72 JAZZ AGE GEMS From the pages of Vanity Fair
By EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY • ALEXANDER WOOLLCOTT • F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
SHERWOOD ANDERSON • CLARENCE DARROW • THEODORE DREISER
LANGSTON HUGHES • FORD MADOX FORD • STEPHEN LEACOCK • BERTRAND RUSSELL
WALTER WINCHELL • ROBERT SHERWOOD • P. G. WODEHOUSE
WALTER LIPPMANN • DOROTHY PARKER • WILLIAM SAROYAN • GERTRUDE STEIN
CARL SANDBURG • ROBERT BENCHLEY • DALTON TRUMBO • NOËL COWARD
D. H. LAWRENCE • E. E. CUMMINGS • JEAN COCTEAU • ALDOUS HUXLEY • JANET FLANNER
DJUNA BARNES • PAUL GALLICO • THOMAS MANN • A. A. MILNE • THOMAS WOLFE
COLETTE • T. S. ELIOT . . . and many more

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prescient. . . .
A book as a box
Out in
of chocolates.”
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this fall
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—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Delightful.”
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ONLINE FEATURES
THE YOUNG AND THE REPUBLICAN
By KIA MAKARECHI There’s a new breed of millennial
G.O.P.-er in our midst: economically conservative
but socially liberal. So what happens when they work
on a campaign with values they don’t support?

IT’S MR. SHOW TIME

By ADAM FREELANDER A roundup of the best
sidesplitting sketches from Mr. Show, Bob Odenkirk
and David Cross’s beloved cult classic.

DOWNTON’S DRAWINGS
Indulge in additional portraits by David Downton
of Hollywood starlets, ravishing socialites, and elegant
grandes dames.

THE THINGS THEY CARRY

From lugging umbrellas and shopping bags to hauling
bottomless totes and summer weekenders, New Yorkers
have become sidewalk pack mules. See them through
the eye of an artist. Illustrations by Joana Avillez.

ARMANI AMBASSADORS
Relive the celebration of the storied fashion house’s 40th
anniversary, with photos of Cate Blanchett and
other glamorous guests. Photographs by Tom Munro.

VIDEO
SWIFT IT OFF By MARIO TESTINO + Go behind
the scenes of V.F.’s photo shoot with Taylor Swift,
PHOTOGR A PHS BY TOM M UNRO ; A LL C L OTH IN G BY GIO RGI O A R MA N I

our pop-icon cover girl, among suitcases of couture.

GIGI’S JOY RIDE By BRENDAN BURDZINSKI

Supermodel Gigi Hadid has forged a stylish career
and some fabulous friendships. Watch this month’s
“It Girl” hit the road with pal Derek Blasberg
in a new episode of Conversations in the Backseat.

SENIOR ORIENTATION
By SKIN DEEP A young-un teaches old-timers how
to swipe their way to love (or whatever) on Tinder.

FASHION FAVORITES
Giorgio Armani’s 40th-anniversary celebration,
Style experts Amy Fine Collins and Carlos Souza,
at his Milan headquarters.
among others, weigh in on the exclusive and elusive
International Best-Dressed List.

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 BEHIND THE LIST

THE SUBSTANCE of STYLE

The editors of the International Best-Dressed List
celebrate the Poll’s 75 years as a barometer of the times

Eleanor Lambert
in her office on
57th Street, in New York
City, with a photo of
her late husband, Hearst

‘G
executive Seymour
Berkson, on her desk,
December 23, 1963.
ood clothes,” the 17th-century English clergyman Thomas Fuller wrote,
“open all doors.” And for Eleanor Lambert they also facilitated entrance to
the International Best-Dressed List, the authoritative institution she founded 75 years ago. Ever
since 1940, when The New York Times ran headlines naming the inaugural honorees, Lambert’s
annual Poll has served as a barometer of the Zeitgeist, viewed one year at a time through the lens of fashion.
When, for example, the commandingly el- List), in 1984 Lambert deemed her “the world’s a plan for succession, before her death at 100
egant Mme. Chiang Kai-shek debuted on the most influential woman of fashion today.” in 2003. In 2002 she officially handed off her
List, in 1943, she had just sailed from China Echoing the general economic climate, flexible instrument to four “friends at Vanity
to address Congress—only the second woman Lambert declared 1992 a year of “deep fashion Fair.” Building on Lambert’s legacy, the latest
ever to do so. In 1955 nubile screen sensation recession” while cautiously proposing the ec- List (on page 172) reflects the recent Supreme
Grace Kelly, barely 25, arrived on the List fresh centric Isabella Blow as a “fashion dissident.” Court marriage-equality ruling by citing its first
from her Oscar win for The Country Girl. Jac- And in 1997 Lambert foresaw that informal gay couples, and mirrors
queline Kennedy received her initial accolade in California styles would emanate eastward from American Ballet The- @vf.com
1961, soon after her husband’s presidential elec- Silicon Valley, due to the growing prestige of the atre’s unprecedented ele- For our style experts’
take on I . B . D. L .
tion; for Lambert, the new First Lady personi- “geek cult.” Now her prophecies are fulfilled by vation of an African- FA S H I O N, go to
fied “fashion leadership to the average woman Jonathan Ive’s appearance on the 2015 register. American female soloist VF.COM/SEPT2015.
everywhere.” The be-spangled, navel-baring to principal dancer by

T
Cher made a onetime showing, in 1971, at the hough Lambert—who at ninetysome- honoring the exquisite Misty Copeland. In its
FRO M A .P. IM AGE S

same moment The Sonny and Cher Comedy thing referred to herself as the “oldest current incarnation, Lambert’s 75-year-old de-
Hour was heating up the airwaves. And even living database”—insisted that the List vice remains, as she cannily noted back in
though the Princess of Wales was pregnant existed primarily as “a personal thing,” likely to 1986, “as relevant a historical record of how we
with Prince Harry (voted onto the current expire with her, she in fact carefully prepared lived as anything else.” —AMY FINE COLLINS

122 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 ®

Editor GRAYDON CARTER

Managing Editor CHRIS GARRETT Design Director CHRIS DIXON

Executive Editor DOUGLAS STUMPF Features Editor JANE SARKIN Photography Director SUSAN WHITE
Deputy Editors AIMÉE BELL, PUNCH HUTTON, DANA BROWN, MARK ROZZO Fashion and Style Director JESSICA DIEHL Associate Managing Editor ELLEN KIELL
Legal Affairs Editor ROBERT WALSH Director of Special Projects SARA MARKS Copy Editor PETER DEVINE Research Director JOHN BANTA
Beauty Director SUNHEE GRINNELL Executive West Coast Editor KRISTA SMITH Art Director HILARY FITZGIBBONS
Photography Research Director JEANNIE RHODES Deputy Director of Special Projects MATT ULLIAN Fashion Market Director MICHAEL CARL
Associate Legal Affairs Editor AUSTIN MERRILL Associate Copy Editor DAVID FENNER Production Director PAT CRAVEN
Research Editors MARY FLYNN, DAVID GENDELMAN Assistant Editors JAIME LALINDE, LAUREN CHRISTENSEN Deputy Research Editor ALISON FORBES
Reporter-Researchers BRENDAN BARR, SIMON BRENNAN, SUE CARSWELL, BEN KALIN, WALTER OWEN, MICHAEL SACKS Research Associate HANNAH SAFTER
Assistant Copy Editor ADAM NADLER Associate Art Directors LEE RUELLE, PALOMA HUERRE, KAITLYN PEPE Editorial Finance Manager GEOFF COLLINS
Editorial Business Manager SARAH SCHMIDT Senior Photography Producer KATHRYN MACLEOD Senior Photography Research Editors ANN SCHNEIDER, KATHERINE BANG
Associate Photography Editor CATE STURGESS Associate Photography Producer RACHEL DELOACHE WILLIAMS Special Projects Manager ARI BERGEN
Art Production Director CHRISTOPHER GEORGE Copy and U.K. Production Director CARLA ZANDONELLA Copy Production Manager ANDERSON TEPPER
Senior Executive Assistant to the Editor ANNA HJALMARSDOTTIR Assistant to the Editor DAN GILMORE Assistant to the Managing Editor LUCY FELDMAN
Market Editor ISABELLA BEHRENS Associate to the Fashion and Style Director RYAN YOUNG Fashion Associate DUNCAN GOODWIN
Assistant Features Editor ANDREA CUTTLER Features Associate MARISSA EISELE Editorial Business Associate CAMILLE ZUMWALT COPPOLA
Editorial Associates CAT BUCKLEY, MARY ALICE MILLER, LUCIE SHELLY, LOUISA STRAUSS Editorial Assistants MARLEY BROWN, LEORA YASHARI

Editor-at-Large CULLEN MURPHY Special Correspondents BOB COLACELLO, MAUREEN ORTH, BRYAN BURROUGH, AMY FINE COLLINS
Writers-at-Large MARIE BRENNER, JAMES REGINATO Style Editor–at–Large MICHAEL ROBERTS International Correspondent WILLIAM LANGEWIESCHE
London Editor HENRY PORTER Paris Editor VÉRONIQUE PLAZOLLES European Editor–at–Large JEMIMA KHAN Editor (Los Angeles) WENDY STARK MORRISSEY
Our Man in Kabul TOM FRESTON Our Man in Saigon BRIAN MCNALLY Architecture Consultant BASIL WALTER
Editorial Consultant JIM KELLY Senior Editorial Adviser WAYNE LAWSON
Editor, Creative Development DAVID FRIEND

vanityfair.com
Director MICHAEL HOGAN Editor KATHERINE GOLDSTEIN Deputy Editor MATTHEW LYNCH Projects Editor KELLY BUTLER Photography Editor CHIARA MARINAI
Staff Photographer JUSTIN BISHOP Video Editor JEREMY ELKIN Social Media Editor JEFFREY TOUSEY Hollywood Editor KATEY RICH Hollywood Columnist RICHARD LAWSON
Senior Hollywood Writer JULIE MILLER Hollywood Writer JOANNA ROBINSON News Editor KIA MAKARECHI Staff Writer JOSH DUBOFF Associate Editor ALEXANDRA BEGGS
News Blogger TINA NGUYEN Line Editor STEPHANIE HORST Associate Line Editor AMIRAH MERCER Editorial Associate ELISE TAYLOR Photo Associate BENJAMIN PARK

Contributing Editors
HENRY ALFORD, KURT ANDERSEN, SUZANNA ANDREWS, LILI ANOLIK, ROBERT SAM ANSON, JUDY BACHRACH, DONALD L. BARLETT, CARL BERNSTEIN,
PETER BISKIND, BUZZ BISSINGER, HOWARD BLUM, PATRICIA BOSWORTH, MARK BOWDEN, DOUGLAS BRINKLEY,
ALICE BRUDENELL-BRUCE, MICHAEL CALLAHAN, MARINA CICOGNA, EDWIN JOHN COASTER, WILLIAM D. COHAN, RICH COHEN, JOHN CONNOLLY,
STEVEN DALY, BEATRICE MONTI DELLA CORTE, JANINE DI GIOVANNI, KURT EICHENWALD, LISA EISNER, SARAH ELLISON, BRUCE FEIRSTEIN,
STEVE GARBARINO, A. A. GILL, PAUL GOLDBERGER, VANESSA GRIGORIADIS, MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSS, LOUISE GRUNWALD, BRUCE HANDY, DAVID HARRIS,
JOHN HEILPERN, REINALDO HERRERA, CAROL BLUE HITCHENS, SARAJANE HOARE, A. M. HOMES, LAURA JACOBS, SEBASTIAN JUNGER,
DAVID KAMP, SAM KASHNER, JON KELLY, MICHAEL KINSLEY, EDWARD KLEIN, BETSY KENNY LACK, FRAN LEBOWITZ, ADAM LEFF, DANY LEVY,
MONICA LEWINSKY, MICHAEL LEWIS, GEORGE LOIS, DAVID MARGOLICK, VICTORIA MATHER (TRAVEL), BRUCE MCCALL, BETHANY MCLEAN,
PATRICK MCMULLAN, ANNE MCNALLY, PIPPA MIDDLETON, SETH MNOOKIN, NINA MUNK, ELISE O’SHAUGHNESSY, JAMIE PALLOT,
EVGENIA PERETZ, JEAN PIGOZZI, WILLIAM PROCHNAU, TODD S. PURDUM, JOHN RICHARDSON, LISA ROBINSON, DAVID ROSE,
RICHARD RUSHFIELD, NANCY JO SALES, ELISSA SCHAPPELL, MARK SEAL, GAIL SHEEHY, MICHAEL SHNAYERSON, SALLY BEDELL SMITH,
JAMES B. STEELE, CHRISTOPHER TENNANT, MATT TYRNAUER, CRAIG UNGER, DIANE VON FURSTENBERG,
ELIZABETH SALTZMAN WALKER, BENJAMIN WALLACE, HEATHER WATTS, JIM WINDOLF, JAMES WOLCOTT, EVAN WRIGHT, NED ZEMAN

In Memoriam INGRID SISCHY (1952–2015), FREDERIC MORTON (1924–2015), CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (1949–2011), TIM HETHERINGTON (1970–2011),
DOMINICK DUNNE (1925–2009), DAVID HALBERSTAM (1934–2007), MARJORIE WILLIAMS (1958–2005), HELMUT NEWTON (1920–2004), HERB RITTS (1952–2002)

Contributing Photographers
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
BRUCE WEBER, JONATHAN BECKER, MARK SELIGER, PATRICK DEMARCHELIER, HARRY BENSON, LARRY FINK, TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS, SAM JONES,
JONAS FREDWALL KARLSSON, DAVID LACHAPELLE, MICHAEL O’NEILL, NORMAN JEAN ROY, SNOWDON, MARIO TESTINO, GASPER TRINGALE, FIROOZ ZAHEDI
Photographer-at-Large TODD EBERLE Contributing Artists HILARY KNIGHT, ROSS MACDONALD, ROBERT RISKO, TIM SHEAFFER, EDWARD SOREL, STEPHEN DOYLE

Contributors
Fashion Market Director (Menswear) HEATHER SHIMOKAWA Accessories Director DAISY SHAW
Senior Photography Producer RON BEINNER Accessories Editor JACLYN COBOURN Special Projects Art Director ANGELA PANICHI
Digital Production Manager H. SCOTT JOLLEY Associate Digital Production Manager SUSAN M. RASCO Production Manager BETH BARTHOLOMEW
I L L USTR ATI O NS BY MA R K M ATCH O

Associate Editor S. P. NIX Associate Art Director TONYA DOURAGHY Beauty Assistant AUDREY NOBLE Photo Associate JAMES EMMERMAN
Photography Production Assistant ELIZABETH ROBERTS Photo Assistant MARINA VERE NICOLL Stylist DEBORAH AFSHANI
Art Assistant LILY NELSON Video Associate EMMA GRADY Editorial Assistant EMILY TANNENBAUM Editorial Researcher ISABEL ASHTON

Public Relations
Executive Director of Public Relations BETH KSENIAK Deputy Director of Public Relations LIZZIE WOLFF
Associate Director of Public Relations/Contributing Style Editor, vf.com RACHEL TASHJIAN Public Relations Assistant ANDREA WHITTLE

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 ®

Publisher, Chief Revenue Officer CHRIS MITCHELL

Associate Publisher ALICE MCKOWN

Associate Publisher, Marketing JENIFER BERMAN
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Executive Director of Brand Development SARAH KREFTING MURPHY
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Director of Finance and Business Operations MARC LEYER
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 CONTRIBUTORS

MARIO TESTINO
For this month’s cover and accompanying article,
“Taylor Calls the Tune” (page 252), Contributing
Photographer Mario Testino shot Taylor Swift (pictured).
The Grammy Award winner has become such
a symbol of contemporary feminism that her music
video for “Bad Blood” inspired vigorous online debate.
“As I see it, Taylor’s latest video was about women’s
power,” says Testino. “I wanted to portray another way
for a woman to be powerful—the power of seduction!”

STELLA MCCARTNEY
Designer Stella McCartney grew up on an organic
farm, and it was there that she developed her
commitment to sustainable manufacturing processes.
“We are the only luxury house doing this,” says
McCartney. “It’s what defines the modernity of my
brand.” In this month’s V.F. Portrait (page 262), she
honors the talents of her like-minded friend Linda
Greer, with whom she works on the Natural Resources
Defense Council’s Clean by Design program.

LILI ANOLIK
In “Darkness Invisible” (page 264), Contributing
Editor Lili Anolik reports on the death of her husband’s
colleague and mentor, Dr. Fredric Brandt, the
cosmetic dermatologist as famous for his striking
appearance as for his all-star client list. “Fred
was so much a part of our lives,” she says. “And yet,
writing this piece, I realized how little I knew him.”
Anolik’s first novel, Dark Rooms, was published in March.

KARL LAGERFELD
This year Karl Lagerfeld celebrates 50 years of
collaboration with Fendi, marking the longest relationship
ever between a designer and a fashion house. But Lagerfeld’s
sources of inspiration remain youthful. For “The Boy Who
Loved Chanel” (page 300), he photographed his seven-year-
old muse, Hudson Kroenig. “His incredibly professional
behavior makes him different from other children,” says
( L AGE RF E L D) , M A RY M C CA RT NE Y ( M C C A RTN E Y ), A I TO R SA N TOM É ( T E STI NO )

Lagerfeld. “It is rare to be like him that early in life.”

PHOTOGR A PHS : BY B RI GI TT E L ACO MB E ( SCO RS E SE ) , K A RL L AGE RF E L D

MARTIN SCORSESE
In “The 40-Year-Old Vision” (page 272), Academy
Award–winning director Martin Scorsese pays tribute
to his longtime friend and collaborator Giorgio
Armani. “When Giorgio and I met for the first time,
it was as if we’d known each other for years,”
says Scorsese. “I suppose that, in the end, we’re both
in pursuit of the same thing: line, flow, beauty.”

CON TI NUED ON PAGE 138

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 CONTRIBUTORS

CON TI NUED FROM PAGE 132

JESSICA DIEHL
Vanity Fair’s Fashion and Style
Director of five years, Jessica Diehl,
brings to her job a robust visual
vocabulary. “The minute you give
clothes a character, they make sense,”
says Diehl. “The vocabulary of fashion
is oftentimes more descriptive than
an image ever could be.” Diehl describes
her styling of Taylor Swift (“Taylor
Calls the Tune,” page 252) as
“a Michelle Pfeiffer Scarface–Helmut
Newton–Saint Laurent kind of
70s idea, with a little more of an edge.”

DEREK BLASBERG
Derek Blasberg is the author of Classy,
The New York Times’s best-selling
collection of essays on etiquette. This
month, he recognizes supermodel
and “It Girl” Gigi Hadid’s good
behavior (page 282). “She says ‘please’
and ‘thank you’ and calls you on
your birthday,” says Blasberg,
whose next book, Harper’s Bazaar:
Models, is due out in October.
“Good manners get you far in life.”

NANCY JO SALES
While modern dating is, to an extent,
a zero-sum game, nothing has
furthered that notion quite like Tinder.
“It’s like the Walmart of sex,” says
Contributing Editor Nancy Jo Sales,
who writes about the dating app
in “Tinder Is the Night” (page 244).
“Real connections between people
will always occur, but this innovation
might be giving romantic love a real run
for its money. When there’s such
an abundance of options, it’s harder
to think of someone as special.”

INGRID SISCHY
Contributing Editor Ingrid Sischy died
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M TO P, BY M IK A EL J A N S SO N/ TR UNK A RCHIV E ,

in July. “The Boy Who Loved

PI E R GUI DO GR A SS A NO , J AY N E WE XL E R , S A M TAY L OR - J OH NS O N

Chanel” (page 300) is her last article

for Vanity Fair, where for 18 years
she reported memorably on the worlds
of art and fashion. (See Graydon Carter’s
appreciation on VF.com.) Previously
she was the Editor of Artforum
and then of Interview magazine. She
and her wife, Sandra Brant, became
International Editors for Condé Nast
International in 2008.

CON TI N UED ON PAGE 140

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 CONTRIBUTORS

CON TI NUED FROM PAGE 138

REINALDO HERRERA, AMY FINE COLLINS, AND AIMÉE BELL

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the International Best-Dressed Poll
(page 172), founded in 1940 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert,
who bequeathed it to Graydon Carter, Reinaldo Herrera, Amy Fine Collins,
and Aimée Bell in 2002. Says V.F. Special Correspondent Collins
(who also contributed a toast to the anniversary, on page 122, a profile of artist
Dustin Yellin, on page 306, and a Spotlight on Manolo and Kristina
Blahnik, on page 270): “The List’s scope this year is wider than ever, with
winners from the worlds of music, fashion, ballet, film, technology, sports,
business, politics, and three-generation Best-Dressed dynasties.”

JOSH DUBOFF
Staff Writer Josh Duboff attended
three concerts and spent a weekend in
London with Taylor Swift (“Taylor
Calls the Tune,” page 252) trying to
grasp what her life is like beneath
the bright beam of frenzied fame. “At
the end of the photo shoot, as we
waited for an elevator, I turned to Taylor
and asked her how she was feeling
after the long day,” recalls Duboff.
“ ‘Same as you’ was all she said, which
I thought was a surprising and
strangely affecting answer.”

JONATHAN BECKER
Whit Stillman’s debut film,
Metropolitan, was filled with so many
DUB OF F PHOTO GR A PH ED BY J UST IN B I SH OP. P HOTO GR A PH

bons mots that it became an icon

BY RA L P H GI B SO N ( B E CKE R ) . I L L USTR ATI O N BY RI S KO

of its time. Contributing Photographer

Jonathan Becker photographed the
cast on the film’s anniversary (“East
Side Story,” on page 304). “It was
nostalgia mixed with tension as you work
with people who are 25 years older
and resistant to being typecast
back to their Metropolitan days,” says
Becker, who also shot artist Dustin Yellin,
for “The Host of Utopia” (page 306).

140 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 EDITOR’S LETTER
MEN, WOMEN, and
THE GREAT IN-BETWEEN
U  
ntil quite
recently, relationships between
young people, intimate or oth-
erwise, were initiated by the ap-
plication of old-school concepts
of courtship. For men, tried-
and- true techniques included
holding the door open (but put-
ting the toilet seat back down),
telling your date how lovely she
looked no matter what she hap-
pened to be wearing, and saying that you really prefer to curl
up with a good book rather than watch sports on television. If
these venerated traditions failed to fully achieve their intended
results—and even if they did—a good deal of pleading never hurt.
In the Digital Age, these tribal rituals seem not only dated but
quaint. The shift to something completely different began at the
tail end of the last century with the early proliferation of the smart-
phone. In short order, app designers channeled primal needs and
made instant gratification possible in just about every area of life:
buying a book, arranging a ride home, watching a movie, or get-
ting a meal delivered. Once social media became the law of the
land, it was only a matter of time before the instant-gratification
culture came to include no-commitment, hurry-up sex.
Tinder, the fastest-growing mobile dating app—with an esti-
mated 50 million users and counting—instantly displays potential
(and willing) partners in a chosen radius, offering nothing more
than a few profile pictures. People looking for a hookup—a “date”
is now just a fruit popular in the Middle East—whip through the
gallery of available mates, swiping right if they like what they see,
left if they don’t. If the person who has been swiped right likes
the looks of the swiper, then texting—often graphic in terms of
expectations—is initiated. This flick of the thumb has accelerated
the process that people, usually complete strangers, go through
to make “matches,” which increasingly means nothing more than
meeting for casual sex, sometimes within the half-hour. For “Tin-
der Is the Night,” on page 244, V.F. contributing editor Nancy Jo
Sales plunges into the world of sex in the Digital Age, talking to the
consumers of this new way to shop online for a one-night stand.
Sales has spent a good part of her career studying the noctur-
nal habits of teens and tweens, and is therefore an ideal guide to
142 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
NI GEL PARRY
wade through the thicket of dos
and don’ts of this particular cul-
tural shift. She is to the American
adolescent what Jane Goodall is to
the Tanzanian chimpanzee. “Sex
has become so easy,” a 26-year-
old New York City man tells her.
“I can go on my phone right now
and no doubt I can find someone
I can have sex with this evening,
probably before midnight.” As
Sales writes, “Dating apps are the free-market economy come to
sex… It’s telling that swiping has been jocularly incorporated
into advertisements for various products, a nod to the notion that,
online, the act of choosing consumer brands and sex partners
has become interchangeable.” Not surprisingly, a number of the
young women Sales spoke to say that these one-night stands left
them feeling empty and unfulfilled—both emotionally and sexu-
ally. Which suggests that the dating-app moment will be either
short-lived or perceived as a phase in adolescence, much like
puberty or slamming your bedroom door to make a point.
N
early a decade ago, Taylor Swift—then a curly-haired
16-year-old—released her first country-music album. It
was called simply Taylor Swift. The album was an im-
mediate critical and popular success. Lyrics such as “He’s got
a one-hand feel on the steering wheel, the other on my heart”
offered a very non-Tinder-like experience that girls with more
traditional notions of young love gravitated to. Four albums,
seven Grammy Awards, and four No. 1 singles later, Swift has
become a pop-culture icon, and perhaps the most influen-
tial 25-year-old in the world, with enough raw talent and po-
lite but indomitable confidence to put everyone from Silicon
Valley titans to Kim Kardashian’s husband in their place.
As Josh Duboff reports in this month’s cover story, “Taylor
Calls the Tune,” on page 252, Swift has also created her own Rat
Pack of high-profile friends and “It girl” confidantes, including
models of the moment Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Kendall
Jenner, and Gigi Hadid; fellow musicians Selena Gomez and the
Haim sisters; and actresses Lena Dunham and the Emmas (Stone
and Watson). They’re successful, supportive, and hardworking. I
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 EDITOR’S LETTER
don’t know a young woman (or young man) who doesn’t want
to be part of Swift’s circle. “These girls are not shuffling out of
clubs at three A.M. or finding themselves on TMZ for nefarious
reasons,” Duboff writes. Swift, he says, is “not exactly a Miley
Cyrus.” She is soft and introspective enough to bare intimate de-
tails of her love life in songs such as “Dear John” and “We Are
Never Ever Getting Back Together.” She’s also self-assured enough
to make a stand by pulling all of her music from the streaming ser-
vice Spotify and to stage a successful campaign against Apple Mu-
sic, which had decided not to compensate artists during the initial
three-month free-trial period it offered to new users of its stream-
ing platform. In the music industry, fashion world, popular culture,
and her personal life, Swift is a true force—or, as Delevingne puts it
in a slightly different way, “a boss bitch.”
F
or those who read obituaries—often the best-written sections
of major newspapers—each chronicle of a life well lived and
now gone is a daily reminder that the obituary of our own
existence is being written as we live it. When Robert Benchley, an
editor at Vanity Fair in its early days, died, shortly after the end of
World War II, the brilliant New Yorker writer Wolcott Gibbs, his
colleague and friend, said that he would be missed because “he
took up so much room in so many lives.” The same could be said
of Jerry Weintraub, a movie- and music-industry legend who died
suddenly in California this summer at the age of 77. Jerry had
an enviable career that left an imprint on a half-dozen decades—
a rare feat these days. He worked with Elvis Presley and Frank
Sinatra at one end of his career and produced all three Ocean’s
movies near the other end. There was a lot in between. In recent
BRUC E WE BER
years, he and Steven Soderbergh, who directed the Ocean’s tril-
ogy, won Emmys for making Behind the Candelabra for HBO,
with Michael Douglas and Matt Damon playing Liberace and
his boyfriend Scott Thorson. Jerry worked constantly and made
it look like fun. Even now he has a smart new comedy on HBO
called The Brink and a big action remake of Tarzan coming out
next summer, with Alexander Skarsgård.
Jerry Weintraub has been part of my life for many years. Real-
izing that the best stories are sometimes right under your nose, I
assigned a big piece on him a while ago for one of our Hollywood
Issues. I asked Rich Cohen to write it, because I thought he’d ap-
preciate Jerry’s singular Jerryness. Cohen not only wrote the ar-
ticle but then co-wrote Jerry’s subsequent memoir, called When I
Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead. A year later, Doug McGrath
made a documentary about Jerry for HBO that I helped pro-
GUYS SIMPLY
LOVED JERRY
AND LOVED BEING AROUND
HIM. I’VE NEVER MET
ANYONE WHOM MORE MEN
HAD MAN CRUSHES ON.
duce. We called it His Way, because when you were around Jerry,
his way was the way. And I mean that in the best possible sense.
At Oscar time, a bunch of us would have a Jerry Weintraub
dinner at La Dolce Vita, a charmingly boozy, red-sauce Italian
restaurant in Beverly Hills. He’d tell many of the same
stories, and Susie Ekins, his devoted girlfriend of many
years, would listen as if she were hearing them for the
first time—a performance worthy of an Oscar. He was
attractive to women—hell, he lived off and on with his
wife, the singer Jane Morgan, and Susie right up to the
end. But he was a real magnet to men. Guys simply
loved him and loved being around him. I’ve never met
anyone whom more men had man crushes on.
He was almost comically self-involved. Years ago,
at a dinner in my honor, he stood up, rested his hand
on my shoulder, and said, “I’d like to say a few words
about my friend Graydon.” My innate anxiety about
becoming the sudden focus of attention wound
down quickly. Once he had said those
HIS WAY
words, Jerry spoke for more than half an
Jerry Weintraub
with his golden hour—about himself. He could get away
retriever in with it, though, because his friends knew
Los Angeles, he could drop his favorite topic in a
October 2012. heartbeat if he thought you needed some-
thing, anything, or just wanted to talk. We
had lunch a few months ago in New York,
and he said he was thinking about doing another
Ocean’s film—but not with George Clooney, Brad Pitt,
and the lot. He wanted to do it with an all-women
cast, an idea I thought was completely inspired. When
he died, his friends struggled to find words to express
what they were thinking. Leave it to George Clooney,
a man with a knack for always saying the right thing at
the right time, to sum up what all were thinking: “To
those who didn’t know him we send our deepest sym-
pathy. You would have loved him.” —GRAYDON CARTER
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 147
 LETTERS
‘ T
COMRADES-
IN-ARMS
U.S. Army soldiers
assist an injured
peer following
an I.E.D. explosion
in Afghanistan,
July 2010.
HOMECOMING SAGA
Battle bonds fray for our disbanded brothers;
farm-to-table limps out to pasture;
Orson Welles crosses his critics; and more
A
s the son of a W.W. II P.O.W. survivor, and some-
one with direct experience with the effects of PTSD,
I was deeply impressed and moved by “The Bonds
of Battle” [by Sebastian Junger, June]. We will be
dealing with the effects of these recent, ruinous wars for many
years to come, and at least we could make an effort to under-
stand what’s happening with these soldiers and their families.
I have suggested to my friends and family that they all read this
important article. I feel that it is a major paradigm shift.
FRANK KILMER
Santa Fe, New Mexico
148 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
he Bonds of Battle” was excellent
and informative—especially the ar-
gument that the stress of combat
per se is not necessarily the only cause of
PTSD. Far more subtle sources are at work.
For many years, I have wondered about
the effects of stress on the millions of parents
and spouses whose loved ones are in harm’s
way. During W.W. II, my older brother and I
were in the service—he a quartermaster on a
carrier in the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific,
and I a troop-carrier pilot in the First Alli-
ance Army in Europe. Certainly we both had
moments of stress, but they were infrequent
and relatively brief.
But what of our parents and the millions
like them who were under unremitting daily
stress for years, dreading the arrival of
“the telegram” and relieved only by
letters written days earlier. Now, that
is real stress! How did they bear up
so well? And if they came through
psychologically unimpaired, why
did they? I know of no writings
that address this phenomenon.
The cause of PTSD is still not fully
understood, but writings such as Junger’s
are superb and do much to help us under-
stand a very complex problem.
RICHARD C. DINMORE
Castle Pines North, Colorado
I
deeply appreciate the eyes-open and
broad scope of Junger’s article, as it de-
compartmentalizes mental health, famil-
iar/tribal factors, and society’s role in war and
in homecoming. I am a three-time veteran of
combat deployments, one of which was rela-
tively dangerous. I went into the military with
psychological “stress fractures” that didn’t
keep me from living a normal life before de-
ploying but, as Mr. Junger smartly connects,
have left me less resilient in my re-integration.
THE INCLUSION OF THE SOLDIERS PICTURED HERE SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO INDICATE THAT ANY OF
I periodically join in talks and train-
THE M SU FF E R F RO M P OST-TR AUM ATI C STR ES S DI SO R DE R. P HOTO GRA P H © BO B ST RON G/ RE UT ER S/ CO RBI S
ing sessions regarding my war experiences
and post-traumatic stress. And this article
has encouraged me to go one step further
in my self-disclosure, to explain that I did
not enter the military with much resilience,
and to share without feeling ashamed that I
was already partly broken. I hope this will
help my audience to understand me, other
veterans, and themselves, and to forgive us
for being imperfect and having these “prob-
lems” with re-adjustment or just with exis-
tence in a society like ours.
PABLO RAVIZZOLI
North Granby, Connecticut
S
ebastian Junger’s article about the in-
cidence of PTSD in American troops
seems to indicate that a lack of feel-
ing of connectedness and community in our
modern society factors large. I wonder if the
subconscious yearning for connection is partly
behind the increase in the fanaticism among
S EP T EMB ER 2015

sports fans today. Where else can so many
people all agree about the same thing, loudly
and publicly? There are rituals, uniforms, rules
of engagement, and field generals (coaches).
In college football in particular, the sta-
diums grow larger every year. The money
for concessions, sponsorships, and naming
rights grows exponentially—just like defense
budgets. And, as with the military, most of
the money goes to everyone but the people
doing the actual work.
TERESA HORSTMAN
Galloway, Ohio
I
have subscribed to Vanity Fair for many
years, but this is the first time I’ve writ-
ten, to say how thought-provoking Sebas-
tian Junger’s article was. We as a society think
we have done our bit when we say, “Thanks
for your service and sacrifice.” I have often
thought how different we would feel if we did
actually listen to the meaning of war. As a lit-
tle girl in Scotland, I well remember listening
to my grandfather say that he was more afraid
of the giant rats that feasted on dead-body
parts than he was of the Germans.
Everyone should read this article and ask
himself: Is it really our returning warriors who
are sick, or is it the society they’re returning to?
ELAINE YOUNGMAN
Orlando, Florida
A
s an army wife and a navy mom, I
have deep experience with the mili-
tary, dealing with the separations
and the homecomings. I was astounded at
the depth of Mr. Junger’s understanding of
what our military men and women endure
in our name, and what they face when they
return home.
The last section of the article sums it up
so well and should be required reading for
every politician and citizen. Thank you, Se-
bastian Junger, for your insights and truth.
ELAINE MONTGOMERY
Reston, Virginia
J
unger’s discussion of the level of dis-
connection in our modern culture is
something that has been widely ob-
served by many native elders, as well as
other luminaries such as Mother Teresa. We
are gorging ourselves on material goods (or
at least a lucky few of us are; much of the
world is still mired in terrible poverty) at a
rate that is bringing us to the brink of envi-
ronmental catastrophe. At the same time,
our spirits are severely malnourished.
Veterans, like anyone on the fringe of our
existence, are the canaries in the coal mine.
Their suffering demonstrates the imbalance
and destructiveness of the prevailing culture.
A life that is truly sustainable will mean
more than just efficient use of resources—
we need more connection and heart. Oth-
erwise, we will continue to be haunted by
154 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
LETTERS
a gnawing hunger that no amount of con-
sumption can satisfy.
LAWRENCE MESSERMAN
Bend, Oregon
‘T
he Bonds of Battle” was of special
interest to me. I am a long-term sur-
vivor of AIDS (26th year, thank you).
Junger’s observation about PTSD and AIDS
(“the war that is missed doesn’t even have
to be a shooting war”) led me to a deeper
understanding of self.
LARRY O. DOSS
San Francisco, California
I
n “The Bonds of Battle,” Sebastian Jun-
ger writes, “Suicide by combat veterans
is often seen as an extreme expression
of PTSD, but currently there is no statistical
relationship between suicide and combat, ac-
cording to a study published in April in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
Psychiatry. Combat veterans are no more
likely to kill themselves than veterans who
were never under fire.”
However, this study’s authors clearly state
that they did not measure the effect of com-
bat on suicides but rather the effect of deploy-
ment. As Junger himself notes, not every de-
ployed service member sees combat; in fact,
very few in our modern military history do.
Junger’s assertion, with the certainty of
a study attached to it, that there is no cor-
relation between combat and suicide is both
wrong and dangerous.
MATTHEW HOH
Senior fellow
Center for International Policy
Raleigh, North Carolina
SEBASTIAN JUNGER REPLIES: In the
Los Angeles Times on December 20, 2013,
Alan Zarembo cited a study by the federal De-
partment of Veterans Affairs that found that al-
most 69 percent of veteran suicides are people
over 50. That means that at the very least, sui-
cide is not a near-term reaction to combat and
very possibly not a reaction to combat at all.
More generally, the demographically
matched civilian suicide rate remained higher
than the veteran rate until 2008—another in-
dication that other life stresses figure heavily
into a person’s decision to take his or her own
life, regardless of whether that individual had
military or combat experience.
And in 2013, The American Journal of
Medicine published a research paper that
concluded: “The findings from this study are
not consistent with the assumption that specif-
ic deployment-related characteristics, such as
length of deployment, number of deployments,
or combat experiences, are directly associated
with suicide risk.” (Emphasis added.)
If Mr. Hoh has doubts about the accuracy
of these studies, I suggest he take that up with
the researchers themselves.
S
ebastian Junger’s article should be
compulsory reading for all clinicians
treating vets with PTSD problems,
and for members of all branches of U.S.
military professional education. His empa-
thetic and perceptive analysis of tribal cul-
ture, its positive effects on brain chemistry,
and the closer-than-blood ties formed by
those under fire did more to substantiate
my own experience with combat-zone pres-
sure than any homecoming accolade or rec-
ognition for my service—and explains why
I’ll miss it for the rest of my life. Being de-
ployed is hard. Coming home is even harder.
DAWN A. M. LOISEL
Aurora, Colorado
WEAK MYTHOLOGY
A
nyone who would call Lake Charles
a “mean little oil city” [“Detective
Story,” by Rich Cohen, July] has
never been there. And if True Detective’s
Nic Pizzolatto descends from a “tough lot,”
what exactly was tough about his school-
teacher and attorney parents?
By insisting on hardship as the spark and
sustenance for Pizzolatto’s creative impulse,
you minimize the considerable power and
scope of his imagination.
CRAIG CASHIO
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G
entlemen, I thought I would take a
moment to mention that Cary Fu-
kunaga brilliantly directed all the
episodes of the first season of True Detective.
Had Nic Pizzolatto or Rich Cohen chosen
to do so, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble.
MARTIN DAVIDSON
Los Angeles, California
A STREAMLINED FORD
O
n my first rush to look through the
June issue, I stopped at the picture
of Eileen Ford on the telephone,
surrounded by family and clients [“The Call
of Beauty,” by Robert Lacey], thinking this
was a Norman Rockwell!
Loved the photo and the article!
KATHERINE SMITH
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
A
s a former Ford top model, I really
enjoyed “The Call of Beauty.” I en-
tered 949 Second Avenue in June
1952, after having worked the summer before
with the John Robert Powers Agency and
having lost 5 to 10 pounds. Eileen greeted
me by saying that she was happy to see me.
I said I wanted high fashion. She measured
me. Five feet six inches (she said she would
call it five feet seven inches) in stocking
S EP T EMB ER 2015
 LETTERS
feet, five feet nine inches in heels. Oops. ALL WELLES THAT ENDS WELL staged action, a camera representing the
I adored Eileen. She had it all: family director’s eye (a director not yet cast!), and

I
and career. worked one day in Orson Welles’s The
GLORIA BARNES HARPER Other Side of the Wind [“Orson’s Last
New York, New York Stand,” by Josh Karp, May]. I played
a studio soundman, a glorified-extra role.
a documentary camera following the miss-
ing director around. One didn’t know
where to look, but Welles had it all in his
talented head.

O
ne summer day in the late 60s, I was
standing in the cashier’s line at the
A&P in Westhampton, New York.
The woman ahead of me started unload-
ing her groceries, and I couldn’t help but
notice a very disciplined array of fresh fish
and chicken, fruits and vegetables, nuts and
grains—and, oddly, tons of lemons. “My, you
certainly have a healthy basket,” I said. Then,
as she turned to face me, I blurted out, “But
of course—you’re Eileen Ford!” I’d remem-
bered reading that her beautiful, impossibly
thin models were encouraged to stay at the
Ford house in the Hamptons, where Eileen
would cluck over them like a mother hen.
ANN MCKEE
Monmouth Beach, New Jersey
Welles had sneaked into Hollywood to
shoot for a weekend at Producers Studio. If
he stayed longer he would have been liable
for additional U.S. taxes.
Performers included Edmond O’Brien,
Mercedes McCambridge, and Peter Bog-
danovich. The pivotal role of the director
had not yet been cast. Welles said it would
be either Peter O’Toole or John Huston. (It
became the latter.)
I have never seen anybody have more fun
than Welles did that day—a kid in a playpen
with his favorite toys. The shooting was
complicated. Three different cameras were
running simultaneously: one shooting the
He grabbed a white wood parking sign
that resembled a cross and stuck it in the
scene. “Let Pauline Kael figure out the mean-
ing of this!” he said, laughing.
Oh, he was having a grand old time.
TERRY KINGSLEY-SMITH
Carmel, California
Letters to the editor should be sent electronically with
the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone
number to letters@vf.com. All requests for back issues
should be sent to subscriptions@vf.com. All other
queries should be sent to vfmail@vf.com. The magazine
reserves the right to edit submissions, which may
be published or otherwise used in any medium.
All submissions become the property of Vanity Fair.

LA VIDA LOCAVORE More from the

V. F.
I
got a great kick out of reading Corby
Kummer’s piece in the June issue of Van-
ity Fair [“Time to Table Farm-to-Table?”].
He’s such a good writer—and, for me, entirely
MAILBAG
wrong. For 40 years, a lot of us have been
begging for a greater focus on authentic, de-
licious, wholesome, and beautiful food. One
logical path is foods more directly from the
farm (to the kitchen, I might add). Why com-
plain when it’s becoming popular? Why not
So (you’re wondering), was there much mail regarding the Caitlyn Jenner cover? Let’s
just call out the liars and the cheats?
just say the Mailbag is writing this from a supine position, having made the mistake of
The Olive Garden had an artisanal-ravioli
reaching for the stack of letters (many of them handwritten) without the aid of a winch or
promotion. When I stopped laughing, I wrote
possibly a backhoe. Another week of this, the doctors say. And no sudden movements.
and called its P.R. people to ask about the
Anyway, here’s a mere sampling: “Tasteless and appalling.” “You gotta admit she
chefs (artisans) and ingredients. I believe others
looks amazing.” “If I didn’t love Vanity Fair so much, I’d cancel my subscription!”
made pithy comments on this disingenuous
“The pictures by Ms. Leibovitz were BREATHTAKING and once again a female personal-
promotion. They dumped the whole thing—
ity looks so much younger and prettier than I do at the approximate same age.”
including millions on TV advertisements.
“I am happy that Caitlyn has found happiness. But from the photos, I hope that she
Let’s not worry about buzzword abuse.
doesn’t think that this is a normal woman’s life.” “I fully support L.G.B.T. rights and
Farm-to-table, or rather the movement in the
have nothing but compassion in my heart for Ms. Jenner. I’m just sorry you all (includ-
culture to know and care more about where
ing Ms. Jenner) chose to show her as an aging caricature of a bimbette.” “[A] cover
food comes from, how it’s raised or grown,
shot of a woman’s cleavage again[?] Time for a cover of a man wearing a tux with
and then prepared and offered, includes
an open collar.” “It smacks of cheap, sensationalistic journalism.”
so many good elements and opportunities.
“Thank you so much for the beautiful photos of such a beautiful soul!” “You have
Let’s celebrate the successes and write funny,
just succeeded in pushing back the women’s movement about 60 years.” “Kudos
smart, mean pieces about the charlatans.
on your spread on Ms. Caitlyn! What a WONDERFUL way to come out of the dark-
And maybe take a farmer to lunch.
ness!!” “I will be praying for the staff of Vanity Fair.”
CLARK WOLF
“How come it takes THIS to get you to feature a 65-year-old woman on your
Sonoma County, California
cover?” “Caitlyn Jenner is older than I am. She used to be a man. But she is still better-

L
looking than I am. That is not, repeat not, fair!” “I’m just a guy in a skirt in L.A. trying
iving, as we do, so close to Chez
to make it through the daily grind like everyone else, but the outrageous antics of Jen-
Panisse and Berkeley’s Gourmet
ner and RuPaul have cast VERY NEGATIVE feelings toward me, and made it impossible
Ghetto, we are always delighted to
for ME to live peacefully and calmly in MY OWN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!”
IL L USTR AT IO N BY T I M L A HA N

impress our dinner guests with the news that

And finally, one that perhaps captures it all: “I can’t say that I fully understand or can
their meal is “locally sourced.”
answer all the questions about why a person feels the need and desire to change gen-
We have a Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and
der, but at least this article has opened a new door for all of [us] to walk through.
Costco all within a mile!
Much thanks.”
GORDON KELSEY
El Cerrito, California

160 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

WHEN FEWER HAVE MORE

W
hat do we think about inequality? Well—all 1-percenters. Are they chauffeurs? Caterers? Prep-school teachers?
things being unequal—it kind of depends on And even if there is a slight inequality problem here in the United
who we are. States, in Saudi Arabia it’s far worse, right? Most people think so, but
That line from the Declaration of Indepen- America is a not-too-distant second.
dence about how “all men are created equal”? And what is the great equalizer? If we’re religious, we’ll probably
It rings true for most Americans but for a higher percentage of whites say a place of worship. If we’re not religious, we’ll say a cemetery. Be-
(78) than blacks (66). Know any 1-percenters? Well, nearly a third fore we get carried away equalizing things, though, note that some
of us aren’t even sure what a “1-percenter” is. But who are 1 Americans don’t actually think inequality is so bad—because it
the seven percent who claim that most of the people they creates ambition. By the way, when we say “some,” we mean
know are 1-percenters? By definition they can’t all be Do you believe 50 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats.
the statement
“All men are created
@vf.com
10 equal” is
2
true or false? See the complete
How much Is inequality P O L L R E S U LT S.
Go to VF.COM/
should the helpful because it

4%
SEPT2015.
highest-paid employee gives people ambition,
receive compared TRUE / 76% or is inequality harmful
with the lowest-paid because it deprives
employee? 350 TIMES MORE* people of hope?

10 TIMES MORE
9% HARMFUL
HELPFUL

49% 40%
DEMOCRATS / 38%

35%
FALSE / 22%
100 TIMES MORE
9
50 TIMES MORE17% REPUBLICANS / 50%
31% 3

How many of the REPUBLICANS / 40% UNITED In which country

19% EVERYONE 2% would you

STATES
people you know are
“1-percenters”? WHAT’S A “1-PERCENTER?” / 30% PAID THE SAME DEMOCRATS / 53% DENMARK say inequality is

SAUDI
the greatest?
NONE OF THEM / 26%
A FEW OF THEM / 16% 7%

ARABIA
JAPAN 3%
JUST ONE OR TWO / 11%
MOST OF THEM / 7% Most Americans 44% GERMANY
think not even
LACK OF EDUCATION / 32% a cemetery offers A HOUSE OF WORSHIP / 33%
CORPORATE GREED / 24% a level playing field. THE CEMETERY / 25%
THE GOVERNMENT / 17% A SPORTING EVENT / 11%
8 COLLEGE / 10%
4
RACISM / 10%
1920
If you had to
pick, which one of
SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES / 7% 4% THE EMERGENCY ROOM / 9%
Which place
the following is the ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION / 7% THE NEIGHBORHOOD BAR / 7%

1972
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD / 24% makes people feel
1923
THE WORK

single-biggest cause of
8% most equal?
THE EDUCA TION SYSTE M / 38%

income inequality in THE COLOR PURPLE / 16%

America today?

NEVER HUCKLEBERRY FINN / 11%

P L A C E / 16

TH E JU ST IC E

25% 27% ANIMAL FARM / 10%

DON’T KNOW
THE GRAPES OF WRATH / 6%
%

27%
SY ST EM / 42

THE OUTSIDERS / 6%
7 5
1979
%

When did the Which one

Equal Rights of the following
Amendment become 9% novels teaches the
part of the 6 best lesson
U.S. Constitution? about inequality?
If you could
attack racial inequality
in only one of the
following areas, where *Actual figure
would you start? This poll was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, Pennsylvania,
among a random sample of 1,010 adults nationwide, interviewed by
telephone June 5–9, 2015. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

162 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com I L L U STR ATI O N BY GIACOMO BAGNARA S EP T EMB ER 2015

 SEPTEMBER A l l I s VA N I T I E S . . . N o t h i n g I s F a i r 2015

{ }‹ ‹
WARM the BENCH KISS and TELL THIS The COASTER CORRESPONDENCE
The M.T.A. ’s new Your go-to Vanity Fair’s industrious contributing editor
“Courtesy Counts” poster TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL MONTH lobbies for help getting his GRAMMATICALLY CHALLENGED
campaign. p.165 pickup lines. p.165 GRANDDAUGHTER a job. p.166

QUALLEY WEARS
A DRESS BY
OSCAR DE LA RENTA;
RING BY CHANEL
FINE JEWELRY.

E NA ME L BY DEB O RA H L I PPM A NN ; H A I R BY MA RCUS F R A NC IS ; M A KE UP BY O ZZ Y S A LVATI E RR A ; M A N I CURE BY MARI SA C ARMI CHAE L;

ST YL E D BY DE BO R A H A F S HA N I; HA I R PRO DUC TS BY S UAV E PRO F ES S IO NA L S ; M A KE UP P RO DU CTS BY CL É DE PE AU BEAUTÉ ; NAI L

PHOTO GRA PH ED AT M I LK ST UDIO S I N L OS A N GE L ES . I LL UST RATI ON BY TI M SH EA F F E R. F O R DE TA I LS, GO TO VF.CO M/C REDI TS

MARGARET QUALLEY
AGE : 20. PROVE NANC E : Asheville, North Carolina. ALL - A ME RIC AN : Qualley, the daughter of actress
Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley, moved four years ago to New York, where she
trained with American Ballet Theatre. “When you’re really serious about ballet, it’s a job—even if
you’re 15 years old. You’re doing it six to eight hours a day.” POINTE BREAK: “I was offered a position in the company, and then I realized I didn’t really
want it. That was a weird moment in my life. I had, like, an early-onset midlife crisis.” JETÉ OF FAITH: After leaving the ballet world, Qualley switched gears.
“I went to the Professional Children’s School, in New York, and I started modeling because I could do that until I actually figured out what I wanted to do,
and it gave me the opportunity to travel.” FIRST- R ATE TALE NT: Her first acting job was playing Jill Garvey on HBO’s The Leftovers, a role she’ll reprise in
the show’s second season, which airs this fall. “With The Leftovers, I was actually super, super lucky. It was my first audition. When I came out, the casting
director was kissing me on the face and I was like, Oh that’s probably a good sign.” NICE GUYS: The up-and-comer just wrapped next year’s thriller The Nice
Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, whose characters work together to find a missing girl, played by Qualley. “It’s an exciting change for me.”
NEXT UP: “I’ve been really lucky, so I guess I’m just waiting for the next ‘I have to do this’ project.” — KRISTA SMITH

164 VA NI T Y FA I R P H OTO G R A P H BY MIGUEL REVERIEGO S EP T EMB ER 2 015

 VAN I T IE S

LET’S MAKE A BETTER RIDE

An exclusive preview of the New York City subway’s “Courtesy Counts—on the Inside, Too” posters
B y T E D DY WAY N E | I llu s tr atio n s b y JA S O N L E E

You’re a Different Person Now
Remember that time in eighth grade when
you tripped in front of the whole school
at an assembly? You’re the only one who
does—let it go.
Craving Chocolate with Almonds
and Sea Salt? The subway is for
transportation, not hungering for sugary-salty
snacks. Fantasize about a healthy piece
of fruit instead.
Rent or Buy? The idea of buying real
estate freaks you out. Clearly, you’re afraid
of embracing adulthood.

That Online-University Ad We don’t
want to judge, but this thing to our
immediate right is a total rip-off. Just don’t
do it—please.
Professional Jealousy? We’ve all
been there, stewing over the rewards we feel
should have come our way. But Jake works
harder than you. He’s more talented, too.
Stop stewing—some people just have it (Jake)
and some don’t (you).
Your Grudge Against Julie
Yes, she said some things she shouldn’t
have Saturday night, but she was
super-drunk. Forgiveness is a choice.

REELING THEM IN Ten pickup lines for the 42nd annual

Telluride Film Festival, September 4–7, 2015
B y S C O T T JAC O B S O N, M I K E SAC K S, A N D T E D T R AV E L ST E A D | I llu s tr atio n b y G I AC O M O GA M B I N E R I

“Not to overshare,
“You ever but my favorite role-
want to go playing scenario
hiking? Or “Hi! I was the “Rumor has is ‘the Weinstein
“I’m doing an intimate parasailing? inspiration it that Danny brothers making an
screening of my sea-turtle Great. I’ll for Harvey Keitel’s McBride is over intern cry.’”
documentary in my Jetta have my intern character in there wrestling
SportWagen tonight, join you.” Bad Lieutenant.” an elk.” “Maybe I’m just
if you want on the list.” light-headed
“Did you know
the unsalted butter from the mountain
you’re spreading air, but you’re
“They’re is the same lookin’ pretty
Teva pumps. “Did anyone damn good to me
ever tell you that kind Brando used
Aren’t they in Last Tango right now, Jackie
fabulous?” you look like Earle Haley.”
Hilary Swank? “I can thread a in Paris? Pass the
No? How about vintage 35-mm. sourdough?”
Mickey Rooney?” projector
with my tongue.
What’s your
secret talent?”

SEP T E M B E R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 165

 VAN I T IE S
Keegan-Meghan Vinson
Dear Mr. Moonvies: July 21, 2015

I am a recent graduate
of the Un iversity of Del
in the position of N.F.L. awa re who is interested
sideline reporter at CB
attached, but here are som S Sports. My résumé is
e reasons I think I am uni
quely qualified.
* I am thin, you ng, and
hot , hav ing been for fou
of the Fightin’ Blue Hen r yea rs a member
s cheer squad. I saw on
lead sideline reporter, Tra Wik ipedia that you r
cy Wolfson, is 40. I worry
getting tired at her age and that she might be
could use someone to spe
ll her.
* I’ve gotten some feelers
at ESPN up in Bristol, Con
is my first choice. Par tly necticut, but CBS
this is because I am a Sou
Bristol has no SoulCycles lCycle fiend and
. Plus, I am devoted to my
who is moving from SC’ instructor, Tomas,
s FiDi studio to the one
Side, pretty close to your on the Upper West
offices at Black Rock. Als
o, Bristol: bleah!
* I have already had a vira
l moment that I was pub
EDWIN COASTER when some fat, trashy cow
wit h a Nokia Lum ia (lik
licly sha med for,
afford an iPhone) filmed e she cou ld ever
July 22, 2015 me telling the slow-ass cou
who was making my Veg nter girl at Subway
gie Delite sandwich to hur
Dear Graydon: some English because she ry the f up and learn
wasn’t in Mumbai any mo
Since you shut down my scheme to get was Lebanese, LOL, my re. (Turns out she
bad.) You can look it up,
my granddaughter, Keegan-Meghan, hired at YouTube—for key words, 550,000 views on
use my name and “Slumd
Fox News, I feel you kind of owe me in It was a lear ning experie og Millionaire bitch.”
helping her fulfill her real dream: to be a nce from which I have lear
diversityness. Most importa ned humility and
sideline reporter during sports broadcasts. ntly, this means that from
I have nothing but upside a P.R . standpoint
Keegan-Meghan just graduated from U. Del !
and is living with some gal friends in Please let me know when
Battery Park City. You know Les Moonves we can set up a meetin
to join me in Tomas’s clas g . . . or you’re welcome
at CBS, right? Could you pass on Keegan- s at six A.M. ;-)
Meghan’s cover letter to him, which I’ve
taken the liberty of attaching? Nothing but drive,
Remember, you owe me.
Best,
DA N G IL M O RE
R
THE EDITO
TO
A S S I S TA N T

The COASTER CORRESPONDENCE

More of the very expensive words of
EDWIN JOHN COASTER, CONTR IBUTING EDITOR
Illustration by TIM SHEAFFER

Keegan-Meghan Vinson L E S MO ON V E S

July 30, 2015 July 27, 2015

Dear Graydon: Graydon:
You know me as Ed Coaster’s granddaughter—the As charming as your young Miss Vinson
cute little toddler who spit up on Jill Vandenberg’s appears to be, N.F.L. sideline reporter is hardly
white pantsuit at the 1997 Oscar party and triggered an entry-level position. Furthermore, the pre-
the fistfight between you and Tony Curtis. But now I’m emptive- scandal strategy isn’t a proven winner,
a grown woman, empowered and ready to give sideline as we learned last Christmas when we leaked
reporting the kick in the ass it deserves. And I don’t the James Corden sex tape. We couldn’t get
take no for an answer. SoulCycle teaches that there are anyone to watch it.
but two choices in life: YES! and HELL, YES! I advise your Miss Vinson to put in a few
So let’s meet for coffee—no old grandfather in the years’ time as a production assistant somewhere
way, no rules, no boundaries—and say HELL, YES! to and then write back. But, dear Jesus, not to me.
figuring out my career. Best,
Nothing but drive,

166 S EP T EMB ER 2015

 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
STYLE

15

Whether this year’s best-dressed honorees wowed in McQueen (FKA Twigs),

a top hat (Prince Harry), custom Maison Margiela (Amal Clooney), or Louis Vuitton
(Gugu Mbatha-Raw), it’s worth asking what inspires them

WOMEN MEN HOLLYWOOD COUPLES ORIGINALS PROFESSIONALS

FO R C RE DI TS, SE E I N DIV ID UA L PAGE S

FRANCESCA AMFITHEATROF ROBERT COUTURIER FAN BINGBING MATT BOMER AND AZZEDINE ALAÏA GIOVANNA BATTAGLIA
SAMANTHA CAMERON PRINCE HARRY MICHAEL FASSBENDER SIMON HALLS JENNA LYONS VICTORIA BECKHAM
CHARLOTTE CASIRAGHI JONATHAN IVE DIANE KRUGER BEATRICE BORROMEO AND FKA TWIGS DAO-YI CHOW AND MAXWELL OSBORNE
AMAL CLOONEY WILLIAM IVEY LONG GUGU MBATHA-RAW PIERRE CASIRAGHI PAMELA GOLBIN
MISTY COPELAND STAVROS NIARCHOS III SIENNA MILLER THOM BROWNE CAROLINE ISSA
AND ANDREW BOLTON
MELLODY HOBSON BILL NIGHY EDDIE REDMAYNE
SOPHIE HUNTER AND
HALL OF HAROLD KODA
RIHANNA H.R.H. PRINCE CARL PHILIP OF SWEDEN EMMA STONE BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH FAME PETER MANNING
H.M. QUEEN LETIZIA OF SPAIN JONATHAN TISCH CHARLIZE THERON H.H. SHEIKHA MOZAH ZAC POSEN
JEMMA KIDD
TAYLOR SWIFT IKÉ UDÉ ALICIA VIKANDER AND ARTHUR WELLESLEY, BINT NASSER LAUREN SANTO DOMINGO
H.R.H. THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX RUSSELL WILSON EMMA WATSON MARQUESS OF DOURO AL-MISSNED OF QATAR NICK WOOSTER

172 VA NI T Y FA I R T Y P O G R A P H Y BY MARTA CERDÀ ALIMBAU S EP T EMB ER 2015

Samantha
CAMERON Taylor
OCCUPATION: First Lady, U.K.; creative
consultant for Smythson. RESIDENCE:
10 Downing Street. DESIGNERS: Phillip Lim,
SWIFT
OCCUPATION: Singer-
Alexander McQueen, Erdem, Roksanda songwriter. RESIDENCES:
Ilincic. MOST NOTABLE EMSEMBLE OF 2015: New York City, Los Angeles,
A blue Preen dress, worn to Buckingham Nashville, and Rhode
Palace. THE LOOK: Conservative charm. Island. FAVORITE SCENT:
Incredible Things, by
Taylor Swift. ST YLE ICON:
Audrey Hepburn.
THE LOOK: Prep power.

RIGHT, AT LONDON
FASHION WEEK IN A
MICHAEL VAN DER
HAM DRESS; ABOVE,
IN A GINA FOSTER
HAT AND GRAY SUIT FROM TOP: IN OSCAR DE LA
FOR A SERVICE OF RENTA AT THE METROPOLITAN
REMEMBRANCE IN MUSEUM OF ART COSTUME
NORMANDY ON THE INSTITUTE GALA; IN ELIZABETH
70TH ANNIVERSARY AND JAMES SHORTS AND
OF D-DAY. TOP AND RALPH LAUREN
SUNGLASSES ON THE TOWN IN
NEW YORK CITY; WEARING
MONIQUE LHUILLIER TO THE
PREMIERE OF THE GIVER.
 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
H.R.H. the
15 IN HERVÉ LÉGER AT THE TONY
AWARDS; BOTTOM, WEARING
AN ALEXANDER WANG TOP
Countess of
WITH A MICHAEL COSTELLO
SKIRT FOR THE TIME 100 GALA
AT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER. WESSEX
RESIDENCE: Bagshot Park, in Surrey. HUSBAND:
H.R.H. Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.
MOST NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A striped
silk-satin Emilia Wickstead dress and a
custom Jane Taylor hat, worn at Royal Ascot.

FROM LEFT: WEARING A

JOSEPH COAT IN BRISTOL; IN
A SUZANNAH DRESS AND
CUSTOM JANE TAYLOR HAT
AT THE ORDER OF THE
GARTER SERVICE IN JUNE;
RESPLENDENT IN EMILIA
WICKSTEAD AT ROYAL ASCOT.

WOMEN
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY A NT HO NY BE HA R/ S IPA US A , BE N NE T T R AGL I N /GE TT Y I M AGE S,

Misty
TI M RO O KE /R E X USA , E DDI E MUL HO L L A N D/G E TT Y I MAG E S, M A RK CUT HB ERT/ GE TT Y I M AGE S

COPELAND
OCCUPATION: Principal dancer,
American Ballet Theatre. RESIDENCE:
New York City. FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
“Givenchy, Balmain, Helmut Lang,
Cushnie et Ochs, Hervé Léger.”
FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP:
“Intermix, Net-a-Porter.” FAVORITE
SHOES: “Tom Ford black
padlock ankle-strap pumps.”
FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY:
“Tiffany rose-gold Love
necklace.” FAVORITE SCENT:
“Bleu de Chanel.” STYLE
ICONS: “Sarah Jessica
Parker and Nicole Richie.”

178 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 Amal
CLOONEY
OCCUPATION: Human-rights lawyer.
RESIDENCES: London and Los Angeles.
DESIGNERS: Giambattista Valli, Dolce &
Gabbana, Stella McCartney, Alexander
McQueen. NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF 2015:
A red Maison Margiela “Artisanal”
gown created for her by John Galliano,
worn to the Met Gala.

PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY PI E RR E TE YSS OT/ A FP/ G E TT Y IMAG E S , J OSI A H KA MAU/

B U Z Z F OTO / G E T T Y I M AG E S , © S P L A S H N E W S / CO R B I S , © S P L A S H N E W S / CO R B I S

FROM LEFT: IN A STELLA

M C CARTNEY JUMPSUIT
AND J. SMITH ESQUIRE
HAT; IN GUCCI FOR A
LUNCH AT MORANDI, IN
GREENWICH VILLAGE;
IN A MAISON MARGIELA
GOWN FOR THE MET
GALA; EXITING BABBO IN
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI.

WOMEN
 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
Charlotte
15 CASIRAGHI
OCCUPATION: The face of Gucci Cosmetics,
Montblanc’s global brand ambassador, eighth in
line to the throne of Monaco. RESIDENCES: Paris
and Monaco. THE LOOK: Athletic grace.

CLOCKWISE FROM
NEAR RIGHT: IN
STELLA M C CARTNEY AT
THE DESIGNER’S SHOW
IN PARIS; WEARING
AZZEDINE ALAÏA TO
THE 2013 GRAMMYS; IN
AN ENSEMBLE BY ADAM
SELMAN.

WOMEN
PHOTOGRAPHS: CLOCKWI SE F RO M TO P L EF T, F RO M P LV /R E X U SA , BY J I M SM EA L /
BE I MAGES , PI E RRE SUU /GE TT Y IM AGE S, F RO M SI PA US A , © S O NI A MO SKOW I TZ

LEFT, IN A GUCCI
GOWN AT THE CANNES
FILM FESTIVAL; ABOVE,
IN EXCLUSIVE GUCCI
RIDING COLLECTION AT

Rihanna
THE LONGINES ATHINA
ONASSIS HORSE SHOW,
IN ST. TROPEZ.

OCCUPATION: Singer.
RESIDENCES: Los Angeles and
New York City. DESIGNERS:
Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford,
Marchesa, Calvin Klein,
Stella McCartney. S C E N T :
Reb’l Fleur, by Rihanna.
THE LOOK: Sultry swagger.

182 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
H.M.
15
RIGHT, WEARING A

Queen
NAEEM KHAN GOWN AND
TOM BINNS NECKLACE
TO THE CANNES FILM
FESTIVAL.

Letizia
of SPAIN
RESIDENCE: Zarzuela Palace, Madrid.
HUSBAND: H.M. King Felipe VI of
Spain. DESIGNERS: Felipe Varela,
Carolina Herrera, Hugo Boss. NOTABLE
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A scarlet Felipe
Varela suit, worn to the Investigation
National Awards at the Royal
Palace, in Madrid.

PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY A L EX C ID- F U E NTE S /A L FAQU I/ CA M ER A PR E S S/ R E DU X, ARCH IE A ND RE WS/

A BACAUS A /P OL A R I S, A RCHI E A N DRE W S/A B ACAUS A /P O L A R I S, DAVI D E L AN ZI L AO/ CON TR A STO/ RE D UX

Mellody
HOBSON
OCCUPATION: Investment manager.
RESIDENCE: Chicago. FAVORITE
FROM FAR LEFT: IN A
FELIPE VARELA DRESS FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015:
FOR THE CERVANTES “Valentino butterfly jacket
PRIZE CEREMONY, IN
MADRID; IN CAROLINA ‘redefined’ by Rogue Bespoke.”
HERRERA AT THE GRAND FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
PALAIS, IN PARIS; IN AN
UTERQÜE SKIRT AT EL “Alaïa classic white shirt.”
PARDO PALACE. FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “Alaïa,
Dior, Sacai, Valentino.” FAVORITE
PL ACE TO SHOP: “Ikram.”
FAVORITE SHOES: “Asics running
shoes.” FAVORITE PIECE OF
JEWELRY: “Wedding band.”
FAVORITE SCENT: “Hermès Hiris.”
ST YLE ICON: “Josephine Baker.”

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 Francesca
AMFITHEATROF
OCCUPATION: Design director, Tiffany & Co.
RESIDENCE: Brooklyn, New York. FAVORITE
FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015: “Alexander
McQueen silk tunic and black trousers.”
FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING: “Vintage Moschino
marching-band jacket worn to C.F.D.A.”
FAVORITE PIECES OF JEWELRY: “Tiffany T gold
chain necklace and two-stone green-tourmaline
ring from Blue Book.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
“Proenza Schouler, Céline, Gucci’s Alessandro
Michele, Preen, Alexander McQueen.” FAVORITE
PLACE TO SHOP: “Madison Avenue.” FAVORITE
SHOES: “Aquazzura.” FAVORITE SCENT: Soir
de Lune, by Sisley. STYLE ICON: “H.H. Sheikha
Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned of Qatar.”
PATR I CK MC MU LL AN . COM, MI K E COPPOL A / GE T T Y IMAG E S , J OE SCHI LD HOR N /B FA . COM
PHOTOG RA PH S: F ROM LE F T, BY BI LLY FAR R E LL / BFA . COM, PAUL B RU I NO OGE /

WOMEN FROM LEFT: IN A PREEN DRESS AT THE

WHITNEY MUSEUM GALA; IN AN OWL
TEE AND GUCCI TROUSERS FOR A DRESS
FOR SUCCESS BENEFIT; IN AN YVES SAINT
LAURENT JACKET AND CALVIN KLEIN
TROUSERS FOR A TIFFANY EVENT AT THE
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM; ARRIVING AT
THE C.F.D.A. AWARDS IN A VINTAGE
MOSCHINO JACKET, PROENZA SCHOULER
SKIRT, AND AQUAZZURA SHOES.

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15 B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L

Stavros
NIARCHOS III
OCCUPATION: Financier. RESIDENCE: New York City.
FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015: “My new
Blueseventy triathlon wetsuit.” FAVORITE PL ACE TO
SHOP: “Just One Eye, in Los Angeles.” FAVORITE
TAILOR: “Caraceni.” FAVORITE ACCESSORY: “Vintage
Cartier cuff links.” FAVORITE SCENT: “Tabac Blond,
by Caron.” ST YLE ICON: “My dad.”

FROM LEFT: STROLLING

NEW YORK IN A LANVIN
COAT AND MARGARET
HOWELL SCARF;
ADJUSTING HIS PRADA
TIE IN TORONTO; IN AN
ANDERSON & SHEPPARD
SUIT IN LONDON.

PHOTOG RA P HS: F ROM LE F T, © F E LIP E R A MA LE S /S PL A SH NE WS / COR BI S, © A R MA ND O GA L LO/ COR BIS,

BY ST EP HE N L OCK/ I-I MAG E S/ P OL A R IS , F ROM S I PA U SA , © JO HN S P KI / SPL A S H N E WS/ CO R BI S

Bill
NIGHY
OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCE: “London
Town.” FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF
2015: “Midnight-blue John Smedley ‘Dorset’
wool polo.” FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“Margaret Howell classic pale-blue shirt.”
FAVORITE ACCESSORY: “Margaret Howell
LEFT, IN AN HERMÈS
dark-blue-and-cream polka-dot silk scarf. COAT, LEVI’S JEANS,
And dark-blue Pantherella socks.” FAVORITE AND LORO PIANA
BOOTS IN GSTAAD;
SCENT: “I’ve never got round to that.” ABOVE, IN TOM FORD
STYLE ICONS: “Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, FOR THE FASHION
MEDIA AWARDS IN
Bryan Ferry, and Pharrell Williams.” NEW YORK CITY.

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15 B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L

FROM FAR LEFT: WEARING

A CUSTOM SILK BROCADE
JACKET WITH BROOKS
BROTHERS TROUSERS TO A
SUMMER-SOLSTICE PARTY
IN SOUTHAMPTON, NEW
YORK; CELEBRATING SAINT
PATRICK’S DAY IN A CUSTOM
JACKET, BROOKS BROTHERS
TROUSERS, AND ALLEN
EDMONDS SHOES; IN A
VINTAGE ENSEMBLE AT THE
CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN
GALA IN NEW YORK CITY.

Iké UDÉ
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY PAT RI CK M C M UL L A N, CL I NT S PAU L DIN G/
PATR I CKM CMU LL A N .CO M , OW E N HO F F MA N/ PATR ICKM CMU L L A N .COM

OCCUPATION: Artist, portraitist.

RESIDENCE: “New York City; Axum,
Ethiopia, is my spiritual home.”
FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF
2015: “An original 1800 American
handmade black frock coat with
tails.” FAVORITE ITEMS OF CLOTHING:
“My collection of more than 375
pairs of shoes.” ST YLE ICONS:
“Emperor Haile Selassie, Edward
VIII, Count Robert de Montesquiou,
Carolina Herrera, Bianca
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and my
grandfather Paul Osuoji.”

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MEN
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

15 B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L

William
IVEY
LONG
OCCUPATION: Costume
designer. RESIDENCE: New York
City. FAVORITE FASHION
PURCHASE OF 2015: “Medium-
gray Canali suit.” FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Canali,
Ermenegildo Zegna, Phineas
Cole.” FAVORITE PLACES
TO SHOP: “Brooks Brothers
and Paul Stuart.” FAVORITE
TAILOR: “Vincent Zullo.”
FAVORITE ACCESSORY: “A navy-
and-white ‘Jazz’ pocket-
square.” STYLE ICON: “Gary
Cooper—believe it or not!”

WEARING A
MORNING SUIT BY
THOMAS MAHON
OF ENGLISH CUT
TO RECEIVE HIS
KNIGHTHOOD AT
WESTMINSTER,
IN LONDON.

Jonathan
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY SA R A H EDWA R DS/ © WE NN LT D./ A L A MY,
J EN NY A NDE R SO N/ WI R EI M AGE , © N ATI O NA L N E WS /Z UM A PR ES S.CO M

IVE
OCCUPATION: Designer.
RESIDENCE: San Francisco.
FAVORITE TAILOR: Thomas
Mahon of English Cut.

ABOVE, IN BROOKS
BROTHERS AT HIS
STUDIO IN NEW YORK
CITY; TOP, IN A BROOKS
BROTHERS SUIT AND
SHOES FOR THE 60TH
ANNUAL OBIE AWARDS,
AT WEBSTER HALL.

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B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
IN UNIFORM ON HIS WEDDING

15
DAY, AT THE ROYAL PALACE
IN STOCKHOLM; BOTTOM, IN
A SUIT AND TIE IN LONDON.

H.R.H.
Prince Carl
Philip of
SWEDEN
OCCUPATION: Major in the Swedish
Amphibious Corps, licensed
racecar driver, third in line to the
Swedish throne. RESIDENCE: Villa
Solbacken, Stockholm. NOTABLE
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: His Swedish
Amphibious Corps model 1878
mess-dress uniform, worn to his
wedding to Sofia Hellqvist.

ABOVE, IN HERMÈS AT
THE LOEWS REGENCY
HOTEL, IN NEW YORK
CITY; LEFT, IN A TOM
FORD DINNER JACKET
AT THE 2014 MET GALA.

Jonathan
TISCH
OCCUPATION: Chairman,
Loews Hotels &
Resorts; co-chairman
of the board, Loews
Corporation. ER I N BA I A N O/ T H E NE W YOR K T IM E S/ RE DU X, VI CTO R J . B LUE / B LO O MB E RG/GE T T Y I MAGE S
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY BE N P RU CHN IE / WI R EI MAGE , I A N G AVA N /G ET T Y IM AG ES ,

RESIDENCE: New
York City. FAVORITE
FASHION PURCHASE
OF 2015: “Tom Ford
dinner jacket and
slippers for this year’s
Met Gala.” FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Hermès,
Tom Ford, Charvet
shirts, J.M. Weston
shoes, Acne jeans,
Hogan sneakers.”
FAVORITE ACCESSORY:
“MAD matte gray
Rolex Daytona watch.”
ST YLE ICON: “My
incredible wife, Lizzie
Tisch, I.B.D.L. Hall
of Fame.”

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B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
15
H.R.H.
Prince
HARRY
OCCUPATION: Patron of multiple
charities, including WellChild,
Sentebale, and Walking with
the Wounded; fifth in line to the
British throne. RESIDENCE:
Kensington Palace, in London.
MOST NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF 2015:
A black morning coat, blue
waistcoat, and blue patterned tie
with a top hat, worn at Royal
Ascot. THE LOOK: Heir with flair.

FROM LEFT: IN GEAR BY HELLY

HANSEN FOR WALKING WITH THE
WOUNDED, AT AN EVENT FOR
THE CHARITY, TRAFALGAR SQUARE,
LONDON; IN A MORNING SUIT
FOR ROYAL ASCOT’S LADIES’ DAY
IN 2014; IN SAVILE ROW AT THE
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION’S LONDON
POPPY DAY FUND-RAISER;
LOOKING CASUAL FOR AN EVENT
IN NEW YORK CITY.
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY RAY TA NG /R EX U SA, BY MA R K ST EWA RT/ CA ME R A
PR ES S/ RE DU X, © E V E NIN G STANDAR D/ E YE VI NE / RE DU X, BY TIM RO O KE /R EX USA

MEN
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Robert
15 COUTURIER
OCCUPATION: Architect, decorator. RESIDENCES: New
York City, and South Kent, Connecticut. FAVORITE
ITEM OF CLOTHING: “A perfect three-buttoned blue suit
made by Kilgour—for some reason it always fits!”
FAVORITE TAILORS: “Kilgour, Huntsman,
and Anderson & Sheppard.”
FAVORITE ACCESSORY: “My scarves
by Dianora Salviati!” STYLE ICON:
“Sir James Goldsmith, because
he didn’t give a damn and
always looked incredible!”

WEARING A KILGOUR
SUIT WITH AN
HERMÈS SCARF AND
JOHN LOBB SHOES
IN NEW YORK CITY.

MEN
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, © C LI N T BR E WE R/ SP L A SH NE W S/ CO RB I S, BY J E N NY
A NDE R SO N/ WI R EI MAGE , E TH A N MI L LE R/ GE T T Y IM AGE S , K EL LY TAUB / BFA .COM

FROM FAR LEFT: IN A SUIT AT

Russell
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN LOS
ANGELES; WEARING A BLACK
TRENCH COAT AND BOOTS

WILSON
TO AOL STUDIOS IN NEW YORK
CITY; IN AN EVENING LOOK AT
MUHAMMAD ALI’S CELEBRITY
FIGHT NIGHT XXI, IN PHOENIX.

OCCUPATION: Quarterback
for the N.F.L.’s Seattle
Seahawks. RESIDENCE:
Seattle. NOTABLE ENSEMBLE
OF 2015: Black suit jacket
with an embellished collar
and ripped black jeans,
worn to the BET Awards.

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Eddie
15 REDMAYNE
OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCE:

Alicia London. FAVORITE FASHION

PURCHASE OF 2015: “Duffle coat

VIKANDER
OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCE:
Sweden. FAVORITE DESIGNER:
Louis Vuitton. NOTABLE LOOK OF
2015: A green Louis Vuitton
ensemble worn to the Cannes
Film Festival.
by Saint Laurent.” FAVORITE
ITEM OF CLOTHING: “Gucci plaid suit.”
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “McQueen,
Valentino, Hardy Amies, Private
White V.C.” FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP:
“Mr Porter.” FAVORITE ACCESSORY:
“Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.”
FAVORITE SCENT: “Tom Ford Black
Orchid.” ST YLE ICON: “My dad.”

IN AN ERDEM GOWN
AT THE 2013 TORONTO
INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL; TOP,
WEARING A 2014
CHANEL ENSEMBLE
HOLLY N I L S J O RG E N S E N / R E X U S A , F RO M J A B P RO M OT I O N S / R E X U S A , BY N I CH O L A S H U N T / PAT R I CK M C M U L L A N
PHOTOGR A PHS : FROM LEFT, © FRED THORNHILL/REUTERS/CORBIS, BY ZACHARIE SCHEURER/A.P. IMAGES,

. COM , DAV ID F IS HE R /R E X U SA , J ON ATHA N HO RD L E /R E X US A , F ROM ME D I A PUN CH/ R E X US A

TO THE LABEL’S
READY-TO-WEAR SHOW
IN PARIS.

LEFT, ATTENDING THE

LONDON PREMIERE OF THE
THEORY OF EVERYTHING IN
A HARDY AMIES SUIT;
ABOVE, WEARING GUCCI
TO THE GQ MEN OF THE
YEAR AWARDS, IN LONDON.

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 Gugu
MBATHA-RAW
OCCUPATION: Actor.
RESIDENCES: Los Angeles and
London. FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
“Carolina Herrera, Lanvin,
Oscar de la Renta.”
FAVORITE SCENT: “Jasmine.”

WOOD
Emma
STONE
LEFT, IN PRADA FOR
THE BAFTA AWARDS,
IN LONDON; ABOVE,
WEARING A LOUIS
VUITTON DRESS AND
SHOES TO THE LOUIS
VUITTON SERIES 2
EXHIBITION IN
OCCUPATION: Actor. LOS ANGELES.
RESIDENCES: New York City
and Los Angeles. FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: Rag & Bone,
Lanvin, Chanel. FAVORITE
PLACES TO SHOP: Rag &
Bone and the Elder
Statesman. MOST NOTABLE
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A Lanvin
crystal-embroidered
strapless jumpsuit worn to
the Golden Globes.

LEFT, IN THAKOON
FOR THE MET GALA;
ABOVE, WEARING
VERSACE TO THE
WORLD PREMIERE
OF THE AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN 2.

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Sienna
MILLER
OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCE:
London. DESIGNERS: Céline,
Miu Miu, Balenciaga. NOTABLE
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A silk
Valentino kite-motif dress, worn
at the Cannes Film Festival.

HOL
LEFT, IN GUCCI AT THE
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL;
RIGHT, WEARING A THAKOON
ENSEMBLE TO THE MET GALA.

Michael ABAC AU SA / PO L A R IS , L A RRY BUS ACC A/ G E TT Y I MAG E S, A LE X COPPE L / NE W SPI X /R E X US A

PHOTOG RA PH S: F ROM LE F T, BY S AM IR HU SS E IN / WIR E I MAG E , © JE N N IF E R G R AYL OCK /

FASSBENDER
IN F PHOTO. COM/ COR BIS , BY CHRI S JO SE P H/ I -IMAG E S /P OL A RI S, NI COL A S BR IQ U E T/

OCCUPATION: Actor, producer. RESIDENCE: London.

DESIGNER: Giorgio Armani. N OTA B L E E N S E M B L E
O F 2 0 1 5 : A navy wool-canvas jacket, white poplin shirt,
raw-denim jeans, and black leather belt, all by Dior
Homme, worn during the Cannes Film Festival.

IN A THOM SWEENEY
SUIT AT THE LONDON
PREMIERE OF X-MEN:
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.

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 Charlize
THERON
OCCUPATION: Actor, producer. RESIDENCE: Los
Angeles. DESIGNERS: Alexander McQueen,
Dior, Antonio Berardi, Azzedine Alaïa. SCENT:
J’adore, by Christian Dior. MOST NOTABLE
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A sunshine-yellow Christian
Dior gown, worn at the Cannes Film Festival
premiere of Mad Max: Fury Road.
AT THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND
PRIX IN A BARBARA BUI SUIT
AND JIMMY CHOO SHOES.

LYWOOD

LEFT, IN A RALPH &

RUSSO GOWN AT THE
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL;

Fan BINGBING TOP, WEARING A

CHRISTOPHER BU GOWN
TO THE MET GALA.

OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCE: Beijing. DESIGNERS:

Stéphane Rolland, Elie Saab, Christopher Bu.
FAVORITE ITEMS OF CLOTHING: Hats. FAVORITE PL ACE
TO SHOP: Vintage stores.

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15 B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L

Emma WATSON
OCCUPATION: Actor, U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador.
R ES I D E N C ES : London and New York. FAVO R I T E FAS H I O N
PURCHASE OF 2015: “My Ellery Humilis wide-sleeve top in cream.”
FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING: “My John Patrick Organic
sweatshirt.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “Maiyet. Impossibly chic.
Paul Andrew designed my graduation shoes. (They were actually
comfortable.)” FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP: “matchesfashion.com
and modaoperandi.com.” FAVORITE SHOES: “My Tabitha Simmons
espadrilles and my Phillip Lim Chelsea boots.” ST YLE ICONS:
“Frida Kahlo, Joan Didion, Georgia O’Keeffe, Phoebe Philo,
Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Sofia Coppola.”

HOLLYWOOD Diane
KRUGER
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY DAVE J . HO GA N /GE T T Y I MAGE S , J I M

OCCUPATION: Actor. RESIDENCES:

SME A L /B E I MAG ES , GR E GO RI O T. BI N UYA / EVE R E TT COL L EC TI O N

Los Angeles and Paris. FAVORITE FASHION

WEARING RALPH
LAUREN TO THE U.K.
PREMIERE OF NOAH.
ABOVE, IN NAEEM KHAN AT
THE CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS,
IN LOS ANGELES; RIGHT, IN A
ROLAND MOURET ENSEMBLE
AT THE VEUVE CLICQUOT POLO
CLASSIC, IN LIBERTY STATE
PARK, NEW JERSEY.
PURCHASE OF 2015: “Mary Katrantzou
playsuit.” FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“A red Jenni Kayne wrap skirt.” FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Chanel, Jason Wu, Prabal
Gurung.” FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP:
“Online (matchesfashion.com, mytheresa
.com, modaoperandi.com) or Le Bon
Marché, in Paris.” FAVORITE SHOES:
“Nicholas Kirkwood.” FAVORITE PIECE OF
JEWELRY: “Jacquie Aiche rose-gold-and-
diamond body chain.” FAVORITE SCENT:
“Beauty, by Calvin Klein.” ST YLE ICON:
“Lauren Hutton.”

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B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
15
IN A CUSTOM LANVIN GOWN
AND SCABAL BLACK-TIE
WITH WHITE DINNER
JACKET AT THE OSCARS.
204
BOTH IN THOM
Beatrice
BROWNE WHITE-TIE
AT THE MET GALA.
BORROMEO
& Pierre
CASIRAGHI
RES I D E N C E : Milan. H E R O C C U PAT I O N :
Reporter. HIS OCCUPATION: C.E.O.
of Engeco and Monacair. HER
FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015:
“A headpiece from Giusy Bresciani.”
HER FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“Summer dresses.” HER FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Marta Ferri, Valentino,
Armani, Azzedine Alaïa.” HER
FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP: “Grazia
Bagnaresi, in Milan.” HER FAVORITE
SHOES: “Charlotte Olympia.” HER
FAVORITE SCENT: “Carnal Flower, by
Thom Frederic Malle.” H I S N OTA B L E
ENSEMBLE OF 2015: Black-tie at the
BROWNE Monaco Rose Ball.
& Andrew
BOLTON
RESIDENCE: New York City.
ANDREW’S OCCUPATION: Curator,
the Costume Institute at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
THOM’S OCCUPATION: Designer.
ANDREW’S FAVORITE ITEM OF
CLOTHING: “Thom Browne
gray-and-white seersucker suit.”
ANDREW’S FAVORITE PL ACE TO
SHOP: “Mr Porter.” THOM’S
FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“My gray suit.” THOM’S FAVORITE
PL ACE TO SHOP: “Sherry-
Lehmann.” THOM’S ST YLE ICON:
CO
“Andrew Bolton.” ANDREW’S
ST YLE ICON: “Thom Browne.”
Sophie
HUNTER &
Benedict
GETT Y IMAGES, PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/GETT Y
PRUTTING/BFA.COM, PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/
PHOTOGRAPHS: FROM LEFT, BY NOEL WEST/
IMAGES, KEVIN WINTER/GETT Y IMAGES,
THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX, DAVID X.
CUMBERBATCH
DAVID M. BENETT/GETT Y IMAGES
HER OCCUPATION: Theater director, actor. HIS OCCUPATION: Actor, producer.
RESIDENCE: London. DESIGNERS: Erdem, Valentino, Emilia Wickstead.
HER NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF 2015: A custom Lanvin asymmetrical red dress,
worn to the Oscars. HIS NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF 2015: Bespoke Alexander
McQueen black-tie, worn to the BAFTAs.
S EP T EMB ER 2015
 Jemma KIDD
& Arthur
WELLESLEY,
Marchioness
& Marquess
of DOURO
RESIDENCE: London.
HER OCCUPATION: “Mother and
maker of fine pajamas—Jemma
London.” HIS OCCUPATION:
Finance. HER FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Antonio Berardi,
Burberry, Alexander McQueen.”
HIS FAVORITE DESIGNER:
“Burberry.” HER FAVORITE PIECES
OF JEWELRY: “Van Cleef
& Arpels Alhambra collection.”
HIS FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP:
“Barneys New York.” HER ST YLE
ICON: “Cate Blanchett.”
FAR LEFT, IN A VALENTINO
GOWN AND LANVIN BLACK-
TIE AT THE ROSE BALL, IN
MONTE CARLO; NEAR LEFT,
IN PINK ARMANI PRIVÉ AND
A LANVIN SUIT AT THE
WEDDING OF PRINCE FELIX
OF LUXEMBOURG AND
CLAIRE LADEMACHER, IN
SAINT-MAXIMIN-LA-SAINTE-
BAUME, FRANCE.
IN AN EMILIA
WICKSTEAD DRESS
AND BURBERRY SUIT.

Matt BOMER &

Simon HALLS

UPLES
RESIDENCE: Los Angeles. MATT’S
OCCUPATION: Actor, writer, producer.
SIMON’S OCCUPATION: Partner, Slate
PR. THEIR FAVORITE TAILOR: “Mario
Gonzales at Mario’s Alterations.”
MATT’S FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP:
“Mr Porter, Barneys New York.”
MATT’S FAVORITE ACCESSORIES:
“Wedding ring, Sol Moscot frames.”
MATT’S FAVORITE SCENT: “Vetiver (on
other people), the smell of our kids
(after bath time).” SIMON’S FAVORITE
ACCESSORY: “My wedding ring.”
SIMON’S FAVORITE SCENT: “Kiehl’s
Coriander body wash.” MATT’S STYLE
ICONS: “Cary Grant, Alain Delon,
MATT IN ARMANI
AND SIMON IN Robert Redford, Warren Beatty,
RALPH LAUREN AT Montgomery Clift, Tom Ford, Bryan
THE HOLLYWOOD
PREMIERE OF Lourd.” SIMON’S STYLE ICONS: “Tom
MAGIC MIKE XXL. Ford and Bryan Lourd.”
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B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
RIGHT, WEARING

15
CHRISTOPHER KANE
TO THE MET GALA;
BOTTOM, PERFORMING IN

FKA
A SWAROVSKI-CRYSTAL-
EMBELLISHED DRESS BY
RODARTE IN AUSTRIA.

TWIGS
OCCUPATION: Singer-

Azzedine songwriter. RESIDENCE:

London. PL ACE TO SHOP:

ALAÏA
Found and Vision, in
Notting Hill. DESIGNERS:
Cottweiler, Alexander
OCCUPATION: Couturier. McQueen, Christopher
RESIDENCE: Paris. SIGNATURE Kane. NOTABLE ENSEMBLE
LOOK: Black cotton Chinese OF 2015: Alexander
suit and slippers. McQueen’s Birds of
Paradise gown at the launch
of the “Alexander McQueen:
Savage Beauty” exhibition
at the V.&A. in London.

IN HIS SIGNATURE
CHINESE COTTON SUIT
AT A SCHIAPARELLI
SHOW IN PARIS.

Jenna IN A J. CREW SHIRT AND

LYONS BELL-BOTTOMS AT A
FASHION WEEK EVENT
AT LINCOLN CENTER. PHOTOG RA PH S: F ROM LE F T, © STE P HA NE C AR D I NA LE / P E OPL E AV E N UE / COR BI S , BY J . G RA S SI /
PATR I CK MC MU LL AN . COM, J UL IA N MACKL E R /BFA. COM, MAT TE O P RA N D ON I/ BFA. CO M

OCCUPATION: Creative
director, J. Crew. RESIDENCE:
SoHo, New York City.
FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE
OF 2015: “From Tome’s spring
’15 collection—white lace top
and skirt with black cotton
overlay.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
“Dries Van Noten, Céline,
45rpm, A Détacher, Apiece
Apart, Tome, Marni,
Valentino, RTH, Comme
des Garçons.” FAVORITE
PL ACE TO SHOP: “1stdibs
.com.” FAVORITE SHOES:
“Gold gladiators.” FAVORITE
PIECE OF JEWELRY:
“Custom signet ring with
my family crest.”

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T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
WEARING THEIR

15
OWN DESIGNS IN
MIDTOWN
MANHATTAN.

BELOW, IN PRABAL
GURUNG AT THE NEW
YORK CITY BALLET
SPRING GALA; RIGHT,
WEARING TEMPERLEY
LONDON TO THE
LONDON COLLECTIONS.

IM AGE S, CA R LY E RI CKSO N/ B FA .COM , J E R E MY L I EB M A N/ CO NTO U R/ GE TT Y I MAGE S, CH A RL ES G UER I N/

PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY NI CH OL A S HUN T/PAT RI CKMC MUL L A N. CO M, KI R STI N SI N CL A I R /GE TT Y

Caroline
A BACAUS A /P OL A R I S, A LO CE B A LL O S/ GC I MAGE S , A L E SS I O B OT TI CE L LI /G C IM AGE S

ISSA
OCCUPATION: Fashion director,
Tank magazine. RESIDENCE:
London. FAVORITE FASHION
PURCHASE OF 2015: “My Shinola
Zac POSEN
Birdy leather double-wrap watch.” OCCUPATION: Fashion designer. RESIDENCE: New York
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Alessandra WEARING A CUSTOM City. FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015: “A
SUIT AND OVERCOAT OF
Facchinetti, Raf Simons, Miuccia HIS OWN DESIGN WITH multicolored D. Porthault robe.” FAVORITE ITEM OF
Prada. FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP: A BROOKS BROTHERS CLOTHING: “Hysteric Glamour double-breasted black
TIE AND A BORSALINO
“nordstrom.com.” FAVORITE HAT IN NEW YORK CITY. jacket.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “Yohji Yamamoto,
SHOES: “Paul Andrew is my new Vivienne Westwood.” FAVORITE PL ACE TO SHOP:
obsession.” FAVORITE PIECE OF “Brooks Brothers.” FAVORITE TAILOR: “Mr. Ned.”
JEWELRY: “My grandmother’s jade FAVORITE ACCESSORY: “My gray Louis Vuitton
acorn necklace.” FAVORITE SCENT: traveling set.” FAVORITE SCENT: “Nitesurf, by Régime
“D.S. & Durga Silent Grove.” des Fleurs.” ST YLE ICON: “Rene Ricard.”

208 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 Maxwell
OSBORNE &
Dao-Yi CHOW
OCCUPATION: Designers (Public School).
RESIDENCE: New York City. THEIR FAVORITE
PLACE TO SHOP: “Daikanyama, Tokyo.”
THEIR FAVORITE TAILOR: “Joseph Ting.”
DAO-YI’S FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“My circular-knit Uniqlo boxer briefs.”
MAXWELL’S FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING:
“Uniqlo black T.” MAXWELL’S FAVORITE
DESIGNERS: “Yohji Yamamoto, Siki Im,
Dao-Yi Chow, Rei Kawakubo, Alexander
McQueen, Nike.” DAO-YI’S FAVORITE
DESIGNER: “Maxwell (the designer, not the
singer).” DAO-YI’S STYLE ICON: “Maxwell
(the singer, not the designer).” MAXWELL’S
STYLE ICON: “The streets of New York.”

Victoria
BECKHAM
OCCUPATION: Designer.
RESIDENCE: London.
FAVORITE SHOES: Francesco
Russo. FAVORITE PIECE OF
JEWELRY: “My wedding
ring, which is Chopard and
canary yellow.” FAVORITE
SCENT: “Anything from
Byredo!”

IN A PINK FLORAL
DRESS AT BERGDORF
GOODMAN; WEARING
HER OWN DESIGNS IN
SOHO, NEW YORK CITY,
AND AT J.F.K.

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 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
Nick
15 WOOSTER
OCCUPATION: “Free agent”;
fashion consultant. RESIDENCE:
West Village, New York City.
FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF
2015: “A Rare Weaves patchwork
oxford-cloth shirt.” FAVORITE ITEM
OF CLOTHING: “Isn’t that like asking
a parent who their favorite child
is?” FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “All
things Comme des Garçons, Thom
Browne, Rick Owens, Visvim,
Kolor, Sacai, the Soloist, Paul
Harnden, Craig Green.” FAVORITE
TAILOR: “Lardini.” FAVORITE
ACCESSORY: “Supreme Zippo.”
STYLE ICONS: “Peaky Blinders and
Tilda Swinton.”

FROM NEAR RIGHT: IN A DOLCE &

GABBANA DRESS AND CHANEL
SUNGLASSES; WEARING DOLCE &
GABBANA TO THE 2014 MET GALA
(TOP); IN A CAROLINA HERRERA
SKIRT WITH AN ALEXANDER WANG
TOP AT AMERICAN BALLET
THEATRE’S 75TH-ANNIVERSARY
SPRING GALA.

PROFESSIO Giovanna IMAG E S , DVORA / R E X US A , R W/ ME D IA PU NCH ( TOP) , OWE N HOF FMA N / PATR I CKMC MUL L A N

BATTAGLIA
PHOTOG RA PH S: F ROM LE F T, BY J ACOP O R AU LE / GE T T Y IMAG E S , ME L ODI E JE N G /G E TT Y

. COM, YA N A PAS KOVA / THE N E W YO R K T IME S / RE D UX , B IL LY FA RR E L L/ BFA . COM

OCCUPATION: Fashion editor, W magazine

and Vogue Japan. RESIDENCE: New York
City. FAVORITE FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015:
“Vintage Chanel dress by Mademoiselle
Coco.” FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING: “All of
them! If I have to really pick one, it would
be my leopard Alaïa coat.” FAVORITE PLACE
TO SHOP: “Dover Street Market, lstdibs,
ABOVE, IN BROOKS
Net-a-Porter.” FAVORITE SHOES: “Gianvito
BROTHERS BLACK FLEECE Rossi, Manolos, and Alaïa flats and many
JACKET AND PANTS, THOM
BROWNE SHIRT AND
more … ” FAVORITE SCENT: “Une Rose, by
SUNGLASSES, AND TRICKERS Frederic Malle.” STYLE ICONS: “Cleopatra
BOOTS IN FLORENCE; RIGHT,
WEARING A KOLOR JACKET,
and Manuela Pavesi.”
MARK M C NAIRY SCARF,
BROOKS BROTHERS VEST
AND PANTS, AND GARRETT
LEIGHT SUNGLASSES IN NEW
YORK CITY.

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 Peter MANNING
OCCUPATION: Designer and founder of Peter Manning/Five Eight New
York. RESIDENCES: New York City and Vinalhaven, Maine. FAVORITE
FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015: “Brunello Cucinelli lace-up brogues.”
FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING: “My Peter Manning NYC jeans, of
course!” FAV O R I T E D ES I G N E R S : Brunello Cucinelli, Michael Bastian.
FAVORITE TAILOR: “Mr. Stylianos, on East 84th Street between First
and York. Old-school.” FAV O R I T E A C C ES S O RY : “Earth Bracelets from
Global Goods Partners.” ST YLE ICON: “Paul Newman (a not-so-tall
guy), for his effortless style and the way he lived his life.”

NALS
WEARING MAX MARA
TO A DINNER IN
CELEBRATION OF THE
WHITNEY MUSEUM IN
NEW YORK CITY.

Pamela
WEARING HIS OWN
DESIGNS IN HIS
GOLBIN
STUDIO, IN NEW OCCUPATION: Chief curator, Musée des Arts
YORK CITY.
Décoratifs, Paris. RESIDENCE: Paris. FAVORITE
FASHION PURCHASE OF 2015: “A 1950 Balenciaga
suit shot by Irving Penn for Vogue.” FAVORITE
PL ACE TO SHOP: “Internet.” FAVORITE PIECE OF
JEWELRY: “My late grandfather’s Patek Philippe
pocket watch.” FAVORITE SCENT: “Lavender fields
in Provence.” ST YLE ICON: “Diana Vreeland.”

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 20
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

B EST- D R ES S E D P O L L
Harold KODA
15 OCCUPATION: Curator in charge of the Costume
Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
RESIDENCE: New York City. FAVORITE FASHION
PURCHASE OF 2015: “Two identical gray worsted
Thom Browne suits.” FAVORITE ITEM OF
CLOTHING: “Comme des Garçons denim shirt
from 1985.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS: “Thom
Browne, Prada, Lobb.” FAVORITE PL ACE TO
SHOP: “Longmire.” FAVORITE TAILOR: “Davide at
Gieves & Hawkes.” FAVORITE ACCESSORIES:
“White linen pocket-square, Jaeger-LeCoultre
Reverso watch.” FAVORITE SCENT: “No. 02 L’Eau
Sento, by IUNX.” ST YLE ICONS: “Tsuguharu
Foujita, Georgia O’Keeffe.”
IN A THOM BROWNE
SUIT AT THE
METROPOLITAN
MUSEUM OF ART.

PROFESSIONALS D UF OUR / G E TT Y IMAG E S , G R E GO RY PAC E / BE I MAG E S, MAT TE O P RA N D ON I/ BFA. CO M

PHOTOG RA P HS: FRO M L E FT, F ROM F OTON OTI C IA S /WI R E IMAG E , BY R IN D OF F /

FROM FAR LEFT: IN A

DELPOZO ENSEMBLE AT

Lauren
THE ELLE STYLE AWARDS
PARTY IN MADRID; IN
PROENZA SCHOULER AT
A CHANEL SHOW; IN A

SANTO
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
GOWN AT THE AMERICAN
BALLET THEATRE GALA.

DOMINGO
OCCUPATION: Contributing editor,
Vogue; founder, Moda Operandi. RESIDENCE:
New York City. FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
“Giambattista Valli, Vika Gazinskaya.”
FAVORITE PL ACES TO SHOP: “Moda Operandi,
1stdibs.” ST YLE ICON: “Jacqueline de Ribes.”

212 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
 FROM LEFT: IN JEAN PAUL
GAULTIER ON THE CHAMPS-
ÉLYSÉES; WEARING STÉPHANE
ROLLAND AT MATIGNON, IN
PARIS; IN VALENTINO HAUTE
COUTURE AT THE NIEUWE
KERK, IN AMSTERDAM.

H.H. Sheikha
MOZAH BINT
NASSER
AL-MISSNED
of QATAR
A MMA R- M OUS S E/ A BACA /N E WS CO M, PATR I CK VA N KAT W IJ K/ © DPA P IC TU RE A L L IA N CE /A L A MY
OCCUPATION: Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation
PHOTOGR A PHS : F RO M L EF T, BY GUI B BAU D CHR I STOP HE /A B ACA P RE S S. CO M, A B D RA B BO

HALL
for Education, Science and Community
Development; UNESCO special envoy for basic and
higher education. HUSBAND: H.H. Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa Al-Thani, former Emir of Qatar.
RESIDENCE: Doha, Qatar. DESIGNERS: Giorgio
Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Stéphane Rolland,
Dior. NOTABLE ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR: An
insect-embroidered coat, lace trousers, and leather
pumps, all Valentino Couture, worn to the Qatar

OF FAME
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, in Paris.

214 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 3 0 DAY S i n t h e L I F E o f t h e C U LT U R E SEPTEMBER 2015

Æ TREND WATCH pp. 217, 218 & 223 FASHION’S BELOVED ILLUSTRATOR p. 226 MY STUFF: EDIE PARKER’S BRETT HEYMAN p. 228 AND MORE ...

That 70s Vibe

DIVINE TIME
Van Cleef & Arpels
Cadenas Sertie timepiece
Fall’s most coveted with diamonds in yellow
gold, $40,100.
looks embrace fringe, (vancleefarpels.com)
patchwork, suede,
and paisley. Can you dig it?
BY PUNCH HUTTON GARDEN GAIT
Tabitha Simmons
HEAD CASE Stevie multi-
Gigi Burris Millinery leather floral print,
Kyleigh hat, $345. $725.
SASSY SATCHEL (neimanmarcus (tabithasimmons FLOWER POWER
Chloé Drew small
Ferragamo
.com) .com) Céline Daisy
bag in diamond necklace, $425.
BY L UC AS VI SSE R (NECKL AC E ); FO R DETAI LS, GO TO VF.CO M/C REDI TS

python patchwork, BOHO ST YLE (Celine, SoHo,

$3,990. Hammitt Fets fringed N.Y.C.,
(neimanmarcus handbag, $675. 212-226-8001)
.com) Fendi (hammitt.com)
PH OTO GRAPHS FRO M E TRO (PATTE RNE D BACKGRO UND),

SEX Y SOLE
Alexandre Birman
GROOV Y GAZE eel-and-suede
Paul Smith sandal, $595.
Danbury (saksfifthavenue.com)
sunglasses,
FRISK Y FUN Ralph
$340.
Paul Andrew Taos
(paulsmith Lauren
fringed bootie in taupe
.co.uk)
suede, $1,195.
(bergdorfgoodman
.com)
Chloé
Burberry
Prorsum

HIGH KICKS
Brian Atwood Renee suede
SKIN IS IN knee-high boot, $1,675.
Tod’s brown patchwork (brianatwood.com)
python Wave bag,
$4,575.
(tods.com)

QUIET BEAUT Y PRETT Y

Gucci Vineyard suede messenger PAISLEY
bag with flap and two-tiger-head Etro cream-and-
buckle closure, $4,300. (gucci.com) purple floral
scarf, $380.
(etro.com) Etro
GOLDEN GIRL
Louis Vuitton Essential
V hoop earrings,
$960. (louisvuitton
.com)

ELEGANT STEP FRINGE IS IN

Hermès calfskin ankle Burberry suede fringed
boot in camel, $2,225. bucket bag, $2,795.
(hermes.com) (burberry.com)

SEP T E M BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 217

 KEEP SAFE
Miansai portfolio in cognac,
$245. (miansai.com)
Bally

TICK TOCK
Cartier Clé de
Cartier watch in
18-karat rose
gold, $18,800.
Michael (cartier.us)
Kors

ROLL OVER
J. Crew textured
Neutral Territory
turtleneck, $148.
(jcrew.com)
Camel’s classic elegance
defines the fall fashion mood
EYE SPY OXFORD ST YLE
Warby Parker Topper BY PUNCH HUTTON Grenson Stanley
frames in Striped Beach, $95. in brown leather, $460.
(warbyparker.com) (grenson.co.uk)

FALL FUN
Brunello Cucinelli
cashmere and suede
vest, $2,245.
(brunellocucinelli.com)

Tom
Ford CLASSIC LOOK
A.P.C. Montagne
Boglioli sweater, $385. WRAP UP
(usonline.apc.fr) Rag & Bone
Marin scarf, $150.
TIME FLIES (rag-bone.com)
Hermès Slim
d’Hermès rose-gold Brioni
watch, $18,500. SLIP ON
(hermes.com) Berluti Andy Genova
leather loafer, $2,130.
(berluti.com)
IV Y LEAGUE

PHOTOGR A PH BY T I M H OU T (E R ME NE GI L DO Z E GNA SH OE ) ; F O R DE TA IL S, GO TO VF.CO M /CR E DI TS

Tommy Hilfiger sweater, $200.
(usa.tommy.com)

TOUCH OF ST YLE
Cartier Pyramid Motif
BROWN DERBY cuff links in 18-karat rose gold,
Ermenegildo $4,300. (cartier.us)
Zegna deerskin
Derby shoes,
$695. SURE FOOTING
(zegna.com) Cole Haan & Todd Snyder
Bryling Lace Boot in Chestnut Suede, TIE ONE ON
$378. (colehaan.com) Alexander Olch wool-
tweed necktie in brown,
$150. (olch.com)

SPORT Y COOL
Coach York Lace Sneaker,
$195. (coach.com)

TOTE AROUND
Dunhill Duke tote,
$4,250.
(dunhill.com)

218 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 WALKING IN CIRCLES
Nicholas Kirkwood Ivory Maeva
Pearl pump, $875. PUMPED UP
(nicholaskirkwood.com) Bally Cinthia
MUST-HAVE
Salvatore Ferragamo pump in bone, $750.
suede-and-calfskin (bally.com)
messenger bag, $2,100.
(Salvatore Ferragamo,
Beverly Hills,
310-273-9990)

EYE CANDY
Smoke X Mirrors
Atomic frames, $295.
(smokexmirrors.com) GLAM GAL
ALWAYS CHIC Giuseppe Zanotti
Chanel Boy bag in calfskin and Design jeweled-gold-
aged ruthenium metal, $3,600. mirror clutch, $1,995.
(chanel.com) (giuseppezanotti
design.com)

Graphic Images
Stars, stripes, circles, STEPPING OUT
Salvatore Ferragamo
and myriad other shapes with ostrich-and-calfskin
contrasting colors make heel, $2,100.
(ferragamo.com)
their mark on this season’s
coveted accessories
BY PUNCH HUTTON

FLAT-OUT FAB
Charlotte Olympia
Dawn flats, $765.
(charlotteolympia.com)

SEEING STARS
Roger Vivier Miss
Viv’ Star bag, $2,650.
(rogervivier.com)

WORK OF ART
Sergio Rossi Tuxedo sandal
with ornaments, $1,295. RETRO COOL FURRY FRIEND
(sergiorossi.com) Oliver Goldsmith Fuz Bulgari Serpenti Forever
in Whiteout frames, $440. Mink bag, $6,300.
(jamesleonard.com) (bulgari.com)

GETTING CLUTCHY SEX Y TWIST

Valentino Chevron and Check minaudière clutches, Louis Vuitton Inspired
$3,045 each. (valentino.com) Cross Strap pump, $1,350.
(louisvuitton.com)

SCHOOL DAZE
Ralph Lauren small
leather Ricky
SAUCY STEP Drawstring bag, $1,750.
Charlotte Olympia Etta (ralphlauren.com)
FO R DE TA I LS , GO TO VF.CO M

heel, $1,065.
(charlotteolympia.com)

www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 223

 s a child, Brittany Howard mixed chemicals B.H.: It’s hard when a few folks give a whole region a bad name.
and caused explosions in her family’s treehouse. These days, her explo- My South is accepting, and it’s hard to watch how some people have
sions are onstage, where, as the lead singer-guitarist of Alabama Shakes, reacted to recent things… I’m really proud of our country and
she delivers emotional, soul-baring performances. Alabama Shakes (How- the direction it’s headed. The tattoo shows where I’m from and where
ard, Heath Fogg, Steve Johnson, and Zac my heart will always be.
Cockrell) are currently on a 93-city tour in L.R.: As a child, did you really ride dirt
support of their latest album, their second, bikes at eight, mix chemicals, and imprison
Sound & Color—which entered the charts at a cat in a refrigerator?
No. 1. Here, Howard B.H.: I was a handful as
talks with Lisa Robin- a kid. I get bored easily.
son about the band’s
A L A BA M A SHAKES Now I’m pretty chill
music, their Southern compared to back then.
roots, and the U.S. When I’m on the
post office. road I watch Netflix and,
at home, relax or fish.
LISA ROBINSON: No more explosives.
What were your hopes L.R.: You smoke and
and dreams for you drink; how hard is it
the band when you to maintain any sort of
started out? healthy regime while on
BRITTANY HOWARD: the road?
We all live pretty B.H.: I’m trying to live a
modest lives. Our healthier life, but … step-
dreams were short-term. by-step. Lately I don’t
How can we make a drink a lot, but when
record, how can we get I do I usually drink beer
gigs, how can we or whiskey. I do love
get our music heard? a nice hot toddy before
L.R.: You must I go onstage, and
be tired of the Janis when I’m at a bar I like
Joplin comparisons, to explore the cocktail
but you do have menu. Mojitos are
an extraordinary another favorite.
stage presence. L.R.: Given how
What happens when different your second
you perform? album is from your first,
B.H.: I have a lot of do you get annoyed
respect for all the artists when people refer
I get compared to, to Alabama Shakes as
even if as an artist you a retro-soul band?
prefer to have your own B.H.: Not that I have
identity. I honestly don’t anything against
PHOTOGR A PH BY B RA N T LE Y G UTI E RR EZ ; F O R D ETA I L S, GO TO VF.CO M /CR ED I TS

know where it comes Alabama Shakes

retro-soul, but I always
from; I just try to give members knew we had so much
my all to anything I’m Steve Johnson, more to offer musically.
Brittany Howard,
doing. The audience Zac Cockrell, And it was exciting to
will often bring it out in and Heath Fogg. have more time in the
me, too. Onstage is the studio and to experiment
one time in my day and see where things
that I can let it all out. would end up. We are a
L.R.: Who were some of your musical influences? rock and roll band, but I hate classifications, and I love bands that
B.H.: There are so many: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, are hard to describe. To me, if we just kept doing the same thing over
David Bowie, Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Björk, Gil Scott-Heron, and over, I would lose interest.
Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner … I could go on and on. L.R.: You worked in the post office. Do you see any hope for
L.R.: You’re from Athens, Alabama, and you have a tattoo of the future of the U.S. Postal Service?
the state with a heart on your arm. How do you feel about the B.H.: I’m sure they will figure out a way to survive. I love getting mail,
South these days with the recent murders in Charleston and and I hope it does continue for that purpose, but I’m glad I’m no
the fight over the Confederate flag? longer working there.

224 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015


efore becoming the fashion world’s favorite artist, Donald
Robertson was a middle-aged suburban dad with a nine-to-five job, a daily
commute from Westchester to N.Y.C., and little interest in social media. But
he also had a compulsive drawing habit and an assistant who, in 2012, set
him up with an Instagram account—and
suddenly a new art star had arrived. Online,
he is @drawbertson, and his witty, almost
cartoonlike depictions of everyone from
Anna Wintour to Kanye West to Karl Lager-
feld have won him more than 140,000 fol-
lowers, collaborations with J. Crew, Smash- D O N A L D R O B E R T S ON
box, and Bergdorf Goodman (to name a
few), and the kind of multi-platform career
usually mastered by the likes of Beyoncé—who’s a fan, by the way. In May,
when she uploaded a photo of herself holding a custom-made Drawbertson
handbag, “I nearly fell over,” he says. “Beyoncé holding that up—it’s like a
halo over everything else.” Robertson, now 53, is most often compared to
Andy Warhol, though he’d prefer Pharrell Williams—everything infused with
warmth and joy. He never takes a day off, never runs out of ideas, and never
feels exhausted—this from a father of five. (His toddler twin boys, Henry and
Charlie, are popular subjects on his Instagram feed.) “The whole sleep-
ing thing—I’ve decided to write it off,” he says. “There are so many things
I want to do. Picasso said he spent his whole life trying to paint like a
226 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com P H OTO G RA PH S
Donald
Robertson,
photographed at
his home studio, in
Los Angeles,
and with his twins,
Henry and
Charlie.
child. To have these big-kid ideas and not think too much—that’s the best.”
Robertson, who recently moved his family to Los Angeles, was raised in
Toronto, Canada, where he was asked to leave art school—in part because he
shunned realism. “I failed Life Drawing for making all the people longer and
skinnier than they were,” he says. “Now it’s
the secret to my success.” In the 80s, Rob-
ertson helped launch MAC cosmetics, and he
worked at several magazines in New York
before landing his current job as roving cre-
ative director at Estée Lauder. But he never
stopped drawing. Robertson’s aesthetic is
homemade, a little messy, and collage-like,
and that approach extends to his commerce:
anyone can buy his work—which starts at $375 for a print and can go to more
than $12,500 for a painting—online. “I’m trying to do stuff that’s less expen-
sive,” he says. He believes that art shouldn’t be so rarefied, nor should fash-
ion. How else to interpret a toilet-paper roller tricked out with the Louis Vuit-
ton logo? “Fashion people are essentially children,” he says, laughing. “And
the ones who are good are the ones who remain child-like the longest.”
Perhaps in tribute, Robertson published his first children’s book, Mitford at
the Fashion Zoo (Penguin Random House), in August. The moral of the
story: “Keep your childish instincts,” he says. “Be pure. Don’t try to please
people. And don’t bury the crazy.” — M AU R E E N CA L L A H A N
BY THE SELBY S EP T EMB ER 2015

Undergarments Dolce & Gabbana.
accessory Edie Parker Bespoke clutch
IN S P IR AT ION S
Favorite scent Jasmine. Favorite
discovery America. Who inspires you
Anna Wintour. Necessary extravagance
Children’s Benadryl. Favorite
CLOTHES
Jeans Vintage Levi’s.
TECH
Favorite gadget Beats Pill
T-shirt Rag & Bone. Day bag
speakers. TV shows you binge-watch
Hermès reversible tote. Favorite
Anything with Anthony
Bourdain. Recent Google search “Signs
with my initials in glow-in-
you have a tumor.” Go-to Web
the-dark acrylic. Favorite
site WebMD.com. Song in your head
designer Sonia Rykiel. Shopping
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing
mecca The World Wide
Out,” Cat Stevens. Are you on
Web. Boots Gianvito Rossi.
Instagram/Twitter Yes, @edie_parker.
Flats Paul Andrew.

PH OTOG RA P HS BY B EA L L & TH OM A S P HOTO GRA P HY (B L ACK BERRY FARM); FRO M THE C ARLYLE, A RO SEWO O D HOTEL (BEMELMANS BAR); BY DOVE/EXPRESS/GETT Y I MAGE S (PAL L E N B E RG); © GE N E R AL
HEYMAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE SCHMELZER; HAIR PRODUCTS BY ORIBE; MAKEUP PRODUCTS BY CHANEL; HAIR BY JOSHUA RISTAINO; MAKEUP BY SUZY GERSTEIN; PROPS ST YLED BY ANDRÉA HUELSE.
Car Chevrolet. Wristwatch
place in the world Between my children. Sneakers Nike.

M OTO R S ( CH E V RO L E T ) ; BY H E I D I G U T M A N / A B C / G E T T Y I M AG E S ( B O U R DA I N ) ; L A Z I Z H A M A N I ( CO CK TA I L ) ; V I TA L I N A RY B A KOVA / G E T T Y I M AG E S ( J A S M I N E ) . F O R D E TA I L S , G O TO V F. CO M / C R E D I TS
Vintage Bulgari
Favorite charity The Parenting
Serpenti.
Center at Mount Sinai Hospital. Favorite
movie Drop Dead Gorgeous.
Favorite hotel Blackberry Farm, in
Tennessee. Favorite colors Navy and
gold metallic. Fashion idol
Anita Pallenberg.

BR E T T HE Y M A N

die Parker clutches, the vintage-inspired

collection of bags from designer and
company founder Brett Heyman, are carried
by the most fashionable ladies around the world. The
must-have wardrobe accessory, often an acrylic jewel
of a rectangle, is extra chic when bespoke detailing is
added. Herewith, Heyman’s favorite things …

Brett Heyman,
photographed
in the Edie
Parker showroom,
in N.Y.C.

HOME
Where do you live N.Y.C.
Favorite art in-house Andy Warhol
Polaroid of Dolly Parton. Sheets
D. Porthault Peacock. Luggage Tumi. China
Meissen Pink Dragon. Stationery Cartier.
Pet Field-spaniel puppy. Favorite flowers
Tree peonies. Favorite neighborhood
restaurant Casa Lever. Favorite cocktail
Passion Royale at Bemelmans Bar. Favorite
dessert Affogato at Amaranth. Snack
Yu Bakery’s YuPuffs—the
coconut-oil-and-flaxseed flavor.
Coffee-table book 1000° C
Deyrolle, by
Laurent Bochet.
228 VA NI T Y FA I R
BE AU T Y PRODUC T S
Lips Baume de Rose from By Terry.
Mascara Dior Diorshow. Concealer
Aerin Eyelight. Foundation Perricone MD
No Foundation Foundation. Shampoo
Kiehl’s Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo.
Moisturizer Biologique Recherche.
Hair product Dream Big by Serge Normant.
Soap Dr. Bronner’s. Perfume Lipstick Rose
by Frédéric Malle. Toothpaste Crest.
Nail-polish color Mademoiselle by Essie.
Who cuts your hair D.J. at Serge
Normant, downtown; Chris
at Sally Hershberger, uptown.
Skin-care specialist
Georgia Louise.
S EP T EMB ER 2015

An illustration from
the 1941 book The Crab
with the Golden Claws,
from Tintin: Hergé’s
Masterpiece (Rizzoli), by
Pierre Sterckx.
JOY RIDE
o read Joy Williams is
to be arrested in a
state of relentless awe
and wonderment. The stories
collected in The Visiting
Privilege (Knopf)—each a
divining rod attuned to the currents
of the great unseen—reveal Williams’s
humming affinity for the eccentrics,
outcasts, and obsessives who haunt the
periphery of society, and the landscapes
they inhabit, from the Arizona desert to
the Florida Keys, border on the
mystical if not subversive. The
author’s preternatural
intelligence, coupled with a
scorching wit and an inability to
bore or commit an unoriginal
thought to the page, has made

I LL U STR ATI O N © HERGÉ /MO ULI NSART 2015. PHOTO GRAPHS BY TI M HO UT (BO O KS). FO R DE TAI LS, GO TO VF.CO M/C RE DI TS
her a cult hero to writers including Don
DeLillo, Raymond Carver, and William
Gass. Why we aren’t worshipping Joy
Williams in public squares is beyond me.
With this collection we should be. –E.S.

Leon Talley immortalizes Oscar de la Renta (Ski-

lena Ferrante brings her
addictive Neapolitan series to its devastating con-
clusion with The Story of the Lost Child (Europa),
a frank portrait of a passionate, lifelong female
friendship. Lauren Groff rips at the seams of
an outwardly perfect marriage in her enchanting
novel Fates and Furies (Riverhead). Margo Jef-
ferson’s Negroland (Pantheon) is both an elegant
memoir of growing up among the black elite of
Virginia and a provocative examination of the
performance of color. Mary Karr strikes a vein
in The Art of Memoir (Harper). Greg Grandin
casts Kissinger’s Shadow (Metropolitan), showing
how the dark lord of diplomacy fomented politi-
cal polarization at home and imperialism abroad.
Sasha Abramsky’s The House of Twenty Thou-
sand Books (New York Review Books) is an ode
to his grandfather Chimen Abramsky’s world-
renowned library. Helen Phillips’s The Beautiful
Bureaucrat (Henry Holt) is a bewitching par-
able. A Beijing taxi driver weaves through Susan
Barker’s The Incarnations (Touchstone). Kate
Harding aims to dismantle rape culture in
Asking for It (Da Capo). Beverly Johnson
stakes her place as The Face That Changed It All
(Atria), with Allison Samuels. V.F. contributing
editor Bethany McLean places U.S. mortgage
giants on Shaky Ground (Columbia Global Re-
ports). Andrea Camilleri’s 19th Inspector Mon-
talbano mystery is A Beam of Light (Penguin).
Eka Kurniawan’s Indonesian heroines know
Beauty Is a Wound (New Directions). David
Plante mingles with the cultural elite in Worlds
Apart (Bloomsbury). Jonathan Franzen’s Pu-
rity (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) desires truth.
The photos in Ingrid Bergman (Chronicle) were
curated by daughter Isabella Rossellini and
Lothar Schirmer. Lily Tuck self-
reflects in her auto-fictive The
Double Life of Liliane (Atlantic
Monthly). Adam Johnson’s
collection Fortune Smiles
(Random House) is stunning.
Brian Kellow takes the life of
Sue Mengers public in Can
I Go Now? (Viking). André
ra Rizzoli). As New York’s top cop, Ray Kelly
practiced Vigilance (Hachette). Mauricio and
Roger Padilha put a Gloss (Rizzoli) on the work
of photographer Chris von Wangenheim. The
linked stories in Ann Beattie’s The State We’re
In (Scribner) are set in Maine. Jonathan Evison
charms with This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!
(Algonquin). Lawrence Ferlinghetti sets off
Writing Across the Landscape (Liveright). Janice
Kaplan looks on the sunny side in The Gratitude
Diaries (Dutton). Rabbi Sherre Hirsch guides
readers over life’s Thresholds (Harmony).
Newcomers: Bill Clegg’s Did You Ever Have a
Family (Scout) limns the far reaches of grief.
Alexandra Kleeman ensures You Too Can Have
a Body Like Mine (Harper). Actor Jesse Eisen-
berg pipes up with Bream Gives Me Hiccups
(Grove). Stephanie Clifford preaches Everybody
Rise (St. Martin’s). La fine. — ELISSA SCHAPPELL

IN SHORT
Casey Schwartz dives headfirst In the Mind Fields (Pantheon). Leslie Zemeckis bows before the Goddess of Love Incarnate (Counterpoint).
Kermit Roosevelt pledges Allegiance (Regan Arts). Deyan Sudjic sees Ettore Sottsass and the Poetry of Things (Phaidon). George MacDonald Fraser leaves
behind Captain in Calico (Mysterious). Susanna Moore visits the Paradise of the Pacific (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Ted Rall leaks Snowden
(Seven Stories). Pretender Chrissie Hynde gets Reckless (Doubleday). Tony Collins tackles The Oval World (Bloomsbury). Wendell Pierce and Rod Dreher hurtle
through The Wind in the Reeds (Riverhead). Anne C. Heller illuminates Hannah Arendt (New Harvest). G. Bruce Boyer tailors True Style (Basic Books).
James Hamilton invests in A Strange Business (Pegasus). Erica Jong flies with Fear of Dying (St. Martin’s). Robert Goolrick nails misbehaving Wall Streeters
in The Fall of Princes (Algonquin). Cecil-philes Mike Holborn and Annie Leibovitz adore Beaton Photographs (Abrams). – E . S .

230 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 Scentual Mood
nce heralded as the King of
Cling, the iconoclastic fashion
designer Azzedine Alaïa is
venturing into new territory.
This September, he
will launch Alaïa Paris
Eau de Parfum, a per-
fume filled with “paradoxical sensations,

PAR IS M ATCH/GETT Y I MAGE S (AL AÏ A); F O R DE TAI L S , GO TO VF.CO M/ CR E DI TS

PHOTO GRAPHS BY GYO ME D O S S AN TO S (L O UB O UTI N ), KAS I A WAN DYCZ/
those that have brought me the most beauti-
ful rencontres of my life,” he says. Inspired
by the female form and his childhood
memories of Tunisia, the fragrance is
an intoxicating blend of airy notes
and pink pepper, freesia and peony,
animal hints and musk—housed
in a translucent black glass
that is embellished with his
signature laser-cut pattern.
The cap, reminiscent of a
spool of golden thread,
is as unique as the per-
Above, couturier Azzedine Alaïa in his Paris atelier; right,
Alaïa’s signature laser-cut bag, Alaïa Paris Eau de Parfum.
fume’s creator. ($150 for
3.3 oz.; saksfifthavenue
.com) — SUNHEE GRINNELL

Christian
Louboutin, in
INSPIRED NOTES Marrakech.

ashion designer Narciso

Rodriguez, revered
for his graphic, feminine
lines, debuts his Narciso Eau
de Toilette this month.
The sensual fragrance blends
white peonies and Bulgarian roses
Louboutin’s
with woodsy notes and vetiver Lip Colour Collection;
and is the perfect complement to inset, left, each
lipstick can be worn
any body—whether dressed or as a necklace.
undressed. ($98 for 3 oz.;
bloomingdales.com)
—S.H.G.

PRETTY POUT

‘
side from the eyes, lips are the most expressive feature on a
woman’s face,” says Christian Louboutin, the man responsible for
our obsession with red-soled shoes. Inspired by Nefertiti, a symbol of
beauty and power, Louboutin created the Lip Colour Collection, 38 shades of pigment
available in three different textures—Silky Satin, Velvet Matte, and Sheer Voile—
all encased in Babylonian-influenced jewel-like vessels with a turret crown of Middle
Above, Narciso Eau Eastern antiquity. Louboutin pays homage to women who painted their lips and adorned
de Toilette; right, a look from their necklines with covetable objets d’art. ($90 each; christianlouboutin.com) — S . H . G .
his spring 2015 RTW.

232 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 A R O U N D t h e WO R L D, O N E PA RT Y a t a T I M E SEPTEMBER 2015

Miuccia
François Prada
Pinault and
Stella
McCartney
PHOTO GRAPHS BY DAVI D X. PR UTTI N G/ B FA.CO M;
FO R DETAI LS, GO TO VF.CO M/ CR E DI TS

David Adjaye
and Thomas Roman
Heatherwick Abramovich
Dinner tables inside and Dasha
the exhibition space. Zhukova

SOVIET STYLE
Coco
Brandolini Artists, billionaires, gallery
owners, collectors, titans of industry, and
a super-fashionable flock celebrated
Jeff Dasha Zhukova’s newly opened,
Koons Jean Pigozzi Rem Koolhaas–designed Garage Museum
and and Woody
Taryn Allen of Contemporary Art, in Moscow’s
Simon Gorky Park.

Nate
Lowman
and
Ludovica
Barbieri

S E PTEM B E R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 235

 Silas Chou, Len Blavatnik,
and Sir David Tang

Jeffrey Deitch and

The Kuban Cossack Massimiliano Gioni
Choir performed.

Xi Lin and
Michael
Govan

Lord Jacob Rothschild, Jennifer Meyer,

Dasha Zhukova, and Derek Blasberg

Bianca
Brandolini

Shane Smith
and Roman
Abramovich Almine Rech

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID X. PRUTTING/BFA.COM; FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS

Mellody Hobson
and George Lucas Rem
Koolhaas

Lauren
Santo
Domingo
Larry Dasha’s
Gagosian dinner table. Koyo Kouoh
and David and Urs Fischer
Newson

236 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2015

 CONVERSATION

Out to Lunch with

THOM BROWNE
T H E I N N OVAT I V E D E S I G N E R E X PLA I N S W H Y H E F I N D S A V I RT U E I N I M PE R F E CT I O N

T
hom Browne, the celebrated
fashion designer, entered the
Grill Room of the landmark
Four Seasons restaurant in
mid-Manhattan wearing his own inven-
tion—the little gray suit with matching
shorts and black brogans that has the
look of a boy’s prep-school uniform.
He was confidently at ease in it, and al-
though one gent quickly averted his eyes,
nobody else among the traditionally
stuffy, dark-suited power elite seated in
the Grill seemed troubled by the glimpse
of something shocking in the shape and
form of his well-toned, hairy legs.
“I love this room,” he said, joining me
at his usual spot—Table One—in the res-
taurant that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
called “the cathedral.” Unknown to us,
however, Julian Niccolini, the restaurant’s
popular co-owner, who’s been there for
40 years, had been arrested that day on
a charge of sexual abuse (which he vigorously
denies). It’s a further blow to the Seagram Build- By JOHN HEILPERN
ing’s hallowed restaurant, a modernist master-
piece designed by Philip Johnson that opened in
1959 and was already under siege. Amid controversy, Aby J. Rosen,
the real-estate mogul who owns the building, is not renewing the
restaurant’s lease next year and will open a new establishment in its his Catholic family. His father bought his suits mostly at the vener-
place. Thom Browne, no elitist, is appalled. “It’s the type of think- able Brooks Brothers (now revitalized by Browne’s Black Fleece la-
ing that caused Penn Station to be torn down,” he said. “I think it
should stay exactly the way it has always been. There’s nothing you
could do to improve this room.”
Classic modernist restaurant; cool modernist fashion designer.
They are one and the same in their essentially formal, spare aes-
thetic. Mr. Browne has never designed jeans. “Levi’s did it really
well,” he said. But then, he doesn’t own a pair of jeans.
What did he think of the traditional
light-gray suit I was wearing? (It was my
optimistic tribute to Cary Grant’s fabled
suit in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.)
“It looks great!” he said generously. “It’s
well made, you look comfortable in it,
and it’s interesting that you have a lot
more important things you care about.”
It was not quite the backhanded com-
pliment it might seem. “Simple and clas-
sic is the way I think most people should
look, especially guys,” he added. “But I
never liked things to be too perfect. I like
them to be perfectly made.” It’s the rea-
son why the fastidious Mr. Browne’s ha-
bitual white shirt is always a bit rumpled,
hinting at the throwaway. Cary Grant’s
outfit in North by Northwest, he agreed, is
without question perfection personified.
But one of his ideal models has always
been the suits that John F. Kennedy wore
(although they bear no resemblance to
Browne’s re-invention of them). “It was his sen-
sibility of being so effortless,” he explained. “He
didn’t look as though he thought about it.”
Thom Browne was born in 1965 in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, the son of two attorneys and one of seven siblings, four
of whom are also attorneys. He was the handsome nonconformist of
bel). “The last thing my father ever thought about was clothing,” he
recalled. “He just always had a suit on. That was his uniform. And,
thinking back, it’s very similar to how I think. And I think about
my father a lot lately and never thought I would in regard to work.”
Perhaps for all of us it goes back to our nostalgic memories of
DR. HAUSCHKA; GROOMING BY MEGAN L ANOUX; FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS
childhood. But in Browne’s innovative example, from little school-
boy uniforms mighty empires grow.
C L OT H I N G BY T H O M B ROW N E ; H A I R P RO D U C TS A N D G RO O M I N G P RO D U C TS BY

A creature of habit, he orders the same simple lunch every time: Some 15 years ago, when he was an unknown designer with Ralph
poached salmon, water, and, later, an espresso. He’s an intriguing Lauren’s creative team at Club Monaco, nobody was interested in his
paradox: both cutting-edge and traditionalist, a revolutionary de- now signature suit. He began wearing it in downtown cafés, looking
signer who’s also conservative. Seated at his lunch table, he looked like his own sandwich board, in the hope that someone would buy
pretty conventional from the waist up. one. Today, his influence can be seen everywhere, playing its part in the
His re-invention of the staple men’s suit began in earnest more new normal. In 2011 he launched a women’s ready-to-wear collection.
than a decade ago in radical rebuke to what Guy Trebay of The In 2013—the year he won the prestigious C.F.D.A. Menswear Design-
New York Times calls “the late 20th century slob-fest” of casual er of the Year Award for the second time—Michelle Obama wore the
Fridays. “I thought the worst thing you could ever boldly checked silk dress and coat he had designed
do to a guy was to tell him he could go to work for her at her husband’s second inauguration. “She
casually,” he explained. “I like the idea of some- just looked so strong and confident and intelligent,”
thing that’s classic and a uniform—but it’s really
important not to make it boring.”
“LEVI’S he said. “That’s what was so special to me about it.”
Thom Browne’s sense of style—for men and wom-
“Even so,” I said, “I’m not sure your suit DID IT REALLY en, or interchangeably both—is thus almost beside
would suit me.”
“It isn’t for everyone,” he replied in his gentleman-
WELL.” the point. “I don’t really equate style with clothes,”
he concluded in his best Zen-like manner. “I equate
ly way. “I recognize that. I mean, each to his own.” it with the person who’s wearing the clothes.” 
238 VA NI T Y FA I R P H OTO G R A P H BY GASPER TRINGALE S EP T EMB ER 2015
 MICHAEL KINSLEY

I n a Charles Saxon
cartoon in The New Yorker from 1969, an
older man in a dark suit sits in his clubby-
looking study, addressing a younger man,
apparently his son. The son is dressed, from
the perspective of 2015, quite conservatively,
in a sweater and khakis, with medium-length
hair. Back then, near the height of the student
rebellion over Vietnam and everything else,
this mildly casual look connoted “hippie” or
“rebel.” The father is saying, “You know how
it is, Ted. Since I went to Princeton, I was sort
of hoping you’d want to go somewhere else.”
Well, we all know what happened next,
don’t we? Ted did go to Princeton University
and eventually abandoned the revolution.
By the time he made managing director at
FEELING LUCKY? a midsize investment bank, all that was left
If a particular was a vague, well-meaning liberalism. He
college takes more
of some, it
took in stride—even approved of—various
necessarily takes changes, such as the rise of women and mi-
fewer of others. norities. Until it was time for Ted’s son to go
to Princeton, and he didn’t get in.
What is most antiquated about this cartoon

ADMISSION:
may be the assumption that the only ques-
tion is whether Ted’s son wants to go to Col-
lege X (we’ll leave Princeton out of it). Today,

IMPOSSIBLE?
no matter what he or others like him want, he
is more likely to be unpacking his boxes this
month at College Y.

As millions of Americans begin their first year of
college this fall, the Supreme Court will
consider a major affirmative-action admissions
case. That won’t help the bright preppy
who didn’t get into his dad’s alma mater, but
all he needs is a reality check
240 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com I L L U STR ATI O NS
T
he plight of bright young men who
don’t get into their college of choice is
one of the lesser tragedies around. In
fact, very few colleges are prohibitively selec-
tive. Most take a huge percentage of those who
apply. And you can get an excellent education
at almost any of these places. This is an area
where America is still No. 1 in the world. But
that’s no comfort to the kids who don’t get into
the school they dreamed of, and it’s definitely
no comfort to their super-competitive parents.
So, if Ted takes his son to lunch at the
BY BARRY BLITT S EP T EMB ER 2015

club, what should he say to
console him? Ted can say
that if he himself applied
to College X and Col-
lege Y today, he proba-
bly wouldn’t get into ei-
ther one. This is of limited
comfort though profound-
ly true. It’s probably also
true that college Y today
offers a better education
than College X did back
when Ted was a student. Not
much comfort there either.
Ted is right to suspect that
the next four years are probably
going to be among the most important four
of his son’s life. But, in hindsight, the spe-
cial attributes of which particular school he
goes to are likely to rank low on the list of
possible life changers, and in any case the
consequences aren’t predictable. At Col-
lege Y he might meet the girl (or boy) of
his dreams in freshman English. Maybe
they’ll live happily for many decades, but he
never would have met her (or him) if he’d
gone to College X. At College Y, he might
be lured by some charismatic professor into
a lifetime of scholarship, which will leave
him bitter and twisted—or not. Something
big like these examples is likely to happen
to Ted’s son in the next four (or five or six)
years. But the major fortuitous events and
purposeful decisions that will shape his life
may have little or nothing to do with the ob-
jective merits of College X versus College Y.
P
eople, notably parents, obsess about
college admissions because it’s a lever
in the mechanics of success that they
feel they can control. But they can’t. College
admission is one of the few explicit decision
points in the murky workings of fate. But
even so, as any college admissions officer
will tell you, the decision to admit one per-
son and reject another is highly arbitrary.
It is arbitrary at every level. For centuries,
Ted’s ancestors got favorable treatment in ap-
plying to college—especially College X. Nowa-
days, to be honest, they are at a disadvantage
as colleges try to make up for past sins and to
reflect the growing diversity of America itself.
This is easy for Ted to accept, as he got in
under the old rules. More diversity is a good
thing for College X and a good thing for the
country, but it’s little balm to Ted’s son or to
Ted. As it happens, the Supreme Court has
been looking hard at affirmative action in col-
lege admissions and has a big case before it
now. But whatever the court decides, College
X and College Y and other top schools will
find ways to keep doing what they’re doing.
It’s a mathematical certainty that if you
accept more students in one category without
increasing the total number, you must accept
fewer in another category. Long ago, writing
242 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
KINSLEY
out your pencil, scrounge the
back of an envelope, and
assume that College X has
1,000 students per class.
It seems ludicrous to-
day, but until around
1970 the percentage of
undergraduate women
at places such as Yale
and Princeton was
precisely zero. These
colleges did not admit
women. Now they do. So
right off, instead of compet-
ing for one of 1,000 places,
EENIE, MEENIE ... Ted’s son is effectively com-
for my college newspaper, I set The crapshoot of peting for one of 500.
out to prove that my college admissions Then there’s affirmative ac-
was admitting fewer Jewish stu- doesn’t mean that tion. You may like it or you may
“traditional”
dents in an attempt to reduce the students “lose.”
not, but everyone knows that top
number of radicals and trouble- colleges today hunger for good
makers. Through the highly dubi- minority students. I have no prob-
ous technique of counting Jews in the lem with this myself. But then that’s
freshman yearbooks—going by names and easy for me to say, since I was already safely
resorting to fractions when I wasn’t sure—I in college when affirmative action started to
determined that, whereas Jews in recent years bite. Anyway, let’s say minority enrollment
had made up about 25 percent of the enter- used to be 2 percent and is now, through
ing class, it was by then down to 20 percent. heroic efforts of recruiting, 15 percent or
Of course, even if the number was correct, more, and the college intends to keep it that
it proved nothing about my thesis. Unde- way. That’s a net of at least 75 places (just for
terred, I took my findings to the dean of ad- men) no longer available to the sons of Ted.
missions and asked him how admissions pol- We’re down to 425. The surge of applicants
icy had changed in (what were then) recent of Asian and South Asian backgrounds, with
years. He said, “We’re aggressively looking for their breathtaking test scores, has claimed an-
more qualified blacks and other minorities.” other chunk of places, taking us down some-
Me: But the class size hasn’t increased, where into the 300s.
or at least not dramatically. So who are you Finally, consider that the population of the
taking less of? United States was 209 million in 1972. Today
The dean: We’re taking more people from it’s more like 320 million. That’s more than a
the western part of the country and fewer 50 percent increase. Meanwhile, the number
from metropolitan Boston and New England. of slots at College X has stayed the same or
Me: Great. But who are you taking less of? increased only slightly. When you put it all
We went back and forth for a while, but together, it’s amazing that anyone bothers to
the most I could get him to concede was apply to College X at all.
that, “if we are admitting fewer of any identi- This may be of doubtful consolation to
fiable group, it might be the bright kids in Ted and his son, but it all really boils down
the suburbs that form a doughnut around the to luck. Nobody “deserves” a place at College
big cities.” Bingo! That was all I needed. X. The luck may be in your genes, in your
The subsequent headline was: THE DEAN parents’ checkbooks, in their parenting skills,
SAYS THEY’RE DONUTS, BUT ARE THEY REALLY or in the dubious meatloaf the dean of admis-
BAGELS? The question mark is a standard sions had for dinner the night before your ap-
journalists’ technique I had recently learned plication was considered. Some factors, such
for turning a clearly opinionated article into as grades and recommendations, are regard-
one that meets the standards of objectivity. ed as part of our machinery of meritocracy.
(“Bagels! Donuts!,” says Arianna. “What Other factors, such as affirmative action, are
difference does it make? Give me a sweet regarded by some as a departure from it. Still
piece of baklava anytime. Speaking of pieces, other factors—the college orchestra needing
that Greek prime minister is quite a plate of an oboe player—are complete wild cards.
moussaka, no?”) But it’s all luck. You deserve no credit
and you deserve no blame. Besides, the prob-
T
oday, 500 years later, things are clearly lem of “odds” applies only to an individual
even worse for bright white males from school, not the whole universe of higher edu-
the suburbs, whatever their ethnicity. cation. Looked at another way, your odds of
Consider how the odds against the son of our attending some good school are about 100
friend Ted have changed in recent decades percent. So stop bellyaching over College X.
as new groups have made their way in. Take Enjoy College Y. Have a great four years. 
S EP T EMB ER 2015
 TECHNOLOGY
TINDER IS
THE NIGHT
Now that hookup culture has collided with dating apps—Tinder, Hinge,
Happn, etc.—a guy with “text game” can score several “Tinderellas”
a week. As romance gets swiped from the screen, some twentysomethings
I
aren’t liking what they see
By NANCY JO SALES
t’s a balmy night in Manhattan’s financial
district, and at a sports bar called Stout,
everyone is Tindering. The tables are filled
with young women and men who’ve been
chasing money and deals on Wall Street all
day, and now they’re out looking for hook-
ups. Everyone is drinking, peering into their
screens and swiping on the faces of strangers
they may have sex with later that evening. Or
not. “Ew, this guy has Dad bod,” a young
woman says of a potential match, swiping
left. Her friends smirk, not looking up.
244 VA NI T Y FA I R P H OTO G R A P H BY JUSTIN BISHOP
SWIPE OUT
Phones have
become an all-day,
every-day,
handheld singles
club.
“Tinder sucks,” they say. But they don’t
YOR K CI T Y; F OR DETA I LS , GO TO VF.CO M /CR ED I TS
stop swiping.
PHOTOGR A PHE D AT PI E R A HA RB O R HO USE , NE W
At a booth in the back, three handsome
twentysomething guys in button-downs are
having beers. They are Dan, Alex, and Mar-
ty,* budding investment bankers at the same
financial firm, which recruited Alex and Mar-
ty straight from an Ivy League campus. When
asked if they’ve been arranging dates on the
*Names and some identifying details have been
changed.
S EP T EMB ER 2015

apps they’ve been swiping at, all say not one
date, but two or three: “You can’t be stuck in
one lane … There’s always something bet-
ter.” “If you had a reservation somewhere
and then a table at Per Se opened up, you’d
want to go there,” Alex offers.
“Guys view everything as a competi-
tion,” he elaborates with his deep, reas-
suring voice. “Who’s slept with the best,
hottest girls?” With these dating apps, he
says, “you’re always sort of prowling. You
could talk to two or three girls at a bar
“WHEN IT’S SO EASY,
WHEN IT’S SO AVAILABLE
TO YOU, IT’S VERY
HARD TO CONTAIN
YOURSELF.”
and pick the best one, or you can swipe a
couple hundred people a day—the sample
size is so much larger. It’s setting up two or
three Tinder dates a week and, chances are,
sleeping with all of them, so you could rack
up 100 girls you’ve slept with in a year.”
He says that he himself has slept with
five different women he met on Tinder—
“Tinderellas,” the guys call them—in the
last eight days. Dan and Marty, also Alex’s
roommates in a shiny high-rise apartment
building near Wall Street, can vouch for
that. In fact, they can remember whom
Alex has slept with in the past week more
readily than he can.
“Taylor, Adrienne, Heather,” Marty says,
counting on his fingers. “Oh, and the Rus-
sian—Ukrainian?”
“Ukrainian,” Alex confirms. “She works
at—” He says the name of a high-end art
auction house. Asked what these women
are like, he shrugs. “I could offer a résumé,
but that’s about it … Works at J. Crew;
senior at Parsons; junior at Pace; works in
finance … ”
“We don’t know what the girls are like,”
Marty says.
“And they don’t know us,” says Alex.
And yet a lack of an intimate knowledge of
his potential sex partners never presents him
with an obstacle to physical intimacy, Alex
says. Alex, his friends agree, is a Tinder King,
a young man of such deft “text game”—
“That’s the ability to actually convince
someone to do something over text,” Marty
explains—that he is able to entice young wom-
en into his bed on the basis of a few text ex-
changes, while letting them know up front he
is not interested in having a relationship.
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
TECHNOLOGY
“How does he do it?,” Marty asks, blink-
ing. “This guy’s got a talent.”
But Marty, who prefers Hinge to Tinder
(“Hinge is my thing”), is no slouch at “rack-
ing up girls.” He says he’s slept with 30 to 40
women in the last year: “I sort of play that I
could be a boyfriend kind of guy,” in order to
win them over, “but then they start wanting
me to care more … and I just don’t.”
“Dude, that’s not cool,” Alex chides in
his warm way. “I always make a point of
disclosing I’m not looking for anything se-
rious. I just wanna hang out, be friends, see
what happens … If I were ever in a court
of law I could point to the transcript.”
But something about the whole scenario
seems to bother him, despite all his mild-
mannered bravado. “I think to an extent
it is, like, sinister,” he says, “ ’cause I know
that the average girl will think that there’s
a chance that she can turn the tables. If I
were like, Hey, I just wanna bone, very few
people would want to meet up with you …
“Do you think this culture is misogynis-
tic?” he asks lightly.
‘ I
“Sex Has Become So Easy”
call it the Dating Apocalypse,” says a
woman in New York, aged 29.
As the polar ice caps melt and the
earth churns through the Sixth Extinction,
another unprecedented phenomenon is tak-
ing place, in the realm of sex. Hookup cul-
ture, which has been percolating for about
a hundred years, has collided with dating
apps, which have acted like a wayward mete-
or on the now dinosaur-like rituals of court-
ship. “We are in uncharted territory” when
it comes to Tinder et al., says Justin Garcia,
a research scientist at Indiana University’s
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gen-
der, and Reproduction. “There have been
two major transitions” in heterosexual mat-
ing “in the last four million years,” he says.
“The first was around 10,000 to 15,000 years
ago, in the agricultural revolution, when we
became less migratory and more settled,”
leading to the establishment of marriage as
a cultural contract. “And the second major
transition is with the rise of the Internet.”
People used to meet their partners
through proximity, through family and
friends, but now Internet meeting is surpass-
ing every other form. “It’s changing so much
about the way we act both romantically and
sexually,” Garcia says. “It is unprecedented
from an evolutionary standpoint.” As soon
as people could go online they were us-
ing it as a way to find partners to date and
have sex with. In the 90s it was Craigslist
and AOL chat rooms, then Match.com and
Kiss.com. But the lengthy, heartfelt e-mails
exchanged by the main characters in You’ve
Got Mail (1998) seem positively Victorian in
comparison to the messages sent on the av-
erage dating app today. “I’ll get a text that
says, ‘Wanna fuck?’ ” says Jennifer, 22, a se-
nior at Indiana University Southeast, in New
Albany. “They’ll tell you, ‘Come over and sit
on my face,’ ” says her friend, Ashley, 19.
Mobile dating went mainstream about
five years ago; by 2012 it was overtaking on-
line dating. In February, one study reported
there were nearly 100 million people—per-
haps 50 million on Tinder alone—using
their phones as a sort of all-day, every-day,
handheld singles club, where they might
find a sex partner as easily as they’d find
a cheap flight to Florida. “It’s like order-
ing Seamless,” says Dan, the investment
banker, referring to the online food-delivery
service. “But you’re ordering a person.”
The comparison to online shopping seems
an apt one. Dating apps are the free-market
economy come to sex. The innovation of Tin-
der was the swipe—the flick of a finger on a
picture, no more elaborate profiles necessary
and no more fear of rejection; users only know
whether they’ve been approved, never when
they’ve been discarded. OkCupid soon adopt-
ed the function. Hinge, which allows for more
information about a match’s circle of friends
through Facebook, and Happn, which en-
ables G.P.S. tracking to show whether match-
es have recently “crossed paths,” use it too.
It’s telling that swiping has been jocularly
incorporated into advertisements for various
products, a nod to the notion that, online,
the act of choosing consumer brands and sex
partners has become interchangeable.
“It’s instant gratification,” says Jason,
26, a Brooklyn photographer, “and a vali-
dation of your own attractiveness by just,
like, swiping your thumb on an app. You
see some pretty girl and you swipe and it’s,
like, oh, she thinks you’re attractive too, so
it’s really addicting, and you just find your-
self mindlessly doing it.” “Sex has become
so easy,” says John, 26, a marketing execu-
tive in New York. “I can go on my phone
right now and no doubt I can find some-
one I can have sex with this evening, prob-
ably before midnight.”
And is this “good for women”? Since the
emergence of flappers and “moderns” in
the 1920s, the debate about what is lost and
gained for women in casual sex has been rag-
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 245

ing, and is raging still—particularly among
women. Some, like Atlantic writer Hanna Ro-
sin, see hookup culture as a boon: “The hook-
up culture is … bound up with everything
that’s fabulous about being a young woman in
2012—the freedom, the confidence.” But oth-
ers lament the way the extreme casualness of
sex in the age of Tinder leaves many women
feeling de-valued. “It’s rare for a woman of our
generation to meet a man who treats her like a
priority instead of an option,” wrote Erica Gor-
don on the Gen Y Web site Elite Daily, in 2014.
It is the very abundance of options pro-
vided by online dating which may be making
men less inclined to treat any particular wom-
an as a “priority,” according to David Buss,
a professor of psychology at the University
of Texas at Austin who specializes in the evo-
lution of human sexuality. “Apps like Tinder
and OkCupid give people the impression that
there are thousands or millions of potential
mates out there,” Buss says. “One dimension
of this is the impact it has on men’s psychol-
ogy. When there is a surplus of women, or a
perceived surplus of women, the whole mat-
ing system tends to shift towards short-term
dating. Marriages become unstable. Divorces
increase. Men don’t have to commit, so they
pursue a short-term mating strategy. Men are
making that shift, and women are forced to go
along with it in order to mate at all.”
Now hold on there a minute. “Short-term
mating strategies” seem to work for plenty
of women too; some don’t want to be in
committed relationships, either, particularly
those in their 20s who are focusing on their
education and launching careers. Alex the
Wall Streeter is overly optimistic when he as-
sumes that every woman he sleeps with would
“IT’S LIKE
ORDERING SEAMLESS,”
SAYS A TWENTYSOMETHING
MANHATTAN INVESTMENT BANKER.
“BUT YOU’RE ORDERING A PERSON.”
“turn the tables” and date him seriously if she
could. And yet, his assumption may be a sign
of the more “sinister” thing he references, the
big fish swimming underneath the ice: “For
young women the problem in navigating sexu-
ality and relationships is still gender inequal-
ity,” says Elizabeth Armstrong, a professor of
sociology at the University of Michigan who
specializes in sexuality and gender. “Young
women complain that young men still have
the power to decide when something is going
to be serious and when something is not—
246 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
TECHNOLOGY
they can go, ‘She’s girlfriend material, she’s
hookup material.’ … There is still a pervasive
double standard. We need to puzzle out why
women have made more strides in the public
arena than in the private arena.”
‘ T
“Hit It and Quit It”
he men in this town have a serious
case of pussy affluenza,” says Amy
Watanabe, 28, the fetching, tattooed
owner of Sake Bar Satsko, a lively izakaya in
New York’s East Village. “We’ve seen them
come in with more than one Tinder date in
one night.”
(The data underpinning a widely cited
study claiming millennials have fewer sex
partners than previous generations proves to
be open to interpretation, incidentally. The
study, published in May in the Archives of
Sexual Behavior, became a talking point for
its surprising conclusion that millennials are
having sex with fewer people than Gen X-ers
and baby-boomers at the same age. When I
asked Jean Twenge and Ryne Sherman, two
of the study’s authors, about their methodol-
ogy, they said their analysis was based partly
on projections derived from a statistical
model, not entirely from direct side-by-side
comparisons of numbers of sex partners
reported by respondents. “All data and all
studies are open to interpretation—that’s just
the nature of research,” Twenge said.)
On a steamy night at Satsko, everyone is
Tindering. Or OkCupiding, or Happning,
or Hinging. The tables are filled with young
women and men drinking sake and beer
and intermittently checking their phones and
swiping. “Agh, look at this,” says Kelly, 26,
who’s sitting at a table with friends, holding
up a message she received from a guy on
OkCupid. “I want to have you on all fours,”
it says, going on to propose a graphic sexual
scene. “I’ve never met this person,” says Kelly.
At a table in the front, six young wom-
en have met up for an after-work drink.
They’re seniors from Boston College, all in
New York for summer internships, ranging
from work in a medical-research lab to a
luxury department store. They’re attractive
and fashionable, with bright eyes highlight-
ed with dark eyeliner wings. None of them
are in relationships, they say. I ask them
how they’re finding New York dating.
“New York guys, from our experience,
they’re not really looking for girlfriends,”
says the blonde named Reese. “They’re just
looking for hit-it-and-quit-it on Tinder.”
“People send really creepy shit on it,”
says Jane, the serious one.
“They start out with ‘Send me nudes,’ ”
says Reese. “Or they say something like
‘I’m looking for something quick within the
next 10 or 20 minutes—are you available?’
‘O.K., you’re a mile away, tell me your loca-
tion.’ It’s straight efficiency.”
“I think that iPhones and dating apps
have really changed the way that dating
happens for our generation,” says Stepha-
nie, the one with an arm full of bracelets.
“There is no dating. There’s no relation-
ships,” says Amanda, the tall elegant one.
“They’re rare. You can have a fling that could
last like seven, eight months and you
could never actually call someone your
‘boyfriend.’ [Hooking up] is a lot easier.
No one gets hurt—well, not on the surface.”
They give a wary laugh.
They tell me how, at their school, an ad-
junct instructor in philosophy, Kerry Cronin,
teaches a freshman class in which an option-
al assignment is going out on an actual date.
“And meet them sober and not when you’re
both, like, blackout drunk,” says Jane. “Like,
get to know someone before you start some-
thing with them. And I know that’s scary.”
They say they think their own anxiety
about intimacy comes from having “grown
up on social media,” so “we don’t know
how to talk to each other face-to-face.”
“You form your first impression based off
Facebook rather than forming a connection
with someone, so you’re, like, forming your
connection with their profile,” says Stepha-
nie, smiling grimly at the absurdity of it.
When it comes to hooking up, they say,
it’s not as simple as just having sex. “It’s
such a game, and you have to always be
doing everything right, and if not, you risk
losing whoever you’re hooking up with,” says
Fallon, the soft-spoken one. By “doing ev-
erything right” she means “not texting back
too soon; never double texting; liking the
right amount of his stuff,” on social media.
“And it reaches a point,” says Jane,
“where, if you receive a text message” from a
guy, “you forward the message to, like, seven
different people: ‘What do I say back? Oh
my God, he just texted me!’ It becomes a
surprise. ‘He texted me!’ Which is really sad.”
“It is sad,” Amanda says. “That one A.M.
text becomes ‘Oh my God, he texted me!’ No,
he texted you at one A.M.—it’s meaningless.”
They laugh ruefully.
“If he texts you before midnight he actu-
ally likes you as a person. If it’s after mid-
night, it’s just for your body,” says Amanda.
It’s not, she says, that women don’t want to
S EP T EMB ER 2015
 Spotlight TECHNOLOGY

A NEW DAY-LEWIS have sex. “Who doesn’t want to have sex?

But it feels bad when they’re like, ‘See ya.’ ”
“It seems like the girls don’t have any
control over the situation, and it should not
Gabriel-Kane be like that at all,” Fallon says.
Day-Lewis,
“It’s a contest to see who cares less, and
photographed
at Industria
guys win a lot at caring less,” Amanda says.
Superstudio, in “Sex should stem from emotional in-
New York City. timacy, and it’s the opposite with us right
now, and I think it really is kind of destroy-
DAY-LEWIS ing females’ self-images,” says Fallon.
WEARS
CLOTHING BY “It’s body first, personality second,” says
BURBERRY Stephanie.
LONDON.
“Honestly, I feel like the body doesn’t
even matter to them as long as you’re will-
ing,” says Reese. “It’s that bad.”
“But if you say any of this out loud, it’s
like you’re weak, you’re not independent,
you somehow missed the whole memo about
third-wave feminism,” says Amanda.

“Boom-Boom-Boom Swipe”

“   ‘ H
abriel-Kane Day-Lewis had hardly set foot in the black-tie casino
fashioned by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel’s fall couture show this
summer when the Internet exploded with articles fawning over the
20-year-old’s prominent eyebrows. It was something of a twist, as
i,’ ” says Amy, the Satsko owner,
reading a message she received on
OkCupid from a random man.
“ ‘I’m looking for a cute girl like you that has
a bit of a kinky side, so I’m curious if you
fantasize about rough sex. Do you think
you would like to get choke-fucked, tied up,
slapped, throat-fucked and cummed on? I
think we could have a wild afternoon togeth-
er but I am happy just to share brunch with
you.’ ” She drops her iPhone on the bar in
mock horror.
On another busy night at the same bar,
at the same table in the front, three good-
looking guys are having beers. They are
John, Nick, and Brian, 26, 25, and 25; John
is the marketing executive mentioned above,
Nick works in the fitness industry, and Bri-
an is an educator. When asked about their
experience with dating apps, their assess-
ment is quite different from the interns from
Boston College. “Works for me,” Nick says.
“I hooked up with three girls, thanks to
the Internet, off of Tinder, in the course of
four nights, and I spent a total of $80 on all
three girls,” Nick relays proudly. He goes
ST Y L E D BY SO RAYA DAYA NI ; HA I R PRO DUCTS BY B UM B LE A N D B UMB L E ; G RO O MI NG

on to describe each date, one of which he

LO CATI O N BY DA M IE N VAUGH A N SHI P PE E ; F O R DE TA IL S , G O TO VF.COM / CRE DI TS

Day-Lewis explains: “In middle school, I was always teased for my says began with the young woman asking
disproportional eyebrows. And now they’re actually getting me work.”
PRO DUCTS BY CHA N EL ; GROO MI N G BY A N ET TA KL E ME N S; P RO DUC E D O N

him on Tinder to “ ‘come over and smoke

His trademark features aren’t all Day-Lewis has had to grow into. The son of actors [weed] and watch a movie.’ I know what that
Daniel Day-Lewis and Isabelle Adjani, Gabriel-Kane first made waves when a druggy means,” he says, grinning.
rap music video he made in college was roundly criticized. The song, “Green Auras,” “We talk for a total of maybe 10 to 15
was classic teenage angst. “That video was a complete misrepresentation of not only minutes,” he says. “We hook up. Afterwards
me as a person but the kind of music I do,” he says now, noting that his parents “have she goes, ‘Oh my God, I swear I wasn’t gon-
always been clear about making sure that I’m as self-aware as possible.” na have sex with you.’ And I was like, Well,
you did a pretty shitty job of that one.”
Chanel appearances and modeling jobs notwithstanding, Day-Lewis is focused on
“They all say that,” the guys say, chuckling.
building a career in music. In September he’s releasing the lead single off a three-song
Nick, with his lumbersexual beard and
EP, Every Scar Is a Healing Place, which he describes as a “soulful, poppy-acoustic, hipster clothes, as if plucked from the ward-
and almost symphonic” blend of influences, including Sam Smith and John Legend. robe closet of Girls, is, physically speaking,
He admits he’s “getting a little tired of people constantly referring to me as the ‘son a modern male ideal. That he fulfills none
of’” but says his decision to go by Gabriel-Kane is as much about convenience as it of the requirements identified by evolution-
is about self-determination. “I have an overly hyphenated name,” he insists. When ary psychologists as what women suppos-
you’re 20, some things are just that simple. — KIA M AK AREC HI edly look for in mates—he’s neither rich nor
248 P HOTO G R A P H BY CYRILL MATTER S EP T EMB ER 2015

tall; he also lives with his mom—doesn’t
seem to have any effect on his ability to get
rampantly laid. In his iPhone, he has a list
of more than 40 girls he has “had relations
with, rated by [one to five] stars… It em-
powers them,” he jokes. “It’s a mix of how
good they are in bed and how attractive
they are.”
They laugh.
“I’m on Tinder, Happn, Hinge, Ok-
Cupid,” Nick says. “It’s just a numbers
game. Before, I could go out to a bar and
“I HAD SEX WITH A
GUY AND HE IGNORED ME AS
I GOT DRESSED AND
I SAW HE WAS BACK
ON TINDER.”
talk to one girl, but now I can sit home on
Tinder and talk to 15 girls—”
“Without spending any money,” John
chimes in.
Neither Nick nor John has had a girl-
friend in the last few years; Brian had one
until recently but confesses, “I cheated…
She found out by looking at my phone—
rookie mistake, not deleting everything.”
Some guys, they say, in order to hide their
multiple sex partners from each other, will
assign them fake names in their phones,
such as “Crazy Mike.”
“When it’s so easy, when it’s so available
to you,” Brian says intensely, “and you can
meet somebody and fuck them in 20 min-
utes, it’s very hard to contain yourself.”
“I’ve gotten numbers on Tinder just by
sending emojis,” says John. “Without actu-
ally having a conversation—having a conver-
sation via emojis.”
He holds up his phone, with its cracked
screen, to show a Tinder conversation be-
tween him and a young woman who pro-
vided her number after he offered a series of
emojis, including the ones for pizza and beer.
“Now is that the kind of woman I po-
tentially want to marry?” he asks, smiling.
“Probably not.”
I ask if they’re aware of the double stan-
dard that’s often applied to women when
it comes to sex. “The double standard is
real,” Nick says. “If I’m a guy and I’m
going out and fucking a different girl every
night, my friends are gonna give me high-
fives and we’re gonna crack a beer and
talk about it. Girls do the same, but they
get judged. I don’t want it to be like that,
but sometimes the world is the way it is
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
TECHNOLOGY
and I can’t change it, so I just embrace it.”
They all say they don’t want to be in rela-
tionships. “I don’t want one,” says Nick. “I
don’t want to have to deal with all that—stuff.”
“You can’t be selfish in a relationship,” Bri-
an says. “It feels good just to do what I want.”
I ask them if it ever feels like they lack a
deeper connection with someone.
There’s a small silence. After a moment,
John says, “I think at some points it does.”
“But that’s assuming that that’s some-
thing that I want, which I don’t,” Nick says,
a trifle annoyed. “Does that mean that my
life is lacking something? I’m perfectly happy.
I have a good time. I go to work—I’m busy.
And when I’m not, I go out with my friends.”
“Or you meet someone on Tinder,” of-
fers John.
“Exactly,” Nick says. “Tinder is fast and
easy, boom-boom-boom, swipe.”
“Too Easy”
A
“fuckboy” is a young man who sleeps
with women without any intention of
having a relationship with them or
perhaps even walking them to the door post-
sex. He’s a womanizer, an especially callous
one, as well as kind of a loser. The word has
been around for at least a decade with dif-
ferent meanings; it’s only in about the last
year that it has become so frequently used
by women and girls to refer to their hookups.
“What percentage of boys now do you
think are fuckboys?,” I asked some young
women from New Albany, Indiana.
“One hundred percent,” said Meredith,
20, a sophomore at Bellarmine University
in Louisville.
“No, like 90 percent,” said Ashley (the
same as mentioned earlier). “I’m hoping to
find the 10 percent somewhere. But every
boy I’ve ever met is a fuckboy.”
Men in the age of dating apps can
be very cavalier, women say. One would
think that having access to these nifty ma-
chines (their phones) that can summon
up an abundance of no-strings-attached
sex would make them feel happy, even
grateful, and so inspired to be polite. But,
based on interviews with more than 50 young
women in New York, Indiana, and Delaware,
aged 19 to 29, the opposite seems to be the
case. “ ‘He drove me home in the morning.’
That’s a big deal,” said Rebecca, 21, a senior
at the University of Delaware. “ ‘He kissed
me good-bye.’ That shouldn’t be a big deal,
but boys pull back from that because—”
“They don’t wanna give you the wrong
idea,” said her classmate Kayla, 20.
“But a lot of us girls aren’t gonna take the
wrong idea,” said Rebecca, piqued. “Some-
times we just want to get it in”—have sex—
“too. We don’t want to marry you. You’re
either polite or you’re fucking rude.”
Hearing story after story about the ill-
mannered behavior of young women’s sex
partners (“I had sex with a guy and he ig-
nored me as I got dressed and I saw he
was back on Tinder”), I wondered if there
could be a parallel to Naomi Wolf’s The
Beauty Myth (1991). Wolf posited that, as
women achieved more social and political
power, there was more pressure on them to
be “beautiful” as a means of undermining
their empowerment. Is it possible that now
the potentially de-stabilizing trend women are
having to contend with is the lack of respect
they encounter from the men with whom they
have sex? Could the ready availability of sex
provided by dating apps actually be making
men respect women less? “Too easy,” “Too
easy,” “Too easy,” I heard again and again
from young men when asked if there was any-
thing about dating apps they didn’t like.
“Online dating apps are truly evolution-
arily novel environments,” says David Buss.
“But we come to those environments with
the same evolved psychologies.” And women
may be further along than men in terms of
evolving away from sexist attitudes about sex.
“Young women’s expectations of safety and
entitlement to respect have perhaps risen
faster than some young men’s willingness to
respect them,” says Stephanie Coontz, who
teaches history and family studies at the Ev-
ergreen State College and has written about
the history of dating. “Exploitative and disre-
spectful men have always existed. There are
many evolved men, but there may be some-
thing going on in hookup culture now that is
making some more resistant to evolving.”
Such a problem has the disrespectful
behavior of men online become that there
has been a wave of dating apps launched by
women in response to it. There is Bumble,
created by Tinder co-founder Whitney
Wolfe, who sued the company after she
was allegedly sexually harassed by C.M.O.
Justin Mateen. (She reportedly settled for
just over $1 million, with neither party ad-
mitting to wrongdoing.) One of the main
changes in female-centric dating apps gives
women the power to message first; but as
some have pointed out, while this might
weed out egregious harassers, it doesn’t fix
a cultural milieu. Such apps “cannot prom-
ise you a world in which dudes who suck
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 249

will definitely not bother you,” wrote Kate
Dries on Jezebel.
Bring all of this up to young men, how-
ever, and they scoff. Women are just as re-
sponsible for “the shit show that dating has
become,” according to one. “Romance is
completely dead, and it’s the girls’ fault,”
says Alex, 25, a New Yorker who works in
the film industry. “They act like all they want
is to have sex with you and then they yell at
you for not wanting to have a relationship.
How are you gonna feel romantic about a
girl like that? Oh, and by the way? I met you
on Tinder.”
“Women do exactly the same things
guys do,” said Matt, 26, who works in a
New York art gallery. “I’ve had girls sleep
with me off OkCupid and then just ghost
me”—that is, disappear, in a digital sense,
not returning texts. “They play the game
the exact same way. They have a bunch
of people going at the same time—they’re
fielding their options. They’re always look-
ing for somebody better, who has a better
job or more money.” A few young women
admitted to me that they use dating apps
as a way to get free meals. “I call it Tinder
food stamps,” one said.
Even the emphasis on looks inherent in
a dating game based on swiping on photos
is something men complain women are just
as guilty of buying into. “They say in their
profiles, ‘No shirtless pictures,’ but that’s
bullshit,” says Nick, the personal trainer.
“The day I switched to a shirtless picture
with my tattoos, immediately, within a few
minutes, I had, like, 15 matches.”
And if women aren’t interested in being
treated as sexual objects, why do they self-
“THEY START OUT WITH ‘SEND ME
NUDES,’ OR THEY SAY SOMETHING LIKE
‘I’M LOOKING FOR
SOMETHING QUICK
WITHIN THE NEXT 10 OR 20 MINUTES.’ ”
objectify in their profile pictures? some men
ask. “There’s a lot of girls who are just like,
Check me out, I’m hot, I’m wearing a biki-
ni,” says Jason, the Brooklyn photographer,
who on his OkCupid profile calls himself a
“feminist.” “I don’t know if it’s my place to
tell a girl she shouldn’t be flaunting her sex-
uality if that’s what she wants to do. But,”
he adds, “some guys might take the wrong
idea from it.”
Men talk about the nudes they receive
from women. They show off the nudes.
250 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
TECHNOLOGY
“Tit pics and booty pics,” said Austin, 22,
a college student in Indiana. “My phone is
full of ’em.”
And what about unsolicited dick pics?
“They want to see your dick,” insists
Adam, 23, a male model in New York.
“They get excited from it. They’re like, ‘Oh
my God, you’re huge.’ ”
No woman I talked to said she had ever
asked for one. And yet, “If you’re a girl who’s
trying to date, it’s normal to get dick pics all
the time,” said Olivia, 24, a Brandeis gradu-
ate. “It’s like we have dicks flying at us.”
The Morning After
O
n a rainy morning at the Univer-
sity of Delaware, the young women
who live in an off-campus house
are gathering on their front porch for cof-
fee. They’ve been joined by their sister
“squad,” so the porch table is crammed
with sorority girls in shorts and sundress-
es, all ponytails and smooth bare legs, all
meeting up to discuss their Saturday night,
which included some hookups.
“This kid went to sleep and woke up
with the same hairstyle—how the shit did
that happen?” says Danielle, 21, the one
with the Betty Boop voice.
Rebecca, the blonde with the canny eyes,
also mentioned above, hooked up with
someone, too. “It was O.K.” She shrugs.
“Right after it was done, it was kind of like,
mmmp … mmmp.” She gives a little grunt
of disappointment.
As they talk, most are on their phones.
Some are checking Tinder. I ask them why
they use Tinder on a college campus where
presumably there’s an abundance of avail-
able guys. They say, “It’s easier.” “And a
lot of guys won’t talk to you if you’re not
invited to their fraternity parties.” “A lot of
guys won’t talk to you, period.” “They don’t
have to.” “Tinder has destroyed their game.”
“I’m on it nonstop, like nonstop, like 20
hours a day,” says Courtney, the one who
looks like a 70s movie star.
“It’s, like, fun to get the messages,”
Danielle says. “If someone ‘likes’ you, they
think you’re attractive.”
“It’s a confidence booster,” says Jessica, 21,
the one who looks like a Swedish tennis player.
I tell them how I heard from guys that
they swipe right on every picture in order to
increase their chances of matching.
“Nooooo … ” They explode with laughter.
“Boys will do anything, do anything, to
get it in,” says Rebecca, frowning.
The rain comes down harder, and they
move inside to the living room, which has a
couch, a coffee table, and tie-dyed tapestries
everywhere. The talk turns to sex again:
“A lot of guys are lacking in that depart-
ment,” says Courtney with a sigh. “What’s
a real orgasm like? I wouldn’t know.”
They all laugh knowingly.
“I know how to give one to myself,” says
Courtney.
“Yeah, but men don’t know what to do,”
says Jessica, texting.
“Without [a vibrator] I can’t have one,”
Courtney says. “It’s never happened” with
a guy. “It’s a huge problem.”
“It is a problem,” Jessica concurs.
They talk about how it’s not uncommon
for their hookups to lose their erections.
It’s a curious medical phenomenon, the in-
creased erectile dysfunction in young males,
which has been attributed to everything from
chemicals in processed foods to the lack of
intimacy in hookup sex.
“If a guy can’t get hard,” Rebecca says,
“and I have to say, that happens a lot, they
just act like it’s the end of the world.”
“At four in the morning this guy was so
upset, and I was like, Dude, I’ll just go to
fucking sleep—it’s O.K.,” says Sarah, 21,
the one with the long curly dark hair. “I get
really tired of faking.”
According to multiple studies, women are
more likely to have orgasms in the context of
relationships than in uncommitted encoun-
ters. More than twice as likely, according to
a study done by researchers at the Kinsey
Institute and Binghamton University.
“When I see limp dicks coming at me
I’m like, Oh my God,” says Courtney, put-
ting her fingers in the sign of a cross, as if to
ward off a vampire.
They laugh.
“It would be great if they could just have
the ability to perform and not come in two
seconds,” says Rebecca.
“I think men have a skewed view of the re-
ality of sex through porn,” Jessica says, look-
ing up from her phone. “Because sometimes
I think porn sex is not always great—like
pounding someone.” She makes a pounding
motion with her hand, looking indignant.
“Yeah, it looks like it hurts,” Danielle says.
“Like porn sex,” says Jessica, “those
women—that’s not, like, enjoyable, like hav-
ing their hair pulled or being choked or
slammed. I mean, whatever you’re into, but
men just think”—bro voice—“ ‘I’m gonna
fuck her,’ and sometimes that’s not great.”
“Yeah,” Danielle agrees. “Like last night
S EP T EMB ER 2015

I was having sex with this guy, and I’m a
very submissive person—like, not aggres-
sive at all—and this boy that came over last
night, he was hurting me.”
They were quiet a moment.
“People Are Gorging”
S
o where is this all going to go? What
happens after you’ve come of age in
the age of Tinder? Will people ever
be satisfied with a sexual or even emotional
commitment to one person? And does that
matter? Can men and women ever find true
intimacy in a world where communication
is mediated by screens; or trust, when they
know their partner has an array of other,
easily accessible options?
According to Christopher Ryan, one of
the co-authors of Sex at Dawn (2010), hu-
man beings are not sexually monogamous by
nature. The book contends that, for much of
human history, men and women have taken
multiple sex partners as a commonly accept-
ed (and evolutionarily beneficial) practice.
The thesis, controversial and widely criticized
by anthropologists and evolutionary biolo-
gists, didn’t keep the book from being an in-
ternational best-seller; it seemed to be some-
thing people were ready to hear.
“I think the spectrum of human sexual-
ity appears to be getting more colorful and
broader, and very rapidly,” Ryan says. “You
have an acceptance of gay relationships,
of transgender people; young kids are re-
defining themselves as queer and other
gender identities.
“I think a lot of people are still inter-
ested in having long-term, stable, deep
connections to one or a few other people,”
he says. “We as a species value intimacy
and authenticity very highly. On the other
hand, we are very attracted to novelty…
So people are going to go ahead and have
sex with the people they’re attracted to, as
they’ve always done, and it’s a good thing
for everyone if that becomes accepted and
not censured by church or state.”
Listening to him talk, I could only think,
If only it were that easy. In a perfect world,
we’d all have sex with whomever we want,
and nobody would mind, or be judged, or
get dumped; but what about jealousy, and
sexism, not to mention the still-flickering
chance that somebody might fall in love?
“Some people still catch feelings in hook-
up culture,” said Meredith, the Bellarmine
sophomore. “It’s not like just blind fucking
for pleasure and it’s done; some people ac-
tually like the other person. Sometimes you
actually catch feelings and that’s what sucks,
because it’s one person thinking one thing and
the other person thinking something com-
pletely different and someone gets their feel-
ings hurt. It could be the boy or the girl.”
And even Ryan, who believes that human
beings naturally gravitate toward polyamorous
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
Promotion
relationships, is troubled by the trends devel-
oping around dating apps. “It’s the same pat-
LET’S
tern manifested in porn use,” he says. “The
appetite has always been there, but it had re-
stricted availability; with new technologies the
restrictions are being stripped away and we
GO!
see people sort of going crazy with it. I think
the same thing is happening with this unlimit-
ed access to sex partners. People are gorging.
That’s why it’s not intimate. You could call it
a kind of psychosexual obesity.”
Catching Feelings
M
ichael Falotico, 29, is the bassist for
Monogold, an indie band that has
played in all the top Brooklyn ven-
ues and at festivals from Austin to Cannes.
He’s tall and slim and looks like a Renais-
sance painting of Jesus, plus a nose ring.
All of which means that, in a certain corner
of the world, Michael is a rock star. So he
should have no trouble meeting women. Introducing the new, improved
Which he doesn’t. But he still uses dat-
ing apps. “I would consider myself an Goings ON
old-school online dater,” Michael says on
a summer day in New York. “I’ve been do- about town app
ing it since I was 21. First it was Craigslist: The best cultural happenings in
New York City, chosen by New Yorker
‘Casual Encounters.’ Back then it wasn’t
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available, hook up, sometimes sleep over,
go our separate ways.” Then she found a
boyfriend. “I was like, Respect, I’m out. We
still see each other in the street sometimes,
give each other the wink.
“Now it’s completely different,” he says,
“because everyone is doing it and it’s not
like this hot little secret anymore. It’s profiles
that are, like, airbrushed with lighting and
angles and girls who will send you pictures
of their pussies without even knowing your
last name. I’m not saying I’m any better—
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alize, is fucking weird.” He grimaces. Search cultural events by location,
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pauses, as if disgusted. “ … I’m fucking.” 
newyorker.com/go/goingsonapp
 F OR D ETAI LS , G O TO VF.COM/ CR ED ITS

Taylor Call
At a stratospheric, often isolating level of fame,
Emma Stone, Lena Dunham, and
Taylor
Selena
the strength they’ve given her, the terrifying four A.M. decision to

PH OTO GRA PH S BY MARIO TESTINO

252 VAN IT Y FAIR ST YL ED BY J E SSICA DIEHL
 SWIFT RECLINE
Taylor Swift relaxes
at the Beaufort Bar,
in the Savoy hotel, on the
eve of her concert
in London’s Hyde Park.

SWIFT WEARS A GOWN BY

SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI
SLIMANE, SHOES BY
CASADEI, CUFF BY LEVIEV;
CLUTCH BY LEE SAVAGE.

s the Tune
Swift has drawn together a high-style sorority—the likes of Karlie Kloss,
Gomez. With Swift in London, JOSH DUBOFF hears about
send her now famous letter to Apple, and her new attitude toward men

SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 253

W
hen I arrive at Lon-
don’s Savoy hotel on a Friday morning in June, Taylor Swift greets
me with a hug before I even properly introduce myself. I compli-
ment Swift on her shimmery, skintight Saint Laurent gown, and she
says, beaming, “They usually dress me up like a 12-year-old French
boy. It’s nice to be glamorous.”
Over the course of a day spent with Swift, there are moments
when it is possible to forget that you’re in the presence of arguably
the most famous and influential entertainer on earth, a woman with
more than 60 million Twitter followers and 140 million albums sold.
I watch as she flips through a playlist on her iPhone to find the song
she wants; I listen as she tells her parents that they probably want
to head back to their hotel and wait for her there; I nod and smile
when she references Monica and Chandler from Friends.
But then, curled up on a velvet couch in a light-gray faux-fur wrap
and cascading hair extensions, she recounts—as plainly as if she were
describing a night in, watching Netflix—how she had spent the previ-
ous evening: at a dinner party hosted by Stella McCartney at Electric
House. As she lists the other attendees—Adele, Kate Hudson, “Sienna,”
Ellie Goulding—I remember, as if waking up from a dream (a great one,
in which Taylor Swift is your close friend), Oh, right, this is Taylor Swift.
Swift may have the rare ability to make pretty much anyone she
meets feel as if they know her intimately, but then she’ll mention Cara
or Gigi or Karlie (that’s models Delevingne, Hadid, and Kloss—
though if anyone under the age of 25 lives in your household, you
already know that), or beckon one of her bodyguards, or casually note
her plans to meet Emma Watson at Loulou’s later (“It’s gonna be a
feminist rally!”), and you’ll remember that her life is essentially alien to
yours, that she can’t walk so much as half a city block without getting
mobbed and photographed, that her friends walk Fashion Week run-
ways and appear on the covers of magazines and star in blockbusters.
S
wift drops names with regularity, and almost all of them
belong to members of her supergroup of B.F.F.’s, many
of whom are extremely famous themselves. “My friends
and I text every day,” she tells me, looking almost regal in
a Saint Laurent smoking suit, sitting at a medieval table
in a stately room at the hotel. “That’s 20 to 25 girls …
Some of them are group texts, most of them are single texts. We know
when everybody’s in New York, who’s in town, who’s in L.A. Being
a huge group of girls who love each other, we know where everyone
is,” she says, before reflecting, giddily, “I’ve never had this before.”
254 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
These friends include models (Kloss, Hadid, Delevingne, Kendall Jen-
ner), actresses (Emma Stone, Lena Dunham, Hailee Steinfeld, Jaime
King), and musicians (Selena Gomez, Goulding, Lorde, the Haim
sisters). Swift lunches and dines with these girlfriends; she attends
concerts with them; she crafts with them; she cooks with them; she
walks red carpets with them; many of them appear in pre-taped clips
that run during her current world-tour stops; and some of them have
even emerged, in the flesh, at her shows, to strut down the stage and
wave to the crowd. “She shares her stage with people,” Gomez later
remarks to me. “A lot of artists would never do that.”
Swift onboarded each member of the tribe in a different manner:
Dunham and Swift first connected on Twitter in 2012; Swift met Kloss
at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show a year later; most of us became
aware of the model Martha Hunt when she started appearing in vari-
ous Swift dinner-party Instagrams this winter. But the group’s true cor-
onation as a pop-cultural force came this spring, with the blockbuster
music video for Swift’s “Bad Blood,” in which more than a dozen
members of her posse made cameos. “She was being a boss bitch that
day,” Delevingne says of the video shoot, which Swift produced. “She
got everyone together. It was just amazing to see her in her element.”
Swift, who was 16 years old when her first album, Taylor Swift, was re-
leased, has spoken before about her lack of close friends growing up
(“I first started writing songs because I didn’t really have anyone else
to talk to”), so it’s easy to see her shepherding this squad as an attempt
at constructing that high-school experience she never had. Now she
doesn’t just have a table to sit at in the cafeteria—she has a dozen tables.
These girls are not shuffling out of clubs at three A.M. or finding
themselves on TMZ for nefarious reasons. Delevingne tells me that a
typical night with their cohort involves Swift dressing her friends in
“white Victorian nighties,” purchased by Swift at Nashville antique
store Gilchrist Gilchrist. Swift has a cupboard of them, Delevingne
says, adding, “She’s also great at cooking breakfast.” (“I absolutely
slay omelets,” Swift says.) Gomez concurs that their meet-ups are
generally low-key: “We go to her house and hang out or cook or we
go out to dinner.” Swift is not straitlaced (she says people will some-
times mistakenly assume, upon meeting her, that she “never has a
drink and goes to church five times a week”), but she is not exactly
a Miley Cyrus either. During lunch, as Swift and I eat salads, some-
one points out that Swift has a piece of food on her chin, and she
announces, “I can never tell when I have food on my face … or when
someone’s high. That’s why I can’t go to Coachella or Glastonbury.”
While one might think someone at Swift’s level of fame—who can
BY DAVI D WH IT E; P RO DUCE D O N LO CAT I O N BY 10 - 4 I NC. ; F O R DE TA IL S , G O TO VF.COM / CRE DI TS
cause a tabloid commotion with a mere frown at an awards show or
BY SA M M C KNI GH T; M A KE UP BY VA L GA RL A ND; MA N I CUR E BY TR I SH L OM A X; S ET D ES I GN
a slightly unusual choice in post-gym attire—would be cautious about HA I R PRO DUCTS BY O R IB E ; MA KE UP PRO DU CTS BY NA R S; NA I L E N A ME L BY O P I; HA I R
sharing her secrets, Swift says she has proof that her group of friends
can be fully trusted. “I do not give an edited version of myself to my
friends. [And] anytime I read one of those tabloid articles that says, ‘A
source close to Swift says,’ it’s always incorrect. None of my friends are
talking, and they know everything.”
When I ask if there is ever fric-
tion between any members of NET WORTH
Taylor Swift with model
her diverse clique, Swift shakes her Aurélien Muller, outside
head vigorously. “That doesn’t the Beaufort Bar. “They
happen. We even have girls in our usually dress me up
group who have dated the same like a 12-year-old French
boy,” she says. “It’s nice to
people. It’s almost like the sister- be glamorous.”
hood has such a higher place on the
list of priorities for us. It’s so much SWIFT WEARS A DRESS BY
CÉLINE; EARRINGS BY HARRY
more important than some guy WINSTON; RING BY DE BEERS.
MULLER’S SHIRT BY
that it didn’t work out with. When TOM FORD; CUFF LINKS
you’ve got this group of girls who FROM BELADORA.
www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 255
 FOR D E TA IL S, G O TO VF. COM/ C R E DI TS

256 VAN IT Y FAIR www.vanityfair.com S E PT EMBE R 2 015

 THE WOMAN IN WHITE
“I think I know how to put
together a good outfit,”
says Swift. “But any
day you’re going to admit
to being a style icon is
a day you need to look in
the mirror and really
check yourself.”

SWIFT WEARS A COAT BY

STELLA M C CARTNEY AND
JEWELRY BY CARTIER
AND, OPPOSITE, A GOWN BY
CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION;
SEPT EM BE R 2 015 TIARA BY HARRY WINSTON.

need each other as much as we need each other, in this climate, when
it’s so hard for women to be understood and portrayed the right way
in the media … now more than ever we need to be good and kind to
each other and not judge each other—and just because you have the
same taste in men, we don’t hold that against each other.” A few days
after our conversation, she posts a picture on her Instagram showcas-
ing a riverboat double date on the Thames, chaperoned by Kloss. In
the shot: Swift; Swift’s boyfriend, Scottish D.J. Calvin Harris; Hadid;
and Joe Jonas, Hadid’s current boyfriend, who dated Swift in 2008
(and famously dumped her during a 27-second phone call).
S
Hit Parade
wift has had the kind of 12 months that other pop stars
would poison people for. In August of 2014, she released
the single “Shake It Off,” which debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nomina-
tions. Her fifth album, 1989, arrived two months later, in
October, and sold 1.287 million copies in its first week. It
went on to become the top-selling album in the U.S. in 2014 and is
now the most successful of her career. Swift says this album, her first
to feature exclusively pop songs (as opposed to the full-on country
and country-tinged pop that made up her first few albums), is the one
she “likes the most.” It “feels the most sonically cohesive [of all my
albums],” she says. “I couldn’t be more proud of it.”
At the age of 25, Swift is as wildly popular among tweens as she is
among millennials (and baby-boomers, though they may be more
reluctant to admit it). She has seven Grammys and 16 American Mu-
sic Awards; she has been named Billboard’s Woman of the Year
twice, in 2011 and 2014; she is a six-time recipient of the Nashville
Songwriters Association’s prize for songwriter/artist of the year; and
according to Forbes she made $80 million over the past year, with an
estimated net worth of $200 million. She also finds time to connect
with her fans individually, selecting and wrapping holiday presents
for several of them (documented in a six-minute video that has been
watched by more than 17 million people), and responding on her
blog to the likes of a teenage boy looking for advice on what to wear
to prom and a girl who said Swift’s music helped her make it
through two heart surgeries.
“I think that her importance is sort of endless,” says Jack Antonoff,
who co-wrote three songs on 1989 with Swift and dates Swift Squad
member Dunham. “She’s the biggest star, but she’s also making in-
credible art. It’s a perfect storm.” Gomez notes that Swift is continu-
ally ascending to greater heights: “She’s always outdoing herself, [but
she remains] who she is at the heart of everything.”
Swift—who appears on the International Best-Dressed List (see
page 172) this year for the first time—is now also seen as something
of a fashion plate, in part due to her association with this coterie of
supermodels. (Swift has performed at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion
Show the past two years.) Her everyday uniform, give or take a beret
or kitten heel, typically comprises a crop top, a red lip, and a purse
carried out in front of her, hanging from a forearm. Swift herself
demurs at the label, though. “I think I know how to put together a
good outfit,” she says. “But any day you’re going to admit to being
a style icon is a day you need to look in the mirror and really check
yourself.” She says she doesn’t talk about fashion with her friends:
“We never talk about stuff like that. We’ll be like, ‘Those shoes are
cute.’ That’s the full conversation. We all dress very differently.”
“I want to leave a trail of people who had gotten
258 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
TAYLOR-MADE
Delevingne concurs: “There’s al- “They talk about me a
ways a lot more pressing matters lot,” Swift says of Spotify.
going on than what we’re wearing,”
SWIFT WEARS A DRESS BY
the model tells me. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION,
SHOES BY BRIAN ATWOOD,
I
STOCKINGS BY AGENT
Apple Watch PROVOCATEUR, NECKLACE
f Swift wasn’t already the BY HARRY WINSTON;
CLUTCH BY LEE SAVAGE.
closest thing we have to a
pop-cultural empress, the
fallout from the open letter she posted on her blog this
June, addressed to Apple, made the great power she wields
unquestionably clear. The company had announced that
it was going to be launching a new juggernaut streaming service,
Apple Music, which would allow users to enjoy a three-month free
trial before they would be asked to sign up for a $9.99 monthly sub-
scription. Artists, however, would not be compensated for those three
free months, which did not sit right with Swift. She wrote, “I say to
Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and
change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply
and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please
don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”
She posted the letter in the early morning. By the end of the day, Ap-
ple had decided to reverse its policy, and Swift was widely heralded as
a savior of the music industry. Swift—who had previously withheld
1989 from streaming services such as Spotify (which she does not feel
fairly compensates artists for their work)—announced a few days
later that she would be letting 1989 stream on Apple Music. Swift told
me that, even after Apple’s policy reversal, she was waiting for the in-
die labels Merlin and Beggers Group to commit to Apple Music be-
fore following suit. (As an independent artist herself—Swift owns her
own masters and has control of her distribution—she said she wanted
to show solidarity with the greater indie community.)
“I wrote the letter at around four A.M.,” she tells me. “The contracts
had just gone out to my friends, and one of them sent me a screenshot
of one of them. I read the term ‘zero percent compensation to rights
holders.’ Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and I’ll
write a song and I can’t sleep until I finish it, and it was like that with
the letter.” I ask if she showed it to anyone before posting it. “I read it
to my mom,” she says. “She’s always going to be the one. I just said,
‘I’m really scared of this letter, but I had to write it. I might not post it,
but I had to say it.’ ”
Swift says she did not expect Apple to change its thinking; in fact, she
was terrified “people would say, ‘Why won’t she shut up about this?,’”
after the Wall Street Journal op-ed she wrote in July of last year about her
concerns regarding free streaming services, such as Spotify. “My fears
were that I would be looked at as someone who just whines and rants
about this thing that no one else is really ranting about,” she tells me.
After Swift pulled all of her music from Spotify in November of 2014,
the platform published a blog post about her decision, which read in
part: “We hope [Swift] will change her mind and join us in building
F OR DE TA I LS , GO TO V F.CO M/C RE DI TS
a new music economy that works for everyone.” The entry ended with a
postscript referencing her songs (“Taylor, we were both young when we
first saw you … ”). Swift says she was elated to find Apple receptive to
her plea, in contrast to how Spotify had responded to her. “Apple treat-
ed me like I was a voice of a creative community that they actually
cared about,” she says. “And I found it really ironic that the multi-
billion-dollar company reacted to criticism with humility, and the start-
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
better opportunities … because of me,” says Swift.
SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 259
 CLIQUE BAIT
Taylor Swift is the ringleader of a crew of models, actresses, and singers who have one another’s
backs and rack up Instagram likes by the millions

2
GIRLS JUST
WANNA HAVE FUN
(1) Taylor Swift and Selena
Gomez onstage at Madison
Square Garden, 2011.
(2) Karlie Kloss and Swift
at the 2014 Victoria’s
Secret Fashion Show, in
London. (3) Ellie Goulding,
Kloss, Swift, and Cara
Delevingne at a Naked
Heart Foundation benefit
in London, February 2015.
(4) Swift (second from left)
flanked by the Haim
sisters, Este, Danielle,
1 and Alana, on a boat off
Maui, January 2015.

SWIFT BEAU
(5) Swift and Calvin Harris arrive at
the Spotted Pig, in Greenwich
Village, New York City, May 2015.

LORDE & TAYLOR

6 (6) Swift and Lena Dunham leaving Bubby’s
in New York City, December 2014. (7) Swift steps out

CORBIS (7), BY MICHAEL STEWART/FILMMAGIC (2), CHARLES SYKES/A.P. IMAGES (1), JASON WEBBER/SPL ASH NEWS (9)
( 3) , F ROM HE A DL I NE PH OTO /S PL A S H N E WS ( 10 ), BY N IG NY /S P L A S H NE W S (6 ) , © E LD ER O R DO NE Z/I NFPHOTO .CO M/
with her cat, Olivia Benson, September 2014.
(8) Swift and Gigi Hadid on a hike in Los Angeles,
May 2015. (9) Swift and Delevingne shopping

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FERN/SPL ASH NEWS (8, 11), RAYMOND HALL/GC IMAGES (5), NICK HARVEY/REX USA
in New York City’s Meatpacking District,
April 2014. (10) Swift and Kloss exit Sarabeth’s
after lunch in New York City, July 2014.
(11) Swift and Lorde shop at Free People, in
Brentwood, Los Angeles, February 2014.
5

7 10
8 9 11

260 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2 015

up with no cash flow reacted to criticism like a corporate machine.”
Has Spotify gotten in touch with or talked to you since you posted
your letter?, I ask. “They talk about me a lot,” she says, with a grin
reminiscent of one she might flash in a music video while strutting
out of an explosion.
While Apple’s willingness to engage with Swift on a one-on-one level
is in and of itself indicative of her great influence, that the famously
secretive and tight-lipped company was willing to chat with me about
Swift certainly confirmed it. (One imagines Swift could successfully bro-
ker peace treaties between warring nations at this point, if she wanted.)
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and
services, said that Apple had already been discussing paying artists for
the trial period, after initial criticism from indie labels, but that Swift’s
letter “accelerated [their] thinking.” He told me in a phone interview,
“I spent time talking to [Apple C.E.O.] Tim [Cook] about it and giv-
ing him my thoughts and, relatively quickly, came to a conclusion of
what we thought was the best way to do it.” Cue said that he “didn’t
have a problem” with Swift’s calling Apple out (“I appreciated the way
she wrote it”), and he said it was important to Apple to treat Swift like
a partner in the matter, which is why he made sure to speak to her
on the phone before they made any announcements. “When you’re
Taylor Swift and you put yourself out there like she did, I thought it
was appropriate for us to have a discussion together about it,” he said.
Swift calls Apple’s decision a “huge step forward” for the indus-
try. At the Stella McCartney dinner party mentioned earlier, every
woman present individually thanked Swift for writing the missive, she
says, either on their own behalf or on behalf of a friend. “I’ve never
experienced anything like this before, where everyone in every social
situation I’ve been in has heard about this thing that happened.”
But just when I am starting to think of Swift as near invincible, that
trademark self-doubt of hers returns. She slumps in her chair a bit,
playing with her white shirtsleeves, and reflects, “I hope it doesn’t turn
into something weird, where people have to poke holes in me, which is
what’s happened every other time anything good has happened to me.
You can’t believe too much of your positive hype, and you can’t believe
too much of your negative press—you live somewhere in between.”
T
Friend in Deed
oday, Swift says, she feels “very understood” by the
public, but she was not always so pleased with
the way she was perceived. Around 2013, after pub-
lic breakups with Harry Styles, Conor Kennedy (the
son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), and Jake Gyllenhaal,
the narrative surrounding Swift was that she was an
overly obsessive serial dater, that she only dated guys so she could
later write songs about them. Swift decided, eventually, to just stop
paying attention to the media. “For the better part of 2012 and 2013,
I did not go online, because I didn’t like what they were saying about
me,” she says. “And it was so overwhelmingly inaccurate that I knew
there was nothing I could do to fight. When the media decides that
they don’t like you, there’s nothing you can do that doesn’t seem des-
perate and irritating to everyone when you try to defend yourself. So I
just had to go into my little emotional bunker and pretend there
weren’t bombs going off outside.”
So, how did she crawl out of the bomb shelter? “I think that I just
decided if [the media] was going to say that about me, that I was
boy-crazy and so dependent on men and all that, I wasn’t going to
give them a reason to say that anymore, and I wasn’t going to be seen
around any men for years—so that’s what I did,” she says. “And what
ended up happening was I became happier than I had ever been be-
fore. I swore I would never ever get in another relationship if it meant
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
changing who I was, or taking me out of that mode where my friends
are everything to me.”
Gomez, 23, who has been best friends with Swift since she was
15, says that she has seen Swift emerge from the tabloid flames,
again and again, like a pop-star phoenix. “No matter what sort of
tabloid-y thing people are going to try to pin on her, her position,
her power, her career, outshines that,” Gomez says. “It’s almost like:
Don’t mess with Taylor. Don’t mess with Taylor.”
While Swift maintains a “never have, never will” policy when it
comes to discussing her dating life, she has been involved with Har-
ris, a D.J. who according to Forbes earned an estimated $66 million
last year, since March, when they were seen holding hands at a Kenny
Chesney concert in Nashville. (This summer, Harris and Swift have
started showing up in each other’s Instagram feeds, the modern-day
sign of “things getting serious.”) When I ask
@vf.com
how Swift approached dating in light of mak-
To see behind-the-
ing this intense commitment to her sisterhood, scenes P H O T O S from
the shoot, go to
she explains that she was only going to date VF.COM/SEPT2015.
someone who wouldn’t infringe on the new
life she had carved out for herself. “That was the way that I decided
to go on with my life,” she says. “Not looking for anything, not neces-
sarily being open to anything, and only being open to the idea that, if
I found someone who would never try to change me, that would be
the only person I could fall in love with. Because, you know, I was in
love with my life.” (Note the telling past tense in that last sentence,
Swifties!)
She basically lurches out of her seat when asked if it’s important
to her that her boyfriend and her friends get along. “SO IMPORTANT.
Oh, it’s so important.”
“In every friendship group, you’ve got one or two girls where you
hear people say, ‘Oh, she’s so different around her boyfriend!’ ” Swift
says. “I never wanted to be that girl. So that was a huge goal of mine:
never ever become someone else for the sake of a relationship.”
I suggest that it can sometimes be hard to maintain one’s identity
in a new relationship, and Swift laughs, wisely.
“If you’re a people pleaser, like most of us are, you try to adapt to
what signals that person is giving off,” she says. “It’s not about chang-
ing the fact that you’re a people pleaser; it’s about finding someone
[to date] who is not critical. That can be the most painful thing, trying
to love someone who is critical in their nature.”
Has that happened to her?, I ask, even though the answer is al-
ready obvious.
“Uh, yes,” she says. “But usually I don’t make the same mistake
twice. I make new ones, but I don’t usually repeat my old ones.”
T
Family Gal
oward the end of lunch, Swift’s parents, Andrea and
Scott, arrive. Swift seemed to relax completely in
their presence, in the way a college student immedi-
ately collapses on her childhood bed full of stuffed
animals when returning home for Christmas.
Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1989,
and she grew up nearby, on a Christmas-tree farm, which seems too
impossibly on-brand to be true, but it is. At age 11, Swift—after watch-
ing a Behind the Music special about Faith Hill—decided she needed to
be in Nashville if she wanted to give a career in music a real shot, and
she asked her mother to take her there so she could submit demos.
Eventually, when Taylor was 14, the entire family—including Taylor’s
younger brother, Austin—relocated to the Nashville area. (Austin,
23, graduated from the University of Notre Dame this past spring.)
“Mama Swift”—as Swift’s friends refer C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 1 7
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 261
 V. F. P O RT RA I T

Linda Greer
As a senior scientist with the
Natural Resources Defense Council, Linda Greer
launched its revolutionary Clean by Design program,
in 2009. A longtime advocate for ecologically
responsible fashion, STELLA MCCARTNEY, who eagerly
applied the program’s 10-step best-practice initiative
at her own company, explains how Greer’s work
provides designers and consumers with a simple, effective
way to protect the planet—and increase profits.
Photograph by ANNIE LEIBOVITZ

I
to be part of it. In 2012 my company began
working to get our fabric mills to adhere to its
guidelines, and we have since been able to
influence 10 of our mills to do so.
What makes Linda’s work for Clean by
Design so revolutionary is that it is simple
and yet highly effective. The program works
with retailers and brands such as ours to
encourage suppliers to improve efficiency,
GR E ER ’S S HI RT BY M A X MA RA ; PA NTS BY ST E LL A M C C A RTN EY; MA KE U P PRO DUCTS BY CHA N EL; M AK E UP
BY E L A I NE M A DE LO N; S ET D ES IG N BY MA RY HOWA R D ST UDI O ; F OR DE TA I L S, GO TO VF. CO M/ C RE DI TS

decrease environmental impact, and reduce

have always admired wom-
en who go above and beyond the call of duty
for a cause and show a true and honest com-
mitment to something they believe in; Linda
Greer is one such woman. A senior scientist
with the Natural Resources Defense Coun-
cil, she puts her ethics above all else. She has
fought for so many extraordinary causes and
stayed 100 percent true to her principles with-
out compromise, showing real strength and
courage. Environmental causes aren’t always
met with enthusiasm, but Linda has perse-
vered. As a designer dedicated to developing
environmentally conscious products, I iden-
tify with the work she is doing and support
it wholeheartedly. When I was approached
to join the N.R.D.C.’s Clean by Design pro-
gram as an adviser shortly after its inception,
in 2009, I jumped—no, dived—at the chance
waste, water use, and energy consumption.
Its 10-step best-practice initiative is an easy
way for designers and consumers to take
what might seem an overwhelming task
and incorporate it into everyday life, allow-
ing us to make a meaningful contribution
in everything from the manufacturing pro-
cess to how people care for their garments.
Our actions will save money and water and
provide for longer-lasting clothing. These
may seem to be small things, but when you
add them up over time, they have a huge
impact: Clean by Design’s efforts at more
than 50 textile mills in China have resulted
in a 400-ton reduction in chemicals, as well
as decreases of 36 percent in water usage
and 22 percent in energy usage per mill.
For me, the purity of the concept is what
makes it such a modern approach to im-
proving the planet. 

262 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S E PT EMBER 2 015

 GREER IN GEAR
Linda Greer, of the
N.R.D.C.’s Clean by Design
program (which reduces the
environmental impact
of clothing manufacturing around
the globe), photographed
at 2ReWear, a provider of textile-
recycling services, in Clifton,
New Jersey.

SEPT E M BE R 2 015 VA NIT Y FAI R 263

 THE GOOD DOCTOR
Dr. Fredric Brandt
in his West
Chelsea apartment
in March 2012.

PHOTOG R APH BY PIOT R R ED LINSK I/

THE NEW YORK TIMES/ R ED UX

DARKNESS
264 VAN IT Y FAIR www.vanityfair.com S E PT EMBER 2 015
 When Dr. Fredric Brandt—the dermatologist who pioneered
Botox use and treated everyone from Madonna to
Calvin Klein to Gwyneth Paltrow—committed suicide in April, many
of his friends blamed the caricature of him that appeared
on the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The truth was
more complicated. LILI ANOLIK peels back Brandt’s extreme
façade and finds what lies beneath: the fragility,
the loneliness, the yen for the spotlight, and the gifts that
made his life so valuable

INVISIBLE
SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 265
S
‘
o, when are you
going to write about me?” This is what Fred
Brandt would say to me instead of hello for
the last year and a half, a year and a half ago
being the precise moment Vanity Fair began
to take an interest, give me the time of day,
flirt back, i.e., publish my pieces. Since Fred
and I saw each other semi-regularly, you’d
think the question would’ve stopped throw-
ing me for a loop, only it never did. It was a
teasing one, obviously, and the thing to do
was respond in kind, get off a snappy line,
then move on. Just as I was about to, though,
I’d notice how steady his gaze was, how seri-
ous and watchful, and confusion would make
me quiet. Should I believe his tone or his
look? I always—always—picked look. He was,
after all, Dr. Fredric Brandt, the King of Col-
lagen, the Baron of Botox, the Svengali of
Skin Care, and other alliterative epithets signi-
fying style and flash and glamour and hulla-
baloo and general hot-stuffness, and not at all
un-up this magazine’s alley. And I became
convinced that this time he meant it, was real-
ly asking. I’d open my mouth, start to offer an
explanation, stumbling and sincere, and, as
soon as I did, he’d burst into laughter. Fred’s
laugh was unlike anyone else’s. It was heaving
and at top volume and had an actual ha-ha in
it and a lot of neck and shoulder and was
completely spastic and maniacal. Completely
irresistible too.
He’d gotten me again.
Fred and I were close, but in a funny way
because we barely knew each other. The rela-
tionship was almost entirely by proxy. I’m mar-
ried to a doctor, Robert Anolik—Rob—and
Fred was Rob’s boss. The official term, I be-
lieve, was “associate,” but really, boss. Which
was why my writing about Fred was so totally
out of the question. That it isn’t anymore is the
saddest thing in the world. See, Fred commit-
266 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
ted suicide, hanged himself in the garage of his
Miami home during the early morning hours
of Sunday, April 5, Easter Sunday, as it so hap-
pened. He was 65 years old, though it feels
strange to assign him an age, since not look-
ing his was so much what he was about. In
any case, now that he’s dead little niceties like
conflict of interest no longer apply or matter.
Celebrity Skin
Rob started working with Fred five years
ago. He’d finished his residency in dermatol-
ogy at N.Y.U., then did a fellowship in laser
and skin surgery with Dr. Roy Geronemus.
Roy is the director of the Laser & Skin Sur-
gery Center of New York, which Fred was
part of but separate from, his own thing—like
Monaco is to France or Angelina Jolie is to
the Voight clan. Fred’s practice was crazily,
freakily, out-of-this-worldily fancy. Glitz ga-
lore. Stars—movie, rock, and pop—television
personalities and fashion models and profes-
sional athletes, round-the-clock talk-show
hosts—morning, afternoon, and late-night—
princesses from small, oil-rich countries, ty-
coons who jetted around in, well, jets, whis-
pered in presidents’ ears, owned vineyards
in Napa Valley, castles painted by Monet,
Monets. Tycoons’ dependents too, naturally.
It seemed like you were only eligible to fill
out a patient form if Jacqueline Susann,
God rest her soul, could’ve swapped out a
few vowels in your name, stuck you in one
of her written-in-lipstick-and-eyebrow-pencil
roman à clef lives-of-the-rich-and-fucked
jobs. And speaking of names, I could drop
dozens on you here, but I’m just going to
drop one, since it’s big enough to knock you
out, and since it’s so famous it’s become vir-
tually synonymous with the word: Madonna.
What’s more, Fred didn’t just tend to
stars, help them maintain their twinkle and
glow. He was one. He hosted his own radio
show, the Who’s Who likes of Linda Wells,
editor in chief of Allure (patient), and Sally
Hershberger and Sharon Dorram, celebrity
hairstylist and celebrity colorist, respectively
(both patients), and Gwyneth Paltrow, ac-
tress and sex symbol (patient), swinging by
the SiriusXM studios in Midtown to slip on a
set of oversize headphones, talk turkey, or at
least turkey neck; guested on Live with Regis
and Kelly (Kelly Ripa, patient) and The View
(Joy Behar, too); was the subject of features in
New York and The New York Times, spreads
in L’Uomo Vogue and Elle (Robbie Myers,
editor in chief, patient); attended high-profile
events with Donna Karan, Calvin Klein,
Marc Jacobs, and Naomi Campbell (patient,
patient, patient, and patient); and supplied
A’s to the Q’s of Stephanie Seymour (patient)
and Jane Holzer (patient) in Interview. He
also collected art—works by Damien Hirst,
Marilyn Minter, and Richard Prince adorned
the walls of his various places of labor and
leisure. Engaging in acrobatics, possibly sexu-
al, though equally possibly not, at the bottom
of the staircase in his Coconut Grove estate
were two figures by Keith Haring. Glittering
above the bed in his West Chelsea condo like
a punctured disco ball was a 24-karat-gold
circular plate by Anish Kapoor. And loiter-
ing in the waiting area of his East 34th Street
office was an Ed Ruscha, surveying the scene
and observing with perfect deadpan Ameri-
can cool, Hydraulic Muscles, Pneumatic
Smiles. He wore art, too. (I don’t think you
could properly call an Alexander McQueen
black vinyl vest or Givenchy culottes, cream-
colored with a plaid waistband and covered
in barking dogs, and paired with leggings,
also cream-colored, clothing.) He kept a pub-
licist on retainer.
F
or years, Fred split his time be-
tween his Miami offices, which
he opened in 1982, and his
Manhattan offices, which he
opened in 1998. But by 2010,
his Manhattan offices were
busy to the point of insanity. If he wanted
to keep up with the demand, he’d have to
get cloned. Either make a genetically iden-
tical copy of himself, or train somebody in
his methods and techniques. He went with
bachelor number two, which ended up being
Rob, though Rob no longer was one. (We’d
gotten married the month before.)
Obviously I can’t even feign objectivity
here. I think Rob’s great—the best. He’s
smart and thoughtful, and understands ev-
erything and fast, and is an easy laugher and
good company. And in addition to these gen-
erally stellar qualities, he’s in possession of
a highly specific one: he’s a natural-born
straight man. In fact, he’s a straight man twice
over. Is a foil to a wilder and more outlandish
partner in a comedy act, and is a heterosexual
male (in case you didn’t want to make any as-
sumptions about Fred’s orientation based on
the barking-dog culottes, I’m telling you now:
make those assumptions). The latter contrib-
uted to the former as Rob’s doop-dee-doop-
dee-do regular-guyness was a source of endless
amusement to Fred, who would pretend—or
maybe not pretend, maybe actually experi-
ence—horror at Rob’s clothes (not that bad,
just unimaginative) and Rob’s haircut, which
Fred would refer to alternately as “accountant
hair” and “middle-management hair” (that
bad). This isn’t to say Fred couldn’t be his
own straight man. He had a passion for real
estate, and one Saturday, he and Rob, after
doing the radio show—that week’s topic, sun
exposure and overuse of Botox, the title
“Global Warming, Frozen Faces”; Fred
couldn’t resist a pun—and then stopping by
Barneys to check out what was outré and à
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 la mode and ooh-la-la and in his size, went to
see a penthouse that had recently become
available on Central Park South. As they
stepped into the elevator to return to the lob-
by, Fred tapped the one-sheet musingly
against his front tooth and said, “I like it, but
can a bottom ever really be on top?”
Chemistry between two people is a myste-
rious thing. Who knows why Fred and Rob
had it? All I know is that they did, and that
Rob loved working for Fred. Fred was only
superficially superficial. Beneath the couture,
haute, and the monde, hauter, he was a seri-
ous guy. Formidable. The Real Deal. A revo-
lutionary in the field of cosmetic
dermatology, he was among the
first to see how rich the potential SKIN-DEEP
of botulinum toxins (Botox) truly Above, Brandt at
was. He understood that a cho- SiriusXM’s
New York studio
rus girl should be the headliner, in 2011; below,
that a side effect of Botox, the Martin Short as
smoothing away of wrinkles, was Dr. Grant.
more dynamic, more charismat-
ic, more vital, than the benefit
receiving star billing, the calming of spasming
muscles. And I mean really among the first.
(He was experimenting with it back in the
early 90s.) He also understood that blowing
out the odd laugh line was small potatoes as
far as Botox’s capabilities were concerned;
that it, along with fillers, could, in fact, prop
up a collapsing facial structure, if applied with
a skilled enough hand, an artistic enough eye.
Thanks largely to him, Botox, which he used
more than any other doctor on the planet, ac-
cording to its maker, Allergan, in 2002—a little
factoid that’s either true true or apocryphal
true, i.e., spiritually true, i.e., should be true if
it’s not true—and fillers (Restylane, Juvéderm,
etc.) became alternatives to invasive surgery.
A face-lift without a single slice or dice, which
sounds like a no-brainer except it wasn’t, not
initially. As Fred’s publicist, Jacquie Tracten-
berg, said, “Telling a patient she should let
you shoot her face full of poison is not exactly
an easy sell.” But Fred sold it. Faces done by tweed jackets with elbow patches, clodhop- of millions, not to mention of millionaires,
Fred, dubbed the “New New Face” by New per shoes, which he emphatically was not. even of billionaires. Seeing him wasn’t about
York, looked fleshed out rather than pulled You’d also expect him to be a little detached eliminating crow’s-feet and marionette lines.
tight. He was, too, a dedicated researcher, (eggheads, in my experience, tend to be cold Or, rather, it was only about those things on
conducting dozens of F.D.A.-approved clini- fish), but that wasn’t at all the case with Fred. top. Underneath, it was about staving off the
cal trials a year at his institute in Miami. And He was warm and generous and affectionate. corruption of the body, the rot and decay
he developed a skin-care line, an attempt to His practice was almost exclusively cosmetic. that inevitably set in. And, going one step
bring his ingenious innovations, only to be Rarely was something ever actually wrong further, it was about staving off death, time,
PHOTOGR A PHS : TOP, BY J A S ON F R A NK ROTH EN B E RG /
A RT & COM ME RCE ; B OT TOM , © N E TF L IX /P HOTO F E ST

had by impossible-to-secure appointment with one of his patients. In fact, your life had the human condition itself.

F
(he was booked months in advance) and for to be going pretty A-O.K. swell if you were
beaucoup bucks (a routine visit could cost able to score an appointment with him in red instinctively understood
you around $7,000), to the masses. He told the first place. Yet these appointments were how potentially fraught the ex-
Allure, just weeks before his death, that his often intensely emotional affairs. Beauty perience of seeing him was,
Lines No More serum was the best-selling fades. That’s just the way it is. Still, it’s a truth and did all he could to make
dermatological beauty product in the world. that’s tough enough for people with nothing- it less so. He gave the tools of
You’d expect a guy that cerebral to be special looks to accept. Imagine how tough his trade, which sounded
wearing glasses with lenses as thick as those it is for people with faces that are featured in weird and sinister and science-fictiony, these
on the telescopes on the observation deck fragrance and soft-drink campaigns, block- cute-as-a-bug nicknames. It wasn’t botu-
of the Empire State Building and fraying buster motion pictures, the sexual fantasies linum toxin and injectable facial filler, com-
SEP T E M B E R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 267
 posed of hyaluronic acids and biosynthetic
polymers and collagens harvested from pigs
and cows and—eek—cadavers. No, it was
Bo and Phil, or, I guess, Fill, a couple of
brothers who ran a discount furniture store
in Queens—“Every day is a sale at Bo and
Fill’s!”—or a vaudeville act that used to play
Kutsher’s in the 50s—Bo juggled, Fill told
jokes. Nothing scary about Bo and Fill. Or
Fill’s buds, Restie (Restylane) and Juvie
(Juvéderm), equally good-natured and goof-
ball. Nor was your encounter with Bo and
Fill going to be furtive and awash in feelings
of shame, a sleazy quickie at some no-tell
motel with stained mattresses and a guest-
book full of Smiths and Joneses. With Bo
and Fill everything was friendly and casual,
out in the open and aboveboard.
What’s more, for Fred, it was never “a
unit of Botox” or “a syringe of filler.” It was
“a bissel of Bo” or “a bissel of Fill,” bissel
being Yiddish for “small amount.” That
Fred knew Yiddish is no surprise, since he
was Jewish. He was born on June 26, 1949,
and grew up above his parents’ candy shop
in Philip Roth Land, the Weequahic section
of Newark. It was a background you could
hear in his voice, and I always liked that he
retained the accent, none of that Jay Gatsby
“old sport” business. So many people aspir-
ing to the status of cosmopolitan sophisticate
talk like they’re from a European country
that doesn’t exist but is class all the way, lots
of rope pearls and extended pinkies and tin-
kly piano music, no chin stubble or action
movies or toilets, etc.
And there was more than a little Jewish
mother in Fred. He had that genuine and
unaffected warmth to him, that nurturing
quality. He really did care. He was a loyal
and true friend. In the course of researching
this piece, I was given countless examples of
his un-showy kindness. (One example: Joan
Kron, contributing editor–at–large of Allure,
told me about the time she called Fred to
ask what she should do when her mother,
then 103, came down with shingles. Fred
ended his day early and hightailed it over
bearing advice and a prescription.) And he
was known for taking on other doctors’ bon-
ers and problem cases, people who’d suf-
fered complications from fillers, seeing them
once or twice a week, for a period of up to
several months, and without charge. And
my earlier crack about his patients fitting the
profile of characters in a Jackie Susann novel
was just that, a crack, not an accurate state-
ment. Stars got the star treatment from Fred,
sure. So did non-stars, though, of which he
saw plenty. He’d quote lines from Bette Davis
movies, impersonate Joan Crawford, break
into “Younger than Springtime”—Rodgers
and Hammerstein—or raps—his own compo-
sition (to Kelly Ripa: “Oh, Juvéderm / Girl,
268 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
you so firm”). He’d do everything he could,
basically, to relax his patients. Remind them
that this wasn’t brain surgery, that this wasn’t
even cosmetic surgery. It was a little numbing
cream and a couple skin pops. He thus re-
stored not just facial harmony but emotional
harmony as well. Put it all in perspective.
So how come he lost his, killed himself?
Platinum Desire
Before we get to that, though, this: Fred was
famous for interrupting patients in the mid-
dle of a consult and saying, “But enough
about how you look. How do I look?,” fol-
lowed by a wild shriek of laughter. So let’s
respect the wishes of the dead, talk about
how Fred looked. He may have believed that
he looked natural, or at least that he was try-
ing to look natural. (“I think I look natural,
don’t you?” was a constant refrain of his, ac-
cording to friends and co-workers.) I don’t
believe he was trying, though. We’ll start with
his hair, which was blond, or, rather, plati-
num blond, which isn’t blond at all. It’s hyper-
blond, ultra-blond, blonder than blond. Plati-
num occurs in nature, has its own seat at the
periodic table, but platinum blond is almost
always manufactured. That it’s artificial, man-
made, not divinely inspired, and less inhu-
man than anti-human, machine-like, is both
the source of its appeal and its entire point.
Fake yet openly fake. (None of those pull-a-
fast-one highlights that are intended to re-
semble sun streaks.) Fake yet reveling in its
fakeness. Honestly fake. It’s sex—blondes
have more fun, right?—only it’s about alien-
ation rather than connection, and is thus por-
nographic. It’s the shade of choice of Andy
Warhol, the prophet and visionary of the 20th
century who is turning out to be the prophet
and visionary of the 21st century as well, and
of Marilyn Monroe, the movie star who is THE
movie star, more of a movie star than any
other movie star before or since, the ne plus
ultra of movie stars. You could even argue
that platinum is the shade of modernity it-
self. Or of the apocalypse—the flash of white
heat at the heart of an atomic blast.
That was the story at the top of Fred’s
head, and it remained the story down to the
tips of Fred’s toes. He constructed his physi-
cal self, deliberately and with care, as much as
he was able. A perfect diet and an hour and
a half a day of yoga with a private instructor
gave him a body that was as lean and supple
as a teenager’s. And he shunned the sun more
vigilantly than any bloodsucker, his skin al-
most phosphorescent in its paleness. Plus, he
practiced what he preached, and on himself,
over-practiced some might say, injecting Bo-
tox and filler into his face until it was unnatu-
rally smooth, without line or crease or pucker
or pore. But the unnatural must have been
on purpose, since he was so good at making
his patients look natural. I mean, right? As
hairstylist Garren Defazio, a close friend of
Fred’s, said, “Fred always wanted you to look
like you—just fresher. Some people expected
more from Fred, more of a change. If you
saw a patient of his and she looked overdone,
it was because she’d insisted. Fred would
fight her. ‘Your face isn’t structured for that,’
he’d say. His work was subtle. So the person
looked better but like you couldn’t quite put
your finger on what was done.” The clothes
I’ve already told you about—straight off the
runway, the kind you thought that no one ever
actually wore except he did. (Jacquie Tracten-
berg remembered Fred showing up at Central
Synagogue for Yom Kippur services with her
family in a designer kilt and studded sneak-
ers.) He got costumed rather than dressed.
Basically, it was as if he were both a person
and an object, his own creation—a cross be-
tween a science experiment and a work of
art, just as he himself was a cross between a
mad-genius scientist and a mad-genius artist.
Sui generis autogenesis.
I
’m going on at such length about
Fred’s appearance because it was
both extreme and singular, and there-
fore very easy to parody. Which is
what Martin Short did on the Net-
flix sitcom co-created by Tina Fey,
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. That the doc-
tor with the peroxided bob and face of a dis-
sipated cherub, the skin as slick and shiny as a
glazed doughnut, whom Jacqueline Voorhees
(Jane Krakowski) visits for a foot face-lift, is
intended to be Fred is beyond question. He’s
even called Dr. Brandt. Oh no, excuse me,
he’s called Dr. Grant, though he pronounces
it Franff, the idea being that he’s so hooked
on his own product that he’s paralyzed his
facial muscles, lost the ability to enunciate cer-
tain words, including his name, ha ha. Fred
had heard rumors that there was a show with
a character who resembled him, but didn’t
realize how unflattering the likeness was un-
til “Page Six” ran a story on March 23, two
weeks before he killed himself. That night
Fred sent Rob a text: “Did u see page 6 I’m
so upset I’m a freak.”
It probably seems like I’m Mount Rush-
more when it comes to Fred, incapable of
cracking a smile. Not true. I laughed when
Michael K from Dlisted.com anointed him
Hot Slut of the Day a couple years ago, de-
scribing him as a mélange of “the charisma
of Lucius Malfoy, the grace of Glenn Close
as Albert Nobbs, a drop of blood from a
vampire swan and the judgmental gaze of a
snobby ostrich.” Plus which, I love Martin
Short. I think that Ed Grimley and Jiminy
Glick are lunatic, near sublime comic cre-
ations, and that he was the wildest and most
low-down character in Inherent Vice. I’ll add,
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 “DID U SEE PAGE 6 I’M
SO UPSET I’M A FREAK,”
HE TEXTED ABOUT
SHORT’S PORTRAYAL.
too, that humor is notoriously subjective,
very much a tomato/to-mah-to thing. So it
doesn’t matter that I didn’t find Dr. Grant
funny. You might have. My point, though, is
this: if you did, you would have found him
just as funny had he been given a less Brandt-
like name or a less Brandt-like hairdo. Fred
was famous for a dermatologist, i.e., not actu-
ally famous. He wasn’t Dr. Oz, never mind
Dr. Phil, meaning most viewers wouldn’t
have had clue one that it was he who Short
and Fey were caricaturing. In fact, pretty
much only an industry insider, a percent-
age of the population so minute it’s, for all
intents and purposes, nonexistent, would
have caught the reference. Basically then, it’s
a joke without a punch line.
So what was it about gentle, unoffending
Fred that invited this type of cruelty? Here’s
my best guess: people’s feelings about cos-
metic enhancement are more complicated
than they realize. Darker too. They want it be-
cause it can make them look better: younger,
prettier, slimmer, perkier-nosed-and-breasted,
ears de-Dumboed and eyes de-bagged—
whatever their idea of better happens to be.
So it’s a wish for self-improvement, which
sounds upbeat enough except the wish for
self-improvement is rooted in self-dislike—or at
least self-dissatisfaction—since if you really like
something you don’t seek to improve it. Then
there’s the feelings of class rage. Cosmetic
work gets ever cheaper and easier to obtain.
Botox, for example, is being dispensed in nail
salons these days. For a serious practitioner,
though, one who went to medical school rath-
er than cosmetology, you’ve still got to drop
heavy cash. In the old days, youth and beauty
were on the short list of things money couldn’t
buy. Only now youth and beauty are in on the
hustle, too, can be had for the right price. And
finally there’s the issue of morality, or rather
immorality, because immoral is what cosmet-
ic enhancement is considered, even if those
doing the considering would never, not in a
million years, use that word, the times we live
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
in being secular ones, religiously unreligious.
Yet, much of the instinctive wariness and dis-
approval of cosmetic enhancement comes, I
suspect, from the belief, Puritan in origin, that
it’s wrong to interfere with God’s design.
T
hese feelings, in addition to
being complicated and dark,
are also unconscious—half
conscious at best—yet de-
mand a release. And a tar-
get. Quelle surprise then that
Fred, the doctor known for keeping Madonna
looking forever not-old, and who himself
appeared curiously ageless, should be it. It
wasn’t, by the way, only the Kimmy Schmidt
people who gave him a tough time. In 2014,
Fred was profiled in The New York Times.
The comment section was just brutal. Fred,
according to the posts, looked “horrifying,”
“disgusting,” “grotesque,” “like an 80 year
old trying to look 64,” “like a character from
a Wes Craven film,” “like an alien.” Kristi
Rook, director at Alphaeon, a lifestyle health-
care company, and a friend of Fred’s, recom-
mended he steer clear. “I said, ‘Fred, don’t go
online.’ ” But Fred wouldn’t—or couldn’t—
take the advice. Rob would catch him scrolling
through the comments on his phone as they
walked home at night: a scab picked off before
it even had a chance to form.
To be clear, I’m not saying Times readers
didn’t have the right to make those com-
ments. They absolutely did. Just as Tina Fey
& Co. had the right to make Fred into a figure
of fun. A number of Fred’s friends felt that
Kimmy Schmidt had crossed the line because
Fred wasn’t a public person, which is not en-
tirely true. There was his radio show, and he
had appeared, quite voluntarily, on television.
Wanted to appear on television more, in fact.
Had pitched Randy Barbato and Fenton Bai-
ley, producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a real-
ity program in which he would be the main
man/event/attraction/course. Yet the attention
he sought caused him pain, or at least the by-
product of it did. That he persisted in seeking
it proves there was a self-destructive streak in
his nature. And, besides, even if he had been
a completely private person, he would still be
fair game because we all are. You can’t pos-
sibly try to impose restrictions on comedy. It
won’t work. Comedy defies rules and regula-
tion, is anarchic. Nobody and nothing is out
of bounds. The only thing you can hope for—
and notice I didn’t say ask for—is decency.
Fred, unfortunately, didn’t get it.
Under His Skin
After Fred’s suicide, there was much specu-
lation in the media that Kimmy Schmidt
was the cause. For what it’s worth, I think the
idea is loony. If the show did, in fact, push
him over the edge, that could only be be-
cause he had one foot and four toes curled
over it already.
Those close to Fred are going to be disap-
pointed with this piece, I just know it. When I
was making the rounds, conducting my inter-
views, the hope was expressed, again and
again, both explicitly and implicitly, that I’d
put on my Brenda Starr eye shadow, do a little
intrepid-girl-reporter digging, figure out who
was to blame, smear the guilty party’s name
across the pages of this magazine. It was that
bitch Tina Fey’s fault. Or Martin Short’s, and I
thought he was one of the nice ones. And had
I heard that Fred had been down in the
dumps—way, way down in the dumps—before
that garbage show even aired, was seeing a
shrink? And how come the will was so hush-
hush? What was in it? My advice to you, Lili,
follow the money. I’m not going to say any-
more than that. Oh, except for this—wasn’t
somebody supposed to be watching Fred that
night? Did he/she leave his/her post? On pur-
pose? Fishy, fishy, fishy.
A lot of that kind of talk, which, of course,
is just that—talk. Popular theories as to why
Fred was depressed in the first place: getting
older (“At his 60th-birthday party, he was basi-
cally catatonic … ”), professional turmoil (a
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 269
 Spotlight
certain drug company had put out a certain
new product that was causing certain ad-
verse reactions, and Fred felt that the com-
pany had been less-than-forthcoming about IN MANOLO’S
these potential side effects; plus, Sirius had
canceled his radio show; plus plus, there’d FOOTSTEPS
been a betrayal in the past by a former em-
ployee), unrequited affection (“He was in
love with bleep, who’s supposedly straight
but … ”). Yet as wild as the conjectures got,
not a single person went so far as to suggest

I
that actual foul play was involved, or even
actual criminal behavior. And, anyway, deep
down, Fred’s friends understand that the
blame game is a fool’s game because to play
is to lose. Sooner or later the finger’s going
to swing around, point right back at them.
Why weren’t they there for Fred in his mo-
ment of need? Why hadn’t they heeded the
warning signs? The self-recrimination will be
painful enough. Only it’ll get worse. See, it’s
not on themselves that the finger will finally
settle. It’s on Fred. He isn’t, after all, just the
victim of this crime; he’s the perpetrator as
well. It was he who made the decision to
sneak off to the garage—people were in the
house watching him, no posts were aban-
doned—not to reach out to any of his friends.
Fred murdered Fred. And who wants to
be angry at Fred? How unbearably sad to be
angry at Fred.

I
t’s not possible for me—or anyone,
probably—to say definitively why
he did it. Who can understand the
precise motives of another human
being? We’re all, at heart, mysteri-
ous, never to be fully fathomed or
grasped. That said, there was a general
sense among those close to Fred that the
household he grew up in was not a very
nurturing one. His parents died early—
his father when Fred was in high school, his
mother when he was in medical school—
and he and his brother were, according to
friends, estranged as adults, speaking only
on rare occasions. Kyle White, a colorist
and longtime friend, tried again and again
to get Fred to talk about his family, but
he’d always shut the discussion down.
“You ask a lot of questions about my fam-
ily,” he’d say, his way of saying, Don’t.
Moreover, Fred did not manage to create a
family of his own beyond a friend family
and a dog family—three adopted strays,
n his five-decade
career, Manolo Blahnik has designed more than 30,000
individual shoe styles (current starting price: $700). “I’m
72 years old,” the Bath, England–based Canary Islands
native points out. “Not a baby anymore!” Even so, he has
held fast to the passions of his childhood: Greco-Roman
history, museums, movies, and books.
In September, Rizzoli publishes Fleeting Gestures and
Obsessions, a compendium of esoteric, exhilarating conver-
sations between Blahnik and everyone from a Cambridge
classicist and a Prado curator to Pedro Almodóvar and
Sofia Coppola. In the course of these meandering dialogues,
Blahnik marvels at the fragility of Caligula’s pearl-studded san-
dals, fixates on such art-historical minutiae as the toenails in
Velázquez’s Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan, judges the naked
feet of Alain Delon in Purple Noon to be “divine,” and grows
delirious gazing at the original manuscript of Giuseppe
Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, his favorite novel. “My
creativity gets going on this madness,” Blahnik explains.
Nowadays, Blahnik’s niece, Kristina, a former architect,
brings a strategist’s method to the magician’s flights of fan-
PRO DUCE D O N L O CAT I ON BY SA SH A R ICKE R D

Benji, Surya, and Tyler. At the end of his
life, he was without a partner, and I’m sure
loneliness played a huge role in his suicide.
Though even that’s a meaningless observa-
tion, since loneliness likely plays a huge
role in any suicide.
Fred himself may have offered the best
insight into his state of mind. During a
2014 interview, he C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 1 6
cy. Recently anointed C.E.O. of the family-owned firm, Kris-
tina—who says she more or less “grew up in a shoebox”—
reflects, “I don’t feel like I’m running a business. It’s more
like running a fairy tale. Every shoe Uncle Lolo makes—he’s
still the company’s only designer—is a character in a nar-
rative, to whom he’s given the breath of life. His shoes are
the outward expressions of all the layers and layers of in-
timidating, inspiring, spirited, encyclopedic information
packed inside his head.” — A MY FINE COLLINS

270 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com PH OTO GRA PH BY JASON BELL

 Kristina and
Manolo Blahnik,
photographed at
Bibendum’s
Oyster Bar, in
London.

SEPT EM BE R 2 015 VA NIT Y FAI R 271

 Spotlight

The 40-YEAR-OLD
VISION

BY MA RY G R E E N WE LL ; PROD UC E D O N LO C ATI ON BY MA R IE
HA IR P ROD UC TS BY MORO CC A NO IL ; MA K E UP PROD U C TS
BY G IORG I O A R MA N I; HAI R BY O DI LE GI LB E RT; MAK E U P

HU; F OR D E TAI LS , G O TO V F. COM/ C R E D ITS

T
imeless elegance—two words that come to mind when I
think of Giorgio Armani, my old friend, whom I love and
admire. I look at Giorgio’s clothes, at his sense of balance
and proportion, line and shape, color and texture, and I’m
always astonished all over again. It doesn’t matter who’s wearing
them—he makes us all look good. Part of it is because we feel good
wearing his clothes. Like all great designers, Giorgio isn’t thinking of
just outward appearance on a red carpet but also comfort in every-
day life. His designs are all of a piece, and they are quietly detached
from the fads and trivia of the moment. As I said, timeless elegance.
272 VAN IT Y FA IR www.vanityfair.com P H OTOG R APH BY TOM MUNRO · ST Y LED BY JESSICA DIEHL
 Giorgio Armani, at right,
surrounded by his devotees. Seated:
Lauren Hutton, Glenn Close, Sophia Loren,
Isabelle Huppert, and Hilary Swank.
Standing: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Tina
Turner, and Zhang Ziyi. Photographed at the
celebration of the designer’s 40th anniversary
at his Milan headquarters.

ALL CLOTHING
BY GIORGIO ARMANI.

I’ve learned so much from him over the years. Decades of work-
ing together, first on some commercials and a 1990 film portrait of
Giorgio called Made in Milan; then on my 2001 documentary on
Italian cinema, on which he served as executive producer (it’s obvi-
ous from his designs that Giorgio loves the cinema); and most recent-
ly on The Wolf of Wall Street (he designed some of the suits worn by
the film’s title character, played by Leo DiCaprio). And, over those
years, we were lucky enough to get to know each other.
Forty years? It seems like yesterday, my friend. Here’s to you,
Giorgio. — M ARTIN SCORSESE

S EPT E M BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 273

 FOUNDING FATHER
Chelsea Clinton
with former
president Bill
Clinton in 2013.

A Clinton
After growing up in a scandal-rocked White House, angry at her father
shunned the spotlight for close to a decade. But, at 35, she is back at the epicenter
controversy swirls around its funding and her mother’s second
including her disastrous stint at NBC, EVGENIA PERETZ reports on
274 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2 015
to the Core
and fleeing the psychodrama of her parents’ lives, Chelsea Clinton
of Clintonworld, helping to run the family’s $2 billion foundation while
presidential campaign. Charting Chelsea’s metamorphosis,
the path to power of a former—and perhaps future—First Daughter
SEP T E M B E R 2 015 P H OTOG RA P H BY JASON BELL www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 275
S
he didn’t exactly set
the stage on fire, but she was still, it seemed, the
highlight of everyone’s day. In June, in Man-
hattan, 35-year-old Chelsea Clinton, vice-
chair of the Clinton Foundation, looking
understated-chic in a silk blouse, held court
at the United Nations about the global prob-
lem of fathers’ being disengaged from their
children. She used no notes and moved her
gaze back and forth across a room full of rapt
nonprofit leaders and policymakers as she
shared her passion for numbers and data. “We
often say at the foundation that data helps
measure progress, but it also helps drive prog-
ress. And that’s why I think this report [State
of the World’s Fathers] is so tremendously im-
portant.” She rattled off facts about the bene-
fits of engaged fathers and introduced the au-
dience to “Abenomics,” a recent Japanese
theory for stimulating economic growth. In
what has become customary in her public ad-
dresses, she brought the issue around to the
personal, mentioning her then eight-month-
old daughter, Charlotte, and her husband,
37-year-old hedge-fund manager Marc Mez-
vinsky: “I’m so grateful for his dedication, his
support, his love, and the investments that he
makes in our daughter every single day.”
The U.N. speech was no big deal for
Chelsea, mind you. In the past few months
she has accompanied her father and 20
wealthy foundation donors to Africa,
capped off by a Clinton Global Initiative
conference in Marrakech; visited Haiti; and
hit the TV talk shows to tout the founda-
tion’s “No Ceilings” project, an online
report that gathered more than “a million
data points” about the state of girls and
women in the world. With Jimmy Kimmel
she demonstrated not only her impressive
grasp of the issue but also her new breezy
rapport with friendly interviewers.
In addition, she spoke at a June tribute to
276 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
the late fashion great Oscar de la Renta, re-
ferring to him “as my friend and as the man
I would have chosen for my grandfather had
God granted me such a gift.” In 2014 she re-
ceived Glamour’s Woman of the Year award.
During an interview with her following the
ceremony, a beaming Katie Couric conclud-
ed that Chelsea was also, “I think it’s safe to
say, probably a Mom of the Year.”
Gone is the Chelsea who tried to blend
in as just another Stanford-educated grind.
She has fully embraced being a Clinton and
is now deliberately, willfully, on the road
to greatness. She recently admitted that
running for office one day is “absolutely”
a possibility. Like every aspiring political-
office holder, she found time in the busiest
possible moment in life (in her case the first
year of motherhood) to write a book: It’s
Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired &
Get Going! And, most important, two and a
half years ago she put her name alongside
those of her parents at their foundation,
which has raised some $2 billion since its
inception and is now called the Bill, Hillary
& Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
This was no vanity move. Those who
work with her at the foundation attest to her
almost daunting intelligence, her diligence,
and her genuine dedication to the job. But
the question of whether Chelsea can lead re-
mains to be seen, and if ever there were a
moment to show some creative vision, it
would be now. Never before has the Clinton
Foundation come under such scrutiny—for
the donations from foreign governments it
received while Hillary was secretary of state;
for those it continues to receive as she runs for
president; and for the extremely large speak-
ing fees that both Bill (up to $1 million) and
Hillary (up to $500,000) have been collect-
ing from foreign governments, corporations,
colleges, and even small charities. Whether
or not our global policies have been shaped
by who gave what to the Clinton Foundation
is nearly impossible to prove, but neverthe-
less there’s a perception problem, and scru-
tiny of the foundation’s fund-raising practices
will grow only more intense should Hillary
become president.
The problem is now Chelsea’s too. And
yet, despite her vaunted position, she has been
shielded from having to answer. Her spokes-
man, Kamyl Bazbaz, guided Vanity Fair to
sources for this article, but Chelsea declined
to be interviewed. Questions put to the foun-
dation about her position on the fund-raising
issue were redirected. Her television appear-
ances have been strictly in friendly venues. In-
terviews with print media have been limited to
discreet, non-controversial topics, such as her
initiative to stop elephant poaching. Recently,
when ABC News anchor Juju Chang found a
moment to ask her about the fund-raising al-
legations, she did so apologetically (“I would
be remiss if I didn’t ask … ”) and allowed
Chelsea to sidestep the question.
E
xcept among members of right-
wing media, the idea of mak-
ing Chelsea Clinton uncom-
fortable feels wrong. Our
national instinct is to protect
and revere her—to treat her
more like royal progeny than an adult who
has taken on a position of global conse-
quence. The coddling is not simply because
she’s the daughter of two political superstars
who are loved and feared and protected by
their own omertà—although that’s certainly
part of it. It’s also because we witnessed the
public humiliation she went through as a
teenager by virtue of being President Clin-
ton’s daughter, and because, in spite of all
that, she appears to have emerged as a de-
cent, serious young woman. The resilience
was moving. As Anne Hubert, a friend from
Stanford and now a Viacom executive, puts
it, “People are rooting for Chelsea. They
want her to be doing well.”
Our national sympathy for Chelsea is
rooted in our image of her as a kid who ex-
uded natural decency and earnestness. She
was inculcated at an early age with the im-
portance of world engagement. Before she
could read, her parents read to her from
the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. At the age
of five, she wrote a letter to Ronald Reagan
questioning his planned, much-disputed vis-
it to a German military cemetery that con-
tained some Nazi graves. Todd S. Purdum,
who then covered President Clinton for The
New York Times (and is now a Vanity Fair
contributing editor), recalls Bill’s mother,
Virginia Kelley, showing Chelsea’s letter to
him. “Dear President Reagan, I have seen
The Sound of Music. The Nazis don’t look
very nice to me. Please don’t go to their
cemetary [sic].”
Despite the Clintons’ wish for their daugh-
ter to have a normal childhood, their will to
change the world superseded everything.
They sought to prepare her for the ugly reali-
ties that would come with that. As Hillary
revealed in her 1996 book, It Takes a Village,
when Bill was running for his second term as
governor of Arkansas, the family did role-
playing exercises at dinner. Six-year-old Chel-
sea played Bill, and he hurled insults in her
face about what a terrible person he was.
She ended up in tears the first night, but “she
gradually gained mastery over her emotions,”
recalled Hillary. She would need that skill.
When Bill Clinton won the White House in
1992, he requested that Chelsea remain off
limits to the media. Most respected his wish,
but she endured cruel barbs from Rush Lim-
baugh, Saturday Night Live, and John Mc-
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 Cain that targeted her awkward teenage
looks. Throughout, she remained a model of
perfect manners. Purdum recalls a dinner in
1995 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to celebrate
the birthday of one of Hillary’s aides. “Some-
one from the Park Service gave Chelsea a
commemorative Smokey Bear doll, and she
was not going to leave that restaurant until
she got the name and address of the person
to whom she should send a thank-you note,”
he recalls. “She also asked me what she owed
for the pizza.”

B
ut who could ever have imag-
ined a more daunting chal-
lenge to filial steadfastness
than her father’s relationship
with Monica Lewinsky? Ru-
mors about the president’s
affair were brewing at the tail end of 1997,
during Chelsea’s freshman year at Stanford.
An observer recalls that Chelsea’s demeanor
drastically changed—“from that friendly girl
to being shut down and frozen.” After learn-
ing the truth, Chelsea
was “confused and
hurt,” wrote Hillary LITTLE ROCK
in Living History, and THE VOTE
froze her father out Arkansas
governor Bill
for a time. Bill was tor-
Clinton votes,
tured by the effect it with Chelsea,
had on her, and cried then six, in 1986.
when he learned that
she had read the Starr
Report, which included sexual details of his
dalliance. She relied on family friends and
those at Stanford for support. Among them
was her future husband, Marc Mezvinsky,
a popular self-described “nerdy Jewish boy
from Philly.” He, too, understood some-
thing about personal sacrifice for the Clin-
tons’ greater good: His mother, Marjorie
Margolies, had been a congresswoman when
President Clinton’s controversial 1993 tax bill
came up for a vote. The president made a was erect and expressionless; Chelsea was in act of “rebellion,” she chose the least do-
personal plea to her, and she voted yes—go- the middle holding their hands. She was the gooder job possible: management consultant
ing against promises made to her constitu- glue holding the family together and keeping at McKinsey & Company, infamous for ad-
ents and knowing it would likely cause her the higher purpose alive. Her father’s grati- vising corporations to fire large numbers of
to lose her seat. Marc “was always someone tude was boundless. As a longtime Clinton people. When that didn’t satisfy her, she tried
Chelsea really turned to and leaned on,” re- associate puts it, “When you have an affair out Wall Street, getting a job as an analyst at
calls Hubert. with the intern, you end up paying for it for Avenue Capital Group, a hedge fund owned
In the wake of the scandal, Chelsea did the rest of your life.” by Marc Lasry, who is worth $1.9 billion and
exactly what her parents had conditioned The first thing Chelsea wanted to do, un- has been a major financial backer of both
her to do: swallow the pain and soldier on. derstandably, was to get as far away from her President Clinton’s and Hillary’s. Ultimately,
PHOTOGR A PH BY DA NN Y J O HNSTO N /A . P. I M AGE S

“She’s one of the strongest people I know,”
says Elsa Collins, another Stanford friend,
who is married to former N.B.A. player
Jarron Collins. In the summer of that year,
when the world wondered whether Bill and
Hillary were headed for divorce, Chelsea
played a key role in showing they would pull
through. As they crossed the lawn to Marine
One for the cameras, Bill walked with his
head bowed; Hillary, wearing sunglasses,
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
parents’ psychodrama as possible. She “delib-
erately tried to lead a private life,” she recalled
in a 2012 interview with Vogue. She headed to
Oxford, where she earned a master’s degree
in philosophy. When her father first tried to
get her involved in his fledgling foundation,
even in small ways—to put her name on in-
vitations or show up at events—she rebuffed
him, according to foundation sources. After
graduating, in what she has described as an
she left that too, explaining later that “[money]
wasn’t the metric I wanted to judge my life by
in a professional sense.” She went back to
school—this time to get a master’s degree in
public health from Columbia. Unlike most
twentysomethings, she seemed not to be ham-
strung by indecisiveness or self-doubt. “She
never had any real angst about it,” says Elsa
Collins. “I think she wanted to make sure
that she explored all the avenues that were
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 277
 FAMILY FIRST
Hillary Clinton,
Chelsea, Bill,
and Buddy the day of interest to her.”
after he gave a At Columbia, she
televised address impressed Michael
about his
relationship with
Sparer, the head
Monica Lewinsky. of the department,
who made her an
adjunct professor.
“She was extremely available to the students,”
he says, “very unpretentious, very low-key.”
I
n late 2007, when Hillary was prepar-
ing for the primaries, 27-year-old
Chelsea stepped into the national spot-
light, speaking at campuses and town
halls as a surrogate for her mother.
Though she could hold her own on-
stage, those inside Clintonworld were insistent
on protecting her, as if she were still a teenager
in the White House: her mother’s campaign
sent out the message to the press that they
were not to talk to her. Those who defied it
learned there were consequences.
In early 2008, David Shuster, then an
MSNBC reporter, found himself near her at
an event and tried to ask a few questions. He
wasn’t surprised that she declined to speak
with him—that was her prerogative. What
did surprise him was getting warning calls
24 hours later from the campaign telling him
Chelsea was off limits. Shuster recalls say-
ing, “Look, she handled herself just fine. I
278 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
respected her desire not to talk. But what’s
wrong with you guys, feeling like you need
to protect her or beat me up for asking ques-
tions?” The campaign responded that she
was still the daughter of the president, and
that was that.
But soon Shuster would find his job in
peril. A few nights later he engaged in a typi-
cal breezy on-air exchange about Chelsea’s
role in the campaign, and remarked that it
seemed she’d been “pimped out” by the
campaign. It was a terrible choice of words,
to be sure. The campaign called for his head,
making calls to Steve Capus, the head of
NBC News, and to executives at General
Electric (then NBC’s parent company), ac-
cusing Shuster of having called Chelsea a
prostitute. Hillary issued a statement essen-
tially demanding that Shuster be fired, and
the campaign threatened to boycott an up-
coming debate that was to air live on NBC.
Under pressure from his bosses, Shuster
wrote an e-mail apology and sent it to How-
ard Wolfson, Hillary’s communications di-
rector, to pass on to Chelsea. Shuster says he
followed up with a call, in which Wolfson in-
formed him that he had received the apology,
but wouldn’t be forwarding it to Chelsea—no
reason given. (Wolfson says he has no recol-
lection of the call.) NBC suspended Shuster
for two weeks and denied him any future
Clinton stories. It was a warning to journal-
ists: Chelsea needed to be handled with kid
gloves.
More special privileges were in store—cour-
tesy of a father who, some say, was still trying
to make up for his sins. Her 2010 wedding to
Mezvinsky (since graduation he had worked at
Goldman Sachs and then at 3G Capital hedge
fund) took place in upstate New York, in front
of some 400 guests in a ceremony that report-
edly cost $3 million. The next year Mezvinsky,
along with two of his former Goldman Sachs
colleagues, raised $400 million for their own
hedge fund, Eaglevale, with significant invest-
ments coming from several longtime Clinton
friends and supporters, including Lasry, British
investment banker Jacob Rothschild, and Gold-
man Sachs C.E.O. Lloyd Blankfein. According
to a longtime Clinton associate, Mezvinsky
has made the most of the events sponsored
PHOTOGR A PH BY L UKE F RA ZZ A /A F P/ GE T T Y IM AGE S
by the family’s foundation, such as “celeb-
rity poker nights,” which are prime hunting
ground for potential clients. In 2013, Bill and
Hillary helped the couple buy a 5,000-square-
foot apartment for $9.25 million in Manhat-
tan’s Flatiron District, says a Clinton associ-
ate. (Chelsea Clinton’s publicist denies this.)
Under the circumstances it must have been
easy not to care about money, as Chelsea
claims not to. According to Anne Hubert,
Chelsea and Marc’s social circle is “as broad
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
and diverse as New York is a place” in that it
includes people in finance, tech, media, law,
the arts, and global health. Among the bold-
faced names are Burberry designer Christo-
pher Bailey, chef David Chang, and Ivanka
Trump and her husband, New York Observer
owner Jared Kushner. When Hubert is asked if
the couple is friends with anyone poor or un-
employed, she laughs as if the question must
be a joke. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
I
n the view of the family matriarch—
Chelsea’s late grandmother Doro-
thy Rodham, a spitfire from hard-
scrabble beginnings, whom Chelsea
adored—having the last name and
the perks weren’t enough, however.
The family had a “responsibility gene” and
it was time for Chelsea to take a seat at the
table. Chelsea got to work, methodically try-
ing to figure out how to become a public
person with a purpose. She consulted with
Hubert, whose Viacom division is aimed
at millennials, about potential “platforms.”
Chelsea set her sights on two jobs that
seemed totally at odds with what she’d want-
ed fresh out of college: board member of one
of the Clinton Foundation’s initiatives, and
network news correspondent. For the latter
she landed, of all places, at NBC, where she
was hired to do segments for NBC News and
Brian Williams’s new television newsmagazine
show, Rock Center. She would enter this pub-
lic arena armed with personnel: a chief of
staff, an assistant, and an outside P.R. team to
craft her image and manage her social media.
“She’s the most deliberate human being I
know,” says a former colleague at the founda-
tion. “Nothing is by accident”—not surpris-
ing, perhaps, when one recalls her family did
polling about the name of their new dog.
Those tasked with managing her public per-
sona would face an uphill battle in making her
sound less programmed and more authentic.
Her stint at NBC was a disaster, perhaps be-
“BILL HAS NO
ABILITY TO SAY NO
TO CHELSEA,”
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
SAYS AN INSIDER.
cause it ran so contrary to her instincts. “Most
of us were baffled [by the hire], because she
never even spoke to the press,” says an NBC
veteran. “She’d walk by with the imperial
stare, looking forward, and interacted not at
all.” The feeling inside NBC was that she had
been hired to maintain access to and curry fa-
vor with the Clintons. When news broke that
she had been getting paid $600,000—for a
part-time job—NBC staffers were appalled.
Most full-time correspondents were being
paid far less. The big salary was predicated
on the idea that she was already a star, and
according to an insider, she started acting like
one. Colleagues felt they couldn’t communi-
cate with her directly. Instead, they had to go
through her people. And she was hardly pres-
ent in the office. “There was a joke inside the
building that she was the ‘highest-paid ghost’
at NBC,” says a network source. It all might
have been excused had she been any good.
In the span of nearly three years, however,
she filed only a handful of segments—all pain-
fully stiff reports on global do-gooders, plus
an attempted comic interview with the Geico
Gecko. As the insider puts it, “NBC has made
a lot of bad decisions in the last few years, but
hiring Chelsea has to be very near the top.”
G
etting the big title at the
Clinton Foundation was
viewed by many, naturally,
as yet another unearned op-
portunity handed to Chelsea
by virtue of her last name.
But it was also a place where she could
prove her grit. When she arrived, in 2011,
her father’s prayers were answered. It was
a sign, perhaps, that all was forgiven and
that his legacy would be secured through
his daughter. Says a former foundation em-
ployee, “People were very excited to see a
succession plan take hold.” Like all things
involving Bill Clinton, the foundation was
both awe-inspiring and messy. What began
at the end of his presidency as a modest
nonprofit founded in Little Rock, Arkansas,
was now a fund-raising juggernaut, thanks
to the Clintons’ star power and ability to get
heads of state, C.E.O.’s, leaders in philan-
thropy, and rock and movie stars to donate
large sums to his foundation. Today there are
nine initiatives (plus two associated projects)
that target some of the most difficult prob-
lems around the globe. Among its most im-
portant has been providing affordable H.I.V.
drugs to 9.9 million people in Africa.
But its very success created problems. The
foundation grew so quickly it could hardly
contain itself. By the time Chelsea arrived,
there were more than 2,000 employees. There
was no working infrastructure, no endowment
or investment plan. Despite the large sums
coming in, the foundation had reported an
on-paper deficit of $40 million for 2007 and
2008, which Clinton later explained was a
misleading accounting illusion. It was still be-
ing run by Clinton’s chief advisers from the
White House days: Bruce Lindsey (the
C.E.O.) and Ira Magaziner (vice-chair), and
to some it still felt like the White House, with
egos running amok and, according to a for-
mer colleague of Chelsea’s, “regular staffers
who were not in the habit of challenging
them.” There was intense concern about
Doug Band, Clinton’s longtime “body man”
and surrogate son, who’d come up with the
idea for the Clinton Global Initiative (C.G.I.),
the glamorous conference that became the
centerpiece of the foundation. While still run-
ning C.G.I., Band co-founded Teneo, a
corporate-consulting business, which came to
be seen as too intertwined with and reliant on
the president and his connections. The foun-
dation was tarnished by some of the less attrac-
tive characters Band was bringing into its orbit,
such as Raffaello Follieri—the Italian con man
who was then dating Anne Hathaway.
Some control was clearly needed. And
Chelsea started off with a McKinsey-esque
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 279
 Spotlight
bang—by helping to initiate an outside audit.
“It was a very authoritarian action for some-
one who came in at day one,” says the former
foundation employee. “The feeling was: we’re MANHATTAN
being audited—never a good word—because
we’re doing something wrong. We wondered, GOTHIC
Are our jobs at risk? That’s not a comfortable
feeling for many people who’ve been dedicat-
ing their lives to the foundation.” The audit
called for better management and budgeting

P
policies. Lindsey was replaced as C.E.O. by
Chelsea’s pick—Eric Braverman, with whom
she had worked at McKinsey, and Maga-
ziner’s job was greatly reduced. (Braverman
left the foundation in January of this year over
reported power struggles within the organiza-
tion; Donna Shalala, Clinton’s secretary of
health and human services, is now C.E.O.)
Of the 13 financial-advisory firms that applied,
the job of investing the foundation’s money
went to Summit Rock, where Chelsea’s close
friend Nicole Davison Fox is a managing di-
rector. (Her husband works with Mezvinsky.)
It was felt in some quarters that Chelsea, who
hadn’t paid her dues—by, say, spending real
time in Africa, or cutting her teeth at one of
the programs—was coming in and throwing
her weight around. Lindsey and others com-
plained to President Clinton but to no avail.
“He has no ability to say no to her,” says a
source familiar with the shake-ups.

F
or all the grumblings about
nepotism, others believe that
Chelsea is just the enforcer
the foundation needed. Under
her leadership, the various
aul Bettany and Jennifer
Connelly met while acting in 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, for
which Connelly nabbed a best-supporting-actress Oscar.
Now, after 12 years of marriage and three children (includ-
ing Connelly’s son from a previous relationship), they are

YA SUDA ; GRO O MI NG BY KU MI CR A I G; PRO DUCE D O N LO CATI ON BY THE CUSTO M FA M ILY; F OR DE TA ILS, GO TO VF.CO M/C REDI TS
branches, once physically sep- working together again, in Bettany’s directorial debut, Shel-

H A IR P ROD UCTS BY O R IB E ( CON N EL LY ) A N D R & CO . ( B E TTA NY ) ; MA KE U P PRO DUCTS BY L AU RA ME RCI ER; NAI L ENAME L BY DI O R;
arated, were consolidated under one roof, ter, out this fall. Inspired by a homeless couple who lived in

G RO O MI N G P RO DUC TS BY SI S LE Y; H A I R BY RE NATO CA M PO RA ( CO N NE L LY ) ; MA K EUP BY GE NE VI E VE ; MANI C URE BY NAO MI

and systems were put in place for the once
disparate initiatives to communicate more
effectively. The foundation rebuilt the board
and started using data for measuring suc-
cess. “We are now very conscientious about
ensuring that we incorporate data, [that]
we’re measuring, and that we’re actually
making course adjustments based on that,”
says Maura Pally, senior V.P. of programs.
“The ethos that Chelsea has really helped
instill here is that, as you evaluate, if the an-
swer isn’t ‘This is a perfect program’ that’s
not a failure but rather a learning opportuni-
ty.” Around the office, teeming with people
in their 20s and 30s, Chelsea’s mastery of
information spurs people to keep on their
toes. Pally says, “I would spend tons of time
trying to get myself up to speed on certain
things, and Chelsea’s doing so many differ-
ent things and yet would blow me out of the
water with what she had read about some-
where and analyzed and synthesized and spit
back out in a completely compelling, accessible
way.” Julianne Guariglia, who works across
all of the initiatives, C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 1 6
280 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
their Manhattan neighborhood but disappeared at the time
of Hurricane Sandy, Bettany wrote the script—which he later
had vetted by the Coalition for the Homeless—in three
weeks. The film (for which Vanity Fair deputy editor Dana
Brown served as executive producer) stars Connelly and
Anthony Mackie as Hannah and Tahir, a couple from totally
different worlds who bond—and fall in love—on the streets of
New York City. Bettany says he didn’t want to make “an art
film that just takes you to a really dark place and leaves
you there and just says, ‘Isn’t it bad? Aren’t you lucky you’re
not homeless?’ I wanted to write a story that is uplifting—
hard-won, but uplifting.”
Connelly’s Hannah is an affluent woman devastated by
her husband’s death in a terror attack; she abandons her
young child and disappears into drug addiction. “It was a
beautiful and complex role,” she says. “Working with your
partner—that intimacy was a different experience for me
and was really very fulfilling.” Her director and husband
acknowledges that the stakes were high. “She goes to
some deep, dark places that are also really revealing and
involve nudity,” Bettany says. “But I think she trusted me as
her partner, and she knew she could kick the shit out of me
for the next 20 years if I got it wrong.” — KRISTA SMITH
PH OTO GRA PH BY T H E O W E N N E R
ST YL E D BY JESSICA DIEHL
 Paul Bettany and
Jennifer Connelly,
photographed
in New York City’s
Central Park.

BETTANY WEARS
CLOTHING BY
GIEVES & HAWKES;
WATCH BY
PATEK PHILIPPE.
CONNELLY WEARS
CLOTHING BY
LOUIS VUITTON.

S EPT EM BE R 2 015 VA NIT Y FAI R 281

 It Girl

SOCIAL PRINCESS
Gigi Hadid epitomizes the new breed
of supermodel, powered by social media

G
igi Hadid, the 20-year-old international modeling sensa-
tion and daughter of a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, was
born to be in front of the camera. Almost literally. When she
was still in diapers, she scored her first ad campaign, for
Guess Kids. Her mother, Yolanda Foster, a Dutch model and veteran
cast member of Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, put her career on
hold while Hadid attended Malibu High School. But once Gigi gradu-
ated—class of 2013—and calls from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
and Tom Ford started coming in, Foster morphed into a blond-haired,
Kris Jenner–esque momager and began grooming her daughter’s ca-

F O R DE TA IL S , G O TO VF.COM / CRE DI TS

282 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2 015

reer. Forgive the Kardashian reference, but in the tangled web of Bev-
erly Hills family trees, the clans are related: Foster’s current husband,
David Foster, was formerly married to Caitlyn—né Bruce—Jenner’s sec-
ond wife, Linda, who came before Kris Jenner. Does that make Gigi
and Kendall Jenner ex-step-siblings-in-law? “Yes. Wait. I don’t know.
We’re just best friends,” she says with a sigh. Along with Kendall Jenner
and Cara Delevingne, Hadid is part of a new breed of supermodel.
Unlike their 1990s predecessors, who steadily climbed to the top with
years of editorial shoots and runway shows, these girls quickly muscled
their way into the upper echelons with social-media followings blaz-
ing. (Hadid has more than 4.5 million Instagram followers.) “Now it’s
very much a lifestyle, which I know sounds kind of cheesy,” she says
of the blurred lines between hard work and real life. “It’s not a nine-to-
five job. You’re on set for 15 hours and then you go home and make
sure you’re posting the right stuff on social media and then you answer
your e-mails. It never stops.” She means that literally: “Yesterday, I was
approached by a 13-year-old girl in the bathroom at the airport for a
P H OTO G R A P HS BY SEBASTIAN FAENA
ST Y L E D BY J ESSICA DIEHL
selfie.” She took it. Apart from photo shoots and contracts with brands
such as Maybelline, Hadid is focused on two things now: First, she’s on
a one-woman hunt for the best cheeseburger in New York. “In the last
year, I’ve tried to try a new burger every week. Right now, my favorite
is from J.G. Melon.” Her other cause is promoting strength in female
friendships. Or in the language of social media:
@vf.com
#girlsquad. Hadid’s close pals are fellow models To see a backseat
Karlie Kloss and Delevingne, and the ultimate star- C O N V E R SAT I O N
with Hadid, go to
let bestie, Taylor Swift, whose Hyde Park concert VF.COM/SEPT2015.
Hadid stormed arm in arm with Jenner last June.
“It’s really fun that we get to share our friendship on social media. We
support each other and we inspire each other.” Hadid also wants us to
know that despite their millions of followers—not to mention the millions
of dollars each earns annually—her #girlsquad is just like any other.
“It’s hard to get us all in the same room,” she says, “but when we do
we’ll have a cooking night at someone’s house and talk for hours. Then
we all get on a different plane the next day.” — DEREK BL ASBERG
( P H O T O G R A P H S C O N T I N U E OV E R L E A F )
Gigi Hadid,
photographed at
the Plaza hotel in
a Legacy Suite,
in New York City.
HADID WEARS
BRIEFS BY GUCCI.
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 283
 284
VANIT Y FAIR
It Girl

S EPT E MBER
2 015
HAI R P ROD UC TS BY J OHN F R IE DA ; MA K E U P P RODU C TS A ND NA I L
E NA ME L BY D IOR ; HA IR BY H AR RY J OS H; MA K E U P BY FA R A HO MID I;
MAN I C UR E BY HONE Y; F OR D E TA ILS , G O TO V F. CO M/C R E D ITS
Hadid, in
New York City.

HADID WEARS A
SWIMSUIT BY
CHANEL AND SHOES
BY PAUL ANDREW,
AND, OPPOSITE,
A CORSET BY
GIVENCHY BY
RICCARDO TISCI.

SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 285

 Spotlight

BEAUTY and
the BRUSH

‘A
n Oriental calligrapher”
is how Christian Lacroix
describes the artist
David Downton, invoking
the hummingbird hover and dart
of the brush in his hand. Downton is
our dauphin of fashion portraiture,
heir to both René Bouché and
Gruau—and today in a class by
himself. His haiku of line and color,
informed by art history (strokes of
Pablo Picasso, Egon Schiele, Franz
Kline) yet free of ego, play hide-and-
seek with moments in time. “I like
the images to float on the surface
of the paper,” he has said, “as

Iman, drawn
from life at the
Crosby Street Hotel,
in New York City,
July 2012. Opposite,
Dita Von Teese,
captured at the
Elsa Schiaparelli
apartment on the
Place Vendôme,
in Paris,
January 2014.

I MA N W EA R S A
D RES S BY A Z Z E DINE
A L AÏ A . VO N T E E SE
W E A R S C L OT H ING
BY S CH I A PA R EL L I
CO U T U R E.

286 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com P O RTR A I TS BY DAVID DOWNTON S EP T EMB ER 2 015

though they had just ‘happened.’ ”
Most of these moments are spent
with women. Beautiful women.
Apparitions in kinetic transit.
“I began my professional life as
a jobbing, everyday, take-anything-
I-could-get illustrator,” Downton
recalls. “And through that it became
clear what my strengths were. Out of
nowhere I was sent to Paris to
cover the collections, and out of that
I became focused on fashion, and
from fashion on to a kind of fashion
portraiture.” Downton often has
merely an hour or two’s sketching
with his subject, a short time in which
to perceive—to receive—the face in
front of him. Back in his studio, the
conjuring begins, the heavy lifting that
goes into the lightest touch. With the
publication of David Downton:
Portraits of the World’s Most Stylish
Women, these floating moments
are gathered in one place.
The captions, too, are by
Downton, an added delight. His gift
for the swift and surprising detail
is reminiscent of another great British
portraitist and connoisseur of style,
Cecil Beaton.
@vf.com
When asked
To see M O R E
David Downton what his work
illustrations, go to
VF.COM/SEPT2015.
has taught him
about beauty,
Downton replies, “Blank beauty
isn’t beauty after a while. The turn
of the wheel in the gene pool is the
opening play, but for any one of
these women you have to add in
intelligence, humor, dedication, and
work. It’s what you do with beauty
that’s the interesting thing.”
— L AUR A JACOBS
( P O RT R A I T S C O N T I N U E OV E R L E A F )

SEP T E M B E R 2 015 VAN IT Y FAIR 287

 Spotlight

288 VA NI T Y FA I R S EP T EMB ER 2 015

 Joan Collins, drawn
at the Solange
Azagury-Partridge
store in Mayfair,
London, October
2014. Opposite,
Linda Evangelista
poses at the Hotel
George V, in Paris,
July 2004.

COLL I N S W EAR S A
COAT BY N I CH O L AS
OA KW EL L CO U T U R E;
VE I L BY ST EP H EN
JON ES M I L L I N ERY.
EVAN G EL I STA
WE A R S A D R ES S BY
D I O R CO U T U R E;
C ROWN BY ST EP H EN
JON ES F O R D I O R .

www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 289

 Spotlight

290 VAN IT Y FAIR S EP T EMB ER 2 015

 Inès de la Fressange,
depicted at her
office at Roger Vivier,
on Rue du Faubourg
Saint-Honoré, in
Paris, July 2014.
Opposite, Catherine
Deneuve at the
Hôtel Lutetia, in
Paris, April 1999.

D E L A F R ES S AN G E
WE A R S A P UL L OV ER
BY P R ADA; PAN TS BY
STO U L S ; B O OTS
BY RO G ER V I V I ER .
D E N EUV E W EAR S A
JACK ET BY YV ES
S AI N T L AU R EN T.

SEP T E M B E R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 291

 Stella Tennant drawn
from life at home
on Waverly Place in
New York City, 1998.
Opposite, Diane
von Furstenberg
at Claridge’s, in
London, June 2012.

VON FU R ST EN B ERG
WE A R S A D R ES S BY
DVF; E A R R IN G S AN D
N E CK L AC E BY
DVF FOR H. ST ER N .

292 VA NI T Y FA I R S EP T EMB ER 2 015

 Spotlight

Portraits adapted
from David Downton:
Portraits of the
World’s Most Stylish
Women; foreword
by Christian Lacroix;
afterword by Dita
Von Teese; to be
published next month
by Laurence King;
© 2015 by the author.

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 FUNNY PEOPLE
David Cross and Bob
Odenkirk, photographed at
Sunset Hills Country
Club in Thousand Oaks,
California.

CROSS WEARS CLOTHING BY

BOTTEGA VENETA; SHOES
BY COLE HAAN; HAT BY LOCK
& CO. ODENKIRK WEARS
A SHIRT BY BRIONI; PANTS
BY BRUNELLO CUCINELLI;
SHOES BY TOD’S.

Though he’s famous as the amoral lawyer on Breaking Bad and its
has been Mr. Show with Bob and David, the Python-esque
With a new Odenkirk-and-Cross collaboration premiering on Netflix,

294
Mr. Show R
VAN IT Y FA IR P H OTOG RA P HS BY JEFF LIPSKY S E PT EMBE R 2 015
ST Y LED BY G AELLE PAUL; G ROOMING BY CHERY L

PROD UCED ON LOCAT ION BY G AIL SALMO; F OR

MAR K S; PROPS ST Y LED BY NICK TORTOR ICI;

D ETAILS, G O TO VF.COM/ CR ED ITS

hit prequel, Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk’s true gift to comedy
HBO sketch series he created with David Cross in the 90s.
GEORGE GURLEY looks back—and ahead—at the duo’s comic exploits

ides Again SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 295

O
ther than Sunset
Boulevard traffic and Bob Dylan, the only
sound inside Book Soup in West Hollywood
one recent morning is the voice of Bob Oden-
kirk, who is puzzled by the title of a Mark
Twain biography. “I’ve never heard of his
final years described as a ‘grand adventure,’
because he had so much sadness,” Odenkirk
says, before asking a clerk if they have Tragi-
cally I Was an Only Twin: The Complete Peter
Cook. While recently promoting his own hu-
mor collection, A Load of Hooey, Odenkirk
called Cook, the late British satirist, the most
naturally funny man there ever was.
Odenkirk moves on to Steve Martin’s
memoir, Born Standing Up. “I like him a
lot,” he says. “I think he’s one of the greats;
just his delivery is amazing.” When Oden-
kirk was on the writing staff of Saturday
Night Live, from 1987 to 1991—not the best
296 VAN IT Y FA IR
four years of his life—Martin twice hosted the
show. “I didn’t interact with him much, be-
cause I wasn’t a very confident writer there,”
says the man who created the character
“Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker” for Chris
Farley, the greatest S.N.L. sketch of all time,
according to a list of the top 50 that Rolling
Stone put out last year.
Odenkirk notices a book about Monty
Python, who inspired him to go into sketch
comedy, at age 11. In November, he found
himself onstage having a conversation with
John Cleese during Cleese’s book tour.
Odenkirk’s impersonation of Andy Kaufman
reading The Great Gatsby made the Python
legend laugh so hard he was gasping.
“I love your show. I wanted you to know
that,” says a breathless fan, encouraged
when Odenkirk looks up from under a straw
hat and flashes a smile. “Oh, thank you,
buddy, thanks so much,” he says.
“Best show on TV right now. Thank you.”
“Oh, cool. All right, cool, man.” Soon,
he is thanking a woman making her exit and
singing out, “I love your show! Sorry, sorry,
L.A. moment!”
Odenkirk has been having one since 2009,
when he began stealing scenes as Saul Good-
man, the charming, amoral lawyer on Break-
ing Bad. He perked up the dark comedy so
much for the next four seasons that when
it was over creator Vince Gilligan and co–
executive producer Peter Gould co-created
the prequel spin-off Better Call Saul, which
debuted in February and was a hit right out of
the gate—its first episode set the record for the
highest-rated scripted-series premiere in basic-
cable history. In July, Better Call Saul was
nominated for seven Emmys, including one
for best drama series and one for lead actor.
The 52-year-old Odenkirk seems amused
by the attention and possibly by the fact that
when people mention his show now they
don’t mean the HBO sketch-comedy series
he created 20 years ago with David Cross. In
their defense, Mr. Show with Bob and David
didn’t have huge ratings when it aired from
1995 to 1998. It was first on Friday nights,
then Mondays at midnight, and you had to
pay HBO to watch it. If you were a poor col-
lege student, you might have had a friend
who taped it on a VCR or caught an episode
on your parents’ Zenith System 3. When Mr.
Show went off the air, after 30 episodes, video-
tapes continued to circulate, and like a ball of
lint, the cult kept picking up followers. That
number increased with the DVD release, in
2002, and the arrival of YouTube, in 2005, but
except for a short while on the IFC network
in 2011, Mr. Show hasn’t been rebroadcast due
to very costly and complicated rights issues.
Odenkirk and Cross soldiered on through
vicissitudes in the aughts. Cross soared to
greater heights in stand-up comedy, which
he’s been doing since the early 80s, and act-
ing. Of his more than 100 movie and televi-
sion roles, he is best known for his “Tobias
Fünke” character on Arrested Development.
(Its creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, was a big Mr.
Show fan.)
Odenkirk’s directorial debut, 2003’s
Melvin Goes to Dinner, won best picture
at the Phoenix Film Festival, but two less
successful films, Let’s Go to Prison and
The Brothers
Solomon, land-
S E PT EMBER 2 015

ed him in director’s jail. He wrote roughly
10 failed pilots, including a sketch show,
Next!—Fox went with Cedric the Entertain-
er’s instead—and an HBO sitcom (David’s
Situation) starring Cross and Zach Galifi-
anakis. He broke the slump when another
fan of Mr. Show, Breaking Bad’s creator,
Vince Gilligan, offered him Saul Goodman.
In two months, production will begin on
the second season of Better Call Saul. Anoth-
er reason the perpetually upbeat Odenkirk is
in extra good spirits today: two nights ago, he
and Cross had finished taping the last episode
of a new sketch show, called With Bob & Da-
vid, which premieres on Netflix in late fall. He
is “super proud” of the way it turned out. The
news that the comedy duo would be re-uniting
was exciting to a casual fan but much bigger,
a huge gift, to alternative-comedy nerds, the
kind who never miss Marc Maron’s podcast.
A dozen Mr. Show alums have been on Ma-
ron’s WTF, including Odenkirk, Cross, Sarah
Silverman, Jack Black, Mary Lynn Rajskub
(“Chloe” on 24), Tom Kenny (the voice of
Spongebob), Brian Posehn, Paul F. Tomp-
kins, and Scott Aukerman. During an inter-
view with Odenkirk in 2010, Maron told him
that a lot of his listeners see Mr. Show as “the
FO R DETAI LS, GO TO VF.CO M/C REDI TS
starting place of modern comedy … and be-
yond that, there’s nothing. I mean, the impact
that thing had was incredible.”
“I used to go to the Mr. Show tapings
and it was clear that this was our Monty
Python,” says Judd Apatow. “It felt like
the most fertile comedic space I had ever
seen. Every show would blow your mind.”
SEPT EM BE R 2 015
O
From Silly to Surreal he has two children with his wife of almost
n a Monday last spring, I two decades, Naomi—and be on the set to-
find myself on the set of morrow at 6:30 A.M. A week into production,
With Bob & David inside he is already talking about doing another four
a modest house in Eagle or six episodes in a year or two. Or sooner.
Rock, a hipster neighbor- “We could,” Odenkirk says. “We certainly
hood in Northeast Los put this together pretty fast.” The main thing
Angeles where 20-plus people are having is he wants to do more. “It’s just a fun thing to
what appears to be a party. do, and we laugh our asses off.”
“We’re really having a great time, man,” Two weeks earlier, Rolling Stone posted
Odenkirk confirms. “It’s fucking insane. I the “40 Greatest Sketch-Comedy TV Shows
mean, the fact that we got these people to- of All Time” on its Web site. Mr. Show came
gether and then people just started being in third after Monty Python’s Flying Circus
funny the way they were, only some of them and S.N.L. Farther down the list were SCTV,
better because they have more experience.” The Kids in the Hall, The Carol Burnett Show,
He introduces me to everyone at once and Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, and a num-
a few one by one, among them co–executive ber of series heavily influenced by Mr. Show:
producers Mark Rivers, who wrote the Mr. Portlandia, Inside Amy Schumer, Key & Peele,
Show theme song, and Dino Stamatopoulos, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, and Great Job!,
who is responsible for a number of classic Mr. which Odenkirk helped get off the ground.
Show sketches (“The Audition,” “Pre-taped Another of With Bob & David’s producers,
Call-In Show,” “Druggachusettes”). Naomi Odenkirk, is also on set. She manages
They’re shooting a sketch in which Da- her husband’s career and represents younger
vid Cross is playing a version of himself and comedic talent, like Jenna Fischer (The Of-
his imaginary dim-witted, deadbeat brother/ fice), Bobby Moynihan (S.N.L.), and Bill
assistant, whom their mother favors. They Hader, who was discovered while working as
shot the “David” scenes earlier, and since a production assistant on a short film Bob
lunch Cross, in character as “Donnie,” has made in 2003 starring Fred Armisen. Ms.
been rocking what he calls an “American Odenkirk coached Hader before he audi-
loser” ensemble: cheesy, white guy’s version tioned for Lorne Michaels, who quickly hired
of a tie-dye; Jamaican-colored hoodie; camo him on S.N.L., where he thrived for eight sea-
cargo shorts; and hideous “barefoot” sports sons. Kristen Wiig, a client for 12 years, got
shoes. After shooting the rest of the her start as a babysit-
Donnie stuff he’s going to have to ter for the Odenkirks
change his clothes and re-shoot THE SHOW MUST GO ON before becoming an
“I knew early that it was
some of the David stuff. He has S.N.L. cast member
very special—he did too,”
to study lines now. Odenkirk Cross says of his and and movie star.
has to go pick up his son soon— Odenkirk’s partnership. Naomi Yomtov
CROSS WEARS CLOTHING AND
A HAT BY BROOKS BROTHERS;
SHOES BY ESQUIVEL.
ODENKIRK WEARS A SWEATER
BY KITON; SHIRT, PANTS,
AND TIE BY BRIONI; SHOES BY
ALLEN EDMONDS.
297
 booked comedy acts in college and worked
for rock promoter Bill Graham before moving
to L.A. in the early 90s, when the alternative-
comedy scene was crackling. As an assistant
at William Morris, she hit the alternative-
comedy clubs three nights a week. David and
Bob caught her attention right away. She was
a regular at the live shows they were doing
with an eye to getting HBO’s attention.
After watching him perform for nearly
two years, Naomi summoned the nerve to
talk to Bob after a show one night. He asked
for her number, called six weeks later, and in
1997 they got married, six months before the
third season of Mr. Show. In 2001, she spent
$90,000 to self-publish an exhaustive history
(Mr. Show: What Happened?!). Ms. Oden-
kirk loves how Bob and David’s sketches are
packed with ideas, textured, layered, and often
so intricate it’s hard to encapsulate what hap-
pens in them. Structure was always important.
As with Monty Python, Mr. Show sketches
were linked, each scene segueing into the next.
It was as important for them to be smart-
funny as it was to be well built. There would
be a premise or a core idea and then a twist—
from silly to surreal, angry to hilarious, then
maybe another turn into the realm of “meta”
anti-humor, a moment of pathos, and back to
smart-silly. “There was a trust in the audience
that it didn’t need to be boiled down to just
some essentials,” says Naomi. “Instead, there
could be multiple observations.”
Unlike S.N.L., Mr. Show went to great
lengths to avoid the topical and very rarely made
a direct reference to a celebrity or anything else
going on in the mid-90s. “There’s a lot of com-
edy that is anchored in satire or parody of what
is in the news,” says Odenkirk, “but we live in
some in-between region. It’s why so many Mr.
Show sketches are still funny 20 years later.”
Yet many things on the show “came true.” In
2010, the Web site Street Carnage cited a dozen
examples of sketches based on ideas that later
became reality, including baby massages, curs-
ing in TV ads, a man on death row too retard-
“IT WAS CLEAR THAT
[MR. SHOW ] WAS OUR
MONTY PYTHON,”
SAYS JUDD APATOW.
298 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
ed to execute, heavy-metal therapy, heavy-metal-
theme restaurants, and the idea of blowing
up the moon. Season One’s “Ronnie Dobbs”
sketch, about a white-trash petty criminal who
is arrested so many times on a Cops-like show
that he becomes a celebrity and reality-TV
phenom, arguably anticipated much of reality
TV and the current state of fame and celebrity.
The new sketches on With Bob & David
are also packed with ideas, intertwined and
peppered with recurring motifs and themes:
red meat, popcorn, acid indigestion, the
Pope, eyeballs, time travel, skiing, greed, folly,
delusions, the afterlife, the 20th century, and
the digital future. Naomi Odenkirk stresses
that, although the same sensibility will carry
over, With Bob & David is not a Mr. Show
reunion: “They were only really excited about
doing something new. I mean, the compari-
sons will happen, I’m sure.” Bob admits to
some similarities: “In the comedic voice it
will feel very much like Mr. Show—how could
it not? We wrote it and are in it. If we wrote
a narrative film it would feel like Mr. Show.
But structurally it will be more carefree, and
move faster, and not be afraid to have a tonal
moment that isn’t grounded in a joke. In fact,
each episode will start with just such a mo-
ment—inspired by Breaking Bad—which we
never even considered for Mr. Show.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about
what With Bob & David means,” Odenkirk
says, “what kind of comedy it should sug-
gest, and I haven’t come up with much out-
side of silly stuff with a point of view some-
what connected to real shit.”
I
Buddy Comedy
n the foreword to Mr. Show: What
Happened?! Janeane Garofalo tells
the story of how she introduced
Cross and Odenkirk in the early
90s. Cross was visiting Los Angeles
from Boston. He had a hit live sketch
show, “Cross Comedy,” but was getting tired
of being poor, taking part in gross medical
experiments to pay the rent, buying pints of
Schlitz for “all-you-can-eat wings.” One Sun-
day afternoon he asked if Garofalo knew any-
one who might want to shoot hoops. She took
him to meet Bob, who was writing for Chris
Elliott’s Fox sitcom, Get a Life. “Naturally
Bob rebuffed him in his pre-therapy, socially
brusque manner,” Garofalo recalled. “Bob
is a lot nicer now—luckily he was always ex-
tremely witty and well read. Their first meet-
ing was uneventful but fortunately for you they
eventually and enthusiastically fell in love.”
Not long after, Odenkirk and Garofalo
became cast members on Fox’s The Ben
Stiller Show, also a groundbreaking and in-
fluential sketch-comedy show. (Its first
incarnation was on MTV in 1990.) Garofalo
pushed Cross to send writing samples.
“Janeane recommended David Cross,”
says Judd Apatow, who was an executive
producer and co-creator of the show, along
with Stiller. “We heard he was doing hilarious
stuff in Boston, where he was working onstage
with a comedy group and mixing in video ele-
ments in an innovative way.”
T
he future comedy duo didn’t
get along at The Ben Stil-
ler Show. David was carefree
and cocky; Bob was a dick and
fucked with David. (“I’m blunt
and a bit out of touch with
reading people’s feelings sometimes… Rude,”
Bob says. “But people put up with it.”)
“We hired David as a writer in the middle
of our short run,” says Apatow, “and we all
instantly realized how funny he was and that
he clearly should be acting on the show, too.”
But in early 1993 the show was canceled, af-
ter 13 episodes.
“One of the great tragedies of our can-
cellation was that we all were just beginning
to realize what everyone was capable of,”
adds Apatow.
The relationship improved after the show
was canceled. They had mutual friends.
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 Spotlight
Odenkirk was dating Garofalo, so he and
Cross ended up hanging out and really con-
SPYING for SPIELBERG
nected at a party one night. In comedian
Laura Milligan’s cramped kitchen they made Austin Stowell,
each other laugh by riffing a bit about pots photographed on
and pans, which later became a Mr. Show Plymouth Street
sketch. Soon, they were both performing solo in Brooklyn.
at the Diamond Club shows in the back room
STOWELL WEARS
of a nightclub in Hollywood. Along with A COAT BY ETRO;
the musical duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass SUIT BY BALLY;
SHIRT AND TIE BY
(Tenacious D), Bob and David were the ERMENEGILDO
main attractions. They decided to start writ- ZEGNA; HAT BY
WORTH & WORTH;
ing together and create their own act. WATCH BY
The romance, according to Garofalo, HERMÈS.
really began at the Just for Laughs comedy
festival in Montreal: “Due to scheduling they
were forced to share a hotel room, by day
three they were giggling like school girls and
napping in one another’s arms.”
“The Montreal Comedy Fest was the click-
ing thing,” Odenkirk confirms. “In the course
of a few days we did like three sketches togeth-
er in a few different shows. Wildly in sync.” In
the audio commentaries recorded for the Mr.
Show DVD release, Bob and David recount-
ed their Montreal moment: David had been
hired “to write crap for idiots to say on cable
TV” and asked Bob to tag along. One of the
acts, and the head of the festival, was “a fart-
ing idiot,” a French guy who would blow out
candles with his blasts.
Back in their room they wrote a sketch
about a farting comedian who is upstaged—
“outfarted”—by an audience member. (“It
was the hardest we’ve ever laughed.”) Two
years later on Mr. Show, Cross played “Fartin’
Gary,” the premiere “fartist” in the world, who

F
is upstaged by an au-
dience member (Bob). @vf.com
“If I had one thing To see the Mr. Show
STA R S goof around,
I wanted to do that go to VF.COM/
was hard to achieve at SEPT2015. or as long as he can remember, Austin Stowell wanted to pitch for the
ST Y L E D BY J OH N MO OR E ; H A IR P RO DU CTS BY O RI BE ; GRO O MI NG P RO DUC TS BY GI VE NCHY; GROO MI NG

S.N.L., it was to re-write New York Yankees. Growing up, he’d take trips in his father’s Oldsmobile
and develop something, and rehearse it,” Bob from his Connecticut home to 161st Street to see the Bronx Bombers play,
BY L OS I ; P RO DUC ED O N L OCATI O N BY T HE CU STOM FA MI LY; F O R DE TA IL S, GO TO VF.CO M /CR E DI TS

says. “There is so little time at S.N.L. to prep. all the while dreaming of getting up on that mound one day. An avid
We’re comedy writers first and wanted the baseball and football player throughout his life, he suffered an injury dur-
ideas to be executed as best as they could be, ing his junior year in high school that abruptly ended his young athletic career. At the
which takes time.” egging on of his buddies, he auditioned for his school’s production of You Can’t Take It

B
ob had a rough stint as a staff
writer at S.N.L. According to
the book Live From New York,
Lorne Michaels threatened
him during a meeting (saying,
according to Conan O’Brien,
who was also a writer there, “Odenkirk, you
speak again, I’ll break your fucking legs”). In
another incident, according to the book And
Here’s the Kicker, Al Franken was pitching a
new character he’d come up with, Stuart
Smalley, and was telling everyone he was the
man for the part. “Here’s an idea,” Bob an-
nounced. “Why don’t we let one of the actors
do it?” Franken C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 1 8
with You; he was cast in the role of Boris Kolenkhov and instantly fell in love with the stage.
Thirteen years later, the actor has more than half a dozen features under his belt,
including last year’s Oscar-nominated indie hit Whiplash. But 2015 will undoubt-
edly be the breakout year for Stowell, who has signed on for
not one but two Steven Spielberg projects: this month’s new TV @vf.com
To see Stowell’s
show Public Morals—a gritty cop drama set in 1960s New York, Brooklyn P H O T O
created by actor Ed Burns—and, in October, Bridge of Spies, the S H O O T, go to
VF.COM/SEPT2015.
Spielberg-directed Cold War thriller in which Stowell stars along-
side Tom Hanks and Alan Alda. “If Steven called right now, I would get up out of
this chair, get on a plane, and drop everything to be with him,” Stowell says. “Not
because of his legacy but because of the experience that I had with him.”
And the feeling is mutual. Spielberg calls Stowell “an exciting new presence,”
and adds, “His work on Public Morals convinced me he was the right actor to play
Francis Gary Powers in Bridge of Spies.” With that kind of support behind him,
Stowell looks to be headed for the major leagues after all. — A N D RE A CUT TLE R

SEP T E M B E R 2 015 PH OTO GRA PH BY RICHARD PHIBBS 299

 The fashion elite’s latest darling is blond, beautiful—
and seven years old. But Hudson Kroenig is no neophyte: following
in his father’s footsteps, he’s modeled for Chanel since his
awwww-inspiring 2010 catwalk debut. With Karl Lagerfeld as his
godfather, he dines with the likes of Rihanna and Anna Wintour,
or perhaps gets Katy Perry or Gisele as a babysitter.
INGRID SISCHY profiles the couture kid

The BOY
WHO LOVE
300 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 BOY WONDERS
Karl Lagerfeld
(right) with godson
Hudson Kroenig in
Seoul, South
Korea, May 2015.

D CHANEL
SEP T E M B E R 2 015 P H OTOG R AP H BY KARL LAGERFELD www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 301
F
ashion dinners are not
always as glamorous as they sound. You eat
late, if at all, and you can be seated next to
guests who are impossibly heavy furniture. In
February, Fendi threw a New York dinner for
a new store and to toast the company’s cre-
ative director, Karl Lagerfeld (also the long-
time creative director for Chanel). The fash-
ion tribe flocked. The bread kept coming, but
stomachs were rumbling, and the hour got
late. Always one to make the best of any situ-
ation, Lagerfeld concentrated on entertaining
his dinner companions. At least they had lots
to say: the pop star Rihanna, to his left, and
the editor in chief of Vogue and Condé Nast’s
artistic director, Anna Wintour, to his right.
Lagerfeld looked across the table at the
impeccably dressed guest who had been
watching him closely, occasionally making
a funny face at him. The guest then picked
up his dinner knife and made as if he were
going to slit his throat if he didn’t get out of
“I WEAR A SIZE-1 SHOE.
I AM 49 INCHES.
I HAVE BIG PECS, AND
I’M LEAN LIKE DADDY.”
302 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
there soon—a trick he had learned hobnob-
bing with fashion-magazine creative direc-
tors. The camp trick totally cracked up La-
gerfeld and Rihanna because the guest was
seven-year-old Hudson Kroenig.
Hudson describes himself this way: “My
hair is blond. My eyes are brown. My skin
is a little beige-ish, a little gold-ish. I wear a
size-1 shoe. I am 49 inches. I have big pecs,
and I’m lean like Daddy.”
“Hudson is a modern version of Jackie
Coogan, the child actor who starred with
Chaplin in The Kid,” says Lagerfeld, who
should know because Hudson has worked
for the designer since he was two, when he
caused a sensation at the spring 2011 Chanel
ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris. Dressed
in a tiny Chanel three-button suit, he walked
the entire runway of the Grand Palais (394
feet, or 1,188 baby steps), holding hands with
his dad, Brad Kroenig, a fashion model who
has enjoyed a thriving career of unusual lon-
gevity. Hudson’s mom, Nicole, is the daugh-
ter of Nick Bollettieri, the famed tennis
coach of Andre Agassi and the Williams sis-
ters, among many others. Not in the fashion
world, she remembers Hudson’s Paris debut
as suspenseful for her. “At the beginning I
thought Brad was nuts for thinking he could
do it,” she says. “I was in the audience and
my heart was beating so fast.”
B
rad, now 36, is such a fa-
vorite of Lagerfeld’s that the
designer became Hudson’s
godfather, so it’s hardly sur-
prising that modeling has
become an obsession for
Hudson, who himself is fast becoming an
obsession of the fashion community and
beyond. Gisele, the Brazilian supermodel,
and Katy Perry, the singer, are just two who
have unexpectedly served as unpaid baby-
sitters at various fashion events; they found
him such a kick. He has modeled in Chanel
shows in Dallas, Dubai, Edinburgh, Rome,
Salzburg, Seoul, and Paris. He is always
accompanied by his dad on working trips,
while his mom usually stays home with his
brother, three-year-old Jameson. Brad says
with a laugh, “Hudson doesn’t want to
walk down the runway with me anymore,
though. I guess I’m not cool enough.”
New Jersey is where the family lives and
where the two boys go to school. When
Hudson gets home from modeling in
whichever exotic locale, the first question
out of his mouth is “When is the next job?”
And then he starts the countdown. “When
he was younger he’d say, ‘Twenty more
nighty-nights, 19 more nighty-nights, 18
more nighty-nights,’ ” remembers Nicole.
The miracle is that Hudson does not
lord his glamorous, global adventures over
his classmates. In New Jersey he slips right
back into his regular-kid routine at school.
The teachers are aware of “his other life,”
but no one makes a big deal about it. Still,
you can’t deny there are differences be-
tween him and his classmates. For show-
and-tell he was the only one who brought
in magazines with Chanel ads starring
himself alongside pop star Pharrell Wil-
liams and Cara Delevingne, the in-demand
model of the moment, who has more than
15 million Instagram followers, almost
twice as many as Lady Gaga. Delevingne
is Hudson’s favorite model. When I asked
her if he in turn is her No. 1, she gushed,
“Oh God, yes.” She skipped a beat. “In
his age bracket.”
Delevingne says Hudson likes her be-
cause she acts his age. When they have
downtime on a job they wrestle and poke
each other. “Sometimes he’s more profes-
sional than I am,” she says. He can indeed
seem almost a parody of professionalism.
On a recent job in which father and both
sons modeled for Tiffany’s Christmas cam-
paign, Nicole recalls, Hudson said good-
bye to everyone when the shoot was over
as if he were the company’s C.E.O. “It was
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 so nice to work with you,” Hudson told the
team. “I hope to do so again.”
Virtually everyone who has modeled with
Hudson talks about how serious and intui-
tive he is when it comes to the work. But in
the lulls, he can be hilarious. Delevingne
tells an amusing story about him on a Cha-
nel job. “He came up to me and said,
‘You’re fired!’ I acted shocked and said you
wouldn’t say that to Karl. At which point he
marched up to Karl and fired him too!” La-
gerfeld was completely taken aback: “What
do you mean I’m fired?” Brad, who was
there, giggled as he recalled, “No one had
ever said such a thing to him before.”
Hudson first became conscious of the
camera when he was around three or four.
Lagerfeld would take out his cell phone
and point it at him as he struck a “model
pose,” imitating what he’d seen his father
and the other models do. (He doesn’t do
such cartoonish antics anymore.) I asked
him what goes through his mind when he
models. “I pretend no one is watching. I
feel like no one else is there, and I don’t
pay any attention to anyone in the audi-
ence.” That’s basical-
ly what models have
said through the ages FAMILY AFFAIR
about their process. Lagerfeld with Jameson,

I
Brad, and Hudson
asked Dele- Kroenig, and, at rear,
Sebastien Jondeau,
vingne what Lagerfeld’s personal
in her opin- assistant and sometime
ion makes a model.
good model.
Her answer:
“To be able to be animal, to be able to be
exposed, to be able to be truthful, to be able
to be morbid, to be able to be a blank canvas
and transform yourself into what the client
wants.” Hudson can do all that without bat-
ting an eyelash. Delevingne describes him as
Lagerfeld’s mascot. “Karl gives him the free-
dom to explore and use his mind differently
than anyone in the world,” says Brad. Lager-
feld says, “It would be different if he neglect-
ed his schoolwork or didn’t take it seriously.
He does all the regular activities, including
lots of sports. The thing is that he loves to
model, and I think he could have a bigger
PHOTOGR A PH BY M A RI O M AGNA N I /B AUE R- G RI F F I N/ F I LM MAG I C

career than his father. His face is open like a clothes, and I do his hair. We change up- son showed me his closet full of Chanel
window. There is something like sunshine in stairs and then we come back downstairs outfits custom-made for him. He went
it, like [silent-movie star] Mary Pickford when for the show. Mom and Dad wait in the liv- through them one by one, including the
she was just starting out. But he also has a ing room on the couch. We start out in the shoes, citing the themes of the shows that
certain melancholy like what one sees in the bathroom, walk around the living room, they were created for and the countries in
Chaplin films. In a way he is beyond fashion, and go back upstairs, and I choose new which he wore these things. He is too big
but he loves it.” outfits.” His mother says that he doubles for many of them now, but they’re still
On weekend mornings at home in New as the D.J. too, playing music by such fa- arranged neatly in his closet in pride of
Jersey, Hudson often stages private fashion vorites as Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Justin place. He also loves to sketch, something
shows for his mom and dad and any guest Bieber. “And he’ll give his brother a spritz else he learned from Lagerfeld.
who might be visiting. “I put on clothes of cologne as they hit the runway,” says Ni- About how mad Hudson is for model-
from Chanel,” he explains. “And I dress cole, laughing. ing, Lagerfeld says, “It’s better than staring
up my brother, Jameson. I choose his When I visited the family home, Hud- at the Internet all day.” 
SEP T E M B E R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 303
 3
004
0
VA N I T Y FA
in New York City.

A II RR
The cast of Metropolitan—

Chris Eigeman, Will Kempe,

(seated), Taylor Nichols—and

the film’s director, Whit Stillman;
photographed at the Players club
Bryan Leder, Allison Rutledge-Parisi,

Farina, Ellia Thompson, Ed Clements

Isabel Gillies, Dylan Hundley, Carolyn

www.vanityfair.com
www.vanityfair.com
P H OTOG R APH
BY
Spotlight

JONATHAN BECKER
S E PT EMBER
2 015
ST YLED BY ALICIA LOMBARDINI. LEDER’S CLOTHING BY TOMMY HILFIGER; SHOES BY TOD’S. RUTLEDGE-PARISI’S GOWN BY ROSIE ASSOULIN; JEWELRY
BY HARRY WINSTON. EIGEMAN’S CLOTHING BY BRUNELLO CUCINELLI. KEMPE’S C L OT H I N G BY C A R U S O . GILLIES’S GOWN BY ZAC POSEN; JEWELRY
BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS. H U N D L E Y ’ S G OW N BY J . M E N D E L ; J E W E L RY BY CH O PA R D . FA R I N A ’ S G OW N BY O S C A R D E L A R E N TA ; J E W E L RY BY CH O PA R D .
SHOE S BY J OHN LOBB. N ICHOLS ’ S C LOTHI N G BY BU RB E RRY L ON D ON . ST IL LMA N’ S C LOTHI NG BY T UR NBULL & ASSER . HAIR PROD UCTS BY R ENE F URT ER ER .
MAK E U P PROD UC TS BY CHA NE L . G ROOMI N G PRO DU C TS BY SIS LE Y. HAI R , MA KE U P, A ND G ROOMING BY BIRG IT T E. F OR D ETAILS, G O TO VF.COM/ CR ED I TS
THOMPSON’S GOWN BY J. MENDEL; JEWELRY BY H. STERN. CLEMENTS’S TUXEDO BY BL ACK BY VERA WANG; SHIRT AND BOW TIE BY TOMMY HILFIGER;
EAST SIDE STORY
‘O
ne shouldn’t be out at night eating hors d’oeuvres when
one could be home worrying about the less fortunate.”
It is one of the many indelibly sardonic lines from Met-
ropolitan, Whit Stillman’s 1990 debut movie, about an
uptown clique of over-educated and under-employed young Man-
hattanites who slouch around during deb-ball season contemplat-
ing the upperness of the upper crust. Twenty-five years later, in the
era of the 1 Percent and schlock-anthropological dissections of Up-
per East Side folkways, the film feels like anything but a faded cotil-
lion corsage; it’s as crisp as ever. Which is a good thing: this month
Rialto Pictures is re-releasing the enduring favorite, whose fans like
to recite pages of Stillman’s dialogue verbatim.
“People treated it like a documentary, with real people,” says Still-
man, an eternal prepster at 63. But that sprawling ensemble cast in
their gowns and tuxes were, in fact, a talented bunch of young ac-
SEPT EM BE R 2 015
tors channeling the “urban haute bourgeoisie”—or “U.H.B.’s,” in the
movie’s parlance—with razor precision. On the rare occasion of a
cast get-together, they slip right back into the rapport that made the
shoot so successful. “It’s like a family reunion,” says Carolyn Farina,
who played the dewy bookworm Audrey Rouget. Since 1990, they
have all gone forth in the wide world racking up successful careers
in everything from film and television to law, psychiatry, writing, and
even the ministry. It gives Stillman—now directing Love & Friendship,
a movie based on Jane Austen’s Lady Susan—a proud feeling. Met-
ropolitan turns out to have been a “nice finishing school—or starting
school,” he says. “The kids have all turned out nicely.” The kids, most
of whom have kids of their own, return the compliment. “We are so
ridiculously proud to be a part of this film,” says Dylan Hundley, who
played Sally Fowler, the group’s intrepid hostess. “And we’re filled
with tremendous joy that it continues to live on.” — M A R K ROZ ZO
www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 305
 The HOST
Some art-world insiders are betting Dustin Yellin will be bigger than big—
The 40-year-old artist has been courting fame (and charming the famous) with
gallery, think tank, school, science lab, and Factory-esque party zone in

306 VAN IT Y FAIR www.vanityfair.com S E PT EMBER 2 015

 of UTOPIA
like Warhol-meets-Koons big. Which is only Step One of Yellin’s plan.
a purpose: to create a “cultural Utopia” called Pioneer Works, his combination
Brooklyn’s Red Hook. AMY FINE COLLINS finds out where he’s headed next

BODY OF WORK
Dustin Yellin, with
assistants, in his
studio, in Red Hook,
Brooklyn.
BIRG I TTE ; F OR D E TA I LS, G O TO VF. COM/ CR E D I TS
ST Y LE D BY S OR AYA DAYA N I; G ROOMIN G BY

SEPT EM BE R 2 015 P H OTOG R AP H S BY JONATHAN BECKER www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 307

 O n a frigid night last Febru-
ary, the California-and-Colorado-reared Brooklyn artist Dustin Yellin
fidgeted in Row K of Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, next
to his mother, Jackie. The Yellins were such newcomers to Manhat-
tan’s mainstream cultural elite that neither had ever been to a ballet.
Before the all-Balanchine program commenced, principal dancer
Adrian Danchig-Waring stepped in front of the monumental gold cur-
tain and made an announcement. As part of New York City Ballet’s
ongoing Art Series, 15 monolithic, mixed-media sculptures by Dustin
Yellin had been installed on the Promenade level, and after that eve-
ning’s performance, the audience was invited to view the exhibition
and drink free beer. Danchig-Waring added that he had declined
Yellin’s offer to join the company onstage for a dance or two. Yellin, a
compact, bearded redhead, now 40, whispered, “In the old days,
I would have jumped onto the stage, naked!”
Later, on the Promenade, hundreds of balletomanes peered into
Yellin’s limpid slabs of layered, low-iron glass, mesmerized. They
crouched, bent, and took photos in their attempts to decipher the tiny
cutout paper images pasted inside, which, viewed from a slight distance,
coalesced into 3-D human bodies, seemingly floating within transpar-
ent blocks. In the chest cavity of an ethereal being, they could detect
anything from a miniature black-and-white Roman head to an orange
Gulf Oil sign, snipped from books and magazines, to gauzy drifts of
acrylic paint. Dwarfed by his six-foot-eight effigies, Yellin—a hyperkinetic
blur in black jeans, Nikes, spectacles, and mismatched socks—eagerly raphies,” a phalanx of which traveled afterward to the Kennedy
signed programs, answered questions, and handed out copies of In- Center. More went up on Sunset Boulevard in the late summer.
tercourse, the magazine he publishes at Pioneer Works, the nonprofit Longtime Yellin proponent Stacey Bendet, the C.E.O. and creative
inter-disciplinary cultural center that he founded in Red Hook, Brook- director of the clothing company Alice + Olivia, notes, “I learned
lyn, in 2012. “Regular people genuinely adore Dustin’s sculptures,” the a while ago that it’s good to invest in artists who want as badly as
critic and Museum of Modern Art poet laureate Kenneth Goldsmith Dustin does to be famous. Now, all of the sudden, he’s everywhere.
observes. “Now we know what public art can look like. Dustin’s going You might say he’s entered the Establishment.”
to be bigger than the art world. He could become a major pop figure.”

Within days, the 15 Lincoln Center Psychogeographies sculp-
tures were not only sold out, at around $150,000 each (one to
Lincoln Center itself), but also featured on the front page of The
New York Times. Simultaneously, a Sotheby’s lobby exhibition of
Yellin’s apocalyptic, Hieronymus Bosch–inspired, 24,000-pound
Triptych—a super-terrarium containing a blood-spewing fountain,
a cyclopean female serpent, and foaming geodesic domes—led to
its acquisition for $1.7 million. “The asking price!” Yellin marvels.
“My art is food for Pioneer Works. Everything I do is about that
larger mission—my Rizzoli book, my TED talk, the Psychogeog-
308 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
A
“Who Is This Kid?”
s a congenital outsider, Yellin would make an un-
likely member of any ruling caste. “He was the
weirdest kid, a willful loner,” says his mother,
Jackie Yellin, a Hawaii-based entrepreneur whose
real-estate company leases properties to nursing
homes. His father, Ben, who, with his current wife,
operates a chain of Los Angeles martial-arts schools, adds, “Dustin
was always digging through garbage, bringing home rocks and oth-
er oddities, arranging strange junk in his room. He couldn’t have
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 given a damn about school. But he always knew how to make mon- When he returned to Aspen, BLOCK PARTY
Yellin’s installation
ey. When he was a little kid, he went down to Venice Beach with a Yellin found that a girl he knew for the New York
boom box to break-dance. He attracted over a hundred people.” had taken up with an older man, City Ballet’s 2015 Art
(Yellin can be seen some 30 years later break-dancing in Jay Z’s a physicist. Spellbound, Yellin told Series, at Lincoln
2013 “Picasso Baby” video.) the physicist that he wanted to Center’s David H.
Koch Theater,
Yellin recalls, “When I was 11, I smoked pot. My mother said, study with him. “He introduced me in New York City.
‘If you don’t drink or do drugs again until you’re 18, I’ll buy you a to poetry, religion, science. I had no
car.’ ” At 14, he began “hustling Swatch watches,” hiring homeless culture—I had dropped out of As-
PHOTOGR A PH F ROM A N DY RO ME R PH OTOG RA P HY

people to buy up one-per-customer limited-edition timepieces for
resale, a scheme that in two years netted him enough money to buy
an Audi. When Yellin turned 18 (he and his divorced mother had
meanwhile left Los Angeles for Aspen, Colorado), he told her, “I
kept my promise. Now you owe me a car.” But since he already had
one, Jackie gave her son $35,000 instead. “I spent every cent of it
on drugs, sex, and rock ’n’ roll,” Yellin says. He hitchhiked through
New Zealand, Australia, and Thailand, “read Freud, learned about
Warhol, wrote bad poetry, and dropped acid in Bondi Beach while
watching Woodstock.”
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
pen High School,” Yellin says. And he also subjected the wayward
teen to experiments of a dubious nature. “He blindfolded me, put
me on a saltwater bed in a dark room, and injected me with liquid
ketamine”—the anesthetizing drug also known as K. “He told me I
would think I had died. I felt like I had exploded through the uni-
verse—like I had been reduced to a single cell.”
Finally, Jackie intervened. “I told him never to go near my
son again,” she recalls. “But somehow some of the eccentric
things Dustin did rebuilt him psychologically.” Yellin concurs:
“I had seen my whole future. I knew I wanted to make a real so-
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 309
310 VAN IT Y FA IR www.vanityfair.com S E PT EMBER 2 015
 PIONEER SPIRIT
Top, left to right: Yellin at his Red Hook studio;
a detail of his Sensorium; bottles of acrylic paint arrayed
in Yellin’s studio. Center: Yellin gets a hug from
a friend as his mother, Jackie, a real-estate entrepreneur,
looks on, at the second annual Pioneer Works Village Fête,
May 3, 2015; the Village Fête dinner; Yellin and
an assistant work on one of his Psychogeographies.
Bottom: a detail from one of the Psychogeographies;
Yellin’s studio; the exterior of Pioneer Works.

SEPT EM BE R 2 015 www.vanityfair.com VA NIT Y FAI R 311

“I may have found him a little bit annoying back
 cial change. I decided I was going to
URBAN EDEN become the most famous artist in the
Yellin, his dog,
world, because with art you can attract
Townes, and various
assistants movie stars, industrialists, people with
and Pioneer the power, and through them solve the
Works staffers world’s problems.”
gather in the
facility’s garden.
Having found his calling, yet “knowing
nothing and nobody,” Yellin moved to
New York in 1995. With help in the form
of a monthly rent check sent by his mother—“directly to the landlord
so he wouldn’t use it on drugs,” she says—Yellin leased an old stable
in the then desolate perimeters of Chelsea.
Yellin says, “I got lucky, right off the boat. At Spy and at Bow-
ery Bar, I met all the 80s artists, the Lemonheads, Karen Elson.”
He befriended both Shalom Harlow (“I had never seen a model
before”) and Angela Lindvall, whom he eventually dated. Yellin’s
succession of dazzling liaisons has puzzled many of his friends.
(A later girlfriend was Michelle Williams.) “Even I don’t under-
stand why these beauties are attracted to him,” says Jackie.
Before long the Stable became a 1990s meeting place for the
young, the glamorous, the gifted, and the dissolute. On any given
day or night, Julian Schnabel’s daughters, Lola and Stella; model
and future shoe designer Tabitha Simmons; and Marlon Richards,
the son of Keith, might be mingling with art critic and Warhol
protégé Rene Ricard, British model Erin O’Connor, and various
entertainment-industry up-and-comers, including Harmony Ko-
rine and Claire Danes. The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando brought
Liv Tyler, and Zac Posen was welcomed into the fold, along with
model-singer-actress Bijou Phillips. “There was a whole collec-
tive of creative people,” Posen says. “It was Factory-esque.” Tyler
recalls, “There were beautiful young people spread all over, just
lounging, hanging out. I remember at that time thinking, Who is
this kid?! Where did he get this apartment?! What does he do?! I
may have even found him a little bit annoying back then, like ‘Is
this guy for real?’ ”
Yellin also attracted uptown types, including Andrew Kern, then
a Brown student and now an evolutionary geneticist and Pioneer
Works board member. “Dustin had an incredible magnetism,”
Kern remembers. “He stepped into the social scene through his
crazy antics. His place was a clubhouse, almost more for work than
parties. I’d be working on a science project, Dustin on his art. There
was even a rehearsal studio going on in the back. We took it very se-
riously—an amalgamation of different disciplines working together.”
Landscape designer Taylor Drayton Nelson, a member of Kern’s
Brown clique, says, “He always had the magic keys to clubs and res-
taurants. The velvet rope disappeared for Dustin.” Yellin elaborates,
“I met Giuseppe Cipriani when he was starting downtown Cipriani.
He said, ‘Anything this kid makes I’ll put up on my walls.’ When
the restaurant opened, I’d take out a big group to Cipriani and Giu-
seppe would feed us all for free.”
F OR DETA I LS , GO TO V F.CO M/C RE DI TS
Even with his hyperactive social life, Yellin was always obsessively
making art—at that point mostly paintings, collages, and, Nelson
says, “psycho-repetitious drawings of multi-cellular entities.” Posen
adds, “He was probably too prolific—he could have used editing.
But he was open to discussion.” With the avuncular aid of Tony Du-
razzo, an interior designer Yellin had met in 1995, his efforts grew
incrementally more accomplished. On Durazzo’s first visit to the
then,” Liv Tyler says, “like ‘Is this guy for real?’ ”
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
Stable, Rene Ricard cautioned Yellin’s latest acolyte, “Be careful.
Dustin could be a religion.”
Durazzo says, “I knew I was hitching my wagon to the right
person. Whatever Dustin wanted, he got.” Eventually Durazzo
quit his job to work full-time with Yellin and to help pitch in finan-
cially. At first the pair made paintings, “then we got into collages,
and then, to preserve collages, we started brushing resin over the
artwork,” Durazzo says. After three years, Durazzo ran through
all his savings. At a certain point they “were living on $20 a day,”
Durazzo recounts. But before the situation became too dire, Yel-
lin had an artistic breakthrough. Late one afternoon, as he was
cutting up a dictionary and gluing it to canvas, a bee flew into the
picture and got stuck. To seal the collage, Yellin poured resin over
it, submerging the insect. The dead bee, preserved gloriously in-
tact for eternity, as if in amber, redirected Yellin’s visual language
from that turn-of-the-21st-century moment forward.
Yellin and Durazzo figured out that they could permanently
embed objects—dead frogs, spaghetti—in a transparent block by
placing them in a wooden box and pouring resin over them. After
the resin dried, hardened, and was polished with sandpaper, the
objects would appear to be miraculously suspended inside a see-
through matrix. Yellin then pushed the process one step further
by forgoing the implanting of actual things. Instead, exchanging
the wooden containers for Pyrex baking dishes, he delicately drew
with India ink or Wite-Out on successive poured and dried layers
of resin. The resulting transparent box created the tomographic
optical illusion that a fantastical, three-dimensional life-form had
been trapped within it. Yellin had invented a new way of making
“drawings in space,” he says, suggesting “dendrites, molecular
structures, imaginary species.” Durazzo states, “All of a sudden
people wanted to buy them. Artists like Donald Baechler asked
Dustin to do trades.”
Y
et all had not been well in Yellin’s bohemian para-
dise. In 1999, following a period when the denizens
of Yellin’s downtown salon had been reading “a
lot of Fitzgerald,” as one friend recalls, and Yellin
had maybe ingested too many substances, the artist
embarked upon a quixotic mission to rescue Zelda,
who he was convinced was incarcerated, Rapunzel-like, in Central
Park’s Belvedere Castle. After repeatedly beseeching security guards,
Yellin was arrested for trespassing and was locked up in the psych
ward of Roosevelt hospital. “They even took my shoelaces,” he says.
Jackie, who flew in to get him released, says, “Dustin didn’t want
to leave the hospital. He still thought he was in a book.” Yellin, it
turned out, had taped the delusional episode on his camcorder, and
the video lives on as a piece of performance art, called The Crack-
Up. “It is a total psychotic break captured on film,” Kern says.
Then, early in 2000, the 24-year-old Yellin received his first real
publicity—not for his art but for another hospital visit, this time for
a stab wound to his calf accidentally inflicted by Bijou Phillips. Just a
few months later, another Stable-related incident took a far graver
turn. One habitué died of an overdose. “It was a huge tragedy. It
broke up the whole scene,” a former Stable regular says. Kern ob-
serves, “Dustin has had to come out of that shadow. He left New
York for a while and he grew up a lot.”
“Everyone grows up and gets married,” Yellin says today. “So
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 313
 “He is doing all this instinctively, and brilliantly,
I did, too.” He had his first solo gallery show, at the Lower East
Side’s James Fuentes Project Space, and took as his bride “a Cana-
dian girl named Danielle Pittman.” Just before their 2003 wedding,
at his mother’s compound on Kauai, Yellin and Nelson went swim-
ming on an isolated beach, a known shark breeding ground, and,
Nelson remembers, almost drowned getting back to shore. Finally,
winded, quaking, and bleeding, the pair scrambled over perilous
rocks back to the house, with 15 minutes to spare before the cer-
emony. The bride wore Zac Posen; Yellin had bartered a sculpture,
a resin cube in which the artist had inserted a dead mouse, for the
dress. “The marriage lasted eight months,” Yellin says. “She want-
ed to have children. I didn’t. I left her and got back on my feet.”
In the early 2000s, Yellin had an epiphany when Durazzo, a
Carroll Gardens native, took him and some friends on a road
trip to Brooklyn. “We stopped at Defonte’s, in Red Hook, to get
sandwiches, and sat by the water eating,” Durazzo says. Yellin
looked around the neighborhood, which Life once reported to be
a crossroads of crack consumption, and declared that this was
where he was going to live. Kern, who had joined the expedition
that day, remembers, “Dustin had a little money—his art was pro-
gressing. He took a chunk of that money” and, circa 2004,
bought a 2,500-square-foot former garage on Van Brunt Street.
“This was the most disgusting garage you’ve ever seen. I told him
he was nuts,” Kern continues. “Well, of course he turned it into a
really nice place. He has this vision. He sees things in spaces,
people, and the world that others just miss.”
Next, in 2007, Yellin bought with his photographer girlfriend,
Charlotte Kidd, a 15,000-square-foot warehouse on Imlay Street,
in Red Hook. An offbeat, mixed-use complex, the Kidd Yellin
space became part studio, part house, part gallery, and part han-
gar for Yellin’s 1952 Airstream.
Though Kidd Yellin was founded partly as an alternative to the
Chelsea art scene, Yellin held a few one-man shows at Manhattan’s
Robert Miller Gallery. The first, in 2005, sold out; the second, in
2007, was a critical failure. “There is a superhuman aspect to the ac-
tual making of these pieces,” Roberta Smith wrote in The New York
Times, “but extreme skill is no guarantee of profundity… His work
is highbrow kitsch.” Subsequently, Vito Schnabel, Richard Heller,
and other dealers showed his work, but Yellin has now more or less
forsaken galleries. “If any of your parents want to buy anything,”
he informed a group of Chapin schoolgirls touring his studio one
afternoon, “tell them to come directly to Papa.”
Y
Art Utopia
ellin and Kidd broke up, and their space went to
her. But he already had his eye on a bigger prize,
a 25,000-square-foot, three-story, pigeon-infested
Civil War–era ironworks building with 40-foot ceil-
ings, around the corner at 159 Pioneer Street. “I
can remember so clearly the day he told me about
Pioneer Works for the first time,” Liv Tyler recalls. “He was jump-
ing on a giant pogo stick, and he pointed down the street to a huge
abandoned factory and said, ‘Liver’—what he has always called
me—‘you see that building? I’m going to buy it one day and turn it
into an art center.’ And then he went on to describe what it would
be like. And now here we are five years later and he did it. It is real
and it is beautiful and impressive.”
314 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
In 2011, with a loan guaranteed by his mother, sales from his art,
and funds advanced from collectors, Yellin purchased the derelict
brick behemoth and its adjoining garbage-strewn lot for $3.7 mil-
lion. “It was a shithole,” he says. “We had no windows, no floors,
no stairs, no utilities.” And when the comprehensive renovations
were nearly complete, Hurricane Sandy hit and he had to re-start
reconstruction, from the bottom up. Yellin likens the entire under-
taking to Fitzcarraldo, the Werner Herzog film about a madman
who hauled a steamship over a mountain to build an opera house
in the Peruvian jungle.
Yellin established Pioneer Works as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and
assembled boards of directors and advisers, among them entre-
preneurs such as Andres Santo Domingo, who was won over by
his friend’s “persistent innocence,” and artists such as Mickalene
Thomas, who got involved, she says, because “I’ve not met anyone
who thinks that big.” So as not to “confuse my mission,” Yellin set
up his studio in a 15,000-square-foot converted food warehouse two
doors away and rented an apartment close by.
And what exactly is the mission of Yellin’s perpetually mutating
“cultural Utopia”? According to its Web site, the Pioneer Works
Center for Art and Innovation “is dedicated to the creation, syn-
thesis and discussion of art, science and education.” Chanel global
C.E.O. and Yellin collector Maureen Chiquet explains, “Dustin
is breaking the model of siloed education. I’m on the board of
Yale—we’re looking at ways to combine art and science and get
past brick walls. Dustin is doing all this instinctively, and brilliantly,
from scratch.” Chiquet is not the only representative of a blue-chip
corporation paying attention to how Yellin is cross-pollinating dis-
ciplines—so is General Electric. Beth Comstock, president and
C.E.O. of G.E. Business Innovations, says, “I watch incubators in
Silicon Valley and all around the world. Pioneer Works is leading the
way. It’s a great community to keep plugged into. You never know
where innovation is going to happen.”
Bob Colacello, a Pioneer Works advisory-board member and
a Vanity Fair special correspondent, says, “I’m asked if Pioneer
Works is anything like Andy Warhol’s Factory. It’s not. Dustin is
more generous. He has exhibitions and workspace for other art-
ists. He has a radio station, a recording studio, scientists, a photo
lab, a 3-D printer, an education program.” More than 2,000
students of all ages so far have enrolled in short- and long-form
courses, covering everything from lock picking to the works of
Adam Smith. “He has these fabulous Second Sundays,” Cola-
cello continues, “where you can see open studios and live per-
formances. One time there was an all-female mariachi band, with
gorgeous Mexican girls.”
With money from grants, donations, and fund-raisers, Yellin ex-
pects in a few years to generate a total operating budget of around
$5 million per annum. Pioneer Works no longer relies heavily on
income from sales of its founder’s art; Yellin, who lives relatively
modestly, channels much of that revenue back into his studio’s
overhead, rapidly escalating due to the increasing demand for his
output.
Among the dozens of artists who have benefited from a Pioneer
Works residency are the art duo Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly,
who spent several months in 2014 developing their lauded perfor-
mance piece Timelining in a second-floor studio and a third-floor
rehearsal space. “Dustin doesn’t have all the gatekeepers and snob-
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
from scratch,” says the global C.E.O. of Chanel.
biness you usually find in the art world,” Kelly says. Gerard adds,
“He hands you your space and gives you whatever you want. Be-
cause Dustin’s an autodidact, Pioneer Works is almost like an alter-
native school for him. In a way, everyone is there to teach Dustin.
His generosity as an artist is something we’ve never encountered.
Usually artists are competitive.” Yellin’s friend the Pulitzer Prize–
winning author Tom Reiss agrees: “Dustin loves everyone else’s
creative egos. He’s learned the magic formula, which is that if
you’re competing with other creative people you’re just depleting
your energy and destroying yourself.”
As far as the sciences go, board member Matthew Putman, a
former Columbia physics professor and the founder and C.E.O. of
Nanotronics, a microscope and artificial-intelligence company, has
donated to Pioneer Works one of his company’s $250,000 micro-
scopes. In 2014, Putman oversaw resident artist Bruno Levy’s cre-
ation, via the microscope’s technology, of startling digital images of
vitamin-C crystals. Putman, in fact, became so enamored of Pioneer
Works that he situated a Nanotronics research lab across the street,
where a Pioneer Works bookshop has also opened. “A place like
Pioneer Works had been my dream forever,” Putman says. “The dif-
ference between Dustin and me is that I didn’t realize it could actu-
ally happen.”
Meanwhile, Barnard astrophysicist Janna Levin is writing her lat-
est book in a third-floor office, while also coordinating a “Scientific
Controversies” series, in which she pairs thinkers who dispute such
topics as the possible existence of more than one universe. At the end
of the inaugural “Many Worlds” debate, panelists each went home
with a tintype portrait taken by resident artist Robyn Hasty. “We
have a brain trust here—a Beuysian social sculpture!” Yellin says.
Reiss elaborates: “Dustin’s got this incredible carnival going on,
a massive social structure that exactly parallels the art he’s doing.
He’s trying to contain everybody—and everything—in his boxes.”
O
n the Second Sunday in March, more than 400
people filtered into Pioneer Works in spite of the
arctic temperature. (The numbers would spike to
nearly 4,000 by June.) “Build it,” Yellin says, “and
they will fucking come!” Local hipsters and their
children mixed with kids from the local housing
projects, foreign tourists, street-cred-seeking Manhattanites, and
Yellin’s ubiquitous mutt, Townes. On the second floor, the studio of
Korean artist Hyon Gyon bulged with prismatic, textile-encrusted
wall hangings, while that of the Brazilian Henrique Oliveira teemed
with labyrinthine graphite drawings. “Eventually, a Pioneer Works
school of art will come out of here, as in the Hudson River School,”
Pioneer Works advisory-board member Justin Stanwix, an eBay
executive, predicts. In a dimly lit office on the third floor, Levin,
Putman, and futurist Michael Vassar argued, beers in hand, about
whether Ptolemy was any more mistaken than their own contem-
poraries about the classification of planets. “This discussion would
never take place in an academic setting,” Levin says. A few smokers
wandered outside to the half-acre garden, which in due time would
blossom with flowering pear trees, mullein, and sunflowers. (The or-
ganic vegetables also cultivated there will supply the produce for an
upcoming Pioneer Works restaurant.) Indoors, a live band played
on the ground floor, where stragglers could still be found dancing
near midnight.
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
Only some of the activity seeped into Yellin’s studio. There, phi-
lanthropist Joanna Fisher was staking her claim on a rose-tinted Psy-
chogeography for her Hamptons house, while her husband, Brian,
a developer, listened to Yellin’s plea for a Pioneer Works elevator.
Some Yellin sculptures were wrapped in brown paper, ready for re-
moval; one bore the inscription “Lauren Santo Domingo.” From
the sidelines, Yellin’s girlfriend, the French filmmaker-artist Zoé Le
Ber, noted, “Dustin never stops working.” By 2009, Yellin had re-
nounced resin as his main medium—“It was highly toxic and going
to kill me,” he says—and switched to glass. The giant microscope-
slide-like sheets of glass used in the Psychogeographies and The Trip-
tych are still, nonetheless, held together with a resin, which—as it has
the same refractive properties as the glass—preserves the sculptures’
essential transparency.
W
Tomorrow, the World
hen Yellin changed media, Tony Du-
razzo returned to his original profession,
and new assistants now help plot the
topographic-map-style contours nec-
essary to build up the illusion of 3-D
humans, landscapes, and beasts. The
studio, in fact, resembles a morgue or massive operating room,
with unfinished Psychogeographies (a few now sprouting animal
heads) lying prone on worktables, awaiting the careful insertion of
paper collage elements from the section of the atelier called the
“cutting room.” Tiny images, clipped from books and magazines,
are sorted into bins of varying sizes labeled “Black and White,”
“Gemology,” “Animals,” “Symmetry,” “Icebergs.” These bits
of cultural detritus are attached to the glass plates with a simple
Staples glue stick by Yellin and members of his fluctuating team of
about 20 studio deputies. “We’re trapping consciousness,” Yellin
says. “These are maps of our species.”
The still, quiet center of Yellin’s world is located not in his studio
but in his spartan apartment nearby, which he currently uses “only
to sleep,” he says. The walls are lined with paintings by Rene Ri-
card and Benjamin Degen, drawings by Marcel Dzama and Ernesto
Caivano. In an antique glass-fronted bookcase Yellin safeguards his
first editions of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Nabokov, Isherwood, and
Henry Miller. Another shelf holds photo albums, visual diaries of his
life, including full documentation via Polaroid of the young, beauti-
ful, and soon-to-be-famous visitors to the Stable. And arrayed fastidi-
ously on surfaces, or secreted inside a vintage dentist’s cabinet, is a
salmagundi of natural and artificial curiosities, some of which Yellin
has treasured since childhood: a glittery geode, a moldavite chunk
that glows like kryptonite, a geisha’s spiky sex toy, a ghoulish 18th-
century ivory crucifix, a Mesopotamian cylinder seal, a shrunken
head (“probably a fake”).
Several weeks later—after his autobiographical TED talk in Van-
couver, where he fraternized at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel until
one A.M. with Google’s Larry Page and the city’s mayor—Yellin is
back in town, shilling for Pioneer Works. He has donated a diminu-
tive sculpture to the Oceana gala at the Four Seasons restaurant;
just before it is auctioned off for $31,000, he finds his way to Michael
Bloomberg’s table. A supplicant on bended knee, Yellin manages
to extract from one of New York’s richest citizens both his personal
e-mail address and a promise to visit Pioneer Works. “Dustin,”
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 315
 his mother says, “has no secrets and no shame.”
“I’m a manic optimist!” Yellin exclaims at
Sant Ambroeus SoHo, where, by the time
his pasta cacio e pepe is set before him, he
has brokered a deal with the manager for a
“lifetime of free food” in exchange for a col-
laged glass backgammon board. Later, back
at Pioneer Works, he and his cousin and co-
director, Gabriel Florenz, strategize about
goals for their second “Village Fête” fund-
raiser, hosted by Brooklynite power couple
Dr. Fredric Brandt
was asked which
C ON T I N U E D F ROM PAGE 270
historical figure he would most like to be.
You may admire somebody but you don’t
know what inner turmoil they’re experienc-
ing… So I don’t want to take anyone’s life.
Now if I was reincarnated, that’s a different
story. Then I could build my own personal-
ity… I would like to form all the aspects of
myself and not have all the external influences
of growing up.
Chelsea Clinton
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2 8 0 attests to Chel-
sea’s compassion when she talks with victims
and survivors.
W hile the reports about her leadership
are mixed, the more pertinent ques-
tions, as her mother runs for president, con-
cern the foundation’s fund-raising practices,
which have come under intense scrutiny in
the past few months. In 2008, when Hillary
was offered the position of secretary of state,
an agreement was reached between the Clin-
tons and the Obama transition team that
316 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard,
among others, which in a week’s time would
net them more than $800,000.
O n the sunny afternoon of the party, a bevy
of early birds—Alexa Chung, Lauren Santo
Domingo, Sienna Miller, Poppy Delevingne—
sets the tone of the evening by celebrating Dele-
vingne’s 29th birthday outside with Oreos and
Bombay Sapphire gin. Santo Domingo’s hus-
band, Andres, reflects, “People sometimes de-
So, it wasn’t just on his outer self that Fred
wanted a do-over, it was his inner too. His de-
sire, essentially, was to be both Pygmalion and
Galatea, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle,
Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Frankenstein’s mon-
ster. That, of course, is an impossible dream
to realize, and if it were possible, it would
probably turn into a nightmare.
But enough of this talk. It feels wrong to close
the piece hypothesizing about the reasons Fred
might have had for killing himself. That he did
shouldn’t be considered his defining moment,
since it was an anomalous one. His life was, in
all the important ways, a triumph of the comic
principle, and if he succumbed to a tragic im-
pulse, it was only at the very end. Fred didn’t
have it easy: born to uncongenial parents; on the
dweeby-looking side; gay at a time when to be
gay was to be on the margins. These are serious
handicaps, enough to cause most people to hit
the wall or the bottle. But Fred wasn’t just a pure
heart, he was a tough cookie too, and somehow
that combination saw him through. His talent,
C.G.I. would cease accepting new donations
from foreign governments and that the Clin-
ton Foundation would report all donors on
an annual basis. We now know those terms
weren’t honored: for example, the Health
Access Initiative failed to disclose its con-
tributors. Making things murkier, the foun-
dation continued accepting donations from
foreign individuals, their foundations, and
companies, including a member of the Sau-
di royal family and a Ukrainian oligarch—
more than a dozen in total, which added up
to between $34 million and $68 million dur-
ing the years when Hillary was secretary of
state, according to The Wall Street Journal.
After Hillary stepped down, the board,
which includes Chelsea, voted to resume ac-
cepting all foreign- government donations.
(Now that Hillary has announced her candi-
dacy, the foundation has limited the number
of foreign governments from which it will ac-
cept money to six: Australia, Canada, Ger-
many, the Netherlands, Norway, and the
U.K., though all governments can partici-
pate in C.G.I.)
While these donations raise questions
monize artists for being too ambitious.” But
Yellin, he believes, disarms detractors by “want-
ing the arts to be a tool for success for everyone.”
As the speeches, auctions, pig roasts, and
tarot readings roll out according to plan, Yellin
surveys his improbably idealistic, fully function-
ing wonderland. “I’ve done exactly what I set out
to do 20 years ago,” he says. “I look at the world
and know I can change it. I will make more Pio-
neer Works—in Kauai, L.A., Paris, Lagos, San
Francisco, London. We’re just getting started.” 
his courage, his sheer force of will, allowed him
to turn his liabilities into assets, into style, and he
became not only a towering figure in his field
but the final word in chic: he shaped the looks
of so many of those whom we aspire to look like.
And even when it was all gloom and doom
with him, it wasn’t. My first novel came out
a couple of weeks before Fred died, at which
point he’d already fallen down the black hole
of depression. I called Rob while he was at
work, began to dither on about which passage
I should choose for that night’s reading, or the
number of people coming or not coming—
some Nervous Nelly thing.
Suddenly a voice piped up in the background.
It was muffled-sounding, so I couldn’t make out
any of the words. But then Rob said, “Fred told
me to tell you that when they turn your book
into a movie, he wants to play the male lead.”
Once more the voice piped up, and this
time I heard it, clear as a bell. “Or the female
lead!” And then he let loose with that crazy,
beautiful laugh. 
about foreign influence, the Clintons’ lu-
crative speaking careers have raised ques-
tions of simple good taste. Since 2001 the
family has made more than $130 million
in speaking engagements. Bill puts roughly
a tenth of his fees into the foundation; Hil-
lary, somewhat more. More than $11 million
in speaking and appearance engagements
have come from relatively small charities—
the Happy Hearts Foundation, the Boys and
Girls Club of Long Beach, among others—
which have discovered that having a Clinton
in the house comes at a hefty price. Con-
sider the case of model Petra Nemcova’s
Happy Hearts Foundation, which rebuilds
schools hit by natural disasters. Sue Veres
Royal, the former executive director, recalls
trying, at Nemcova’s behest, to book the
president for the annual gala—it took more
than a year. “Petra was told by the founda-
tion that they don’t look at anything unless
there’s money involved,” recalls Royal. The
cost was $500,000 in the form of a donation
to the Clinton Foundation for use in Haiti—a
big chunk of Happy Hearts’ overall net as-
sets of $3.9 million. But in this case the bet
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
didn’t pay off—in part, says Royal, because
“no attempt was made from anyone at the
Clinton Foundation to invite anyone,” and
she was asked to comp Clinton friends, such
as billionaire Marc Lasry, who, according to
Royal, never made a donation. (Lasry de-
clined to comment.)
Fund-raising, Clinton-style, has always
been a seamy subject, and it seems Chel-
sea’s team has tried to keep her out of dirty
waters. When it comes to her speaking
fees—which have spiked to the low six fig-
Taylor Swift
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2 6 1 to Taylor’s moth-
er—attends most of her daughter’s concerts,
and it is her job to venture into the crowd every
night to choose several of the most passion-
ate of Swift’s fans to meet their idol after the
show. When I talk to Andrea, as we sit on a
couch backstage a few hours before Swift’s set
in Hyde Park, I comment on the near-religious
experience these tweens and teens seem to be
having as they wait in line to meet Swift. (I
overheard one teen shriek, after emerging from
meeting Swift, “What did she say to you?” Her
friend responded, “I don’t remember!!!”)
“People ask me if my daughter makes me
cry,” Andrea says to me. “And I say that it’s
when I see other people cry, meeting her, that
makes me cry.”
At the 1989 World Tour stop in Charlotte,
North Carolina, Andrea emerged from back-
stage about 10 minutes before the show was to
begin, and I watched as the fans sitting near the
stage swarmed her, giving her hugs and asking
for selfies. If Taylor Swift is their best friend,
Taylor Swift’s mom is their best friend’s mom,
the mom whom you feel comfortable confiding
in, the parent whose snacks just seem to taste
better than the ones your own parents make.
Last April, in a blog post titled “Just so
you know … ,” Taylor shared with her fans
that Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer.
“I’d like to keep the details of her condition
and treatment plans private, but she wanted
you to know,” Taylor wrote.
When I ask Taylor what her strategies are
for when she’s feeling really low, completely
despondent, about anything in her life, she says
that she usually tries to act as her own shrink
(“As a songwriter, you end up talking to your-
SEP T E M B E R 2 015
ures—she’s taken the high road and arranges
for 100 percent to go to the foundation.
(Neither she nor her father receives a salary
from the foundation.) The larger question
concerns the future: What happens if Hil-
lary wins the presidency? Would the poten-
tial for conflicts of interest simply be too great
for the foundation to sustain itself? According
to foundation spokesman Craig Minassian,
“We’re very focused on what we’re doing
today and implementing the work.” In the
opinion of Fred Wertheimer, a prominent
self a lot”). But then she considers the question
further. “Or I call my mom. My mom is the last
straw. She is the last-ditch effort for me to feel
better because she’s really good at being ratio-
nal and realistic. She’s going to always bring me
back to a place where I’m not so imbalanced.”
Gossip Swirl
S ince Swift seems so well versed in what is
written about her, so aware of the tabloid ob-
sessions and perceived feuds and tailored narra-
tives, and—at this point in her career—so in con-
trol of them, I had the sensation, several times,
of getting to ask an author why she had taken a
certain story line in a particular direction.
Swift recently reconciled with Kanye West,
who—in one of the seminal pop-cultural mo-
ments so far this century—interrupted Swift (as
she was accepting the award for female video of
the year) on the stage of the MTV Video Mu-
sic Awards in 2009, proclaiming that Beyoncé
deserved the award. The following year, at the
same ceremony, Swift performed a song in
which she purported to forgive him, titled “In-
nocent.” The two then kept their distance from
each other for many years, until this past spring,
when Swift and West (with wife Kim Kardashi-
an) were seen chatting at the 2015 Grammy
Awards; the two are now close enough to have
each other’s e-mail address and to go out for
dinner together at the Spotted Pig in New York
City, developments that would have seemed in-
conceivable in the aftermath of the incident.
“I feel like I wasn’t ready to be friends with
him until I felt like he had some sort of respect
for me, and he wasn’t ready to be friends with
me until he had some sort of respect for me—
so it was the same issue, and we both reached
the same place at the same time,” she says. “I
became friends with Jay Z, and I think it was
important, for Jay Z, for Kanye and I to get
along.” She continues, “It started with both
of us really liking Jay and wanting him to be
happy. And then Kanye and I both reached
a place where he would say really nice things
about my music and what I’ve accomplished,
and I could ask him how his kid’s doing.”
Swift leans forward and smiles coyly when
asked if she and West have planned a collabo-
ration, responding she “wouldn’t rule it out.”
She assesses, diplomatically, “We haven’t
activist for government integrity and head
of the watchdog group Democracy 21, “If
Hillary Clinton is elected president, all three
Clintons should cut their ties with the foun-
dation for as long as she’s president.”
It sounds Draconian. Then again, it’s al-
most impossible to imagine Chelsea forgo-
ing the chance to have a major hand in her
mother’s administration. As a source close to
the Clintons points out, “The ultimate foun-
dation is the U.S. government, so why would
you toil with a foundation on the side?” 
planned anything. But, hey, I like him as a per-
son. And that’s a really good, nice first step, a
nice place for us to be.” I tell her that there’s
an animated GIF of her and Kardashian, danc-
ing in the audience at the Brit Awards, that
I really like, and she immediately knows the
one I’m talking about. “I love Kim,” she says.
“She’s the sweetest. She’s just a really sweet,
kind, warm person.”
Swift’s understanding of the gossip cycle
seems so finely tuned at this point that she even
knows to get ahead of other potential story
lines. She tells me that it really bothered her re-
cently when blogs pitted her star-studded video
for “Bad Blood” against Madonna’s for “Bitch
I’m Madonna” (which featured Beyoncé, Miley
Cyrus, and Katy Perry). “I felt so much resent-
ment that they would take two women who
made ambitious music videos and use that as
a qualifying factor to comparing and contrast-
ing them. I hated that because Madonna and I
have gotten along and been fans of each other
and performed together [at the iHeartRadio
Awards in March], and I didn’t want to see
that, and there was nothing I could do, and
there’s nothing she could do, because that’s the
way the world works right now.”
As if to make clear that there is no animos-
ity between them, Swift tells me about the
extremely cordial interactions she had with
Madonna backstage before the iHeartRadio
Awards performance. “She put jewelry on me
before we went onstage. When I went into her
dressing room, I complimented this candle
and this diffuser she had, because her dress-
ing room smelled like a magical woodland
forest. A week later, I get this box in the mail,
and she had sent me the same diffuser, and all
these essential oils, and the exact candle I had
complimented.” She concludes, “Madonna
and I will collaborate again, and then [the me-
dia] will realize there was no weird tension or
competitive factor.”
As for the reported feud between Swift and
Katy Perry—Swift’s “Bad Blood” is rumored
to be about Perry, who allegedly stole Swift’s
touring dancers a few years ago—Swift avoid-
ed the topic. But it is hard for me not to think
about Perry when Swift lands on the subject
of friends she has discarded: “I’ve trusted
people before in friendships or relationships
www.vanityfair.com VAN IT Y FAIR 317
 and have felt betrayed. I judge people based
on their moral code; I think someone is noth-
ing without a moral code. I don’t care if you’re
talented or celebrated or successful or rich or
popular, if you have no moral code. If you will
betray your friend, if you will talk about them
badly behind their back, if you will try to hu-
miliate them or talk down to them, I have no
interest in having a person like that in my life.”
Backstage Class
B ackstage, before the Hyde Park show, I
watch as Swift addresses a group of Lon-
don industry members who have just awarded
her a plaque to commemorate 1989’s success.
She’s wearing a stomach-baring white lace
crop top, a bright-yellow skirt, and full stage
makeup, and her energy level would indicate
she had just downed 17 shots of espresso. She
thanks the assembled group for playing her
music in the U.K., especially initially, when it
wasn’t what they were used to playing.
She individually greets each guest, many
of whom have two or three children in tow,
and manages to find something to say to all of
them that is both authentic and specific (“You
guys are one of those lucky families where
each parent has a mini-me!”). This Taylor—
Mr. Show
C ON T I N U E D F ROM PAGE 29 9blew up and, ac-
cording to legend, either punched Bob in the
face or kicked a chair and injured himself badly
enough he couldn’t perform.
“Al threw a football at me,” Bob says. “He
claimed he thought I’d catch it even though I
wasn’t looking in his direction. I like Al—we’ve
become good friends in the past few years. I
think he’s a character and one of the funniest
and smartest people I know in the world. Over
the years my consideration of S.N.L. and what
Lorne does there has changed immensely. I
wanted that show to be what I wanted it to be,
not what it is. There are limitations and chal-
lenges there that bothered me, and Monty Python
was always my touchstone. Python clearly had
more time to re-write and cut things together in
interesting, offbeat ways, also to shoot a scene
in a live format or filmed, whatever was best for
the idea. I wanted to do Python! So did David.”
The seed for Mr. Show was planted on stages
in L.A. comedy clubs, where the duo caught the
318 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com
Businesswoman-Politician-Entertainer Taylor—
is a very different Taylor from the one I had
gotten to know the day before, the one with
whom I had spent about two full minutes try-
ing to remember the word for the conveyance
they used in ancient Egypt to carry Cleopatra
around. (“Sedan chair” eluded us.)
The previous day, I had asked her if there’s
anyone out there who has a career arc that she
could see herself emulating as she gets older.
Without missing a beat, she named two wom-
en, neither of whom is a musician: Oprah Win-
frey and Angelina Jolie. “If you look at Oprah,
she’s made so many people happy over the
years. She’s made so much money, but she’s
given so much of it away,” Swift had told me.
“Same thing with Angelina Jolie. She’s been so
productive, but she’s used that position to bet-
ter other people’s lives, and I think that’s where
I’d want to be. I want to leave a trail of people
behind me who had gotten better opportunities
or felt better about themselves because of me or
smiled because of me.”
While most music-festival backstage areas
are either nondescript or semi-gross, when I
walk outside Swift’s trailer, it’s as though I’ve
arrived at a Milan runway show. Willowy super-
models—Karlie, Gigi, Cara—run around, weav-
attention of manager and producer Bernie Brill-
stein, who took them into HBO. So with the help
of a handful of friends from the burgeoning
alternative-comedy scene of the 90s, Mr. Show
was born. It debuted at midnight on November
3, 1995. “We were all hanging out every night
anyway,” says Sarah Silverman, who appeared
on Mr. Show numerous times. “So when Bob
and David made this show and used their
friends to write with them and be in it and be
wardrobe, it felt like—even before it was in retro-
spect—like we were a part of a special moment
in time, and I knew I was lucky to be part of it.”
Conan O’Brien, who joined S.N.L.’s writing
staff in 1988, a year after Odenkirk did, remem-
bers thinking that Odenkirk didn’t adapt to the
medium; the medium was finally ready for a guy
who’d been a few years ahead of his time. “Mr.
Show is huge,” O’Brien says when asked about its
historical significance. “I think of modern com-
edy as starting really with Monty Python, [which]
split the atom because they ended a sketch the
minute it stopped being funny and just said, Let’s
start a new one. Now, to me that is to comedy
what fire or stone tools is to civilization. That’s just
a massive leap forward, but there were many leaps
forward. And I think what Mr. Show did at its best
was take the abstract riffs that were making writ-
ers laugh in the room and just put them on TV.”
“For me, Mr. Show always reminded me to
just make yourself laugh—that’s the most impor-
tant thing,” says Bill Hader. “Don’t be pander-
ing. Just do the thing—it might seem weird, the
inside thing that makes you laugh, and some-
times it connects, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
ing between barricades, squealing with laughter,
like cousins at a Thanksgiving dinner. The sun
gleams overhead through the London mist. It
would not shock me, given the scene, if the dirt
underneath our shoes tasted like honey. (Later,
while performing “Style” during the concert,
Swift will bring Kloss, Hadid, and Delevingne
out onstage, along with Kendall Jenner, Martha
Hunt, and Serena Williams.) I think back to our
lunch the day before, when Mario Testino asked
Taylor how old she was. She had said she was
25, and he’d exclaimed, “So young!”
I walk back inside the trailer, and before
the rest of her meet-and-greets are scheduled
to start, I am taken over to say hi to Taylor.
We hug, and she tells me about the rest of her
night after our interview, which she spent with
Emma Watson and Cara and the musician St.
Vincent, Cara’s girlfriend, at Loulou’s. We talk
about the club for a while longer—Swift swing-
ing her hands around as she describes the in-
terior design—and then, instinctively, she looks
up at one of the staffers, asks, “Is my general
next or is media next?,” and then vanishes
behind a curtain to await her first meet-and-
greet. Ever so briefly—behind that curtain, for
the time it takes the two tweens who are first in
line to shimmy through—she is alone. 
“A Bob Angel”
‘T here surely is! Holy shit!,” Bob says
when asked if there is real affection be-
tween him and David. “I think so highly of
him and his mind that it’s hard to put into
words. It feels pretty goddamn special, more
than you want it to be almost.”
“Well, I feel very much the same way,”
Cross says. “I knew early that it was very spe-
cial—he did, too. You know, we’re similar. We
definitely share some similar traits. I think
we both have our ideas of what works and
what doesn’t.” Have their minds and person-
alities rubbed off on each other over the years?
“Oh, absolutely,” Cross says. “I go into
other projects—and I imagine I’ll continue
to do this in my professional career until it’s
over—with almost like a Bob angel on my
shoulder whispering into my ear, you know,
his point of view, and I’m lucky to have that.”
Two days after With Bob & David wraps, Cross
will fly to London to shoot the third season of the
IFC show The Increasingly Poor Decisions of
Todd Margaret. Cross admits to being an Anglo-
phile. “Yeah, in an embarrassing way,” he says. “I
mean it certainly informs a lot of my humor and
music and literature. And my dad and his whole
side of the family were off the boat; they grew
up in Leeds—so I grew up around somewhat of
that, and from a very early age: Python, Peter
Sellers, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, all that.”
The 51-year-old Cross, who spends most of
his time in upstate New York with his wife, Am-
ber Tamblyn, an actress since childhood and a
poet, has lived in several hipster neighborhoods
S EP T EMB ER 2 015
 (Silver Lake, Los Feliz, the East Village, DUMBO)
over the past two decades, and today’s young
aspirants fascinate him: “The irony is that they
feel they’re unique, but all their stuff is derivative
of another era, and it’s a mishmash of stuff, and
then they choose to live amongst themselves.
You’re not unique anymore. I mean, move
to fucking Gary, Indiana, and do that—then
you’re awesome. You can’t move to Williams-
burg because you want to grow a mustache.”
But nothing prepared him for Shoreditch, in
London. “I was doing stand-up over there, and
I was like, Man, I owe Williamsburg an apol-
ogy,” Cross says. “I had no idea. Shoreditch
is like a set dresser with a billion
dollars went in and was like, O.K.,
what can I do to create my own
hipster mecca, in eight square
London blocks? I have photos
on my phone right next to where
I was staying. They had a Pop-art
artisanal-umbrella store: hand-
crafted umbrellas, the finest can-
vas, hand-dyed—like, who gives
a shit? It’s a fucking umbrella.”
Shangy
David is also Shangy Two, Rick Shangwell, an Shingy isn’t a household name and his vid-
oncologist at Sloan Kettering who was working eos haven’t gone viral. Those who have heard
on a non-invasive treatment for prostate cancer of him will feel in on the joke. To anyone who
before realizing that impersonating his younger hasn’t, the pre-tapes and David’s performance
brother was much easier and far more lucra- will be hilarious on their own—while taking the
tive, so he mostly does that now. Bob, sport- air out of new-technology worship, the ridiculous
ing a feathered mullet wig, severely broken pretention of some TED talks, and the pomposi-
nose, and blue squeaking clown shoes, plays ty of anointing yourself the prophet of anything.
the oldest brother (Shangy Three), George, “He speaks with such confidence,” Bob
a dim-witted former roofer with a speech im- says, before impersonating Shangy One. “It’s
pediment from falling off a roof a couple of just like ‘Forget about brands! People want sto-
times and biting his tongue (hence the slurring). ries! Stories are—long or short? Short. The best
Playing his brother is a pretty sweet deal for story is always short. The longest story you
George because all he has to do is say the word ever read is the shortest story you can tell.’ ”
He pauses. “ ‘Think about it: Casa-
blanca. Man. Woman gone. That’s
it! That’s the whole thing!’ ”
David, in costume as Shangy Two,
is getting ready to climb inside a hot-
air balloon and, while aloft, deliver a
crazy word-salad lecture to “Richard
Branson.” When Jason Woliner, the
Human Giant alum who’s directing
the sketch, says “Action!,” the Bran-
son look-alike is crouched in a corner
and looking up at Cross as Shangy
Two, who begins riffing away: “Digital

W hen they first started get-

ting together to write for the
new show, Bob was talking about
tomorrow today, that’s what it’s about,
Richard. See, it’s the digital that takes
us into the now and the here and the
making fun of TED talks, which why and… It’s all bits and bytes,
reminded David of a colorful Richard. You know that, I know that,
character who had recently done and here’s the thing that we all
one in Toronto. He showed Bob know… Digital’s everywhere, it’s tip-
the YouTube clip of the Australian- tap, send it, delete it, re-tweet it, chim-
born David Shing, who is better chim-chereee! Right? Yes, indeed…
known as Shingy, AOL’s “Digital Anyway, it’s about being here and
Prophet.” He appears onstage now in the present but also in the
with long, dark, wildly teased-out past, right? Daylight-savings time,
P HOTO GR A PH BY B O NNI E S CH I F F MA N/ © HBO /E VE RETT CO LLEC TI O N

hair, Skrillex-style glasses, and all
kinds of crazy outfits, and de-
scribes himself to his 15,000 Twit-
ter followers as “by day a creative
inventor of ideas for the future, influenced by
the now. Accidental singer-songwriter by night.”
Since appearing on the scene, he has been
equally praised and derided. Shingy is a bril-
liantly subversive performance artist, or one of
the most ludicrous public figures of the century.
They decided David would take on the role
of a “digital soothsayer” named James Shang-
well, who goes by Shangy, and who has two
brothers who fill in for him when he can’t fit
a personal appearance into his busy schedule.
SHOW ME THE FUNNY
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross
in the mid-90s in a publicity still from
Mr. Show with Bob and David.
“digital” a few times and he’s golden. In a pre-
tape already shot, Shangy Three fills in at a con-
ference in Russia. After being introduced to a
large crowd by Vladimir Putin, he says “digital”
enough times and then takes a sledgehammer to
a watermelon, sending hunks flying at the movers
and shakers sitting up front, much to their delight.
spring forward, fall backward, but
what if it turns out no one’s here—
spring back, fall forward—it makes no
sense except in the digitive world.”
They nail it. They get the shot. The scene
will end up in With Bob & David’s third epi-
sode and last 12 seconds. In another memora-
ble scene filmed that day, the camera tilts down
for four seconds to show Shangy Three moroni-
cally squeezing his blue squeaking clown shoe.
“Oh God, isn’t that great?,” Odenkirk says
later at Book Soup. “Sometimes when I think
about these shows, however much a sketch
is good or bad, it’s those little moments that
make you so happy. Make you so happy.” 

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 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

Mindy
KALING
After eight seasons on The Office and three as the star of The Mindy Project, which
she created, the actress is back with a second book, Why Not Me? Here she
discusses drinking alone, “Irish exits,” and being reincarnated as a young Leo DiCaprio

W hat is your idea of

perfect happiness?
Falling asleep watching
a movie on a sofa because I drank too
much wine at dinner, my head resting
What is your greatest regret? I wish I had
bought my mother a Rolex. What or who
is the greatest love of your life? My moth-
er. When and where were you happiest?
Sunday mornings with my parents when
on the thigh of a loved one, who will I visited from college. Which talent
later explain what happened. What is would you most like to have? I
your greatest fear? Generally? Hurting wish I could accept a compli-
someone’s feelings. Specifically? Being ment. What is your current
kidnapped while on vacation. Which his- state of mind? Happy and
torical figure do you most identify with? anxious. If you could change
Saddam Hussein. Just kidding. Wait, one thing about yourself, what
maybe not. Which living person do you would it be? I’m too susceptible
most admire? Howard Klein. What is the to handsomeness. What do you con-
trait you most deplore in yourself? My sider your greatest achievement? Getting
impatience. What is the trait you most through a dinner party without doing an Irish
deplore in others? People taking them- exit. If you were to die and could choose a
selves seriously. What is your greatest person or thing to come back as, what would
extravagance? The glass of whiskey I it be? Leonardo DiCaprio from 1997 to 2002.
have every night while I lie on the floor What is your most treasured possession? A voice
of my office, counting my enemies. I mail my mother left me. What do you regard as the
guess I am Saddam Hussein. What is lowest depth of misery? Married to a man everyone
your favorite journey? Paddling a raft on the knows is cheating on you. What is your favorite
Blackfoot River. What do you consider the most occupation? Best friend. What is your most marked
overrated virtue? Effortlessness. On what oc- characteristic? Restlessness. What do you most
casion do you lie? When I am looking at baby value in your friends? They want to leave the
pictures. What do you dislike most about party the same time I do. Who is your favor-
your appearance? I wish I had hair as long ite hero of fiction? Harriet the Spy. Who are
and thick as Anthony Kiedis in 1991. Which your heroes in real life? My dad. What is it
living person do you most despise? Not that you most dislike? A lie. Cheapness. When
crazy about men who don’t let girls attend school. people sing “Happy Birthday” too slowly. How would you
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? like to die? Murdered at my most beautiful. What is your
“I’m sorry—what the hell are you talking about?” motto? “Why not me?”

320 VA NI T Y FA I R www.vanityfair.com I L L U ST RAT IO N BY RISKO S EP T EMB ER 2015