FOR THE LOVE OF LINDA
LINDA EVANGELISTA BY STEVEN KLEIN STYLED BY PATTI WILSON LINDA WEARS MIU MIU
V MAGAZINE SPRING PREVIEW 2024
146
FOR THE LOVE OF LINDA
LINDA EVANGELISTA BY STEVEN KLEIN STYLED BY PATTI WILSON LINDA WEARS OCEAN SAVAGE IN COLLABORATION WITH KABUKI
V MAGAZINE SPRING PREVIEW 2024
146
FOR THE LOVE OF LINDA
LINDA EVANGELISTA BY STEVEN KLEIN STYLED BY PATTI WILSON LINDA WEARS DOLCE & GABBANA
V MAGAZINE SPRING PREVIEW 2024
146
FOR THE LOVE OF LINDA
LINDA EVANGELISTA BY STEVEN KLEIN STYLED BY PATTI WILSON LINDA WEARS AZIZ AND TIFFANY & CO.
V MAGAZINE SPRING PREVIEW 2024
146
omegawatches.com
CONSTELLATION COLLECTION
K I KO M I Z U H A R A’ S C H O I C E With its pastel dial and precision technology, our 28 mm Constellation is the perfect choice of watch for a woman who has combined natural talent with steely determination. A successful model, actor and designer, Kiko Mizuhara is a shining light with an abundance of creative energy. A star worthy of a Constellation.
Editor’s Letter Top row: Sketches of Linda in the custom DOLCE & GABBANA bodysuit in black lace with exposed metal boning, lace-encrusted balaclava, and full-body boots, worn on the cover of V146. Images courtesy of DOLCE & GABBANA. Bottom Row: Detail shots from Linda’s fitting of the completed DOLCE & GABBANA look.
It takes a village to produce a good image. For our first issue of 2024, V decided to go all out, bringing together some of our most talented contributors to create something fantastical, transcendent, and larger-than-life good. With powerhouses like stylist Patti Wilson curating a knockout wardrobe of the latest and hottest, make up artist Kabuki going full, untethered Goldfinger on our cover star, hair whisperer Julien d’Ys creating wigs so surreal and inspired we can almost hear Marie Antionette rolling in her grave, and photographer Steven Klein dousing us in the sui generis slick he concocts so expertly, there is no room for anything but greatness. As our cover star, supermodel Linda Evangelista, suavely shapeshifted from frame to frame, those on set were rendered speechless under her spell—some calling it a “once in a lifetime experience.” Looking through the behindthe-scenes photos of V146, the amount of hard work and passion that went into this story is self-evident, and V hope you take a moment to thank yourself, too, because without your readership, none of this would be possible. MR. V 12
V146 THE
WELCOME TO
SPRING PREVIEW 2024 ISSUE
NEW YEAR NEW READ VMAGAZINE.COM
Table of Contents Laser cut suede pieces created on-the-spot by Kabuki, the makeup artist for V146. These small pieces serve as a way to “continue” the lace ensemble designed by OCEAN SAVAGE, images courtesy of Kabuki.
In This Issue: Heroes, 20 V News, 24 Viewing Pleasure, 26 V Girls, 28 VIP,, 32 VIP Culture Shock, 34 Best in Show, 36 V Trends, 38 Karma Chameleon, 42 Opposites Attract, 56 Cinema Taradiso, 74 What V Want, 80 18
Masthead
EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Stephen Gan GEN V Editor-in-Chief / Digital Director Mathias Rosenzweig Senior Contributing Editor Lizzy Goodman Managing Editor Codie Steensma Editor Savannah Sobrevilla Entertainment Editor Greg Krelenstein PHOTO / ART Photo Director Goran Macura Art Director Tobias Holzmann Consulting Creative / Design Greg Foley FASHION Fashion Director Gro Curtis Senior Fashion Editor Xander Ang DIGITAL Digital Managing Editor Kevin Ponce Social Media Manager Jordan Yates Weibo and Chinese Editor Meng Ji Managing Director Todd Kamelhar Financial Office Manager Crystal McGhee Distribution Marketing Manager / Production Jessica Rivera Distribution David Renard Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief Alyson Cox CONTRIBUTORS Steven Klein Patti Wilson Jack Bridgland Guinevere Van Seenus Bruno + Nico Dennis Leupold Marta Del Rio Damien Ropero Juan Veloz Timothy Luke Alex Black ioulex Jeremy Liebman Timothy Schoumberg Katie McCurdy Todd Cole Kirsten Chen Sam Tracy Katherine Maria Rojas Emily McDermott Bailey Bujnosek CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITORS Nicola Formichetti Anastasia Barbieri Patti Wilson Anna Trevelyan George Cortina Amanda Harlech Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele Contributing Editor-at-Large Derek Blasberg Copy and Research Editor Teri Duerr ADVERTISING / FINANCE Magazine International (Advertising Office for Italy and Switzerland) Luciano Bernardini de Pace luciano@bernardini.it Grazia Mortari mortari@bernandini.it Eleni Gatsou Bureau (Advertising Office for France and America) Eleni Gatsou eleni@elenigatsou.com Marie-Loup Faggioli marie-loup@elenigatsou.com PRESS AND EVENTS Purple PR Andrew Lister andrew.lister@purplepr.com Frederique Mundy frederique.mundy@purplepr.com SPECIAL THANKS Steven Klein Studio Christopher McCoy SN37 SN 37 Steven Chaiken, Jesse Kahn, Casey Flanegan Studio Formichetti Tiffany Square Walter Schupfer Management Brent Smith, David Washinsky Atomo Management Marco De Grassi, Mariana Padin Art Department Giselle Keller, Carrie Ferriter Cubarle DNA David Bonnouvrier, Jessica Lilemon The Society Cheri Bowen, George Speros, Liza Barlow Elite NYC Pedja Govedarica IMG Luiz Mattos, Daniel Naval The Lions Ali Kavoussi, Clayd Yila Heroes Johathon Reis Streeters Michael Browning, Lauren Switzer, Nicole Goldberg, Rayna Donatelli, Nicolas Chaponot, Tyler Williamson kabukimagic Chuck Fiorello Exposure NY Stacy Fisher, Meghan Tully E.D.M.A. Ethan Miller, Kesha Miller The Only Agency Mia Weinseider MA+ Group Andy Macdonald, Julia Kazos The Visionaries Yan Javeri Wise & Talented Camille Ferrand L’Atelier NYC Francois Leroy, Malena Holcomb Kalpana NY Leela Veeravalli Plus Three Two Shaun Beyen viewfinders Dana Brockman Pier59 Dust Studios Interns Anna Henderson, Laura Rodrigo, Will Fleming, Liv Vitale, Marli Giedt, Maggie Schut, Fabrice Laguerre, Natalie Cohen, Anastasia Inborn, Brandon Brownstein, Abby Lorenzini, Jack Decker-Stein, Isabelle Clifford, Jeremy Whitaker
Cover 1: Linda wears all clothing MIU MIU Cover 2: Linda wears all clothing OCEAN SAVAGE in collaboration with Kabuki
First and second rows: Mannequin heads holding wig options selected by Julien d’Ys, the hairstylist for V146’s cover story. Bottom rows: Sketches from Kabuki, the makeup artist for V146’s cover story.
Cover 3: Linda wears all clothing DOLCE & GABBANA Jewelry VITALY Cover 4: Linda wears all clothing AZIZ Jewelry Elsa Peretti® for TIFFANY & CO. 19
HEROES There is no such thing as a hero that is not brave. Whether it be through advocating for a reality in which people of all backgrounds can see their likeness celebrated in a magazine editorial or insisting on their art, even when the world wasn’t ready for it, these trailblazers weren’t afraid to ruffle feathers and create lasting change
IVAN BART THE MODELING MAVEN WHO MADE HIS MARK It takes a certain level of humanity to see someone’s truth, and even more to recognize their promise, but to bring someone’s potential to fruition, it takes a dream maker. To many, this is what the late, beloved President of IMG Models, Ivan Bart, embodied. He was a catalytic mentor, an intense force that came into people’s lives and changed them for the better. From the models he took a chance on to the young magazine readers seeing their likeness celebrated on a cover, the 29 years of Bart’s influence at IMG expanded an entire industry’s understanding of beauty. His incomparable eye for talent uncovered a generation of stars that have become household names including the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Karli Kloss, Carolyn Murphy, Ashley Graham, Gisele Bündchen, Tyra Banks, and many more. With his advocacy for Ivan Bart photographed by Guinevere van Seenus. true inclusion throughout every facet of the industry, his tenure at IMG helped propel the careers of names such as Alek Wek—whose visibility Lupita Nyong’o credited with making her feel confident in her own skin—Hari Nef, Precious Lee, Zach Miko, Quannah Chasinghorse and Paloma Elsesser. In Bart’s world, models of all sizes, ages, races, physical abilities, and gender deserved their moment in the spotlight, many of whom we were fortunate enough to feature in the pages of V. As the New York Times put it in their obituary, Bart was “an early champion of diversity and inclusion and a canny marketer with a gift for anticipating shifts in the overall cultural mood.” He was a tastemaking titan and a passionate prosthelytizer, as nothing excited him more than the present state of fashion and how he could contribute to its more inclusive future. In his own radically simple words: “I’m beginning to like the word ‘inclusive’ more than ‘diverse.’ Isn’t that what we’re really trying to achieve? A sense of inclusion? The heart-pounding feeling that we all belong. That we all have a right to be here.” STEPHEN GAN The Ivan Bart Memorial Scholarship Fund will be accepting applicants in 2024. 20
Heroes
Ivan Bart photographed by Todd Cole.
21
Heroes Photography JUAN VELOZ Fashion TIMOTHY LUKE
KIMORA LEE SIMMONS
Kimora Lee Simmons reimagined glamor for a certain kind of girl. Dressing nationwide “baddies” of all ages in velour sweatsuits and staging sensational runway shows, Simmons transformed her passion for the finer things in life into the blinged-out empire known as Baby Phat. Immortalized by Twitter fans as the “Queen of Blasia,” for her mixed Black and Asian roots, her proximity to flashy fashion isn’t meant to stunt on or intimidate her fans. Rather, she strives to serve as a living blueprint for women and people of color who want to be on top, too. The Karl Lagerfield-certified, haute couture model and mogul can’t pinpoint the moment Baby Phat took off, but Simmons talks about her brand like one of her five children. “Baby Kimora wears all clothing FENDI Phat’s older than Mingy, who’s 23. Do you know Earrings and ring ALEXIS BITTAR Bracelets talent’s own when they became a real person?” she riffs. “You wouldn’t know that defining moment as On lips PAT MCGRATH LABS Lust Lip Gloss in Peach Perversion a brand.” Reveling in her self-proclaimed “auntie era,” Simmons jokes about being recognized as Ming Lee’s or Aoki Lee’s mom instead of the BFA-stopping celebrity who was the driving force behind iconic cultural moments that so suavely merged hip-hop and fashion in the 2000s—an image of Cam’ron, the rapper known for the feel-good hit “Hey Ma,” drenched in fuchsia fur and holding a bubblegum pink Baby Phat i833 Motorola at Simmons’s 2003 fall show comes to mind. But she’s come a long way since then. In Baby Phat’s “coming of age” journey—where the company went from filling a niche in womenswear to a full-on household name—Simmons has too many milestones, cosmetic lines, and collaborations to remember. With guides like her selfhelp book, Fabulosity, and fashion-focused reality TV show, Life in the Fab Lane, Simmons has also prioritized bringing people up with her along the way: “I created my brand, I did everything that I could to give people that look like me, the oddball, a voice... to show them how to make something out of nothing.” As generations of Baby Phat-stamped (like, literally tattooed) fans have become bosses in their own right, we have grown to realize the empathetic, layered, but ultimately well-intentioned truth about Kimora Lee Simmons. At her core, she’s unwavering in her frank wisdom about purpose and responsibility: “I’ve always said this in interviews,” Simmons says, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Simmons holds everyone to the same high standards she holds for herself. “I’m very good at maintaining myself and many, many people around me, so the least I expect is that you do that for me,” she says. “Be protective of your energy, your space, your mind, your soul. But, give love where it’s warranted and the first place is with yourself.” As she redirects the photographer during her V shoot, she explains she simply refuses to let anyone take her vision down a notch. “And that’s perceived as being a diva,” she says without apology. Looking back at her younger self—one who was married at 17 to someone twice her age, a girl who was immersed in an opinionated world that deemed her a “material girl” and dedicated countless news pages to speculating on the scope of her designer archives—she muses that she “probably shopped as a way to ease the chaos.” Now, the crocodile Birkin on her glam table is nothing more than a marker, an object representing how she’s “constantly rewarded by advancing in life and going in the right direction.” KIRSTEN CHEN Baby Phat will be dropping limited collections all year in honor of its 25th anniversary. 22
Makeup Ivan Nunez Hair Hachoo Set design Winston Studios
THE OG BADDIE LAYS OUT HER LEGACY
Heroes
CAT POWER
Photography IOULEX Fashion XANDER ANG
Makeup Yumi Mori (Kalpana NY) Hair Kiyonori Sudo (L’Atelier NYC) Stylist assistant Maggie Schutt Location Brooklyn Grain
THE ROCK RACONTEUR REVISITS THE CLASSICS THAT SHAPED HER Winding and weaving her way from one tale to the next, Chan Marshall, the musician better known as Cat Power, is an expert anecdotalist, diverging into tangents with enigmatic ease. A brief mention of the “sad opera music” on the V set unfolds into a discussion of the dismal state of global affairs—bridging the divide between peripheral and not-so-dinner-tablefriendly topics. This has been one of Cat Power’s charms ever since her arrival on the indie music main stage in the mid-’90s. The product of a nomadic upbringing across the ’70s-era Bible Belt, Marshall grew up with her ear pinned to the transistor radio, absorbing the frequencies of funk and disco until stumbling one day across the messiah of songwriting, the Voice of Protest himself, Bob Dylan. “When Bob would come on the radio, it snapped me to attention. I felt like he was singing to me. I felt like he was telling me a secret, something I had to figure out, and I liked that,” says Marshall. “I moved around a lot as a child—13 schools in 10 years. I have a 10th-grade education. I lived with different bands that my father and stepfather were in, and there was always music playing.” Having branched from soulful songwriting to Chanel show soundtracks over her three-decadeslong career, Marshall has punctuated her artistry in the last 11 years with covers of musicians past and present, from vintage Nico and Billie Holiday to modern-day mainstays like Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean. Cat Power continues to energize the old into new as evidenced by her latest release, Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert. Captured at London’s Royal Albert Hall in November 2022, Marshall’s performance recreCat Power wears sweater RALPH LAUREN ates Dylan’s storied set at the venue complete Accessories talent’s own with a live band and audience protests to boot. On eyes MAKEUP BY MARIO The singer-songwriter pays homage to her hero Master Mattes Liquid Eyeliner in Black with a tracklist that is as timely today as it was at its inception in ’66. Much like Dylan, Marshall is no stranger to controversy. Her outspoken attitude has drawn attention from critics and fans alike, but she shrugs it off with indifference. “It’s our responsibility as artists to speak, at any chance we can, the truth of what’s out there,” Marshall says, recounting advice given to her by none other than Patti Smith. “We all get the blues and we all have joy—every single one of us on Earth. Art helps translate that thread that we all share, that humanity.” “I want people to embrace these songs because we’re facing a real fucked-up moment in our history. The election’s coming up and we’ve got to fucking do something right very quickly,” says Marshall. “I want to offer a blanket, something to hold on to with this show. That’s probably why I do what I do—to know that I’m not alone.” SAM TRACY Cat Power will be performing at Carnegie Hall on February 14.
23
V NEWS Ansley wears all clothing MONCLER + RICK OWENS
GO OUT IN STYLE
LOUDER LUXURY
Combining Rick Owens’s dystopian design sensibility with Moncler’s high-tech winter wear, Moncler + Rick Owens is a collection to dress us for the end times. Insulation reaching new proportions stands front and center, set against the backdrop of the esoteric designer’s Sleep Pod, a surprisingly inviting (and available for purchase) soundproof steel chamber for two. Other pieces include a puffy quilted-down scarf and puffier tie-up boots (an arctic homage to the sock sneaker), shield sunglasses, and a cashmere beanie. Apocalypse accessories sold separately.
Calling all streetwear lovers who see showing out as a nonnegotiable. MCM and BAPE® have joined forces for a second capsule collection to celebrate Lunar New Year. This collaboration, honoring the Year of the Dragon, succeeds in serving the playful city slicker. For shark hoodie collectors and new fans alike, the capsule offers a unique take on the iconic collectible, adorned with logomania. BAPE®’s proprietary camouflage also covers some of MCM’s most cherished bag silhouettes, for commuting in anything but quiet luxury.
All clothing and accessories LIL NAS X FOR COACH
24
Blazer MCM Backpack MCM X A BATHING APE Boots talent’s own
Jacket and gloves BALENCIAGA
AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE
APRÈS SKI WITH BALENCIAGA
Coca-Cola, rock ’n’ roll, Lil Nas X. Coach has called on the musical trailblazer as muse and global ambassador to its FW 2023 collection by Stuart Vevers. The musician’s nonconformist attitude is omnipresent throughout with new Iterations of LLDs (little leather dresses), sweatsuits, and corporate suits in equal measure, and patchwork denim jackets and overalls that use repurposed fabrics and textiles as part of Coach’s (Re)Loved program. Redefining contemporary fashion in rave-y sheer dresses, what could be more Americana?
Be it Aspen or the American Dream Mall, Balenciaga now has you covered for hitting the slopes in style. Introducing Balenciaga Skiwear, with a rather effortless RTW lineup consisting of chic thermal layers, water-repellent cargo pants, and puffer coats cut to flatter. Stamped on gear, the namesake logo shines icier than ever. Even non-skiers will find it hard to resist longing for a glossy helmet and poles with “Balenciaga” scrolled across in sans serif type.
V News
Alright stop, collaborate, and listen. These perfect pairings bring together some disparate yet dedicated fashion fanbases to ring the new year in with sartorial splendor
Makeup Allie Smith (MA+ Group) using LANCÔME Hair Erol Karadag (MA+ Group) using ORIBE Model Ansley Guilemi (Heroes) Executive producer Jillian Johnson (Walther Schupfer Management) Photo assistant Daren Thomas Stylist assistants Liv Vitale, Natalie Cohen Location SHIO Studio
Bag LOEWE X SUNA FUJITA Pants LOEWE
All clothing WEEKEND MAX MARA X ARTHUR ARBESSER
MAX MARA AND ARBESSER DO IT BETTER
PAIRS WELL WITH PRANCING
Garments for life’s many stages abound in Phantasie, the SS 2024 Signature collection from Weekend Max Mara and designer Arthur Arbesser. Inspired by his upbringing in Vienna with renowned ballet and opera houses (for which Arbesser also designs costumes), the collection celebrates the city’s simultaneously rigid yet creative persona. Full skirts and dresses in easy, wearable textiles serve as harbingers of the Weekend Max Mara ethos, while nods to utilitarian workwear, sharp silhouettes, and stripes anchor the collection.
Loewe’s SS 2024 pre-collection ushers in a new season, literally and figuratively. Partnering with Kyoto-based ceramic studio Suna Fujita, they’ve given us garments suited for frolicking in Shohei Fujita and Chisato Yamano’s whimsical world. Bamboo sticks and mangrove trees embellish much of the collection marked by the organic and luxurious textiles for which the house is beloved. Classic Loewe bags and shoes have been reimagined in exciting colors and shapes as they are every season, only now accompanied by anthropomorphic mandrakes and smiling pandas. Perfume CHRISTIAN DIOR
Dress and bag GUCCI
AN ENCORE FOR ANCORA
NEW LOOK, NEW SMELL
Gucci is collaborating with its own new creative director, Sabato De Sarno, to debut Ancora. In an unexpected departure from the eccentric Gucci of yore, the collection provides clothes meant to be truly lived in, uniforms for the everyday fashion head. Throughout a life, a clothing wearer takes countless twists and turns in their style direction, similar to the time-honored fashion house. Pseudo-suiting, knitwear, platform loafers, and easy jumpsuits make this new wave feel at once familiar and fresh.
Ahhh, a chance to start anew. Francis Kurkdjian, the nose behind an extensive catalog of bestsellers and an eponymous label of his own, has gifted Dior (and us all) with “New Look.” Amber, an olfactory staple desired for its syrupy sweetness, is struck with jolts of unexpected freshness to the tune of frankincense and aldehydes. Much like the fashion house that is constantly reinventing itself while remaining true to its unwavering codes of timeless self-expression, this “skin scent” plays an exciting new song.
Photography ALEX BLACK Fashion XANDER ANG Text KATHERINE MARIA ROJAS 25
VIEWING PLEASURE AUREL SCHMIDT THE SERIOUS DRAWER WHO LOVES A LITTLE LAUGH Aurel Schmidt used to tell her mom she wanted her ashes scattered “in the planters at the mall in Vancouver” because the Canadian artist loved going into the city so much, she wanted to stay there forever. To the child of “hot parents” from Kamloops, British Columbia, the mall in the big city was the height of culture, a place to rest gleefully among the latest fads. Schmidt’s love of cities has remained strong since moving to New York in 2005 and quickly making a name for herself after selling her first piece in a group art show curated by Tim Barber at Spencer Brownstone Gallery. “You know those giant group shows?” she asks. I nod thinking about the several incohesive and haphazardly strungtogether exhibits I’ve attended for artist friends. Cheap wine and pretending to like American Spirits come to mind. Schmidt was 23 and folding jeans in the stockroom of the designer consignment store INA when she heard that three of her pieces, one of which spelled out BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME using a colony of finely-fuzzed mosquitos, had sold. “When you’re that age, you’re living off of so little that you can basically, like, quit,” she tells me from across her couch. Schmidt did exactly that; she quit her retail job and pursued art full-time. Just a few years later in 2010, her 7-foot-tall minotaur drawing “Master of the Universe/ FlexMaster 3000” was featured in the 75th annual Whitney Biennial. (Like many New Yorkers, FlexMaster 3000’s muscles are made of stardust and cigarettes.) “What I do is kind of what I’ve always done since high school,” Schmidt admits. “See this little skeleton girl,” she points at a work in progress hanging over her drawing desk, which is cluttered with pencils of every shade and several colorful weed baggies to match. “She’s me, and she’s dead. In that portrait, I’m thinking about partying, aging, and death, and what it means to be an artist.” Most of Schmidt’s drawings take about a hundred hours to complete. From a granular perspective, they are deliciously intricate, accounting for every speck of cigarette ash and every serif on curlicued pubes. But a more comprehensive look honors the quotidian junk we anchor our personalities to and use to shape (and cope with) our existence. “They’re small pieces, good for a laugh,” she says, “and maybe you can relate in this kind of sweet, sad way.” As we walk into her main studio—or, as she affectionately calls it, her “junk room,” as it is filled with the found objects she works into her pieces—there are a few drawings taped up on the wall, all of them pristinely detailed. She gestures at one and says, “That’s a portrait of my friend Sicky Sab.” I note that Sicky Sab has pubic hair that appears to be made of real hair. Schmidt explains that though it isn’t Sab’s hair, it is real hair. “She’s pretty punk though, so she probably does have a big bush,” the artist says, laughing. Now 42, Schmidt has been in the art world long enough to expect and be bored by its modus operandi, and in response, insists on playfulness. When she laughs, it feels naughty, as if joining her in a mere giggle is transgressive. “I don’t really give a shit about the art world,” she mumbles with a half smile, shrugging her shoulders, “Fugget about it.” Aurel Schmidt’s book Trash Dolls 2 is available for online purchase. 26
An artist in their studio is quite the intimate setting, which makes it all the more fascinating to capture in a photo. Welcomed by artists and partygoers Aurel Schmidt and Richard Alvarez, we were able to not only get the shot, but we also got some advice, some history, and some weekend recommendations
V MAGAZINE: What room are we in right now? AUREL SCHMIDT: We’re in my junk room where all my junk stuff lives, as well as my garbage collection. V: Tell us about your work. AS: Almost all of it is a self-portrait. It becomes an alchemy where I can channel my feelings, thoughts, fears, and hopes, into another form. I wouldn’t say it’s therapy, because I want to please other people and do it for an audience—I’m performative, so it’s not just for me. At its best, my work transforms something within myself for other people. V: What makes your art possible? AS: Anxiety? V: When you decided to pursue your passion, was there anything that surprised you? AS: How frustrating it is and how hard it can be. It’s like a fight, but ideally, it’s a fight you enjoy. But it can be hard sometimes. V: If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing? AS: If it was an apocalypse situation, I’d probably have to be some kind of prostitute, I’m sure. V: Who should everyone know about? AS: Sexyy Red. V: What singular work of art should everyone experience? AS: If someone could get to see the original Hieronymus Bosch pieces… They’re in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. They have Paradise and Hell. In real life, they’re just spectacular. In the same museum, they also have [Francisco] Goya’s Black Paintings. His Black work, he was just doing it for himself. There are all these crazy dark witch pieces. There’s so much anxiety in them. He was doing them on the walls of his home. V: Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? AS: In your mistakes, you can find new answers and make interesting art from those answers. V: Any New Year’s resolutions? AS: This year I’d like to make more money. I wish I could say something like, “Get a boyfriend,” but that’s not gonna happen. Maybe party less, too. V: What should our readers do this weekend? AS: Probably do some cocaine. Just kidding. They should get a cocktail in a very civilized manner.
Aurel wears all clothing talent’s own
Viewing Pleasure
RICHARD ALVAREZ THE SARTORIALIST SANCTIFYING HIS LATE FRIENDS Watching Paris Is Burning, the award-winning documentary about New York City’s Harlemcentered ballroom scene in the ’80s, Brooklynbased artist Richard Alvarez is among old friends. As a mixed-race queer person from the Bronx who grew up in the era, Alvarez is constantly seeking the florid familiarity of the uptown that shaped him. “There’s a certain language, a certain rhythm that we spoke in the street. It’s always soothing and comforting for me to hear,” he adds in his warm and gentle voice. For queer people of color, it was a massively influential time—while absurdist club kids were peaking on ecstasy at the Limelight, JeanMichel Basquiat’s career was also hitting a high, as was the number of lives claimed by the AIDS epidemic. It was a decade that dazzled just as much as it devastated. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” says Alvarez, “And then it ended.” It was while rewatching Jennie Livingston’s documentary several years ago that Alvarez felt the sense of purpose and drive click within the context of this golden but blood-stained epoch. On the screen, he heard the voices of his friends, ballroom icons Venus Xtravaganza and Octavia Saint Laurent, relaying a certain kind of global ambition. “I heard their voices talk to me and say, ‘I wanna be famous. I want people to know who I am,’” he remembers. At the time, after years of working alongside Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field by day and partying by night, he was volunteering at the Positive Health Project, a public service program supporting trans and queer people living with HIV/AIDS. “I’ve always had this deep conviction of helping and wanting to be helpful. When I heard Venus and Saint Laurent”—the former was found strangled on Christmas Day in 1988 (her murder, Alvarez suspects, was never properly investigated) and the latter passed away in 2009 after a long battle with HIV and cancer—“I thought, ‘How can I make them famous?’” After experimenting with mirrors, Jesus, disco, and, ultimately, glitter, Alvarez decided to memorialize his friends the way he remembers them: heavenly. Iconography has always been a part of Alvarez’s surroundings. He was raised in a Yoruba Santeria-practicing household, where figurines and colorful depictions of the faith’s several deities were abundant, and exposed to Catholicism by a Mexican babysitter. He jokes that the Catholic church is “iconic” and that, trauma aside, its glamor is not lost on him. While planning out how to make his friends’ dreams come true posthumously, it only felt natural to Alvarez to take the route of canonization, recreating them in the image of saints. “I’m not here to say what anyone defines as being famous, but for me, the ultimate fame is being worshiped. To hold a pure space full of light,” he says looking around his studio, surrounded by exquisite glittering portraits of Venus, Saint Laurent, and several other Black, brown, and trans icons from the past. Giddy with drama, he lets me in on this fact: “You can’t harm a saint because they’re part of a protected class.” Now no one can touch Venus Xtravaganza or Octavia Saint Laurent without getting on their knees first.
Stylist assistant Brandon Brownstein
Keep up with Richard Alvarez at richardalvarezart.com.
Photography JEREMY LIEBMAN Text SAVANNAH SOBREVILLA
Richard wears blouse and pants EMPORIO ARMANI Shirt and glasses talent’s own
V MAGAZINE: What room are we in right now? RICHARD ALVAREZ: We are in one of my workrooms, but I work every mothafucking room I walk into. V: Tell us about your work. RA: They are glitter portraits that you have to dance to get into and experience the feelings that these people convey. V: What makes your art possible? RA: Struggle, joy, disco, Grace Jones, Donna Summer, a good beat. V: When you decided to pursue your passion, was there anything that surprised you? RA: How effortless it can be when I come from my heart. I don’t have to think, I just have to keep my antenna up. V: If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing? RA: I’d be in Africa helping people. In South America helping people. V: Who should everyone know about? RA: Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King’s speech writer, who got chopped because he was gay. V: What singular work of art should everyone experience? RA: I think Basquiat is the one artist who really needs to be seen. It’s so many things, but the one thing it is, is a person of color pushing the boundaries and throwing in the colonizer’s face all of the tools of the colonizer. We need to become more political. We need to become more astute about what’s going on. V: Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? RA: Do what makes you happy. I’ve always done that. I worked with Patricia Field. I worked with Andre Balazs. I worked with people from whom I could learn, but also have fun. Life is so short, and I’m fortunate enough to still be here, so I wanna dance and I wanna make a mess. I want to make mistakes and learn from my mistakes. V: Any New Year’s resolutions? RA: I hate New Year’s resolutions, but to dance more, to say “yes” more, to be available more, to smile more, to give more love, to receive more love. V: What should our readers do this weekend? RA: They should get dressed up, they should have a cocktail, they should go dance their asses off and party like there’s no tomorrow. Kiss a stranger and feel someone’s butt. Everything that you shouldn’t do, you should do—so long as it’s not harmful. Make yourself available because you never know what the cosmos are going to bring you. 27
V GIRLS
Calling on L.A.’s baddest and brightest, V couldn’t be more excited to present these trafficstopping talents. From starring opposite alongside Sex and the City alums to redefining traditional cumbia for a new generation, 2024 better watch out
MISS BENNY THE IT GIRL BRINGING HER STORY TO THE SCREEN Miss Benny never imagined herself as a role model, but considering her extraordinary array of accolades—lead actor, musician, screenwriter, and outspoken trans activist—the reasons come into clear focus. V chatted about the creative process, empowerment, and identity with the multi-hyphenate on her one-year anniversary of starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In a poignant reflection, she recounts her cathartic victories—being gendered correctly for the Miss Benny wears all clothing and ring ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Earrings MISHO On eyes RARE BEAUTY BY SELENA GOMEZ Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara
first time, graciously receiving compliments, and basking in the beauty of living authentically. Launching the vulnerable and sultry EP Swelter in June alongside her Netflix show Glamorous, Miss Benny charged through 2023 with enviable creative prowess. Currently immersed in work for her next record, she says the creative process has brought its own surprises, from ruminations on dating straight men (“not as fear-inducing as expected”)
to turning gender dysphoria into euphoria (“like feeling peace for the first time”). A self-described Carrie Bradshaw (lively, chic, self-starting), Miss Benny has had the uniquely fabulous opportunity of working with Sex and the City alum Kim Cattrall on Glamorous as the show’s genderqueer lead character, Marco Mejia. It’s been more than just a platform for the young actor’s breakout performance; the show’s narrative has mirrored Miss Benny’s own journey to find her identity. “At the beginning, Marco was always just meant to be a gay boy who wore makeup and was comfortable with that.” Miss Benny shares. “As I figured out that I was trans, that got written into the show.” Marco has had an outsized impact on parents tuning in, who credit her with helping them to foster understanding of their queer children. Such opportunity and recognition has made Miss Benny’s heart swell. “This generation has really gotten to indulge in a lot of joy because of queer elders that opened doors for us.” Born in Dallas, Texas, the young Miss Benny struggled with identity and the complications that arose from having parents new to queer life. She cites the yearslong evolution of her relationship with them (and the excitement over her mother visiting for the HRT anniversary) as markers of fulfilling growth in their relationship. Sharing struggles and wins with trans peers in entertainment like Dylan Mulvaney and Josie Totah has also provided heady inspiration. “A lot of trans experiences can be very isolating and lonely. It’s been super helpful to have these girls as a sounding board for what we’re all going through,” Miss Benny says. It’s clear Miss Benny operates at the center of a trailblazing game of “What if…?” With an infectious energy and an unwavering commitment to her craft, she champions hard work, intentional manifestation, and the creation of projects that align with her deepest passions. In addition to her music and acting, she is now in the process of writing the roles and doing the storytelling she’d like to see in the media. “The dream is that next year,” Miss Benny declares, “a million press pieces come out about me and people know all about my business.” With an album on the way and perennial projects in motion, Miss Benny’s narrative has just begun, a flower on its way to full bloom. SAM FALB Miss Benny’s debut EP Swelter is available to stream on all platforms.
28
V Girls
PALOMA MAMI
Paloma wears earrings, necklace and rings SWAROVSKI Crystal harness ATELIER BISER Top GUESS Tights WOLFORD Shoes NAKED WOLFE
THE INTERNATIONAL MAMI MAINTAINS HER MANY PERSONAS As a Chilean native growing up in Manhattan, English and Spanish are the two central languages in your life. Those two languages are often mixed and intertwined, creating the widely known dialect that is ‘Spanglish’— a hybrid language that combines expressions and words from both English and Spanish. Much like Spanglish, Paloma Mami blends both her Chilean and American cultures to inspire and create her music, with Spanglish at the center of all her songs. “Spanglish definitely influenced my personality,” says Paloma, “In the family, that’s how it is.” Paloma says she hadn’t thought about the fact that her songs were in both languages, “It’s literally just how it flowed.” A true born and bred New Yorker, Paloma has always been connected to her Chilean roots. But at 16, the family moved back to Chile, where she then decided to pursue music. Her stage name “Paloma Mami,” is inspired by the nickname her NYC friends had for her. “People would just always call me ‘mami mami mami’ and I thought it was so annoying,” says Paloma. “But Paloma Mami is just what I am.” At just 18, Paloma Mami’s moody single “Not Steady” boosted her to fame, and at 22, she made Billboard ’s list of 25 Best Latin Albums of 2021 with her debut album Sueños de Dalí, alongside more established artists like Karol G and Wisin. “It kind of changed my world overnight,” says Paloma about her success. Paloma has always known she was going to be a musician of some sort. “My favorite thing to do in the world is be in the studio,” says Paloma. “It’s my cure for everything.” Initially, her music was most popular in Chile; now she’s reaching a much broader audience “Everything I do, when it comes to my music, is open to all types of people,” says Paloma, “I want people to vibe whether or not you understand what I’m saying.”
On lips FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in $weetmouth
Her latest single “COPY+PASTE,” a song that employs one of her many disguised voices— where she changes her voice to sound completely different—takes a more playful. Paloma loves to use her voice to take on different personalities, from baby-voiced anime character to sultry reggaetonera, it’s all part of a playful approach to her music. Paloma is a huge anime fan and saw an opportunity to incorporate that world into her art. “I’ve been into anime since I was a little girl,” she says, “I wanted to look like a real-life anime character in the video.” Her shoot for V, however, was a very different take to her usual pink, e-girl look. “I imagine myself sometimes as a doll, and a doll has different versions of herself, like Barbie,” says Paloma. “So this photoshoot is me being a more serious and elegant doll.” As her career expands, Paloma is welcoming a new expansive sensibility.“I’m always entering a new era,” says Paloma, who credits her fluid nature to the fact that she’s a Scorpio. And with a new album on the way, the singer is ready to show it off. “I am so excited,” says Paloma, “I love everybody so much.” VALENTINA RUIZ Paloma Mami’s “COPY+PASTE” is available to stream on all platforms.
Photography DENNIS LEUPOLD Fashion MARTA DEL RIO 29
V Girls
Poppy wears all clothing and shoes MAISON MARGIELA Earrings KOROBEYNIKOV On lips GUCCI Long Lasting Satin Lipstick in #700 Crystal Black
POPPY THE INTERNET ICON STEPS INTO A NEW ERA Before she was a Grammy-nominated artist and a YouTube sensation, Poppy was a dancer. For 11 years, the Boston native spent evenings and weekends in the dance studio, throwing herself into tap and jazz and dreaming of becoming a Rockette. Of course, dance is inseparable from music—songs set the tempo, inspiring each dip and turn. It’s only natural that Poppy became enamored with music. By her teen years, her personal playlist brimmed with the colorful, outspoken icons of the ’70s and ’80s: David Bowie, Gary Numan, Cyndi Lauper, and Blondie. Though she enjoyed dancing, there was something magical about music that she couldn’t shake. But Poppy, born Moriah Rose Pereira, didn’t want to just listen—she wanted to be the one making the music that moved her. Her family’s relocation to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was 14 years old offered her access to local songwriting workshops where she honed her craft with others. “Singing came a little bit later, because I was pretty afraid of my voice, and people looking at me,” Poppy notes. Eventually, however, the young artist worked up the courage, knowing she was the only one who could perform her songs exactly the way she’d written them. 30
At 18, she moved to L.A., ready to pursue a career in music. Like so many artists before her, the singer invented a kind of alter ego to help her express her work—a mysterious, softspoken, platinum blond who appeared in abstract, performance-art-style YouTube videos. Poppy was born, and snagged her first record deal in 2014 with Island Records. In 2017, the artist released her debut album, Poppy.Computer, a frenetic blend of art and electro-pop bangers that peaked at 11 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, proving this viral sensation was anything but a flash in the pan. Since her debut, the singer-songwriter has released four more albums, experimenting with genres as diverse as heavy metal, industrial rock, and every kind of pop under the sun. For the now 28-year-old, relentless experimentation has always been her genre of choice. “I feel like it’s always the artist’s responsibility to change the course and evolve,” she says. Her most recent album, 2023’s Zig, channels alt-pop across 11 pulsing, darkly ethereal tracks. When she was feeling her way into this latest collection of songs, an unexpected theme emerged: empowerment. In the cheeky fashion-
inspired song “Knockoff,” she unabashedly declares she wants “that real shit” kind of love; the title track “Zig’’ sees her promising that “When you zig, I zag,” the defiant chorus looping until the words blur into a tidal wave of pure opposition; the anthemic “Motorbike,” inspired, as she says, by “the fact that when I see a woman on a motorcycle, I always stare a little bit longer at her,” reflects Poppy’s affinity for taking the reins of her journey—in music and in life. The percussive, beat-driven album also gave the songstress a chance to return to her dance roots—several of the project’s music videos boast airtight choreography. Zig is Poppy in full bloom. The decade since her move to Los Angeles has been unpredictable, her career soaring beyond what she dreamed of as a quiet teenager back home. But, as she chats excitedly about going on tour in 2024, it’s clear the chameleonic artist hasn’t lost an ounce of passion for her craft in that time. “I’m having fun and enjoying it right now,” she says. “But if I ever get bored, or want to do something else, I’ll change.” BAILEY BUJNOSEK Poppy’s latest album Zig is available to stream on all platforms.
V Girls
ESTEVIE
Makeup Esther Foster Hair Patricia Morales (The Visionaries) Set design Michael Sturgeon Production Jordan Metz (Art+Department) Digital technician Kevin Leupold Photo assistants Tommy Blanco, Winston Kingstro, Allison Lopez, Sabrina Patino Stylist assistant Kiera Maroney Hair assistant Travis Takara Set design assistant Ryan Schaefer Location Dust Studios
THE CROWN PRINCESS OF CUMBIA SHAPES HER FUTURE “In kindergarten, they taught us ‘God Bless America.’ I couldn’t stop singing it,” recalls 20-year-old singer Estevie. “From that moment I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is it.’” America’s patriotic anthem is a peculiar first love for a contemporary force in Mexican cumbia, a traditional Latin music style known for its percussive rhythm—but this dissonance is one of many Estevie has transformed into harmony. Hailing from Beaumont, California, Estevie (born Sarah Silva) first tasted stardom when she moved to Mexico City at age 11 to participate in the reality music competition series La Academia Kids. There she secured second place among 20 young singers from Latin America and the United States. A “no sabo kid,” meaning she wasn’t fluent in Spanish, Estevie was able to strengthen her language skills and connect with her family’s Mexican roots. In the years that followed, the singer experimented with Latin covers and American pop, but struggled to find a distinct voice: “I was stuck. Everything seemed stagnant,” she says.
Estevie wears top POLO RALPH LAUREN Pants BENETTON Earring SWAROVSKI On eyes HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Optic Intensity Eco Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Cobalt Matte
“Like, am I even supposed to be doing this anymore?” But then she stumbled across an old YouTube video of her former La Academia judge Alicia Villarreal singing a cumbia norteña, the subgenre of cumbia native to Mexico. Estevie was enchanted by the instruments—the keyboards, the güiro, the timbales. She gushes, “It made me want to start dancing.” The next day, she told her producer, “You know what? I’m only going to do cumbia.” Her new obsession birthed the sultry and cutting “Canela,” her first track and accompanying self-produced music video. “Canela” bridged generations, paying homage to a time-honored music genre while injecting a fresh Gen Z spirit. “I want to be traditional, but with a new flavor to it,” says Estevie. “I like using everything that’s new, cool, and trendy and, at the same time, using what was cool 20 years ago.” Determined to “get to the next level,” Estevie posted the video to Instagram and left Ricky Reed, founder of Nice Life Music Company, a simple Instagram direct message: “Hi.” After watching her performance, Reed arranged a breakfast meeting and signed her the following morning. Under Reed’s management, Estevie has brought her sound to scale, touring with Ivan Cornejo, another young Mexican-American artist, and releasing her first EP, Cumbialicious. She completed her first solo tour in September. Backed by strong intuition, talent, and the serendipity of her early years, Estevie has brought an undeniably new sound to cumbia. Like any visionary, she thrives on instinct: “You can’t expect other people to trust you if you don’t have your vision clear.” The public will once again receive a window into Estevie’s rich sonic world when she drops her next dose of artistic brilliance: “I have Cumbialicious Deluxe coming up, so ya’ll can prepare for that.” SHELBY LATTERMAN Estevie’s debut EP Cumbialicious is available to stream on all platforms.
31
VIP
Ahead of the premier of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, actor Molly Ringwald chats to V about her dizzying rise to fame in the ’80s and subsequent creative escapades in Paris. After years of serving as the poster child for good, smart girls everywhere, Ringwald and her fans are ready for her to branch out into the bad
MOLLY RINGWALD
AMERICA’S SWEETHEART IS READY FOR HER VILLAIN ERA On May 26, 1986, Molly Ringwald appeared on the cover of Time. She was 18 years old, and wore a demure white lace top, her signature red lipstick, and a curious, innocent expression. The cover line read, “Ain’t She Sweet,” notably lacking a question mark. In the previous two years, Ringwald had starred in a trio of zeitgeist-capturing films, all directed by legendary teen-movie auteur John Hughes—Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink—that defined the innocent repression of Reagan-era adolescence. Her rise to fame was head-spinning, and endowed her with a seemingly incongruent but undeniably potent double-barreled status: as the reigning archetype of America’s Sweetheart, and a serious movie star with credibility and power. Her future in mainstream Hollywood seemed limitless. Yet by the time she turned 20, Ringwald was living mostly in France, making cool art films with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard and Tonie Marshall. Ringwald eventually returned to the United States, carving out a rich, varied, mature career without hardening against her former teen idol image. She has released a jazz album (her late father was a storied jazz pianist) and become an accomplished writer, publishing thoughtful personal essays in The New Yorker (on rethinking the gender and racial politics of Sixteen Candles and working with legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard) as well as a bestselling memoir and novel. And she’s continued to assemble an estimable body of work as an actor, most recently in Riverdale and Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer as well as a heart-wrenching cameo as a recovering addict in The Bear. In a charming, crackling chat over the holidays—on which both she and her home looked more casually radiant than anyone or anything should over Zoom—we spoke about working again with Murphy on the forthcoming Feud: Capote vs. Swans, and her desire one day (soon, please) to play the kind of deliciously immoral supervillain who, if she came across one of the characters that made Ringwald famous, might plunge a dagger straight into her (sweet) heart.
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans premiers January 31, 2024 32
V MAGAZINE: Did you always know you wanted to be an actor? MOLLY RINGWALD: I think I was 3 or 4 when I told my grandmother that when I grew up I was going to be a famous entertainer. That was the word that I used. [Laughs] I said I was going to be really famous and everyone was going to know me. I was just letting her in on this basic truth. V: That’s hilarious. Like you were a young Katherine Hepburn. What appealed to you about that idea? MR: I think there are a lot of introverts that are drawn to acting precisely because they’re introverts. On stage was the only place where I didn’t feel shy. I could do anything. I remember one of my formative roles as a child was as the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland. And there was this big moment where the dormouse freaks out and screams, “Off with her head, off with her head!” Just being able to lose my shit was so exhilarating because it was so different than the way that I was at that age. I was a very good kid. And I was very invested in being a good kid, so to be able to take on these other personas was really appealing. V: When would you say you came into your own as a creative person? Was it when you moved to France? MR: Yeah, I think France had a lot to do with it. That’s where I grew up and just got a little bit of clarity outside of the public eye, outside of this very intense gaze that I felt on me in America at that time. But later, when I started to give myself permission to write professionally, that was really huge. It was like, I can write and I don’t just have to be written about. I can control my own narrative to a certain extent. That felt very empowering. V: Today, we have this image of Kardashian fame, this hyper tabloid-ed out type of celebrity. What was that period of the “intense gaze” like? Did you have paparazzi following you around? MR: Yes, following me and my car – I mean, nothing at all to the extent of the Kardashians. I kept my private life pretty private. I didn’t go out that much, I didn’t go to clubs. I just really got very allergic to being around a lot of people. I don’t think I was meant to be a movie star. To live the life of a celebrity to me is just kind of hellish.
V: As you were transitioning out of that early celebrity period, you turned down some big roles in big films—like Pretty Woman. In our culture there’s this sense that abdicating fame is tantamount to erasing yourself. How much selfdoubt did you experience during that time? MR: There was a lot of self-doubt, but I think that’s kind of what your twenties are about anyway. I really needed to have this sort of coming of age, because when I should have been coming of age, I was already an adult. I had skipped steps. V: Tell me about Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, which explores Capote’s late-in-life betrayal of his closest friends, these glamorous, connected women who had inspired him when he was younger. MR: Ryan asked me to do it. He is really great for… I don’t want to say women of a certain age, but he really celebrates women who are not 22 years old. He is interested in women who have had careers, who have been around for a while, and presenting them in a different way. My character, Joanne Carson, is the last person who stood by [Capote]. He dies in her arms. They wanted somebody who was really a contrast to all of these other women, who were very cold and shut down and basically mean girls. V: You’re the nice girl. MR: I’m a nice one. I’m waiting for Ryan to cast me as a total bitch, because he hasn’t done that yet. V: I was going to say! Where is your All About Eve role?! MR: I know! I might have to write it myself. That’s really what I’m waiting for, somebody who is complicated and a little psychopathic.
VIP Top row and bottom right: Molly wears dress RALPH LAUREN Necklace DAVID YURMAN Earrings talent’s own
Makeup Linda Gradin using DIOR Forever Foundation Hair Marco Santini (Walter Schupfer Management) Photo assistant Rox Artridge Location Corner Studio
On lips CHARLOTTE TILBURY K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Coral Kiss
Dress ULLA JOHNSON Shoes CHANEL All jewelry DAVID YURMAN
Photography KATIE MCCURDY Fashion XANDER ANG Text LIZZY GOODMAN 33
CULTURE SHOCK Founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958, the eponymous and groundbreaking institution was always intended to be the opposite of a static museum piece. Not only for the fact that its core discipline is dance, but because, as Ailey liked to say, the pieces he choreographed are blood memories from his childhood in Rogers, Texas. They are love letters to the people he knew and was inspired by growing up, which featured Black narratives. We’re used to traditional ballet with princes and swans, and as an art form that has been historically gatekept. But dance has never been the province of the elite—it encompasses all varieties of love, humor, respect, and dignity. Ailey always said he wanted to “hold a mirror to society.” Audiences to this day attend Ailey shows to see the beauty and the craft, but also to recognize themselves on stage. Dance came from the people, and they’re taking it back. The competitive and precise nature of dance lends itself to perfectionism and, famously, harsh self-critique. Current rehearsal director and longtime Ailey member, Ronni Favors, still remembers being utterly terrified for her first evaluation. To her surprise, Ailey said to her: “Get out of the studio, go to the clubs, fall in love. You have to dance about life. You cannot dance about dance.” This is a lesson she follows to this day and tries to impart on new generations of dancers. Hannah Alissa Richardson, the female lead in this season’s production of Dancing Spirit, remembers the first time she saw an Ailey show at the age of 14: “I was hooked. There were dancers who resembled superheroes on that stage!” Like many dancers, she feels a strong connection to the morals and values Ailey and his company represent. “Ailey is legacy. Ailey is community. Ailey is storytelling. Ailey is giving back to the people,” she says. Richardson believes that while she’s certainly grown as a dancer in her time at the company, she’s also become a more significant member of her community. Are You in Your Feelings?, another show this season, focuses on young love and relationships, set to one of the most gloriously nostalgic mixtapes of soul, hip-hop, and R&B, featuring Lauryn Hill, Shirley Brown, Kendrick Lamar, and Jhené Aiko, amongst others. The female lead, Jacquelin Harris, also remembers the first time she was introduced to an Ailey show—the 1960 classic take on gospel songs, grief, and the Baptist Church, Revelations, which has been traversing 34
Alvin Ailey dreamt that dance could encapsulate the world as it truly is. Many younger dancers at the company are living that dream, without having met the dreamer. And yet they are, as the dreamer envisioned, super human, gorgeous, honest, and powerful. Ailey dancers have authentic aspirations—a goal of contributing to the world as artists and also as human beings. After 65 years, this season is no exception
Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey’s Cry. Photo by Jack Mitchell. (©) Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Inc. and Smithsonian Institution.
the globe ever since. “I grew up Southern Baptist and attended church regularly with my family,” Harris says. “Everything about Revelations, the movement and feeling, represented what I witnessed every Sunday.” Joining the company has offered her the opportunity to experience, in a much deeper way, the cultural impact of Ailey. “Watching audiences digest and love works in our repertoire that highlight negro spirituals, music of Erykah Badu and Drake, and so many other staples really shows me the universal nature of hope, love, and triumph,” she says. That need for universal hope was never felt more at Ailey than after 9/11, Favors told me. No one was attending Broadway or midtown shows at the time, and yet, the Ailey house was packed every night. Seeing dance gave people a reprieve in an unfathomably lost time. They were reassured that good things in life still existed and that, with community, the bad things could be overcome. It’s now the 65th anniversary of Alvin Ailey’s creation, and the productions are still focused on purely visceral, life to life connection. “This dance, this idea, it means so much to so many people,” Favors shared. No dancer came to Ailey by mistake. They saw a performance and thought, “I want to do that.” Ailey gives young artists a sense of direction and purpose: To hold a mirror up to society, and embrace our collective humanity. CODIE STEENSMA
Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey’s Cry. Photo by Jack Mitchell. (©) Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Inc. and Smithsonian Institution.
Culture Shock
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Christopher Wilson in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Christopher Taylor in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Chalvar Monteiro in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik. 35
BEST IN SHOW Art Basel Miami Beach is synonymous with a city-wide extravaganza featuring raucous celebrity-studded parties, offsite brand activations and viral artworks (remember the year a $120,000 banana-as-conceptual-artwork was eaten straight off a booth’s wall?) This year, while such events still occurred, their lights were slightly dimmed, with focus returning—for once—to the art itself. In a reflection of this feeling, here is a selection of key artworks that underline themes found throughout the presentations at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
POWER TO THE FLOWERS— AND WOMEN With the economy (and thus the art market) slower than usual this year, there was, as one art advisor told Artnet News, a lot of “living room art”—and who doesn’t love the look of a good bouquet on a coffee table? At the Milan and New York-based gallery Kaufmann Repetto’s booth, flowers and trees took center stage in works by Andrea Bowers and Dianna Molzan. But as these artists show, natural lifeforms can speak to much more than providing a nice visual backdrop. For Bowers, who combines her artistic practice with activism and advocacy, natural motifs reflect her ongoing interests in eco-feminism, queer ecology, and magical fiction. In Miami, she presented Chandeliers of Interconnectedness (When women were birds; quote used by permission of Terry Tempest Williams) (2022), a sculpture based on actual sycamore branches with budding leaves made of welded, recycled steel, non-toxic neon, and upcycled stained glass. On one branch is the titular quote by Tempest Williams, a renowned conservationist and author of environmental literature. Molzan, meanwhile, often uses florals to upend expectations of what a painting can be. In Rose (2023), an almost cartoonish red rose is deconstructed. From afar, it appears to be a simple painting of the flower in the lineage of Pop Art; but up close, it becomes clear that the canvas has been unraveled, revealing the layer of poplar beneath and proposing sculptural qualities.
Gallery Hyundai Courtesy of Art Basel
SEEING THE WORLD ANEW WITH TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS
Text EMILY MCDERMOTT 36
Los Angeles-based artist Emma Webster paints landscapes, yet she is not a landscape painter. Rather than painting landscapes we can see out a window, Webster conjures imaginative worlds with the help of VR. Beginning each work with a hand-drawn sketch, she then scans them into a virtual reality program, where she manipulates, exaggerates, and transforms the images, rendering them in 3D and developing what you could call digital landscape sculptures. These “sculptures” are then flattened and printed in 2D or referenced on an iPad she places next to a canvas, allowing the VR imaging to become guides for her large-scale, fantastical and haunting oil paintings. “I’m not interested in VR as an end, but as a means of explorative sculpture,” Webster has said. At Perrotin’s booth at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Webster debuted a new series of paintings inspired by rapturous phenomena. Her eerie yet naturalist vistas conflate terror and awe amidst unknown climates, prompting a reevaluation of our natural world. In Swallowed (2023), a giant green wavelike form swells from the bottom of the canvas to the top, breaking into whiteand-turquoise foam. But the foam could also be icicles, and the uncanny height of the wave, examined up close, could be blades of grass. Or it could be a giant spew of vomit from an otherworldly, unseen creature. Such multiple readings are characteristic of Webster’s work and her use of VR to see the world anew while sublimely commenting on our environmental crisis. “We pigeonhole landscape painting as pleasant and boring, but there is nothing pleasant about a climate in crisis,” she has said.
Best in Show
WHO SAYS SIZE DOESN’T MATTER
HONORING QUEER HISTORIES The theme of unearthing and honoring international queer histories resounded in many booths. One work that stood out was Untitled (SLUTFORART) (2021), a painting by Korea-born, L.A.-based artist Kang Seung LeeLee, whose practice is rooted in honoring his queer ancestors, particularly those who were lost to AIDS. Shown by Commonwealth & Council, the work resembles a black t-shirt emblazoned with “SLUTFORART”— a motto of the late Chinese-American photographer Tseng Kwong Chi—in white text. Kwong Chi, who was an integral part of the East Village art scene in the 1980s, often wore badges with this motto until his death from AIDS-related illnesses in 1990. Also at the Commonwealth & Council booth was a series of drawings by Seung Lee, who used graphite to recreate a number of Kwong Chi’s self-portraits. In the crystal-clear original images, Kwong Chi donned a Mao suit while posing in front of landmarks like the leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. In Seung Lee’s drawings, however, the artist’s figure is blurred—“a haunting reminder that Kwong Chi has slipped away from us, even if his works remain,” as critic Maximilian Durano wrote in ArtNews. Miami-based artist Pepe Mar is also known for exploring queer histories, exemplified by his assemblage that was on view at David Castillo Gallery’s booth. To create the plexiglass-encased work, Mar sourced an array of objects from LGBTQ thrift stores that he visited multiple times a week for months on end. He repurposed fragments from things like buckets, vases, animal figurines, and clothing to create a fantastical creature meticulously crafted and imbued with the ghostly legacies of bird heads, beads, coiled wood, and the traces of fabric he glued to the background and then ripped off.
Some of the most standout artworks at this year’s fair were of massive scale. Specifically, crowds constantly surrounded and photographed two new works by renowned artist Ai Weiwei: Sleeping Venus (2022) at Galleria Continua and Washington Crossing the Delaware (2023) at Neugerriemschneider. The works reference historical masterpieces in supersize; both of them exceed 16 feet in width and 10 feet in height and are made with hundreds of thousands of Legos. Ai has worked with Legos since 2014, using the medium to replicate Old Master works and, as a representative from Continua told the Art Newspaper, “tell a story between something very valuable [and] historical and something very capitalistic and contemporary.” Legos also disrupt the iconic-ness of images, the artist has explained: “I hate when something that you’re looking at is iconic so I want to destroy that with humor or something [like] Legos, a very casual material.” Indeed, Ai is known for his ability to create works that are both visually stunning and socially resonant. For his version of Renaissance painter Giorgione’s 1510 Sleeping Venus (1510), which Ai made shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the artist added a coat hanger in the bottom left corner, a nod to back-alley abortions. As the gallery representative continued, “It’s a commentary on the repression of rights, especially women’s rights.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024 AND BEYOND Many galleries chose to present works by artists who are sure to make headlines in the years to come. New York’s Ryan Lee Gallery, for example, highlighted the late Vivian Browne, an underrecognized artist of historic significance. During her lifetime, she created African American protest paintings and developed novel ways of linking abstraction to nature. Browne painted the works shown in Miami after a career-altering trip to West African countries in 1971. There, the colors and patterns both astounded and overwhelmed her. When she returned to her studio in New York, she translated what she saw and felt into beautiful abstractions that continue to resonate and radiate five decades later. Come 2025, Browne will finally receive her due with the first-ever museum retrospective dedicated to her work, co-organized by the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, OH. Elsewhere, the David Kordansky Gallery inaugurated its representation of Sam McKinniss, an immensely talented painter of modern life, with a few works at their booth ahead of a solo presentation at Frieze LA 2024 and a solo show at the gallery in 2025. Plus, Roberts Projects presented LOVE ME WITH ALL MY FAULTS (2023) by Jeffrey Gibson, an artist renowned for large-scale beaded paintings and mixed-media works and who will represent the U.S. at next year’s Venice Biennale. 37
Photography TIMOTHY SCHAUMBURG Fashion XANDER ANG
From left to right: Mannequin wears all clothing BOSS
From left to right: All clothing MISSONI
Dalton wears all clothing GIORGIO ARMANI Shoes BOSS
All clothing BALMAIN Shoes BOSS
V TRENDS
38
V Trends
From left to right: All clothing ISABEL MARANT
All clothing and accessories MARNI
All clothing and accessories NINA RICCI
Off the clock but on the money, corporate wear seems to be hitting every goal this season. From edgy blazers clashing with structured co-ords, the runway has channeled haute happy hour in the indie spirit of the 2010s. Our advice for getting the look right? Smudge your eyeliner a bit, keep the bedhead, and wear the tear in your tights like a badge of honor 39
V Trends
All clothing, accessories, shoes MM6 MAISON MARGIELA
40
All clothing ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Boots MODEL’S OWN
V Trends
From left to right: All clothing BENETTON
From left to right: All clothing SPORTMAX
All clothing and earrings MOSCHINO Shoes BOSS
All clothing, accessories, shoes VERSACE
Makeup Kenny Campbell Hair Yann Turchi Model Dalton Dubois (Milk Management) Set design Carina Dewhurst Senior creative producer Sabrina Hubert Casting director Kyra Wilhelmseder Lighting technician Kristina Weinhold Stylist assistants Jonathan Kolberg, Lena Lauer Production assistant Alice Manfredi Casting director assistant Sheerah Ravindren Location Neon Island Studio 41
K ARMA CHAMELEON LINDA EVANGELISTA BY STEVEN KLEIN
Fashion PATTI WILSON Text MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG 42
Linda wears all clothing VETEMENTS All makeup DIOR BEAUTY (throughout) On face Dior Forever Skin Glow in #0W Warm On lips Rouge Dior Lipstick in #951 Cabaret (Matte)
Linda wears all clothing AZIZ Jewelry ELSA PERETTI® FOR TIFFANY & CO.
Linda wears all clothing AZIZ Jewelry ELSA PERETTI® FOR TIFFANY & CO. On face Dior Backstage Face & Body Powder-No-Powder in #0N Neutral On brows Diorshow Brow Styler in #033 Grey Brown
Linda (holding Taras) wears all clothing PRADA Sunglasses TOM FORD EYEWEAR On lips Rouge Dior Lipstick in #756 Panache (Metallic)
Linda wears all clothing MIU MIU On brows Diorshow Brow Styler in #032 Dark Brown On eyes Diorshow On Stage Crayon Eyeliner in #099 Black On lips Rouge Dior Lipstick in #999 (Velvet)
Linda wears all clothing MIU MIU
Linda and Taras wear all clothing DOLCE & GABBANA Jewelry VITALY On eyes Diorshow 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in #009 Burgundy Neutrals On lips Rouge Dior Lipstick in #888 Strong Red (Matte)
THE PRESS HAS ALWAYS CALLED LINDA EVANGELISTA A “CHAMELEON,” AND RIGHTFULLY SO. THE FASHION DEMIGODDESS HAS BEEN SHAPESHIFTING SINCE THE ‘80S, WHEN HER MODELING CAREER LAUNCHED THE CANADIAN’S ANGULAR FACE INTO BEING ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS. HOWEVER, UNLIKE A REAL CHAMELEON, EVANGELISTA HAS NEVER TRIED TO BLEND INTO HER SURROUNDINGS. RATHER, HER “BOYISH” HAIRCUT FROM 1991, FOLLOWED BY DYEING HER LOCKS A SHADE OF BLOND (OR “CHAMPAGNE BEIGE” AS SHE CALLED IT), AND THEN AGAIN A BRIGHT, JESSICA RABBIT RED LATER THAT SAME YEAR, WERE ALL MODES OF SELF-EXPRESSION AIMED AT HELPING EVANGELISTA STAND OUT IN A CROWD OF LOOKALIKES. V RECENTLY WITNESSED EVANGELISTA AND THE EQUALLY ICONIC STEVEN KLEIN REUNITE FOR THEIR FIRST PHOTOSHOOT IN OVER A DECADE. OUR COVER STORY ALSO COMES AFTER THE SUPERMODEL’S NEARLY FIVE-YEAR HIATUS, PERHAPS THE ONLY TIME SHE DID IN FACT HIDE LIKE A CHAMELEON WHILE UNDERGOING HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING A MUCH PUBLICIZED COSMETIC PROCEDURE THAT RESULTED IN A LAWSUIT, WHICH EVANGELISTA WON, AND TWO BATTLES WITH BREAST CANCER. RECENTLY, ON THE VIEW, EVANGELISTA SAID, “I THINK SCARS ARE LIKE TROPHIES;” SHE FEELS DESERVEDLY TRIUMPHANT OVER NOT JUST HER CANCER, BUT ALSO IN OVERCOMING HER PREVIOUS APPREHENSIONS AROUND PUBLIC SCRUTINY. NOW, WITH A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF ADMIRERS WORSHIPING EVANGELISTA’S DOWNRIGHT PERFORMANCE ART AS A MODEL, AS WELL AS INHERENTLY CANDID NATURE, THE TRUE QUEEN OF REINVENTION REMINDS US OF EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE BEEN MISSING SINCE THE LAST TIME V SAW HER.
Linda wears all clothing OCEAN SAVAGE in collaboration with Kabuki On eyes Dior Backstage Eye Palette in #011 Silver Essentials Diorshow On Stage Liquid Liner in #091 Matte Black Diorshow On Stage Crayon Eyeliner in #099 Black On lips Rouge Dior Lipstick in #999 (Metallic)
Linda wears all clothing AZIZ Jewelry ELSA PERETTI® FOR TIFFANY & CO.
Linda wears all clothing DOLCE & GABBANA Jewelry VITALY
Makeup Kabuki Hair Julien d’Ys (L’Atelier NYC) Model Linda Evangelista (DNA) Manicure Honey (Exposure NY) Executive producer Dana Brockman (Viewfinders) Production manager Frank DeCaro (Viewfinders) Digital technician Sara Lewis Lighting technician Dean Dodos Photo assistants Dylan Garcia, Alex Johnstone, Tucker Van Der Wyden, Rowan Liebrum Stylist assistants Emma Oleck, Joseph Reyes, Max Weinstein, Timothy Cheng, Francis Cooney, Brandon Brownstein Makeup assistant Andrew Karrick Hair assistant Kenta Kouda Production assistants Marley Pearson, Greta Westcott Location Highline Stages
With the seasonal change just around the corner, V decided to show the two sides of spring’s most exciting collections on models as they turn from good to bad— or oscillate comfortably across a spectrum of pure chaos—photographed by the dark prince of camp, Jack Bridgland
Sara wears dress ARMANI EXCHANGE Earrings, bracelets, rings SWAROVSKI Necklace GOLD INFERNO NYC Eyepatch AGENT CRUSH Socks and gloves stylist’s own On lips YSL BEAUTY Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in #13 Flashing Rosé
Photography JACK BRIDGLAND Fashion NICOLA FORMICHETTI Interviews KEVIN PONCE / JORDAN YATES
OPPOSITES ATTRACT 56
Sara wears all clothing and accessories CELINE
SARA THE PLAYER
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? SARA GRACE: I love video games. I really love the Sims, the Sims 4. I can sit there for hours and do that. My friends will be like “Hey, we haven’t seen you in a few days, are you okay?” And I’m like, “Yeah I’m just playing Sims. Don’t worry.” V: What is one thing that you are not loving? SG: I guess people that have a bad attitude all the time. I don’t wanna be around that. Stay home if you are gonna be awful. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? SG: Probably good girl. I’ve pretty much always followed the rules. Mom and dad never had to worry about me doing anything bad, but of course, being an adult you go a little bad sometimes. V: Do you have any alter egos? SG: For sure, but I haven’t really given her a name. It would be whatever character is [needed] for the shoot. Naturally I am more like… I’m not always super happy, but I’m more of a positive person. But when I am shooting, it’s definitely like emo, confident girl. V: Do you have any mottos that you live by? SG: “You miss all the chances that you don’t take.” For example, I started modeling just cause I felt like, “Let’s try it!” Because if you don’t try it, nothing will ever happen. It might work out, it might not. The worst thing people can say is “No,” so, go for your dreams. V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? SG: That’s a hard one. I definitely like to self-indulge and then think, “Oh, you probably shouldn’t do that.” As of recently maybe I’ve been listening to more of the devil, but generally I would say the angel… but the devil is really fun sometimes.
UGBAD THE WISE ONE
Ugbad wears all clothing LOUIS VUITTON All jewelry CARTIER Hat NEW ERA 59FIFTY On lips MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Shine On Lipstick in #184 Free Rosewood
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? UGBAD ABDI: I’m obsessed with my new kitten. She’s an orange tabby and, now, the love of my life! V: What is one thing that you are not loving? UA: The state of unrest we find ourselves in of late. Remember to love each other and the planet… Life is too short. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? UA: I am the eldest child so I would say that I was more neutral growing up but now, definitely the wiser child! V: Do you have any alter egos? What are their names? UA: I don’t have alter egos but I am into trying one on… V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? UA: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? Why? UA: I don’t subscribe to any negativity, I follow the lead of my angels on both of my shoulders. V: What is your New Year’s resolution? UA: I hope to be a little more trusting of myself.
Ugbad wears all clothing RALPH LAUREN All jewelry BULGARI Headpiece ROSA ISELA Gloves stylist’s own Shoes DIOR
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? AMELIA GRAY: I love really nice people. I love good energy. I love shooting with people that… I just… I love good people! V: What is one thing that you are not loving? AG: You know, I was raised never to use the word “hate.” So I can’t say that I hate anything cause my dad has always said, “Hate is a very strong word, and you can’t take it back.” V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? AG: This might surprise many, I feel like I’ve been hiding the truth… I am the teacher’s pet, I am the daughter that never got grounded. I was always home at my curfew. I never ever broke a rule. And now I regret it. Because I’m like so fucking boring. I am a good girl that appreciates the bad girl aesthetic though I don’t have the tats and I don’t do the drugs, but I appreciate her. I wanna give her without being her. V: Do you have any alter egos? AG: I am a good girl that plays a bad girl a lot. Her name is Camelia. I discovered her when I broke up with my ex and I moved to the city. I was shy and I was scared. And then I was like you know what? I need to come up with an alter ego when I leave the house. I think every time I am in front of a camera, I am not Amelia, I am Camelia. Like the second we start shooting I am a different person. I change, I go into an alternate universe, I black out. And I just go. V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? AG: Be fucking nice to people and smile. V: Would you say that you listen to the devil on your shoulder more or the angel? AG: If anything my devil is almost… enforcing the boundaries that I need. It’s not even listening to a devil, it’s sort of just standing up for myself when the angel on my shoulder is telling me to, you know, swallow my whatever. V: What is your New Year’s resolution? AG: I never do those. It’s bullshit.
Amelia all clothing ARMANI EXCHANGE Bracelets DAVID YURMAN and MESSIKA On lips ARMANI BEAUTY Ecstasy Mirror Lip Gloss in #500 Urge
AMELIA THE TEACHER’S PET
Amelia wears all clothing and shoes COACH All jewelry DAVID YURMAN Gloves and tights stylist’s own
Gabbriette wears shorts BENETTON Tiara stylist’s own Shoes MIA BECAR
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? GABBRIETTE : I am loving love at the moment. I feel like all of my friends are falling in love. I’m 100% in love. Is that the most basic answer? V: What is one thing that you are not loving? G: People with bad attitudes. I keep saying this, I feel like I am not loving negativity. We need a big cleanse, the whole world needs to cleanse. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? G: I was the bad child. I was very mean and angsty and I think I’ve turned into a good child. Yeah, I’m a good girl now. I love my mom. V: Do you have any alter egos? G: 100%. If you give me two cocktails, I’m a seriously different person. V: What are their names? G: There’s Gabriella, Gabriette in me throughout the day, I like my cruisy girl is like Guby. V: What’s her vibe? G: Buzzed head, bleached eyebrows, like her tits are just a little bigger. V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? G: I love when Paris Hilton said, “Live every day like it’s your birthday.” V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? G: The devil doesn’t necessarily have to be so bad. I definitely take a lot of risks which could be a little devilish. V: What is your New Year’s resolution? G: My New Year’s resolution is to listen to what I need and what I wanna do. Instead of like letting other people help me navigate the world, I’m like really listening to myself these days. So, I wanna keep doing that. I feel like I’ve been kinda like diminishing what I need from life for other people.
Gabbriette wears all clothing and accessories DIOR On lips DIOR BEAUTY Rouge Dior Forever Liquid Lipstick in #459 Forever Flower
GABBRIETTE THE REFORMED BAD GIRL
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? CHLOE OH: Since I’m working, the first thing that comes up in my head is modeling. I love modeling. I think it suits my personality and my lifestyle a lot. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? CO: The waiting. I think it’s the same for everyone. The waiting without knowing until when is the hardest part. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? CO: I think I’m pretty good. V: Do you have any alter egos? CO: Oh, actually, when I do shoots like this one where there’s a character that we have to play… I think there is a different me. Like this morning was more funky, crazy, psychotic kind of moods. V: Do you have any mottos that you live by? CO: Not really. V: What would you say you love the most? Aside from career? CO: I love my family. My family is pretty small, but I’ve been living alone in America since I was like 11 or 12. My parents are in Korea, my sister is in New York. I love going there and seeing them. That’s the part of my job I like. It brings me to Korea a lot and makes me travel all over the world. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? CO: I have one… Oh, I had one… I don’t like cities! I’m not a huge fan of cities, I don’t like the pollution, the air, the loudness. I hate the loudness. V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? CO: I don’t think I listen to either, I just go with my gut.
Chloe wears dress and accessories EMPORIO ARMANI On eyes ARMANI BEAUTY Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in #4
Chloe wears dress ISABEL MARANT Sunglasses TOM FORD EYEWEAR Choker GOLD INFERNO NYC
CHLOE THE TASTEFUL TRAVELER
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? ASHLEY GRAHAM: I love good quality food. It makes me so happy. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? AG: Um, I hate… Oh my God, I hate so many things. But I hate liars. We want the truth. And I don’t like liars. Period. That’s what came to mind. V: Do you consider yourself a good girl or a bad girl? AG: I definitely consider myself a good girl. I am a mom of three and let me tell you something, I had my bad girl phase and it was fun and I still have moments of like, naughty girl, but no. Not bad girl, good girl. V: Do you have any alter egos? AG: I have to say that when I am on set, I definitely go in and I think, “Who do I wanna be right now?” and music plays a role, hair and make up, the clothes, all of it. That’s why it is so important to live in the moment. When the clothes feel so good and the photographer is feeling it too, I can truly become anyone. V: Does she have a name? AG: She doesn’t have a name, she’s just inner Ashley. V: She lives within! AG: Normally when I do that (holds her boobs). V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? AG: I always say, treat people the way you wanna be treated.
Ashley wears all clothing CALVIN KLEIN Veil stylist’s own
On lips KOSAS Weightless Lip Color Nourishing Satin Lipstick in Subconcious
ASHLEY THE BOMBSHELL
Heather wears dress, shoes, hair clip VERSACE Bag and gloves stylist’s own
HEATHER THE DAYDREAMER
Heather wears all clothing and accessories SAINT LAURENT On lips YSL BEAUTY The Bold High Pigment Lipstick in #7 Unhibited Flame
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? HEATHER STRONGARM: I’m loving traveling. And working with different people is a really cool experience. I never thought that I’d be able to do the things that I am doing today. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? HS: My feet cramps. I’m getting feet cramps. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? HS: Good girl. I am a people pleaser. V: Do you have any alter egos? HS: I kind of disassociate a lot. I space out. And sometimes forget that I am modeling. V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? HS: I have a problem with comparison. I tend to compare myself to other people. I am getting better at it. I am not doing it as much as I used to. V: What’s one thing about the job that you love the most? HS: The make up. V: What’s one thing that’s not your favorite? HS: Without my contacts, I usually can’t see anything. I am blind in one eye. V: Would you say that you listen to the devil on your shoulder more or the angel? HS: Maybe the angel.
Celina wears top and skirt ISABEL MARANT Necklace ADEAM Underwear, wings, headpiece stylist’s own
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? CELINA RALPH: Boxing. I’ve just started with a trainer, This cool Latvian guy and he’s really drilling me. It’s just really good for my mental health. I don’t think I realized, especially in London during the winter months, it gets so depressing. When I do stuff like that it’s good. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? CR: Hmmm, I am not loving social media. V: Would you consider yourself the good child or the bad child? CR: I wouldn’t say I am a bad child, but I’d say that I’m the naughty one maybe, like the cheeky one. V: Do you have any alter egos? CR: Depending on the clothes and the idea I’ll tap into my masculine or my feminine and I’ll just kind of maximize that side of me. Because I like to think that I’m quite masculine and feminine. V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? CR: Let go and let god. V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? CR: Oh my god. If I’m being honest, I think I let the devil on my shoulder talk too much, you know? I listen to my intuition, but sometimes that side of you does kick in and it’s easy to let that bad or negative voice take over. I don’t know if I’m getting deep into these questions too much… If I’m out with my friends and they just say, “Let’s stay out for a little bit longer,” I am like “Oh, okay.” I have a hard time saying no. I’m just like, fuck it let’s go. In that sense, I listen to the devil. V: What is your New Year’s resolution? CR: Ohhh. You know what? I think I am not doing that anymore, because I never stick to them. Never. Then I feel annoyed at myself at the end of the year. Every year it’s been: Pass your driver’s test. And I keep not passing my driver’s test, so…
Celena wears top and necklace stylist’s own Jeans CALVIN KLEIN On lips NARS Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss in Turkish Delight
CELINA THE KNOCKOUT
V MAGAZINE: What is one thing you are loving at the moment? PRECIOUS LEE: My personal growth and my playlists. V: What is one thing that you are not loving? PL: Probably “quiet luxury” but I am also secretly loving it. V: Would you say that you are the good child or the bad child? PL: I am THEE child, one of one, the only one…ha! Just kidding, I am the youngest and obviously the angel baby. No, seriously, ask my Mom. V: Do you have any alter egos? PL: Yes, her name is Lola La. Also, my other alter ego is Liz Lee, Attorney at Law. V: Do you have any mottos or catchphrases that you love at the moment? PL: I am not really into “rizz” but it’s growing on me. “Fab” and “No shade, shade” are classics to me. My mottos are “Fuck fear” and “Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.” Also another one is, “Find a way or make one.” V: Do you listen to the devil on your shoulder or the angel? PL: I do not fuck with the devil under any circumstances. Not my vibe. Can’t you see my halo? V: What is your New Year’s resolution? PL: To share more of my secret talents with the world.
PRECIOUS THE BABY ANGEL
Precious wears coat FENDI Sunglasses JACQUES MARIE MAGE All jewelry MESSIKA Gloves, tights and bra stylist’s own Shoes DOLCE & GABBANA
Precious wears coat DOLCE & GABBANA All jewelry GOLD INFERNO NYC Gloves stylist’s own On eyes DOLCE & GABBANA BEAUTY Devotion Mascara Extreme Volume in #01 Ultra Nero
Makeup Raisa Flowers Hair Evanie Frausto (Streeters) for Bumble & Bumble Models Sara Grace Wallerstedt (The Society), Ugbad (The Society), Amelia Grey (The Lions), Gabbriette (IMG), Chloe Oh (Elite NYC), Ashley Graham (IMG), Heather Diamond Strongarm (The Society), Celina Ralph (The Society), Precious Lee (IMG) Set design Chems Guerroumi Executive producer Lucy Fox (Petty Cash Production) Senior producer Anthony Federici (Petty Cash Production) Casting Director Shayn Beyen (Plus Three Two) Digital technician Jonathan “Jono” Pivovar Lighting technician Eliot Oppenheimer Photo assistants Matt Coffey, David Jaffe Stylist assistant Arut Stamyan Makeup assistant Eunice Kristen, Derrick Bernard Hair assistants Austin Weber, Marin Mullen, Walisha Buckley Production assistant Johanda “Jo” Velazquez Location Pier59 Studios
Tara wears bodysuit MUGLER All jewelry CARTIER
CINEMA TARADISO Egyptian actor, model, and global ambassador Tara Emad has always loved the camera—and the feeling is mutual. In the middle of shooting her latest project, the internationally beloved multihyphenate took a moment to chat with V on how she got to where she is Photography BRUNO & NICO VAN MOSSEVELDE Fashion GRO CURTIS Text BAILEY BUJNOSEK 74
Tara wears jacket ROKH Earrings CARTIER On eyes WESTMAN ATELIER Eye Love You Clean Kôhl Eyeliner Pencil in Khol Noir
Tara wears top, skirt, hat ALAÏA Earring CARTIER
Tara wears fur coat and boots THE ATTICO All jewelry CARTIER
“I want to be Tara, the Egyptian actress that is representing her country, that’s representing her culture, and that’s representing the girls of Egypt, internationally. This is my dream.”
The first thing you notice about Tara Emad is that she radiates positive energy. Despite joining our Zoom call amid a late night of filming, the Cairo native has the bubbly attitude of a dinner-party host. In reality, it’s rare to catch the model-turned-actress outside of work she’s stayed booked and busy since her early teens, fronting luxury campaigns as a Middle East ambassador for Chanel Beauty and Cartier, gracing magazine covers such as Elle Arabia, Vogue Arabia, Marie Claire, and Haya and starring in some of Egypt’s most-beloved shows and films like Blue Elephant: Dark Whispers but her joie de vivre convinces you that there’s truth to the old saying: If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Emad certainly loves what she does and always has. As a child, she relished in having her picture taken, posing and smiling whenever someone raised a camera. She recalls her excitement when she landed her first job, a small part in a TV spot, at age 11. “I was not even visible. But I believed that I was the star of the ad. And my mom tells me that I was so confident that the ad was all about me,” she laughs. Call it kismet. The Egyptian-Montenegrin beauty continued to land bigger commercial gigs and eventually began to appear in national advertising campaigns, her face smiling down at her from billboards all over Egypt. As surreal as her early success was, the young talent kept her gaze fixed on the future, hungry for a big break. At 14, she made her first foray into modeling with a feature in the Lebanese magazine Layalina. The promising spread led to a cascade of fashion week catwalks and glossy editorials including a particularly memorable photoshoot where she posed near the top floor of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. (“I was super scared,” she admits, before praising the shoot’s diamond jewelry.) While she nabbed several small acting roles at the same time, a spate of rejection led the rising model to consider giving up her thespian dreams. Left feeling a little disillusioned, she moved in with her cousin in Paris at 20 years old and prepared to accept a full-time modeling contract, but shortly after the move, she got an unexpected call. One of Egypt’s biggest actors, Adel Emam, wanted her to play his daughter in his next series, Saheb El Saa’da (“His Excellency”). “I was like, ‘Okay, I’m coming tomorrow.’ And I did not sign my modeling contract. I went back the next day and started filming a day after that,” she shares. The spur-of-the-moment decision paid off, as Emad rapidly ascended the ranks of Egypt’s television and film industries. Most recently, she starred as Laila in the Arabic-language version of the popular legal drama Suits, putting her spin on the character Meghan Markle originated in the hit U.S. series. Other notable roles include social worker Farida in the 2023 comedy El Matareed and Nada in the popular 2016 action-thriller The Fourth Pyramid. Throughout her career, she’s made an effort to play roles that reflect the authentic experiences of Egyptian women. “The characters that really intrigue me remind me of women that I see around me,” she explains. “Like, yes, I know this love story. I know the feeling that this woman is going through. I know the problem this woman is dealing with. I know the family trauma she’s trying to heal from.” While modeling offered her the chance to travel the world, acting has enabled Emad to connect with her home country. Vanity Fair named her one of the most influential women in the Middle East during a gala at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Not only does the multi-hyphenate seek to represent her culture in Egypt, but she also hopes to increase Egyptian representation in global cinema. Growing up, she recalls rarely seeing girls with her features in Western productions. While representation has improved, there are still many stories waiting to be told about Egypt’s rich culture and its people and she’s ready to bring them to the world. “I want to be Tara, the Egyptian actress that is representing her country, that’s representing her culture, and that’s representing the girls of Egypt, internationally. This is my dream.” Maybe it’s her infectious positivity or her already impressive track record, but once Emad puts her intentions out in the universe, it feels like they’re already beginning to manifest.
The Outcasts is now available to stream on Netflix.
Tara wears all clothing ANDREADAMO All jewelry CARTIER
Makeup Abebelle Petit (Wise & Talented) Hair Anne Sofie Begtrup (Wise & Talented) Production Julie Giudicelli (Obvious) Photo assistant Pietro Frizzi Stylist assistant Liana Sipos Location Studio Mac Mahon
WHAT V WANT
Bag CELINE
There’s rarely a shortage of excuses to visit Magic City. The ubiquity of thongs and tanning oil during the holiday season has always proved compelling enough, but now the city of sunshine has something exclusive, chic, and French to offer
Photography DAMIEN ROPERO 80
There are several good reasons to go to Miami in the winter besides the obvious: glorious weather. For art aficionados, there’s the starstudded, clout-crazed Art Basel, in December. For ravers, there’s Club Space, which operates from 11 to 11 on weekends—yes, PM to AM. For fashion heads, there’s the Design District, home to local and international art galleries, hipster bars, and designer stores—the likes of which now include Celine’s recently reopened flagship store. If you’re in the 305 spirit, you’d be pleased to know that inside the freshly unveiled brick-and-mortar lies a Miami exclusive: the Wiltern bag. (If anything makes a Miamian’s ears perk, it’s a limited edition piece.) Just under a week after the Design District Celine opened, V chatted to Sola, one of the store’s new sales associates, who says the opening has been “massively successful, surpassing every sales goal.” Right on cue, the floor became audibly busy, and Sola hopped off the phone to continue our conversation over text.
Of the bag itself, Sola said that it’s been selling well, citing its desirability among “clients that enjoy the patina of natural leather” and “anything that has to do with the runway.” Celine’s FW23 runway took place at the famed Los Angeles venue, The Wiltern, which served as inspiration for the bag. Like the citizens of Los Angeles, South Floridians live in eternal summer, meaning seasonal style rules are sassily shrugged off in favor of warm tones and showing skin. But for non-locals—meaning those who experience winter—the Wiltern’s sumptuous calfskin leather construction and classic saddle shade make it a reliable year-round choice. Plus, its pearl-shaped studs top it off with just enough shine to bring out at night. As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of Miami, but good luck keeping her out of the club. Thankfully, the Wiltern is a well-behaved plus-one. SAVANNAH SOBREVILLA
THE LAST F R ON TIER C OLLEC TION
JACQUESMARIEMAGE.COM
D I O R . C O M - 8 0 0 .9 2 9. D I O R ( 3 4 67 )