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GOING FOR GOLD
Photography Ryan Jenq
Editorial
Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Stephen Gan Managing Editor / Production Director Melissa Scragg Editor Devin Barrett Features Editor Samuel Anderson Photo Director Goran Macura Editor, Entertainment Greg Krelenstein Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief Melissa Morales Contributing Editor-at-Large Derek Blasberg Copy & Research Editor Lynda Szpiro
Art/Fashion
Art Director Gabriele Baldotto Designer Shibo Chen Contributing Fashion Directors Paul Cavaco Gro Curtis Fashion & Market Editor Aryeh Lappin Fashion Assistant Sam Knoll Contributing Fashion Editors Nicola Formichetti Anna Trevelyan Amanda Harlech Jacob K Joe McKenna Melanie Ward Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele Jane How Clare Richardson Panos Yiapanis Tom Van Dorpe Beauty Editor Stella Pak Consulting Creative / Design Greg Foley
Digital
Digital Director Mathias Rosenzweig mathias@vmagazine.com Consulting Digital Editor Ian David Monroe ian@vmagazine.com Digital Editors Abraham Martinez Dania Curvy dania@vmagazine.com Social Media Manager Kevin Ponce kevin@vmagazine.com
Advertising/Finance
Associate Publisher / Advertising Director Nicola Bernardini de Pace nico@vmagazine.com Advertising Office, Italy and Switzerland, Magazine International Luciano Bernardini de Pace luciano@bernardini.it Daniela Sartori daniela@bernardini.it Marketing & Special Projects Manager Sara Zaidane sara@vmagazine.com Managing Director Todd Kamelhar Business Manager Kelly Keegan kelly@vmagazine.com Distribution David Renard Office Manager / Distribution Assistant Julie Gray Press & Events / Purple PR Andrew Lister Jocelyn Mak Amy Choi amy.choi@purplepr.com
Contributors
Inez and Vinoodh Alex White Arca Nick Knight Sølve Sundsbø Lyle XOX Dua Lipa Charli XCX Ewen Spencer Blair Getz Mezibov Doug Inglish Sandy Kim Jacob Elordi Christian Coppola Danielle Levitt Chris Horan Andrew Vottero Camilo Fuentealba Marissa Klurstein Owen Myers Julia Gray Vera Comploj Ryan Jenq Molly Lambert Ilana Kaplan @PAM_BOY
Special Thanks
The Society Cheri Bowen Tara Lanoway Lisa Barlow Alec Mather IMG Luiz Mattos Aaron Newbill Steven Bermudez Carlotta Sironi Christopher Lucas Ryan Molloy Morgan Rubenstein DNA Akeem Rasol Eileen Kim Tony Craig Women Selena Alonzo VNY Lana Winters NEXT Arthur DeMalchier Samuel Zakuto Oscar Garnice Gabriel Rubin Elite Richie Keo The Industry Domonick Hannosh Soul Sarah-Hamilton Bailey Lindsey LeGarrec VLM Studio Kim Pollock Charlotte Knight Kat Davey Art + Commerce Annemiek Ter Linden Yael Peres WYO Artists Karen Long The Wall Group Gregg Rudner Mandy Smudlers Lillie Blaustein Jason Woo Misty Kirk Ruby Jacobs Christopher Ridley Anna Stovitz Quinn Young Alexia Efstathiou Frank Reps Sara Catullo Streeters Cristian Banks Andy MacDonald Jillian Graham Daniel Weiner Paige Phillips Paula Ekenger Sasha Respinger Gabriela Moussaieff Danielle Levitt Studio Stephanie Porto Tomilson Management Group Kelly Tomilson Atelier Management Vonetta Baldwin LGA Management Craig Shipman CLM Jasmine Kharbanda Gino Puntonio Bryan Artists Lucy Bon Bryan Bantry Carole Lawrence Susan Price Inc. Susan Price Vesper Image & Film Cheyenne Vesper
Interns
Czar Van Gaal Mina Erkli Calem Robertson Jenna Solomon Shane Bundrant Ella Christensen Nayla Rizkalla Zoe Stringer
Cover 1 Hunter wears Dress Fendi Hat and veil Lidow Archive Boots photographer's own Cover 2 Hunter wears Skirt and belt Louis Vuitton Bra LaQuan Smith Socks Leg Avenue Boots photographer's own Custom wings Kayleigh Snowden Cover 3 Hunter wears Necklace and earring Bulgari This page Bulgari B.zero1 ROCK collection ($1,920-$14,400, Bulgari.com)
EYE SPY
Welcome to the world of Generation V, a landscape of bright young things and boundless creativity. Challenged by turbulent times, it's a groundbreaking group of thinkers bursting with starry-eyed optimism, longing for a future all their own. Consider our cover star (and poster-child of Generation V) Hunter Schafer: the modelturned-actress made a name for herself in HBO's explosive series Euphoria. By mirroring qualities of her character Jules, Schafer continues to dismantle barriers in the pop culture sphere. Captured by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by Alex White, Schafer calls up friend, musician, and fellow boundary-pusher Arca to talk defying norms, sci-fi, and trans-creativity. Elsewhere in the issue, Nick Knight and Anna Trevelyan document the head-turning look of the season—eye-catching scale–in Maximum Volume. It's a silhouette nearly impossible to miss, begging on-goers to look up from their iPhone screens. Creativity also defines the spirit of Gen V. Exhibit A is mixed-media artist Lyle XOX, creating remarkable custom headpieces further animated by Sølve Sundsbø and Gro Curtis. And while much of Gen V's focus is on the future, we have a soft spot for the nostalgia of the Spring collections, where the '70s proved to be a key motif. In Sølve Sundsbø and Anna Trevelyan's Super '70s story, the season's mid-century-inspired looks appear in razor-sharp clarity. Considering the past, we also take a minute to highlight those who came before Gen V. In Heroes, the likes of Post Malone, Charli XCX, and Clairo pay homage to their role models. While their influences might be varied, one thing is certain of this youth quake: They love to dance! Artist and photographer Ewen Spencer photographs young movers and shakers in their natural habitat, where the likes of Maliibu Miitch, Evan Mock, and Junglepussy dance away the anxieties of the surrounding world. The new generation is right on beat. MR V
T Is for Tom Ford Embrace team spirit with Tom Ford’s 001 handbag, a sleek carry-all branded with a bold, capital T-shaped clasp. This spring, the brand expands the range, releasing a luxe top-handle iteration. Consider leaning into the heat of warmer months with sexy white python variations. For bonus points, wear with Ford’s new "Made in Japan" eyewear collection, complete with Mr. Ford’s signature engraved on the temples. Tom Ford 001 Medium Shoulder Bag and 001 Top Handle Handbag in chalk semi-shiny python ($3,590-$4,650, Tomford.com), Made in Japan Eyewear in Shiny Black and Shiny Havana Acetate ($750, Tomford.com)
WHAT'S IN THE BAG? 58 Heroes 64 VIP 66 Eyes on Euphoria 68 Hear Now 70 Lights, Camera, Underground 72 Welcome to Generation V 78 V News 84 Rock and Romance 96 Maximum Volume 110 Super '70s 120 Take Two 136 Head Shots 144 Don't Stop the Dance 150 Couture Flash
Gucci Sylvie 1969 Small Shoulder Bag in leather with chain closure ($3,800, Gucci.com) and crocodile with chain closure ($30,000, Gucci.com)
The cultural forces that have influenced Generation V are varied, from rock superstars to prolific designers to pioneers of shoegaze
OZZY OSBOURNE
Nominated by Post Malone
It was Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter, Kelly, who facilitated his feature on Post Malone’s 2019 track “Take What You Want,” also featuring Travis Scott. So it’s only fitting that, when asked about the intergenerational collab, Osbourne would offer Malone some fatherly wisdom: “He’s a nice lad but I’ll tell you, one day he is going to wake up and say, ‘What the fuck have I done?’” Osbourne says, referring to Malone’s facial ink. “Them tattoos are there until the day you die.” Osbourne recently went public about his Parkinson’s disease, which he has been living with since 2003. When he and wife Sharon presented at the Grammys, his first major public appearance following the announcement, not to mention a sidelining neck surgery last year, the couple received thunderous applause. “The surgery on my neck was more of a problem than the Parkinson’s was,” he explains. “The Parkinson’s hasn’t gotten any worse since I was diagnosed in 2003. I just didn’t talk about it at first, [besides telling] a few people. But [things can] sneak out, you know? And I didn’t want to pick up the fucking National Enquirer and [have it] say, ‘Ozzy has got double lung cancer.’ So I said, ‘Fuck it.’” In dealing with his initial diagnosis, Osbourne’s withering matter-of-factness came in handy. “The thing about Parkinson’s is, it’s one of those problems that’s never spoken about, so you don’t really know what the fuck to expect. I started asking questions and the doctors would say, ‘You haven’t gotten that much worse; you are doing well.’ It’s not a death sentence. I mean, life is a death sentence!” he says, laughing. Still, his post-neck surgery recovery was a low point for Osbourne, 71. He went
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through the process without painkillers, because, he explains, “I’ve been up that road a thousand times and I don’t want to go there. I’ve been pretty miserable for this past year,” he recalls in his trademark Brummie accent. “[But] I ain’t dead yet. I ain’t finished. I proved that with [this] album.” The album in question is Ordinary Man, his first in a decade, featuring the likes of Elton John, Slash, and Malone, released on Epic Records in February. “To be honest the album saved my life, because I was getting so depressed, and it got me back doing what my life’s about, you know? Making music again gave me a really big boost, and lo and behold, before I knew it, we had an album. I played it for Sharon and she said, ‘Wow that’s great.’” Osbourne is funny and charming, reflecting on the countless changes he’s witnessed. “California is the land of the fucking new inventions. Now it’s fucking vegans. You can’t be eating anything with a nose.” he observes. (Osbourne’s own personal favorite food is “Indian food, curry. I love it.”) And he’s droll when talking about the realities of chronic pain—one his family has reckoned with since son Jack’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis a few years ago, which has honed a “one day at a time” mentality. “I mean, if life hasn’t killed me yet...” he says. “There are so many people that are dead. More people have died that I know than in a fucking war, you know? Not just celebrities, but many crew people, too. A lot of people that used drugs are all dead. So if I croak, then so what? If I didn’t wake up tomorrow morning, I don’t think the world will go ‘Oh my god!’ I think they would go, ‘Well, he lasted a long time.’” MOLLY LAMBERT ORDINARY MAN IS AVAILABLE NOW FROM EPIC RECORDS
Makeup and hair Jude Alcalá Lighting technician Josh Elan Photo assistants Austin Durant, Jerry Hsu
HEROES
heroes
Photography Sandy Kim Captured at Osbourne’s home, Los Angeles, January 2020
Courtesy Cooper Hewitt Museum
heroes
WILLI SMITH
Nominated by Ming and Aoki Lee Simmons
In 1983, African-American fashion designer Willi Smith presented a collection dubbed “Street Couture.” Though a seemingly oxymoronic notion at the time, the collection’s fusion of fashion and streetwear uncannily foreshadowed our current standards of dress. Smith was a precursor and a true original, yet his credit as a streetwear catalyst remains largely overdue. Now, an exhibit on Smith, opening this spring, is helping to even the scales. Born in Philadelphia in 1948, Smith was the son of an ironworker and a homemaker. Black and homosexual, he managed to survive the obstacles thrown at him by preintegration society, if his famous charisma and undeniable talent was any proof. After high school, Smith accepted a scholarship from Parsons School of Design. In New York, he encountered a city in the midst of revolution, with both the civil and gay rights movements gaining steam. Then, Parsons expelled Smith in 1967, citing a romantic relationship with another student. But his hustle and prowess ensured he would thrive outside the classroom. By the early ‘70s, Smith had landed a gig at sportswear label Digits. His calling card there was combining a sense of color, easy-towear classics, and thought-provoking imagery, one that lent the brand youthful cache. This soon caught the fashion establishment’s attention: In 1971, Smith received his first Coty Award nomination, then fashion’s biggest accolade. 60
Fast-forward to 1976, when Smith partnered with Laurie Mallet to incorporate WilliWear Limited. In producing fashionable designs at affordable prices, their success was immediate: WilliWear was soon grossing over $25 million in sales (or $80 million today). Smith also became an early conduit between fashion and other creative industries: In addition to art collabs with the likes of Keith Haring, Smith would design costumes for Spike Lee joints. Smith’s influence can be seen not only in the blockbuster, black-owned labels of the ’90s like Baby Phat (recently relaunched under the tutelage of founder Kimora Lee Simmons’s daughters, Ming and Aoki) but also present-day designers like Telfar Clemens and Kerby-Jean Raymond. He was a fashion designer of the people, as his 1978 quote illuminates. “I don’t believe my creativity is threatened by commercialism. Quite the opposite—I think that the more commercial I become, the more creative I can be, because I am reaching more people,” he told Fashion World. Sadly, that forward-thinking vision was cut short when, in 1987, Smith died from AIDS complications. And though WilliWear may have been an early model of commercial success, Smith wasn’t in it for the clout.“I don’t design clothes for the Queen,” he once said. “[I design for] the people who wave at her as she goes by.” @PAM_BOY “WILLI SMITH: STREET COUTURE” OPENS AT COOPER HEWITT ON MARCH 13
Photography Chantal Anderson
heroes
ROBYN
Nominated by Charli XCX
Charli XCX I’ll never forget when we were on tour in Australia together years ago…You came over to me at some party where I was feeling really nervous and you said, “Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks of you. We’ll have fun together, being ourselves.” It was a really simple gesture, but one that has stuck with me forever. Is there any advice that you wish someone had given you when you were starting out? Robyn Caring about people is so much nicer than caring about what [they] think—I wish I’d known that earlier! I also wish [I’d known] the difference between things [you] can fix versus those you can’t—[whether regarding] relationships, songs, or work. I don’t know if I’ve figured that one out yet; I was raised in an environment [where one] had to fix things [themselves]. Sometimes I’m sad [about] that. I hope to free myself of the fixing—to have more fun and to roll with the punches. XCX You’ve been a huge proponent of electronic music informing the landscape of pop. What about the club is so important to creating amazing pop music? R The “club” came way before pop music; I’m thinking rhythm and trance-like states. Not to over-romanticize [the idea of music] being “natural” to human beings, but I think that’s part of why [music] has been part of our world [for so long]. Not all club music is healing, but some is, and what gets me [is] the danceability and repetition. And the pop music I’m into [shares those qualities]. Although the melody is important as well.
Groove is not comparable to melody. To me, they don’t compete in the same category. XCX What are some of your favorite clubs in the world? R Great question! I’ve talked about my favorite clubs over the years, but I want to encourage more engagement. If you want to be part of those communities, give them some of your time [by researching them]. They need the support. XCX So many times I’ve been in the studio when people say, “Let’s make a cryingon-the-dance floor kind of song—like Robyn!” It’s almost like you own that genre of emotional rave music. Do you have to be in your sadness to write a sad song? R I don’t know if my best work [has come from] when I’ve been the saddest. I think I always write from my own experience but [there has to be] some distance between me and whatever happened [to make me feel something]. It’s easier to tell a good story when I’m not tied to my feelings about a certain situation. XCX I feel like your Body Talk project in 2010 started a trend of flipping the majorrelease structure on its head. How did you decide on that structure? R Thank you! I don’t know if I started a trend or if I was just bored. I wanted to have new songs to perform on tour throughout the year, and not feel so claustrophobic. I wanted to feel closer to, and more fluid in, my writing and performing. It was time for me to stretch the idea of how you are supposed to release music as a pop artist. 61
Courtesy 4AD
heroes
COCTEAU TWINS
Nominated by Clairo
Over eight albums, the Cocteau Twins’s soaring vocals and haunting melodies would irrevocably transform music. Formed by Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie in 1979, the band popularized shoegaze a decade before the genre officially existed. In March, 4AD will release the group’s 1982 debut Garlands and 1986’s Victorialand on vinyl, bolstering the group as one of their era’s most enduring: With the exception of one LP, a 1986 dual work with avant-garde musician Harold Budd, their entire discography remains in print. Of course, today’s young people just stream them. One such fan is 21-year-old musician Clairo, once singling out “Cherry-Coloured Funk” in her top-five best songs on Apple Music. Since inheriting her mom’s cassette collection, the viral sensation-turnedindie-powerhouse has held a torch for the Scottish band—both in her half-melancholy, soprano-laced melodies, and her status as a voice of her generation (Gen Z, that is). Clairo is just beginning that musical reign, as the Twins were in 1982. In vinyl form, the spellbinding Garlands traces the Twins’s origins, as the sole release to feature Heggie, whom Simon Raymonde replaced in ’83. Victorialand jumps forward in time, pivoting from elaborate instrumentals to stripped-back acoustics. That experimental sound continues to transcend the band’s potentially alienating “goth” label—one they resisted up until disbanding in 1997. Because you don’t have to subscribe to any generation’s voice in order to be transported and inspired by Fraser’s. ILANA KAPLAN GARLANDS AND VICTORIALAND WILL BE REISSUED BY 4AD ON MARCH 20
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bare (it) all idiom Definition of bare (it) all: to reveal everything especially : pose nude He was asked to bare (it) all for GCDS WEAR.
SHOT BY Giuliano Calza
5 / 15 bare it all - clear accessories
SS 2020
gcdswear.com
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Photography Pixie Levinson
V IP
HUGO COMTE
Nominated by Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa dons her journalist’s cap, spotlighting her friend and collaborator, photographer Hugo Comte Dua Lipa You’re the first person I’ve ever interviewed, so I feel I’m kind of winging it. But I’ve been interviewed a lot of times, so I feel like I know what to do [laughs]. You come from a background in architecture. How has that affected your perspective and approach [to photography]? Hugo Comte It opened my mind, opened my eyes. DL I feel like you’ve nailed that form of perspective and depth so well, and when people see your work, it’s very you, you know? HC I think it’s the urge of taking something that is rooted in reality and [capturing] it in [an image]. I like the feeling of that in-between territory. DL What inspired you to pursue photography? HC I didn’t know anything about this business and this world. Then, step by step, I was like, “Okay, I’m not in school. I have to learn.” I started to research what was done in the ‘80s and ’90s. And basically, that’s what inspired me. I thought if I want to be the best, I have to be inspired by the best. I would look at pictures from [the late’90s], [study] every single detail, and try to [capture] this energy. When I started in photography, I was obsessed with shooting the [old school] girls. That was the idea, hearing their anecdotes and getting it right. DL Who’s your favorite artist or photographer? HC Thinking about artists in general, the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. He is really the one that changed my life and opened my eyes. I was listening to interviews with him and I thought, “Wow. How is it possible to have that many layers in your mind?” You discover that life can be many different things and this is creation. And in photography, Steven Meisel is obviously the best; he’s also my favorite. He’s a genius. [His work] is magic. DL Who are you most excited to work with? HC I really want to do a series of family pictures of the Kardashians and the Wests. I want to take three or four pictures like a composition; capturing a group with the kids, creating this
major iconic family picture of them. DL I feel like when you say things out loud, you almost manifest them and when they go into print, it’s like a form of manifestation. Do you believe in manifesting? HC Of course. I’ve been seeing three numbers for a year: nine, seven, two. It’s even on my passport. They’re postcode numbers of Martinique in the Caribbean. It’s where half of my family [are] from. I’ve been twice, when I was ten years old, and I see these numbers all the time. I think I need to go there. Those islands are very mystical. Now when I speak about it, I have goosebumps. DL What’s your star sign? HC Here we go! I was waiting for that question! [laughs] I am an Aquarius, and I think that I’m Libra moon and Taurus rising. DL I’m a Libra rising and Cancer moon, so I’m severely emotional and all over the place. Then my sun sign is Leo. I’m a big mess. Do you ever read your astrology? On one of our shoots, I made you get [the app] Co–Star. I’m obsessed with it. HC I respect so much [of] this. I believe in it, but I just don’t want to know. I’m just going to wake up in the morning and go for it. DL What kind of music do you like to listen to on set? HC “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak. DL Can we talk a little bit about how you love to keep one song on loop for each shot? HC It’s always based on an attitude. If you have five girls and boys, they each need to have their own attitude and direction. When it’s a single face, it needs to be intense. I think music is the easiest way to get someone in the mood. It really opens my feelings, I’m more sensitive and I also get in the mood. Because of this music, I’m going to be able to capture the right moment. DL It creates a world out of every single set up. What’s your go-to snack when you’re on set? HC That’s easy. A ginger beer and blueberry Naked bar. VISIT VMAGAZINE.COM FOR AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW
TOMFORD.COM
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EYES ON EUPHORIA Acting powerhouse (and photographer!) Jacob Elordi offers V an exclusive look at the making of today’s most talked-about series Photography Jacob Elordi Interview Christian Coppola 66
Euphoria in Pictures, shot by Jacob Elordi; Created in collaboration with HBO/Eddy Chen
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Jacob Elordi Good day, sir! Christian Coppola Can you hear me? JE Hey, I accidentally hit mute. CC Your protruding cheekbones are getting in the way...So, how did this zine come to be? JE [Laughs] I love my camera, and had it on set throughout the making of Euphoria, Season 1. I wanted to keep that experience with me forever. CC We both carry a camera with us wherever we go. What was it that made you pick one up in the first place? JE I liked the idea of documenting a journey to a new place, so when I
moved to [L.A.], I brought along my camera. I’d also seen Heath Ledger’s photos from when he was starting out. CC I think photographers should [be able to] adapt [to their circumstances]. Was that part of your approach here? JE I didn’t really have [an approach]. I was quite nervous coming into Euphoria, and wasn’t keen on having my camera out, [until] we all spent a night at The Standard hotel. [At] the pool area, someone said, “Oh, is that a camera?” I eased into the process from there. CC The photos are lovely, and a contrast [to Nate’s presence] on Euphoria...A lot
of people hate his guts! What’s it like to meet fans who only know you as Nate? JE Your sense of other people becomes heightened, which can be [uncomfortable]. They might talk or be around you, but in the back of their minds, you can tell they think you’re this enormous asshole or maybe that you choke girls. Or it can work in your favor. Because [unlike Nate], I don’t love confrontation... CC The idea of people conflating [the actor and the art] reminds me...I’d only known you to be this gentle giant, until... Do you know where I’m going with this? JE Yes...My high point in life!
CC The Halloween party! It was like [reallife] Euphoria fan-fiction. Someone was being homophobic to [another guest], which you noticed, and instantly called out from across the room. The look of terror in this person’s eyes...They clearly [recognized] you, because...The cherry on top: They were dressed up as Nate. And here you were, defending someone who was being persecuted. JE It was a literal mirror image of art imitating life...but I also just didn’t like what I was seeing. CC A good memory for the grandchildren, no doubt. 67
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HEAR NOW
Caroline wears jacket and pants Fendi Necklace stylist’s own
Fresh off her first LP since dropping her artistic alias, Caroline Polachek strikes a chord of triumphant individuality
Makeup Amy Strozzi (Tomlinson Management Group) Hair Kelly Peach Digital technician Meredith Munn Lighting technician Sepehr Zemani Photo assistant Amanda Yanez Stylist assistant Lauren Jeworski
Photography Danielle Levitt Fashion Chris Horan Text Julia Gray
Caroline Polachek has an intensity about her. You can hear it in her voice, which she’s lent to various art-pop projects over the years. First came her longtime band, Chairlift, which she and a former classmate formed in 2005 at the University of Colorado. By the time the group disbanded in 2017, Polachek had begun to flex her solo might, penning Beyoncé’s “No Angel” and scoring campaigns for Proenza Schouler. But on Pang, her breakout 2019 solo album and the first using her full name, Polachek’s unique talents are laid bare. “I made [Pang] while coming in and out of these manic adrenaline surges: I was losing sleep, losing my appetite, losing weight,” Polachek explains. “These surges [had started] as a result of tectonic shifts in my life: Chairlift had fallen away, I was settling into marriage... All these changes put me into this jittery, hypersensitive state.” Pang is futuristic yet medieval-sounding at times—a calibration that suggests Polachek had precise artistic control over her unraveling. Just as central to the album’s novel soundscapes is PC Music producer Danny L Harle. “The album combines Dan’s love and extreme skill with this Renaissance-era polyphony: these beautiful, lean chord changes, with my aerial way of improvising melodies,” Polachek says. Despite PC Music’s penchant for intentionally over-processed beats and vocals, there’s an operatic rawness to Polachek’s pipes, which flit between crystalline anguish and euphoric high. “We actually used very little Auto-Tune,” says Polachek, who instead trained her voice to echo Auto-Tune-like modulation: “I find the textures I like in Auto-Tune and try to find it in my voice. Life imitates art,” she explains. “All humans are mimics. That’s how we learn culture and language.” Stacked with sensitive bangers and searing ballads, Pang feels like a confident leap toward a new, emotional-pop renaissance. “I want people to feel like they’re not alone in things, and like they have a soundtrack to moments of focused intensity,” says Polachek. “It’s a roadmap for people dealing with change.” The singer credits her newfound PC Music family with imparting new implements for this emo-pop expression. “I was just so supercharged by the whole new world [that] the PC Music crew open[ed] up [for me]—these new musical paradigms in which I could exist as an artist, and to which I could contribute with my writing,” she says. “I feel enormously challenged and excited by it... All I care about is building my own planet with people who are building theirs.” 68
flashback
LIGHTS, CAMERA, UNDERGROUND In the daylight of contemporary life, these pre-Internet nightlife publications emerge as clear cultural forecasters Photography Camilo Fuentealba Text Marissa Klurstein
As it exists today, nightlife coverage is relegated to back-of-book party reports, if not the Instagram grid, or the fleeting IG Story. But from the late ‘60s to early ‘80s, nightlife culture supported a whole print-media ecosystem—one best exemplified by periodicals like Le Palace in Paris, and NIGHT and After Dark, both New York-centric. As it turns out, what print lacks in instant gratification it makes up for in telling the whole story—which, once night fell, ranged from hedonistic indulgence to real-time social and cultural progress. While going-out culture has never left, the era of nightlife-as-unifier—between celebrity and civilian, straight and queer, trust-funded and just getting by—is arguably the stuff of time capsules. Fortunately, these pioneering periodicals were there to preserve the memories. Here, the golden age of nightlife sees the light of morning. After all, what happens in the dark has always been ahead of the day.
NIGHT In 1978, Manhattan-based artist and photographer Anton Perich established NIGHT, a newspaper-sized ode to disco-era nightlife culture. More than clubs per se, NIGHT profiled the people behind them—revealing the “club scene” to in fact be a microcosm of the city’s many creative and professional scenes. From ’78 up to the early naughts, NIGHT was there to capture the art and music these patrons created, as well as the exclusivity and controversy they courted. NIGHT never discriminated between the New York under-worlds, with scene-y Mudd Club and Studio 54 equally weighted against the elegant Regine’s. Whatever the clubby backdrop, a page in NIGHT would reflect the kind of cultural cross-pollination that nightlife allowed, with original photography followed by an interview with a painter or a poem by Charles Henri Ford. On one cover, Charlotte Rampling appeared posing elegantly with chandelier earrings, while another featured a young Leelee Sobieski with a safety pin through her nose. Though NIGHT is still published intermittently, its lengthy heyday serves as both a historical document and a cross-cultural forecast. 70
After Dark In May 1968, a dusty periodical called Ballroom Magazine was reborn as After Dark—explicitly “the magazine of entertainment” but tacitly a gay men’s cultural digest. Coinciding with the queer revolution of the ‘70s and ‘80s, After Dark delighted in challenging the status quo, drawing both fervent readership and conservative ire with their trademark male and (less frequent) female pinups. Its content spanned from ballet to Hollywood and reflected various cultural POVs, and cover stars ranged from Candy Darling to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liza Minnelli to Richard Gere. (Although the After Dark editors didn’t shy away from cheek and innuendo, as one headline in Gere’s issue, “Italianismo! An antipasto of who’s hot,” suggests.) While primarily New York-based, After Dark reflected the queer community’s geographical diversity as well, dedicating certain special issues to other urban bastions like San Francisco. And while the magazine, which shuttered in 1983, was a keystone in the mainstreaming of queer life seen recently, it’s also full of queer history that today’s LGBTQ+ could stand to learn. Never heard of Shirley Bassey? Then crack open an issue of After Dark and get to reading!
Le Palace Magazine At disco’s height, nightclub impresario Fabrice Emaer made it his life’s goal to launch a club that would match the success of Studio 54, only in Paris. His final discotheque Le Palace, opened in 1978, did just that and then some, thanks in part to its namesake periodical. Le Palace Magazine, a coproduction with then-20-year-old publisher Prosper Assouline, reflected decadent after-hours phenomena, like famous patrons (Loulou de la Falaise, Prince, Jack Nicholson or a teenaged Christian Louboutin, to name a few) coexisting with well-heeled fans. The aura of exclusivity was palpable in the magazine’s pages, handed down from Le Palace’s indispensable doorman, Edwige, whose crowd-curation skills were both feared and admired. But the queen of Le Palace was Grace Jones, who frequented the joint as both a performer and guest. Naturally Jones graced the first issue, her razor-edged presence embodying the physical space’s heightened atmosphere. While only 13 issues dropped between ’78 and Emaer’s death in 1983, the periodical re-emerged in 2018 when Alessandro Michele staged Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2019 runway show at the original Le Palace venue, offering commemorative “N°14” issues as party favors, as well as a lesson in cross-platform marketing for the ages.
WELCOME TO GEN V
They may be young, but their creative energy knows no bounds. Meet Generation V Photography Doug Inglish Fashion Andrew Vottero
Emma wears clothing and shoes Louis Vuitton Jewelry her own
EMMA CHAMBERLAIN
YouTuber
Despite racking up a billion views since joining YouTube at a tender age, Emma Chamberlain is getting used to certain aspects of her highly public life. “[Fans approaching me] while I’m filming has happened a few times, for sure,” she says. But adoring fans, fear not—Chamberlain gets the impulse. “Say I see Justin Bieber playing hopscotch, and he’s, like, obviously [busy]...I don’t care because it’s my one chance to meet him,” she analogizes. “...OK, now I’m comparing myself to Justin Bieber like a complete asshole.” Chamberlain’s talent for contriving relatable scenarios has been her calling card as a content creator, her videos primarily focused on mundane daily activities like fetching coffee and cooking dinner. But on-camera authenticity didn’t always come naturally; Before her blockbuster channel, she’d launched and abandoned several—think hyperactive dance routines and jejune fashion advice. “I don’t think anybody needed to see my Abercrombie jeans and sweater, as if every other fifth-grader wasn’t wearing the same thing... [But] I was always filming, making videos on my iPad with my cousins...I don’t know if it was a narcissistic thing, but it probably was. I’ll own it!” recalls the 18-year-old, originally from NorCal suburb San Bruno. Like many YouTube devotees, she immersed herself in the platform as her dissatisfaction with the IRL grew. “When I started, it was to give myself a positive, productive task. I was going through a super low point, mental health-wise: It was hard for me to get out of bed,” she admits. These days, she has an array of reasons to leave bed—from an eponymous specialty coffee brand to a partnership with Louis Vuitton. But to Chamberlain, it’s still the little things that count. ”I have two best friends, and if I ever moved away from them, I would literally be the loneliest person on the planet,” she says. “And I have cats, but they can’t talk to me. They can only fill some voids.” SAMUEL ANDERSON 72
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KATERINA TANNENBAUM
Actor
Actress Katerina Tannenbaum speaks her mind with rare candor and insight, whether pooh-poohing her book club’s latest pick or the 2020 Oscar nominations’ disappointing lack of diversity. But when the topic of her role in RuPaul Netflix vehicle AJ and the Queen leads to the question of her hypothetical drag alias, Tannenbaum is momentarily mum. “You caught me off guard with this!” she exclaims, with a laugh. As the young, in-recovery mother of the show’s titular 10-year-old, Tannenbaum supplies the show’s rough-around-the-edges heart. It follows, then, that her research for the role was less Drag Race marathons and more addiction-themed memoirs. “I dove into all that stuff,” she explains. “I wanted [to portray] a person, not a caricature.” Tannenbaum was right at home amid the show’s mothertucking brilliance, having developed her show-woman’s instincts early as one of seven kids. And as a longtime theater buff, she’d honed her taste for heaviness dusted with sugar and spice. “Rent tackles real shit but in a fun and sparkly way,” she says of the seminal hit musical. “That really attracted me. I was like, ‘Someday, I’m gonna play [exotic dancer] Mimi!’” After making her way from Portland, Oregon to New York’s prestigious Stella Adler acting school, Tannenbaum soon found captive audiences— small ones at first, when she waited tables and babysat to make ends meet. Then came modeling gigs with brands like Opening Ceremony and Adidas, followed by buzz-generating turns in TV shows like Sweetbitter and The Bold Type, playing a queer girl who seduces Kat (Aisha Dee) on the latter. “The more visibility we [give to] alternative love stories, the more opportunity people will have to live out their reality,” she says. Next up for Tannenbaum is Betty, a series spun off from director Crystal Moselle’s film Skate Kitchen, coming to HBO this spring, and a starring role in indie rom-com Love-40. “I know how lucky I am to call myself a working actor,” Tannenbaum reflects. “There must be something wrong with my brain, because I never wanted to give up.” So when she’s put on the spot about her would-be drag title, Tannenbaum of course lands on her feet: “The Kat’s Meow!” she declares. “It’s punchy.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. OWEN MYERS
Katerina wears shirt Amiri
KELSEY ASBILLE
Kelsey wears all clothing and accessories Louis Vuitton
Actor
This year, Louis Vuitton’s cinephilic Pre-Fall lookbook captured various LV ambassadors in movie-poster mise en scenes. Among them was rising-star actress and activist Kelsey Asbille, whose cameo seemed a case of fashion imitating life: “Starbound: The Sky Used to be the Limit,” Asbille’s caption declared. Her on-set encounter with Nicolas Ghesquière, Artistic Director of Womenswear at Louis Vuitton, echoed that superheroic enthusiasm: “He was at the shoot, [which] was kind of mind-boggling [in itself]: having him in front of me, just altering my clothes,” she recalls. “Then he says, ‘Kels, are you working on Fargo? I love that show!’ I was like, ‘You do?!’” On Fargo, returning to FX on April 19, Asbille’s character shares her Native and Chinese roots. The role thus hit close to home, despite her escaped-convict storyline. “She’s an outlaw, through and through, [but] I can’t help but root for her...There is something really exciting in her rejection of the idea of the American dream,” says Asbille, no stranger to questioning such ideals herself: Between projects, she studies indigenous human rights at Columbia. “My graduate studies and my [acting] work often intertwine,” she observes, pointing to a history lesson within Fargo: the forced integration of Native schoolchildren by the U.S. and Canada in the ’60s and the ’70s. “[They] were taken from the reservation and sent to white boarding schools,” explains Asbille, who also works with Indigenous Women’s Alliance of South Carolina and knows real-life survivors of the system. “It was a cultural genocide, in a way: You weren’t allowed to speak your language or wear your own clothes.” Ironically, Asbille’s character found a physical model in film Americana: “Specifically, I based her on the little girl in Paper Moon,” Asbille says, referring to the on-the-run protagonist (Tatum O’Neal) from the Oscar-winning classic. “[They both] live totally on her own terms, while also being quite child-like... And it doesn’t hurt that we basically have the same haircut!” SA 73
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LUKAS GAGE
Actor
“My first job was a wart commercial—I was a spokes-kid for wart removal… That was my claim to fame!” jokes Lukas Gage, recalling his early false start in showbiz. At his artsy magnet school in San Diego, a commercial reel was practically de rigueur. “It was cool to flex to your friends about [getting] a commercial,” he explains. “But then I would do one, and be like, ‘This isn’t it.’” After quitting the after-school hobby at 13, Gage spent adolescence at arm’s length from the acting bug, until a life-changing trauma. “I was at a party, and my friend got beat up for being gay. I jumped in to protect him, and I got beat up, [too]. I broke my orbitals, my nose, my jaw... All my teeth got all knocked out. I [had to get] my face put back together,” Gage recalls. “I had this moment in the hospital where I thought, If I die, will I have done everything I wanted to do? I wasn’t happy in school and I always wanted to go back to acting, so I was, like, ‘Fuck it. I am going to do it.’” Acting would eventually compel Gage to reckon with that inciting trauma onscreen: In an eerily familiar episode on the first season of HBO’s Euphoria, Gage’s Tyler is brutually assaulted by a retaliatory Nate (Jacob Elordi). “I think it actually help[ed] me work through some shit—[reliving the experience] in an environment where I felt safe and comfortable,” Gage says of filming the sequence. Even more surprising is that director Sam Levinson was none the wiser until after the shoot had wrapped. “His mind was blown when I told him [about getting beat up]. He was like, ‘Wow, that’s really weird,’” says Gage, noting that he’d auditioned for multiple roles before Levinson chose him for Tyler. “I feel like a lot of roles that have come into my life have this weird connection [to my assault],” he says. “I was like, ‘Am I supposed to play roles like this, because of this experience?’ Especially at the beginning of my career, I attracted the asshole, fuck-boy. Which is fine: I am down to shed light on the darker sides of humanity.” SA
Lukas wears jacket Guess
Keem wears all clothing Boss Shoes Dr. Martens Bracelet Cartier Watch Omega
BABY KEEM
Musician
Baby Keem is a rapper’s rapper poised to go mainstream. At 18 years old, Keem, born Hykeem Carter, already has two EPs and two full-length projects under his belt, plus production credits on albums from Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and the Black Panther franchise. His latest solo work, 2019’s Die For My Bitch, has received cosigns from the likes of Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples, Drake, A$AP Rocky, and BROCKHAMPTON. Despite his laundry list of collaborators, including Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, the LA-via-Las Vegas artist doesn’t like to single out one inspiration over another: “It’s unfair to point to one muse,” he demures. No matter where his influences lie, Keem’s technique is undeniable. Throughout Die For My Bitch, he strategically deploys his arsenal of skills, alternating between slow jams and explosive bangers. Sometimes he’s raw and vulnerable, like on “Apologize,” in which he admits, “Baby, don’t worry, I’m too numb to apologize.” Other times he drips with unabashed confidence, spitting lyrics that are confrontational yet hypnotically inviting, like those of a gritty lullaby. Standout Die For My Bitch single “Orange Soda” harks back to the golden age of hardcore rap, centering on a certain frank invitation: “Girl sit on my face, I attack that.” The beat-drop that follows this modest proposal is equally hard-hitting. Despite his forward delivery, Keem’s romantic tendencies, which he expressed early on in his childhood poetry writing, shine through in his music as well: “You can love me and still do me wrong/I’ve been hurt but I still remain strong,” he poetically waxes on “Bully.” “Eventually it all came together,” he says of his rap-game success. “I plan on progressing and staying creative.” His turns of phrase are deft and playful, and his charisma is fierce. “Apologize,” in which he ascends into sing-rap, minor-key mode, is decidedly a non-apology—suggesting he’ll be expressing himself for years to come. Because, despite his cherubic moniker, there’s nothing underdeveloped about Baby Keem. “I don’t feel like [my age] has any effect, and I think my fans [agree],” he explains. “I hold myself to the highest standard.” JULIA GRAY
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HADLEY ROBINSON
Actor
At a time when fans’ emotions are running on high, Showtime star Hadley Robinson has the weighty task of reviving an epic chapter of Lakers lore. A recent Juilliard grad, Robinson admits she went into the forthcoming HBO sports saga as a basketball novice. “I fall in love with new things on a daily basis, but sports was [never one of them]!” she says. The child of a dean and a dyed-in-the-wool good student, Robinson prepared by inhaling half-a-dozen sports podcasts in order to play Lakers owner and former prodigy GM Jeanie Buss, who, as a 20-something in the ’80s, orchestrated a myth-making spree of wins and talent acquisition. As a kid, Robinson, now 25, was something of a prodigy herself, poring over iambic pentameter in lieu of YA. “I am dyslexic, but for some reason, Shakespeare made more sense to me than [anything],” she says. “I could memorize it almost immediately.” And last summer, Robinson wrote and directed her first film, a feminist riff on Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, catalyzed by an outmoded Beckett-estate policy denying women from playing any of the play’s four characters. “It’s [still] a very controversial [debate], but I felt it would be so interesting to [include] female characters. I wrote [the film] in response [to that],” Robinson explains. “It became its own thing, about the nuances of young love between girlfriends. It’s my baby!” The U.K.-raised multi-talent has encountered plenty of role models in her swift Hollywood rise; in addition to Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, in which she played the young socialite Sallie Moffat, two of Robinson’s upcoming projects are women-led: the sci-fi series Utopia from Gillian Flynn, and Moxie, a Netflix comedy directed by Amy Poehler. If female leadership is still something of an industry rarity, Robinson is committed to keeping up the team spirit. “I want to make a habit out of [working with female creators],” she says. “It’s just good to have women at the forefront.” SA
Hadley wears shirt and skirt Salvatore Ferragamo Sunglasses Oliver Peoples Watch Omega
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JACK DYLAN GRAZER
Actor
One January day, Jack Dylan Grazer is procrastinating—not on classwork, but on preparing to accept an award from the Hollywood Critics Association: That evening, the HCA would present him and fellow up-and-comers like Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Noah Jupe statues declaring them the “Next Generation of Hollywood.” “I don’t know [who I’ll thank yet]...My mom, for sure, my dad and grandpa, the Hollywood Foreign Press,” says Grazer, invoking not the HCA, but the HFPA, voting body behind the Golden Globes. Whether a slip of the tongue (Grazer speaks with rapid-fire exuberance) or a Freudian slip (the Globes had aired that week), his impromptu practice speech demonstrates Grazer’s inherent irrepressibility—a quality that needled his teachers but turned casting agents’ heads early on. “When I was six, I was dancing in a parking lot, and a woman said, ‘I want you!’” Grazer says, recalling the start of his acting trajectory, which eventually landed him in mega-hit horror film It. “That was a dream,” he says of bonding with castmates like Finn Wolfhard. “It was like summer camp, with the aspect of a killer clown.” More grown-up fears arose on the set of HBO’s forthcoming We Are Who We Are, which served as a test of his acting chops: “Before, it was fun-acting,” he says. “This show helped me prove to myself that I really can act.” On set, Grazer hit it off with avuncular auteur Luca Guadagnino. “Everything he says is like a painting; he verbalizes emotions better than anyone,” Grazer says. “It was a wonderful, terrifying experience.” Professional development aside, the shoot came with less desirable after-effects—namely frosted tips. “It was for the show...I didn’t know they were going to dye it!” says Grazer, running a hand through his half-blond curls. “I have dog hair now! It used to be soft...” Still, Grazer finds an upshot: a link between the hair and Hollywood’s erstwhile next generations. “I hated it before,” he admits. “But [I do have] a Justin Timberlake-thing going on now. And I like that!” SA
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Makeup Hinako (The Wall Group) Hair Dennis Gots (The Wall Group) Digital technician Maxfield Hegedus Photo assistants Ryan Moraga, Julian Dakdouk, Michael Clifford Stylist assistant Madeleine Issa Makeup assistant Risa Miyamoto Hair assistants Jesika Miller, Andres Copeland
Jack wears shirt Amiri Jewelry his own
generation v Quintessa wears shirt 2 Moncler 1952 Skirt Boss Jewelry their own
LAUV
QUINTESSA SWINDELL
Actor
On HBO’s Euphoria, Hunter Schafer’s Jules skips town to New York, where she meets Anna, an antidote to her town’s close-mindedness played by Quintessa Swindell. The environment Jules was attempting to escape was not unlike one Swindell, who is non-binary, encountered in their home state of Virginia. “Most people had never met a trans person, or didn’t know what they were,” they recall. Swindell, too, escaped to New York, but found the self-actualization they’d later portray on Euphoria elusive. “It was very rough, [even] in New York,” says Swindell, who enrolled at Marymount Manhattan for acting, despite being, they say, “always the most uncomfortable person in the room.” “I was scared of myself,” they add. “Scared to move a certain way or emphasize something, or be that person.” If New York’s undergrad scene left Swindell wanting for greener pastures, history books offered abstract yet profound forms of kinship: Their idol is legendary activist and writer Angela Davis, so it’s no wonder they’ve vowed to portray Davis’s formative experiences, like going on trial for a nowinfamous charge that hinged on her connection to the Black Panther party, in a yet-to-exist biopic. “Everything that she endured [speaks to] the most under-represented aspects of film today,” says Swindell. For now, Swindell’s in-the-works projects satisfy their activist streak. On the forthcoming season of Netflix’s Trinkets, about a friend group forged in Shoplifters Anonymous, Swindell’s character Tabitha drops some intersectional knowledge: “I never shoplifted, which I feel like I had to do with my [skin] color: When I walk into a store, I’m like, hands in pockets, look with your eyes. That’s a theme that we investigate in Season 2.” For Swindell, the personal is often political—a tension to which they are committed to representing on screen. “I feel like it’s a journey: I still want to see if there is anything I want to do with my body, like taking T [testosterone supplements],” Swindell shares. “That’s what makes the future so exciting; it’s like, wow, at some point, maybe I will be fully [without] boundaries.” SA
Musician
Each decade has its defining cultural resetters. (Think Lady Gaga hitting it big in the early 2010s). Our first few sips of the 2020s have revealed a new musical landscape wherein artists like Los Angeles-based Lauv are dominating the charts with minimal electro-pop and lovable online personalities. Known for his brave vulnerability in lyricism with songs like, “fuck, i’m lonely,” Lauv’s popularity suggests an unprecedented openness in music. Should he help define this decade, there’s a lot to look forward to. “In today’s world, there’s so much pressure, especially with the Internet, to have a personal brand,” says the 25-year-old, who boasts over a million followers on Instagram.“I think people are way more complicated than that.” Hence, the artwork for his just-released debut album How I’m Feeling, which showcases multiple versions of Lauv. Each depiction wears a different hair color and represents different parts of his personality, including the hopeless romantic that most fans (accurately) believe him to be. The point is, he has layers and he wants to remind us that we all do, too. While most artists focus on expressing mainly themselves, Lauv is unique in that he encourages fans to talk about their own mental health. Last year, he started the Blue Boy Foundation, which helps raise awareness around mental health and connect those in need to helpful resources. About his goals this decade, he says: “Becoming a better artist every day, becoming a better friend, a better family member, and finding more ways to use my platform and this foundation to affect people positively.” MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG
Lauv wears sweater and pants Missoni Shirt (worn under) Guess Shoes Converse Socks Nike Jewelry his own
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GO ECO!
The new collections offer steps toward an eco-forward wardrobe Photography Vera Comploj Fashion Aryeh Lappin
New Florals Dior’s SS20 show proved that Maria Grazia Chiuri has set her eyes on sustainability, showcasing 164 trees that were transplanted across Paris following their appearance on the catwalk. Each inspired by nature, the dresses were a nod to herbaria and preservation. Dior Dress (price upon request, available for special order, 1.800.929.Dior) MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG
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v news Water Works AG Jeans is paving the way for sustainable practices by adopting an eco-conscious method of water filtration in their factories, recycling 100% of the water used in creating their denim and ready-to-wear, like the perfect cotton tank dress. AG Jeans Cotton Tank Dress ($148, Agjeans.com) MR
Good Jeans This spring, GUESS is embracing sustainable materials with their GUESS Eco collection, which uses organic cotton and fibers produced by sustainably managed forests. They plan to have 25% of their products be ecofriendly by 2021. Guess Eco Super HighRise Pants ($108, Guess.com) MR
Second Life Clare Waight Keller has modernized the long-standing Givenchy house by emphasizing upcycled acid-washed denim in their Spring collection, adding a beautifully crafted and authentic layer of consciousness to the brand. Givenchy Denim Dress (Price upon request, Givenchy.com) MR 79
v news
SECURE THE BAG
Spring’s bags add a jolt of excitement, with shapes that aim to transform
Photography Vera Comploj Fashion Aryeh Lappin
Moon Landing Virginie Viard’s tribute to the rooftops of Paris this season included views of the sky as illustrated in a showstopping half-moon clutch. Contrasting metal hardware with lamb and goatskin, the bag offers a futuristic spin on the house’s classic quilted leather. Chanel Metal Clutch ($2,575, available at Chanel boutiques) and Organza Dress (price upon request, available at Chanel boutiques) DEVIN BARRETT
Shine On Dirk Schoenberger’s first collection for MCM hints at the brand’s discoinfluenced past while looking toward a techno-tinged future. Case in point: a winning combination of bags. Two are better than one. MCM Milano Belt Bag ($1,050, Mcmworldwide.com), Candy Drawstring Bag ($1,175, Mcmworldwide. com), and Oversized Flared Jeans (similar styles at Mcmworldwide.com) DB 80
Makeup Marla Belt (Streeters) Hair Quenton Barnette Models Lia Pavlova (Next), Dominique Babineaux (Heroes) Lighting technician Vadim Krizhanovsky
v news
Calling Kaia Unveiled at their Spring runway show in Paris, the Saint Laurent Kaia bag featues soft, rounded edges, offering a sexy update to the everyday carry-all. Variations include vegetal leather, natural python, and lizard. Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Mini Kaia Satchel Bag in Python ($1,450, YSL.com) and Embellished Silk Dresses (price upon request, YSL.com) DB
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Artwork Yixin Cheng
THE NEW WAVE CRYSTALLIZES ITS PLACE IN TIME. FOREVER V
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Model-turned-actress Hunter Schafer fuses genres this season, leaning into the fantasy and edge of the Spring 2020 collections. The Euphoria breakout star also talks defying norms, sci-fi, and trans-inclusive creativity with musician Arca Photography Inez and Vinoodh Fashion Alex White Interview Arca
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Hunter wears dress Fendi Boots photographer’s own Hat and veil Lidow Archive
Jacket and pants Balenciaga Boots R13 Bag Galaxy Army Navy Earrings Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Skirt and belt Louis Vuitton Bra LaQuan Smith Custom wings Kayleigh Snowden
Earrings and necklace Bulgari On eyes Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Warm Memories
“I don’t know if I’ve ever worked closer with anyone than Zendaya on Euphoria. It was such an extensive process, and a very intimate one.” �Hunter Schafer
Shirt and pants Giorgio Armani On hair Oribe Swept Up Volume Powder Spray
Dress Burberry Hat and veil Lidow Archive
Jacket Alexander Wang Top Vera Wang Shorts and earrings Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello On hair Oribe Power Drops Color Preservation Booster
Arca I am so happy to be interviewing you. [But] honestly, [also] freaked out that you were into the idea… Hunter Schafer I am so excited to talk to you! A It feels serendipitous, because when I watched Euphoria…Your first scene, with [your character] Jules using the syringe [for hormone injections]…I was screaming so hard because I’ve never seen that on TV before, with proper production and cinematography. It was so moving. HS Oh my god, thank you so much. I mean, I’ve literally been listening to you since high school. Your sound so specifically represents my experience… “Saunter” is one of my favorite songs! A I love that you know that song by name. Most people don’t bring it up! [Speaking of experience], I heard Jules was based on you. Is that right? HS Yeah, that is correct! A How was that? Transitioning is such a personal experience. Was there something redeeming about sharing it, and maybe demystifying it? HS Yeah, right! It didn’t feel natural at first. Part of surviving was just, like, getting through shit. Letting it rest, and not addressing it. I think that’s what I had been [doing] up to that point: just going and going, fighting to be on the other side of my transition. There was so much that I was working toward, and I was so excited to [be out of] North Carolina that I don’t think I’d ever looked back on [that experience]. A Wow! So powerful. HS Very. That’s what felt unnatural, I was like, “Oh shit.” Remembering things that I hadn’t thought about until [that point]. That happened throughout the entire season: As we worked through different scenes, I’d have to remember a new detail, to dig up an artifact from within myself, and hold onto that moment for the scene. I imagine you do that in your work. A That’s one way acting and making music could be similar: No matter how personal [it is] to you, there’s always this weird, speculative aspect to it. So it’s personal but not that personal; [For example] a love song can be about one person, but it can also be about multiple people. HS That’s a mood...I think [the process of acting] can also be like writing a letter to someone—combining experiences that have a common thread. A That reminds me of this interview with [science fiction writer] Octavia Butler—do you know her? I think you’d be into it. I’ll send it to you—it relates to what we are talking about. Are you interested in sci-fi? What gets you off when you think of your dream project? HS Oh, yay! I haven’t heard of her, but I love sci-fi. I really want to do something sci-fi-related! A Yas…Go off! HS That’s what I grew up on—comic books and Teen Titans. All of that was so important to me, so I feel like I owe it to my younger self. And the aesthetics would be sickening…Who’s serving better than a superhero with armor? That’s what I wish I could look like all the time. A Let’s see if we [can] link up for a sci-fi collab. Actually, your last Instagram post is pretty superhero. HS Thank you! That would be so sick. It’s always low-key what I am trying to channel, in some way or another. A To be real, transness is pretty sci-fi... HS Yas. Period! I think that’s why a lot of trans people can tap into a certain aesthetic that has sci-fi elements [so well]. A And commit to it, too—it’s not something you [necessarily] take on or off. I support body-mod of all kinds. The vessel that you inhabit, your body, is the only thing that’s [truly yours]: It’s not property or money. Why not share your values and your beliefs through it? HS Yeah, true…When I hear “body-mod,” I think of people putting, like, studs under their skin. But I guess it can extend to any alteration you put your body through, huh? A Yeah, love it! I mean, the studs, the splitting tongues…I [support] all of it! I wanted to ask you about your visual art, too. I think it’s so sick. HS Thank you, thank you! My original plan was to model in order to support my visual art. At that point, I thought, I wish I could be making money off of [my art] because it’s all I want to do. But then I got swept up in [acting], which is wild: I went to an arts high school, and was always focused on visual arts; [performing] was this exciting and tantalizing activity. Now it’s the opposite; I am monetizing performing. A It’s beautiful to have that, no matter what medium you work in— anything that gives you oxygen, that [relieves] the pressure of monetizing your creative practice within a capitalistic system. HS Now I am trying to lock down my [visual] art practice again. But it is a blessing to [be able to] have both—[acting] and art. A Variety is the spice of life, for everything. I wouldn’t even want to use the same moisturizer every day!...Watching Euphoria, I was totally transfixed with the character of Jules. It’s a really special performance. Who’s been your closest artistic collaborator, would you say? HS I don’t know if I’ve ever worked closer with anyone than Zendaya on Euphoria. It was such an extensive process, and a very intimate one. And also Sam Levinson, [the creator], who helped me get to those places I hadn’t been since I was a teenager… A Is there anything you imagine for the character of Jules, like in the longterm, hypothetically? HS Ooh…I know she has dreams, [many of] which she stated in the first episode. Which is just what I did in a way: escaping to New York, and working or interning in fashion...And that was [part of the character] before I was even cast, so it was really freaky to see that written into the script. So, I feel like that’s definitely her path. A I don’t have a vision for Jules—I’m just a bystander, finding out what happens with everyone else. But I love watching Jules, and will cheer her on in whatever she does. [She’s] just so fucking cool! HS [Laughs] Aww, thank you. You are like her voyeur mother. A I am so into that! That makes me so happy. VISIT VMAGAZINE.COM FOR AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW
Makeup Fulvia Farolfi (Bryan Bantry) Hair James Pecis (Bryant Artists) Manicure Rieko Okusa (Susan Price, Inc.) Executive producer Stephanie Bargas (VLM productions) Producer Tucker Birbilis (VLM productions) Production coordinator Eva Hart (VLM productions) Production manager John Nadhazi Lighting technician Jodokus Driessen (VLM Studio) Digital technician Brian Anderson (VLM Studio) Photo assistants Joe Hume, Chris Davis Production assistant Tyler Cavallero Set design Jill Nicholls (Vesper Image & Film) Tailor Sam Walls (Lars Nord Studio Inc) Stylist assistants Lauren Bensky, Tabitha Sanchez, Kayleigh Snowden Makeup assistant Robert Reyes Hair assistant Anton Alexander Set design assistants Todd Knopke, Mike Williams Location Industria (West Village)
All clothing and accessories Michael Kors Collection Custom wings Kayleigh Snowden
THINK BIG
WE VOTE FOR TOMORROW
MAX Photography Nick Knight Fashion Anna Trevelyan
IMUM VOLUME The Spring 2020 collections reveal an epic narrative of monumental proportions
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Sara Grace wears dress and ring Balenciaga On hair Hair by Sam McKnight Easy Up-Do Texture Spray
Sara Grace wears all clothing and accessories Marc Jacobs
Sara Grace wears dress and visor Matty Bovan Dress (worn under) Giorgio Armani Headpiece Robert Wun Earrings Panconesi
Achenrin wears (this spread) all clothing and accessories Comme des Garรงons
Sara Grace wears coat, hat, pants Issey Miyake Dress Area Shoes Richard Malone Earrings Panconesi
Achenrin wears dress and hat Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Shoes Tabitha Ringwood Jewelry Atelier Swarovski
Chu wears dress Noir Kei Ninomiya Shoes Nodaleto Earring Susan Fang
Chu wears dress Tomo Koizumi Headpiece Sorcha O’Raghallaigh
Chu wears dress Richard Malone Earring D’heygere
Chu wears headpiece Sorcha O’Raghallaigh On skin Pat McGrath Labs Chromaluxe Hi-Lite Cream in Pale Gold 002
Makeup Laura Dominique (Streeters) Hair Sam McKnight (Premier Hair and Make-up) Models Sara Grace Wallerstedt (The Society), Chu Wong (The Society), Achenrin Madit (The Industry NY) Manicure Jenny Longworth (CLM) Set Design Andrew Tomlinson Executive producer Kat Davey (Liberte Productions) Production coordinator Noot Coates (Liberte Productions) Digital technician Joe Colley Photo assistants Tom Alexander, Joshua Tarn, Gabor Herczegfalvi, Megan Jordan Stylist assistants Ellie Brown, Hamish Wirgman, Will Larkin Makeup assistant Eddie Liu Hair assistants Fabio Petri, Ross Kwan Set design assistant David Konix Production assistant Annabelle Jordan
Achenrin wears dress and sunglasses Rick Owens Earrings and bracelet Robert Wun
SUPER ’70S Shimmy into more, more, more with ‘70s realness: more print, more pattern, more color! Photography Sølve Sundsbø Fashion Anna Trevelyan
Ajok wears jumpsuit and earrings Chanel Shoes Aquazzura Scarf Missoni
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Meghan wears suit Marc Jacobs Shoes Giuseppe Zanotti Jewelry Vickisarge Scarf Cenci VIntage
Meghan wears Jacket and pants Louis Vuitton Shoes Giuseppe Zanotti Earrings Tiffany & Co. On lips L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Matte Lip Stain in Desired
Meghan wears top Givenchy Pants and belt Victoria Beckham Sunglasses Tom Ford Eyewear Earrings Solange Ring Pomellato On lips L’OrÊal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipstick in Matte-Caron
Ajok wears Top, pants, scarf, boots Gucci Watch Cartier Earrings Yael Sonia On eyes L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Eyes Shimmer Liquid Eye Shadow Makeup in Amethyst Quartz
Meghan wears shirt, pants, boots Celine by Hedi Slimane Rings Cartier
Ajok wears jacket Emporio Armani Bodysuit United Colors of Benetton Sunglasses Oliver Peoples Earrings Swarovski On lips L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Eyes Shimmer Liquid Eye Shadow Makeup in Amethyst Quartz
Ajok wears all clothing and boots Burberry Watch Omega
Ajok wears Jacket and pants Prada Shoes Malone Souliers Gloves Dents Rings, earrings, belt Solange
Makeup Val Garland (Streeters) for L’OrÊal Paris Hair Franco Gobbi (Streeters) for Fragile Cosmetics Models Ajok Madel (The Industry NY), Meghan Roche (IMG) Manicure Adam Slee (Streeters) Set design Andrea Cellerino (Streeters) Production Sally Dawson, Paula Ekenger Digital technician Tony Ivanov Photo assistants Samuel Stephenson, Hristo Hristov Stylist assistants Hamish Wirgman, Jermaine Robinson Makeup assistant Elizabeth Hsieh Hair assistant Charles Stanley Set design assistants Ashisha Cunningham, Bradley Tomlinson Retouching Digital Light Ltd
Meghan wears Jacket and shorts Dior Boots Marc Jacobs
TAKE TWO
Double the fashion, double the fun. Here, the Spring 2020 collections pair up Photography Blair Getz Mezibov Fashion Gro Curtis
Isabeli wears earrings, necklace, rings, bracelets Cartier
Isabeli and Ronald in Versace 120
On face Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation Ronald wears watch Omega
Ellen and Noah in Louis Vuitton
Meghan and James in Gucci
On eyes (Meghan) L’Oréal Paris Bambi Mascara
Janis wears necklace Tiffany & Co. Earring his own On skin Augustinus Bader The Body Cream
Janis and Adesuwa in Giorgio Armani
Alexis and Zheng in Givenchy
Alexis wears earrings Cartier Bra and briefs Commando
Kit wears necklace Tiffany & Co. Bracelet Cartier On hair R+Co Control Flexible Paste
Chad and Kit in Dsquared2
Yasmin and Serge in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Jules and Manuela in Fendi
Jules wears watch Omega Manuela wears necklaces and rings Cartier
Dilone and Morocco in Salvatore Ferragamo
Morocco wears necklaces and earrings his own On face Milk Makeup Flex Foundation Stick
Matt and Francisco in GCDS
Matt wears ring Cartier Francisco wears necklace and bracelets Cartier
JoĂŁo and Alana in Prada
Francisco and Yasmin in Dior Men and Dior
Imari and Oslo in Burberry
Meghan and James in Balenciaga
Licett and Lily in Tom Ford
Makeup (Adesuwa, Janis, Meghan, James, Kit, Chad, Dilone, Morocco, Alanna, João, Ellen, Noah, Lily, Licett, Imari, Oslo, Hoyeon, Francisco L, Yasmin, Serge) Maud Laceppe (The Wall Group) Makeup (Isabeli, Ronald, Alexis, Zheng, Jules, Manuela, Francisco H, Matt) Courtney Perkins (Frank reps) Hair (Adesuwa, Janis, Meghan, James, Kit, Chad, Dilone, Morocco, Alanna, João, Ellen, Noah, Lily, Licett, Imari, Oslo, Hoyeon, Francisco L, Yasmin, Serge) Tsuki (Streeters) Hair (Isabeli, Ronald, Alexis, Zheng, Jules, Manuela, Francisco H, Matt) Ben Jones (Bridge Artists) Models Adesuwa Aighewi, Janis Ancens (The Society) Meghan Roche, James Turlington (IMG), Kit Butler, Chad White (SOUL), Dilone, Morocco (DNA), Alanna Arrington, João Knorr (NEXT), Ellen Rosa, Noah Brown (DNA), Lily Nova, Licett Morillo (IMG), Imari Karanja, Oslo Grace (IMG), Hoyeon Jung, Francisco Lachowski (The Society), Yasmin Wijnaldum, Serge Rigvava (The Society), Isabeli Fontana (Women), Ronald Epps (The Society), Alexis Ruby, Zhen Zhang (IMG), Jules Horn, Manuela Sanchez (DNA), Francisco Henriques (Wilhelmina), Matt Pendleton (VNY) Digital Technician Eric Boutilier Casting Director Shaun Beyen Photo assistants Mike Skigen, Joey Abreu Makeup assistants Christopher Quarterman, Aimi Osada Hair assistants Hiro Furukawa, Akira Nagano, Mark Esparza Locations ROOT NYC, Highlight Studios
Hoyeon and Francisco in Bottega Veneta
HEAD SHOTS Mixed-media artist Lyle XOX transforms the face of Spring fashion
Imagery Sølve Sundsbø & Lyle XOX Fashion Gro Curtis
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Lyle wears clothing Dilara Findikoglu Custom and archival headpieces (throughout) Lyle XOX
Custom headpiece Giuseppe Zanotti
“My artistic approach is very organic in nature; there’s never a specific plan or map for a piece. Rather I’m very present throughout the creation process in order to not censor [myself] and to just trust the inspiration.” �Lyle XOX
“For this story, I wanted to marry my world with that of the designer’s, using cast-off items from their ateliers to create the sculptures. Whatever resonated with me the most was worked into a patchwork of sorts.” �Lyle XOX
Clothing, accessories, custom headpiece MSGM
Clothing Erdem
“It’s important that each creation had its own unique identity. I would work on a [headpiece] and then leave it alone for days. Each time I went back, it was with fresh eyes and new energy.” �Lyle XOX
Clothing Richard Quinn
Clothing Noir Kei Ninomiya
“When I put on [a headpiece], I see ‘Lyle’ slowly drift away and ‘Lyle XOX’ emerge. [Witnessing this] feels otherworldly and imparts a high that is intoxicating for me.”
Clothing Maison Margiela Custom headpiece Avant Toi
�Lyle XOX
Makeup Lyle Reimer assisted by Lesley Vye Manicure Robbie Tomkins (Premier Hair and Make-up) using Bio Sculpture EVO2 Gel Production Sally Dawson, Paula Ekenger Digital technician Tony Ivanov Photo assistants Samuel Stephenson, Sebastian Kapfhammer Stylist assistant Aurelie Mason-Perez Retouching Digital Light Ltd.
Clothing Craig Green
From left to right Rockwell wears top and sunglasses GCDS Evan wears top Dsquared2 Jewelry his own Maliibu wears dress and bra Versace Jewelry her own Neon wears dress No Sesso Morocco wears top No Sesso Pants Zak Syroka Jewelry his own Tyler wears top Louis Vuitton Necklace his own
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DON’T STOP THE DANCE Dress up to get down. Spring 2020 energy finds the rhythm underground Photography Ewen Spencer Fashion Anna Trevelyan
From left to right Ajani wears jacket Pyer Moss Rockwell wears top and pants Givenchy Morocco wears jacket and pants Pyer Moss Jewelry his own Erin wears bodysuit GCDS Earring L. Jardim Tuhir wears top and jacket Celine by Hedi Slimane Jewelry his own Hope wears top, shirt, sunglasses Balenciaga Jewelry and watch his own
From left to right Hope wears top and jacket Martine Rose Jewelry his own Joshuah wears top and jacket United Colors of Benetton Massima wears top and pants Marc Jacobs Tyler wears top Casablanca Symone wears top Martine Rose Morocco wears top Telfar Sunglasses Oakley Jewelry his own
From left to right Junglepussy wears dress Moschino Jewelry her own Tuhir wears coat GCDS Erin wears dress Coach Necklace her own Ajani wears dress Eckhaus Latta Jewelry her own On eyes Fenty Beauty Snap Shadows in 4 Rose Romantic Pinks Kuby wears top Landlord Jewelry his own Maliibu wears dress Balmain Jewelry her own
From left to right Fiffany wears top Jeremy Scott Junglepussy wears dress Christian Cowan Jewelry her own Symone wears top and skirt LaQuan Smith Glasses her own Erin wears dress Dsquared2 Earring L. Jardim Tuhir wears jacket and pants Area Neon wears dress Blumarine Boots Jeremy Scott Sunglasses Gentle Monster Earring Plutonia Blue Ruby wears jacket and skirt Helmut Lang Ali wears dress The Attico
From left to right Hope wears top 1017 Alyx 9SM Sunglasses Mykita Jewelry his own Erin wears top Redemption Pants and belt Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Makeup Hung Vanngo (The Wall Group) Hair Tsuki (Streeters) Talent Maliibu Miitch, Evan Mock, Junglepussy (Elite), Ajani Russell (IMG), Hope, Kuby Lin, Neon Spice, Fiffany Luu, Symone Lu, Ali Morgan (The Society), Ruby Aldridge (IMG), Erin Eliopulos (NEXT), Massima Desire (NEXT), Rockwell Harwood (IMG), Tuhir Brahmbhatt (SOUL), Joshuah Melnick (DNA), Morocco (DNA), Tyler Bey (NEXT) Manicure Mar Y Soul Digital technician Dallas Raines Movement Director Jordan Robson (CLM) Casting Director Jill Demling Photo assistants Krystallynne Gonzalez, Johnny De Guzman Stylist assistant Kristtian Chevere Makeup assistants Tsuyoshi Sekimoto, Mami Iizuka, Takahiro Okada Hair assistants Hiro Furukawa, Joy Lee, Tracy Nguyen Retouching Touch Digital Location UP&DOWN Nightclub
Massima wears top and pants Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Morocco wears top and pants LaQuan Smith Rockwell wears jacket and pants Helmut Lang Neon wears jacket Alexander Wang Fiffany wears top Tom Ford Choker Bitchfist Kuby wears jacket Martine Rose Sunglasses Planet i Necklaces Ambush
COUTURE FLASH Pierpaolo Piccioli translates the Valentino fantasy for the current moment, unveiling a special Haute Couture collection in Beijing Photography Nick Knight Fashion Anna Trevelyan
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Makeup Laura Dominique (Streeters) Hair Sam McKnight (Premier Hair and Make-up) Model Issa Lish (Elite) Manicure Jenny Longworth (CLM) Set Design Andrew Tomlinson Executive producer Kat Davey (Liberte Productions) Production coordinator Noot Coates (Liberte Productions) Digital technician Joe Colley Photo assistants Tom Alexander, Joshua Tarn, Gabor Herczegfalvi, Megan Jordan Stylist assistants Ellie Brown, Hamish Wirgman, Will Larkin Makeup assistant Eddie Liu Hair assistants Fabio Petri, Ross Kwan Set design assistant David Konix Production assistant Annabelle Jordan
Issa wears all clothing Valentino Haute Couture Beijing 2019 Necklace Bulgari On lips Pat McGrath Labs OpuLUST Gloss in Venomistress On hair Hair by Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist
