J UN E / J U LY
KACEY MUSGRAVES HOLDS NOTHING BACK
Trending
Hot Girl Summer From an Instagrammable beauty line to UPF-enhanced beachwear, these chic finds will help you enjoy the warmer weather in style.
Italian fashion house Valentino has entered the cosmetics arena with a 14-piece makeup line. The collaboration between designer Pierpaolo Piccioli and makeup artist Raoul Alejandre includes the Go Clutch ($235), a stylish-yet-logical accessory (first seen on the spring 2017 catwalk) that holds a miniature Rosso Valentino lipstick and powder. All of the products are lacquered in “Valentino Rosso”–colored packaging, including the refillable and reusable lipsticks and compacts. Valentino Beauty, starting at $25, valentino.com.
KOKI GOES GLOBAL When teen songwriter Kōki made her modeling debut in ELLE Japan in 2018, it was just the beginning. Today, she has 3.2 million followers on Instagram (@koki) and has been tapped by Chanel, Bulgari, and Coach. And as of July, she is a new global face of Estée Lauder makeup and skin care. The secrets to her glowing complexion include a threestep hydration routine and the occasional moisturizing mask: “After a long day of shooting, my skin comes back to life,” she says. Of course, being only 18 doesn’t hurt either.
KŌ KI : JU M BO TSU I/ T RU N K A RC HI V E; VALEN T I N O MA KEU P: C O U RT ESY OF T H E BR AN D.
CLUTCH
DISCOVER THE PARFUM
DILLARD’S
chanel.com
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BLOCK PARTY For a summer makeover, Tory Burch wrapped Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 50+ ($49) and Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+ ($29) in a limited-edition floral print inspired by her new capsule collection, including a bikini and surf shirt made of UPF 50 fabric. In addition, Burch and Shiseido are funding a yearlong dermatology clinical research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Tory Burch x Shiseido, toryburch.com.
ESCAPE IN A BOTTLE
DO N ’ T W OR RY BA R AN D LO U IS BA RT HÉL EMY AS HT R AY: C O U RT ESY O F LE S IR E NUS E; RE MAINING IMAGE S: C OURTE SY OF TH E DE S IGNE RS.
Fragrance is always transporting, so until we can take a “vax-cation” to the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in person, we’ll be spritzing the beachy perfume Dior created in honor of the iconic hotel. It smells just like summering in the South of France: a whiff of jasmine tanning oil mixed with salty sea breeze and pine trees. Maison Christian Dior Eden-Roc, $320 (250ml), dior.com.
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JEAN GENIE
SUMMER, ITALIAN STYLE Even an icon can use a refresh every once in a while. Positano’s famed Le Sirenuse hotel is celebrating its seventieth anniversary with a few new additions: the revamped menu of its restaurant La Sponda; the Don’t Worry Bar (above), which has been modeled after an old-school speakeasy with the help of designer Annalisa Bellettati; and a plethora of new items for the gift shop in collaboration with artist Louis Barthélemy, who fashioned the ashtray at right. sirenuse.it.
After the success of its reclaimed Re-Nylon line, Prada continues its sustainable journey with denim. Though universally beloved, the fabric typically requires huge amounts of water and dyes to produce. But for prefall 2021, the brand is rolling out a 50-piece collection that includes pieces made from organic cotton denim featuring a naturally derived ECO 4 finish, which reduces wash time. It also adopted the Acquasave dyeing system, which saves 10 liters of water per meter of fabric. Dress, Prada, $1,750, prada.com.
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June/July Volume XXXVI Number 9
16 TRENDING 24 EDITOR’S LETTER 25 NINA’S EDIT 29 NEW ARRIVALS
Three luxe summer go-tos.
Front Row 32 COSTUME DRAMA
Naomi Rougeau explores how the Regency and other long-ago eras inspired this season’s looks. 36 THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Musicians are pulling out their most fantastical looks for remote performances. By Gaby Wilson 38 RETRO FIT
Today’s music merch celebrates the spirit of nostalgia. Brennan Carley reports.
Accessories 41 HIGH ART
Giorgio Armani’s Sì collection of fine jewelry includes earrings that would look right at home in a museum. 42 TRUNK CLUB
Laura Rysman shows how Louis Vuitton’s newest treasures remain imbued with the house’s artistic legacy.
Shop 49 SURF’S UP
The best suits, no matter what your aquatic destination.
Beauty 55 BIG BANGS
Mega fringe is the look of the moment. 56 IT LIST
ELLE editors find the best products to make the most of summer. Chanel N°5 celebrates a monumental anniversary while remaining as relevant as ever. By Rachel Felder DRESS, ZERO + MARIA CORNEJO, $795. BRACELET, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, $6,700.
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60 BOND RATING
Margaux Anbouba tests whether new bondbuilding treatments can rescue damaged hair.
G R EG W I LLI AM S
58 100 YEARS YOUNG
NO.427
June/July Volume XXXVI Number 9
T-SHIRT, ALLSAINTS, $69, NORDSTROM .COM. JEANS, CELINE HOMME, $770.
Alix Strauss looks back at the olfactory soundtrack to her life. 64 IN THE CLEAR
Katie Becker explores how the acne positivity movement can help adults who suffer from the condition. 66 THE GRATITUDE BOOM
During this period of uncertainty, practicing gratefulness has become more popular than ever. Gina Hamadey looks at the latest research showing how it can improve mental health.
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Perspectives
76 WHAT MAKES A HIT? ASK TIKTOK.
68 LOSING NICK
What goes into the creative alchemy behind a super hit on the app? Nerisha Penrose finds out.
Amanda Kloots reflects on the role Instagram played in her family’s COVID heartbreak. By Amanda Fortini 73 HOLLYWOOD RISING: ANNA SAWAI
Ariana Yaptangco talks with the up-and-coming star of the latest Fast & Furious saga and Apple TV+’s Pachinko. 74 PROJECT TELL ME: DIONNE WARWICK ON REMAINING TRUE TO YOURSELF
Mariah Campbell speaks to the incomparable artist about her storied career.
78 IN CONVERSATION: STACEY ABRAMS AND MICHAEL CONNELLY ON PLOT, PERSISTENCE, AND PASSION
Upon the release of Abrams’s first legal thriller, the fellow writers talk shop.
Fashion 83 IN THE HEIGHTS: WHERE THE STREETS ARE MADE OF MUSIC
The summer’s most awaited film, In the Heights celebrates
inclusivity, Broadway, and the spirit of sound. By Laura Sampedro. Photographed by Greg Williams. Styled by Charles Varenne 96 KACEY MUSGRAVES IS IN HER FEELINGS
The beloved singer explains how she turned heartbreak into song. By Véronique Hyland. Photographed by Cass Bird. Styled by Alex White 108 GOLD STANDARD
Bulgari ambassador Martha Hunt shines in the house’s most showstopping pieces. Photographed by Jens Ingvarsson. Styled by Rebecca Dennett
114 SHOPPING GUIDE 116 HOROSCOPE THE COVER LOOK
Kacey Musgraves wears a dress from Atelier Versace. For Musgraves’s makeup look, try Say What?! Foundation, Drama Bomb Extreme Volume Mascara, and Brow-Fro Blow Out Gel. All, Uoma Beauty. Photographed by Cass Bird (styled by Alex White; hair by Esther Langham at Art + Commerce; makeup by Frank B. at the Wall Group; produced by Libi Molnar and Nicole Abt at Lola Production).
G R EG W I LLI AM S; FO R DETA ILS, S EE S HO PP I N G G U ID E.
62 HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
Elegance is an attitude Kate Winslet
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Longines DolceVita
Editor’s Letter For music aficionados, remote performances have been a bright spot for fashion over the past year-plus. In our Front Row section, Gaby Wilson speaks to designers like Nicola Formichetti, Zerina Akers, and Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry about how they’re working with pop stars to create a fantasy world of escapism right now. And Brennan Carley looks at the explosion of vintage-style music merch and artists’ affinity for all things retro. In our Culture pages, Assistant Editor Nerisha Penrose explores how TikTok is minting new stars (and giving established artists new life), and Mariah Campbell sits down with pop and R&B legend Dionne Warwick, who, at 80, has found a niche as a beloved Twitter personality. And in our beauty section, Alix Strauss delivers a powerful essay about how fragrance can serve as a kind of sensory soundtrack to our lives, hitting “notes” that remind us of our pasts. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights, a compelling tale of Latinx life in New York City, was the talk of Broadway back in 2008. Fans (myself included) have been waiting for so many years to see it on the big screen, and we’ll finally get our chance this summer. Deputy Managing Editor Laura Sampedro speaks with cast members from the hotly awaited movie musical on page 83. For one of the stars, Anthony Ramos, the Latinx representation of the original show “was like a beacon of hope.” The new generation discovering In the Heights in 2021 will surely feel the same. In our Wellness section, Gina Hamadey taps into the power of gratitude, even in less-than-ideal circumstances. I’ve found it to be an important tool in this moment, and my daily gratitude practice has strengthened my appreciation for the world around me. Someone who’s found a way to be grateful amid grief is Amanda Kloots, the fitness instructor/influencer who lost her husband to complications from COVID-19 and chronicled her ordeal on Instagram. Amanda Fortini’s profile of Kloots on page 68 offers insight into how we grieve now (publicly, on social media) and challenges our stereotypes about what grief “should” look like. As she prepares to release her memoir, Live Your Life, Kloots, who has faced online criticism for everything from getting a vaccine early to posting a video of herself smiling soon after her husband’s passing, explains that while social media has been a double-edged sword, it has also been her lifeline. “Things just kept happening,” she tells Fortini, “and I felt like, How can I not keep updating, because now there are these people who are clinging to this story?”
Emotional Rescue he perfect song can crystallize emotions you didn’t even know you were feeling. And with her unfiltered lyrics, our cover star, Kacey Musgraves, has mastered the art of connecting with her audience on a visceral level. Her upcoming album channels complicated feelings of heartbreak and isolation—but also the beauty of what it means to be alive right now. After achieving incredible success and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, she says, “I felt, in many ways, on top of the world in my career, but in my personal life, I felt like I was dying inside...I felt broken.” She tells Fashion Features Director Véronique Hyland that she found her catharsis through creation, making music that spoke to both her highs and lows. After all, “You can’t really experience the beautiful parts of life without also experiencing the absolutely heart-wrenching.”
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DRESS, GIAMBATTISTA VALLI HAUTE COUTURE
Nina’s Edit FROM LEFT: THE PALM-SHADED TERRACE AT LE BILBOQUET; GARCIA AT WHITE ELEPHANT PALM BEACH; THE POOLSIDE SCENE AT WHITE ELEPHANT PALM BEACH.
LE BI LBO QU E T AND W HITE E LE PH ANT PALM BEAC H : C OU RTE SY OF TH E LO CAT IO NS; GARC IA: C OU RTE SY OF TH E SU BJE C T; RE MAINING IMAGE S: CO URT E SY OF TH E DE S IGNE RS; FOR DE TAILS, S E E S H OPPING GUIDE .
The Palm Beach Story ELLE’s editor-in-chief finds the classic FLORIDA resort town is poised for a RENAISSANCE.
STAY
DINE
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TRAIN
Palm Beach has its share of glamorous old-school hotels, but newcomer White Elephant, which opened last November, is a breath of fresh air. The first southern offshoot of the Nantucket resort of the same name, the Sunset Avenue location channels the Mediterranean stylings of the city and offers a luxuriously appointed pool, plus bikes for tooling around town. whiteelephantpalmbeach.com
Since it opened in the mid’80s, Upper East Side staple Le Bilboquet has drawn everyone from rock stars to ladies who lunch. The legend lives on at a new Worth Avenue location in a building owned by Warhol muse Jane Holzer, who draws the stylish and artsy crowd you’d expect. As for the legendary table dancing for which the original East 63rd Street boîte became known? You’ll simply have to pop in for yourself. lebilboquetpb.com
Locals haven’t forgotten the tastemakers who came before, such as Lilly Pulitzer, Dodie Thayer, and Jack Rogers, whose iconic whipstitched sandals are based on a pair Jackie Kennedy brought back from Capri in the 1960s. But these days, the prevailing look is less pink and green, more haute bohemian, thanks to Australian import Zimmermann’s new outpost at the Royal Poinciana Plaza. zimmermannwear.com
In a beach town, the pressure to look good is ever-present. No wonder Palm Beach has seen an explosion of boutique fitness outposts, from Pilates to high-intensity interval training. Orangetheory Fitness, with its focus on HIIT workouts, offers options ranging from rowing to strength training—so you can make the most of the hour and get back to vacationing. orangetheory.com
White Elephant Palm Beach
WHAT TO PACK 1. HAT, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, $1,095, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI.COM 2. DRESS, ZIMMERMANN, $750, ZIMMERMANN.COM 3. VESPA 946 CHRISTIAN DIOR BY PIAGGIO GROUP IN COLLABORATION WITH DIOR, VESPA.COM 4. RING, JENNIFER MILLER JEWELRY, JENNIFERMILLER JEWELRY.COM 5. SWIMSUIT, TORY BURCH, $258, TORYBURCH.COM 6. BUCKET BAG, LOEWE, $550, LOEWE.COM
Le Bilboquet
Zimmermann
Orangetheory Fitness
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NINA GARCIA Editor-in-Chief STEPHEN GAN Creative Director MARTIN HOOPS Executive Design Director ALIX CAMPBELL Chief Visual Content Director, Hearst Magazines KATIE BECKER Beauty and Health Director
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VÉRONIQUE HYLAND Fashion Features Director
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LAURA SAMPEDRO Deputy Managing Editor
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FASHION
Senior Market Editor SARAH ZENDEJAS Credits Editor CAITLIN MULLEN Market Editors STEPHANIE SANCHEZ, JADE VALLARIO Assistants ROSIE JARMAN, KEVIN LEBLANC FEATURES
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WORK UP A SWEAT
Katharine stays active by practicing yoga, swimming and taking long walks. “I get a great workout from yoga, and I love the added benefit of being able to focus on breathing, quieting my mind, and meditating.”
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As a new mom, staying healthy is more important than ever. “I love hard-boiled eggs, salad, cheese, and roasted veggies, and most days I make a delicious flaxseed smoothie with almond butter, collagen powder, chia seeds, bananas, and berries.”
HEAD-TO-TOE MASSAGE
Katharine enjoys using skincare products to maintain her glow. “I love massaging oils into my skin. The massage stimulates collagen and blood flow, and the oil feels and smells amazing on my skin.” Between waxes, you can actually slow your hair regrowth with Slow Coconut Body Oil. The super-conditioning, fastabsorbing formula reduces hair thickness, hydrates for 8-plus hours, and nourishes skin.
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Smooth Confidence For singer and actress Katharine McPhee Foster, being a mom is her most joyous role. “I cherish it all—even when the baby wakes me up at night!” Though her priorities have shifted, self-care is important. “I try to enjoy life, reduce stress, and stay mentally healthy.” For self-care, Katharine takes baths, pampers her skin, eats healthy, and exercises. “I appreciate what my body has done, and I love how I feel in my skin.” To keep her skin smooth, Katharine enjoys waxing at European Wax Center. “Waxing makes me feel fresh, and gives me pep in my step.” Find out her favorite European Wax Center services, and see what makes Katharine feel her absolute best.
WORK UP A SWEAT
Katharine stays active by practicing yoga, swimming, and taking long walks. “I get a great workout from yoga, and I love the added benefit of being able to focus on breathing, quieting my mind, and meditating.”
All Set for Summer There’s no better way to prep for summer than by waxing. For Katharine, enjoying wax services at European Wax Center is an essential and convenient part of her summer self-care routine. “I feel more confident when my skin feels smooth, silky, and fresh. And I’m always ready to hit the beach or sit by a pool instead of needing to use a razor at the last minute.”
Get Bikini–Ready Katharine’s favorite summer European Wax Center services are bikini and underarm waxing. “I love that my skin looks and feels smooth after waxing, but even more importantly, it makes me feel great. And to be honest, waxing at European Wax Center doesn’t hurt a bit— even on my bikini area.”
YOUR EASY SUMMER ROUTINE BY EUROPEAN WAX CENTER
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Whether you do just your bikini line or get a full Brazilian, make sure you prevent any pesky hairs from peeking out.
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Beautifully waxed brows are the perfect complement to a “no-makeup” makeup look. Open up your face this summer with the right arch, volume, and shape.
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Summer is all about wearing sleeveless and strapless, so make sure your pits are smooth. Wax every four to six weeks and forget all about that five-o’ clock shadow under your arms.
Kat’s Top Waxing Tip “Don’t shave or tweeze between waxes. If you wax regularly, hair will grow back finer and thinner. The more you wax, the less hair grows back. It’s a win–win!”
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YO U R F I R ST WA X I S F R E E . * | WA XC E N T E R .C O M *First-time guests only. Valid only for select services. Additional terms may apply. Please visit waxcenter.com for general terms and conditions. © 2021 EWC Franchise, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
C O U RT ESY O F T HE DES IG N ER ; FO R D ETAI LS, S E E SH OP P IN G G UI DE.
New Arrivals
Van Cleef & Arpels cleverly hid one inside its new diamond, motherof-pearl, and lapis lazuli Alhambra Secret pendant. Timepiece pendant necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels, 877-VAN-CLEEF. 29
Going seamlessly from weekend to workday, Loewe’s boho drawstring tote just might be the season’s most versatile carryall. Bucket bag, Loewe, $1,100, Loewe, NYC. 30
CO U RT E SY O F T HE DES I G N ERS.
The SANDAL
Leave it to Chanel to put a sophisticated spin on a hippie classic, elevating the humble rope sandal with the house’s signature gold chain details. Sandal, Chanel, $1,275, select Chanel boutiques nationwide.
Front Row
Costume
A SPRING 2021 HAUTE COUTURE LOOK FROM GIAMBATTISTA VALLI.
C O U RT ESY O F T H E DES IG N E R.
Normcore, meet Regency-core. Designers and influencers are looking back to long-past eras—with some welcome modern updates.
The Spotlight Squad Charlize Theron Misty Copeland Yao Chen
Front Row
COUTURE
t’s not historically accurate; it’s very designed,” explained dress historian Bernadette Banner to her more than one million YouTube subscribers in a year-end video ranking 2020’s spate of costume dramas on their accuracy. Still, anachronisms like Queen Charlotte’s “random mid-eighteenth-century gown” in a sea of late-eighteenthcentury Empire numbers certainly didn’t stop some 82 million viewers from tuning in to the Regency-era antics of the show she was discussing, Netflix’s Bridgerton. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better deterrent to a sedentary life in sweats than a fantastically costumed romantic series. And, fortunately for our collective sartorial pleasure, fashion has fallen in line. It started at Dior, with Maria Grazia Chiuri hinting at what her spring 2021 couture collection would hold with a chiaroscuroheavy spring ready-to-wear campaign lensed by Elina Kechicheva that channeled Caravaggio. For couture, Chiuri blurred a timeline that spanned Renaissance to Regency and had critics drawing comparisons to the Netflix hit series. But, in fact, the collection was actually inspired by a deck of tarot cards, known as the Visconti-Sforza tarot, that Bonifacio Bembo illuminated for the Duke of Milan in the fifteenth century. Dior himself was a fan of the divinatory arts, and Chiuri paid tribute by enlisting artist Pietro Ruffo to create tarot-themed illustrations, which served as a foundation for bas-relief openwork bodices.
“I
“HAUTE COUTURE IS ABOUT GESTURES OF GRANDEUR.” —Giambattista Valli Giambattista Valli has also never been one to shy away from dramatic flourishes. For his couture collection, there were the countless yards of tulle and taffeta we’ve come to expect, but the real showstoppers were the skyscraping wigs and Carnevale-worthy masks, festooned with bows and flowers. “Haute couture is about gestures of grandeur. Even more so this season, when we could no longer hold physical shows, it was important to amplify the volume into the extreme,” Valli says. The ’60s models Benedetta Barzini and Marisa Berenson were beauty inspirations, but the hair was undoubtedly modern-day Marie Antoinette. “We wanted something a bit extravagant,” says hairstylist Odile Gilbert, who predicts an uptick in eccentric looks post-pandemic. Couture seems a fitting medium for such a display, given the parallels between that rarefied world and what we think of as historical dress. As Banner explains, our view is inherently skewed due to the clothing that’s survived: elaborate, painstakingly made garments in fine fabrics, either as physical artifacts or in portraiture that largely depicts the nobility. Plainer, everyday garments worn by ordinary citizens would have been worn to shreds out of necessity. But the reexamination of all things costume drama is far from limited to the runway. Banner, who splits her time between London and her native New York, is one of several prominent historical dress influencers who predate the buzzy series, part of a movement that has been simmering for the last few years that takes pride in intricate details, scholarly research, and challenging our received version of history, like Bridgerton itself. 34
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SPRING 2021 HAUTE COUTURE LOOKS FROM DIOR, FENDI, CHANEL, AND ARMANI PRIVÉ.
Few are as dedicated to challenging longstanding biases as his early-nineteenth-century inspirations, is quite curated. Many of his ensembles are not too far a cry from, say, the shimmering Cheyney McKnight, founder of Not Your Momma’s History velvet suit worn by Cara Delevingne, looking every bit the dandy, and the coordinator of living history at the New-York Historical at Fendi’s spring 2021 couture show, or a menswear-inspired eveSociety. A native of Atlanta with roots in New York, McKnight ning gown by Armani Privé that featured a face-framing collar. started her examination of the South through a critical lens as And it’s hard to imagine calling his Wedgwood blue and white a child. “We would visit plantations for school trips and be told linen summer Hussar uniform, which required hand-stitching these fantastical stories, and I can remember [thinking], ‘This over 150 meters of passementerie and took over a year to comis BS,’ ” McKnight says. “I knew the purpose of a plantation was plete, anything other than couture. not to be a home but primarily a forced-labor camp.” In 2013, McKnight found her calling when she began par“It’s wonderful to be able to breathe life into history,” Pinsent says. “We have our notions of what [it] was and how it’s presentticipating in historical reenactments, and was fascinated to ed, but when you read diaries or look at clothing samples, you learn the perceptions people had about clothing in the eighrealize that people have always been teenth and nineteenth centuries. people, with the same desires and “I was told early on that Black peofoibles as we have now.” ple just wore cheaper versions of The fact that most contemporary what white people were wearing,” says McKnight, whose doubt regarments not made at the couture garding that notion led her to do relevel will never become the vintage of search that proved it patently false. tomorrow—they simply aren’t made “I found that Black folks in North to last—presents a bit of a challenge America still had a very distincfor future historians and designers tive West African style sense that is that Banner finds concerning. So —Zack Pinsent present to this day. I’m fascinated by she’s doing her part to combat diswhat enslaved people were thinking posable fashion. Her YouTube tuabout the future, what their hopes torial for a modern adaptation of an and dreams were, how that came out in clothing, and how I Edwardian walking skirt has proven to be one of her biggest hits can pay homage.” Initially, McKnight received pushback withto date, spurring several viewers to pick up needle and thread for in the historical community for using her work as a reenactor the first time. “Suddenly, I was receiving comments from people to address current political issues, not that it’s deterred her. who were inspired to hem their own jeans,” Banner says. Last November, she dressed as an enslaved mother and stood Whether educational or purely escapist, historical drama outside the U.S. Capitol to remind people that children at the and haute couture are the antithesis of the rapid clip and hyperborder were being detained and separated from their parents, consumerist nature of modern society. Slowly crafting somecalling to mind the challenges emancipated individuals faced thing by hand is, in Banner’s view, “pouring the humanity into after the Civil War in trying to locate their relatives. a garment.” McKnight has been mixing things up lately, too, Brighton, England–based Zack Pinsent lives and breathes the experimenting with Afrofuturist fashion “as a way of honoring Regency period. Having burned his jeans at age 14, the self-taught my ancestors and reaching for the future of my people,” and tailor fashions all his own clothing, which he documents for his even dyeing her own fabrics. Pinsent sums it up quite succinctnearly 370,000 Instagram followers. Though the effect might ly: “I’ve always loved dressing up. I mean, what child doesn’t? seem elaborate to some, Pinsent insists his actual wardrobe, like Why do we stop?”—NAOMI ROUGEAU
O P PO S IT E PAG E: DI O R MO DEL : I N ÈS MA N AI ; R E MA IN IN G I MAG ES: CO U RT E SY O F T HE DE S IGNE RS. THIS PAGE : BANNE R: C O U RT ESY O F T HE SU BJEC T; TO O LE S: JA MIE YO UST EN ; P IN S EN T: ALU N CALL EN DA R ; MC KNIGH T: KE LS E Y BROW.
“IT’S WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO BREATHE LIFE INTO HISTORY.”
A STITCH IN TIME Four HISTORICAL DRESS INFLUENCERS you should be following.
Zack Pinsent Brighton, England @pinsent_tailoring Bernadette Banner New York and London @bernadettebanner
Cheyney McKnight New York @notyourmommashistory LaToya Tooles Oakland, California @latooles
Front Row BELOW: RINA SAWAYAMA PERFORMING IN MOSCHINO; RIGHT: DUA LIPA, IN VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE, GETTING READY FOR SNL.
The Show Must Go On
worry that I’ve lost my muscle memory for live music. I’m at the point of withdrawal where I miss the sensory details with unnerving specificity: The strategic shifting of weight from one foot to the other. The craning left and right to avoid an obstructive gaggle of phones, or the tallest man in the room who’s somehow always in front of you. The purr of a strong bass reverberating between my ribs. The euphoria of relinquishing my personal space to the pit. Instead, my calendar is pocked with remote performances subject to the whims of internet connectivity, designed to be watched languidly without a thought to putting on outside pants. Yet, for all its physical inertia, the past year has been a time of considerable mental exercise: reimagining the collective music experience for our cloistered present, dreaming about what its future might look like, rewiring our brains for a new world. As we live anxiously through a chapter in upcoming history books, pop stars and their teams have granted us flashes of psychic reprieve through the fantasy of performance. Music and fashion, two realms that thrive on elaborately constructed visions, have joined forces. There was the mirror-festooned
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cowboy hat and tangerine chaps that winked to Nudie suits in Megan Thee Stallion’s Apple Music Awards rodeo; Rina Sawayama’s nod to Marie Antoinette in Moschino panniers; and the utopian alternate reality of the “Positions” music video, in which Ariana Grande plays POTUS in Lanvin, Mugler, Gucci, and a series of pillbox hats. The optimism of splashy, gloriously inessential moments of pop culture excess, of unsolicited élan by way of plush creative budgets, has been a tonic. The show is different, but it has gone on, at least remotely. With concerts confined to screens, stylists have risen to the challenge of bridging the emotional gap, telegraphing the vitality of live music through amplified, exuberant, extravagant fashion that serves as a kind of visual Caps Lock. A Philip Treacy for Valentino couture hat imbues Dua Lipa’s Saturday Night Live performance with an ethereal lightness that only cascades of feathers can convey. Consider, too, the otherworldly burlesque of Cardi B’s “WAP” look: a custom Mugler thong bodysuit, set off by a corset with mammary cutouts and gold areola shields. The dizzying wardrobe of Beyoncé’s Black Is King—its billowing jewel-toned skirts, sculptural shoulders, and curtains of diamanté—serves as the maximalist material expression of
SAWAYAM A: AT T I T U DE M AGAZ IN E/G ET T Y IM AG ES; L IPA: CO URT E SY O F T HE SU BJ E CT.
When the going gets tough,the tough get inventive. For musicians, that means serving up fantastical style (remotely, of course).
CA R DI B: KEV I N W IN T E R/G E T T Y IM AG ES; L ADY GAGA: C O U RT ESY OF I N T E RS C OPE ; BE YONC É : ANDRE W W H ITE/PARKW OOD E NTE RTAINME NT.
MUSIC
the visual album’s message: the insurmountable beauty and majesty of the African diaspora. “Creating a world where we get the opportunity to escape visually, especially in today’s circumstances, is always a treat,” says stylist Zerina Akers, who led the production’s costume design and assembled talents from all around the globe, from Senegal’s Tongoro studio to Greek designer Mary Katrantzou. “I often think of the many people dealing with very real and harsh realities,” Akers says, “and hope that if they saw a glimpse of my work, it would bring them joy.” When Lady Gaga and Nicola Formichetti began work on the visual identity for her Chromatica album, the idea was to construct a fictional world born of the therapeutic transformation she found through making music—feelings Formichetti echoes when reflecting on his own work. Like music, fashion is a form of escapism, he tells me, a way “to create a world of fantasy where anything is possible.” His childhood interest in visual art began, he says, as an inward search for identity and a safe haven that turned outwardly generative, a coping mechanism that became an act of self-determination. For Chromatica, he teleported to a metaphorical planet where “Ancient Aliens meets evolved beings” and aggressive elements are subverted, painted in candied hues. Shortly after filming wrapped on the video for “Rain on Me,” the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and many countries implemented lockdowns. Suddenly, the album’s themes
Front Row
of healing from grief and trauma felt not only relevant, but prescient. The incorporation of masks into all nine of Gaga’s outfits for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards was effortless. The connection between these imagined and lived realities nods to the peculiar dynamism of fantasy, not just as a kind of mental Eject button, but as something more instructive. “That push and pull between dreaming and living feels more real now than ever,” says Schiaparelli artistic director Daniel Roseberry, who created the elegant yet whimsical gown Gaga wore to sing the national anthem for President Biden’s inauguration. “The sadness of this time we live in, but the power of the imagination and the world we can create for ourselves. Maybe it’s our greatest power.”— GABY WILSON
“IT’S ESCAPISM, TO CREATE A WORLD OF FANTASY WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.” —Nicola Formichetti
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: CARDI B IN REY ORTIZ AT THE 2021 GRAMMYS; LADY GAGA PROMOTES CHROMATICA IN PIECES FROM CECILIO CASTRILLO MARTINEZ, GASOLINE GLAMOUR, AND GARY FAY; BEYONCÉ WEARS MARY KATRANTZOU IN BLACK IS KING.
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Front Row
Retro FIT MUSICIANS find a groove with inventive merch that taps into our COLLECTIVE NOSTALGIA.
icture this: It’s early March 2020. You’re in the 187th row (it’s all you could afford, but you’re just happy to be there) at the first stop of Billie Eilish’s world tour. You’re wearing a vintage *NSync tee celebrating the anniversary of their pop classic No Strings Attached. Your best friend is beside you, wearing a throwback Selena QuintanillaPérez shirt. Neither one of you has a care in the world. Though rock merch (think CBGB, the Rolling Stones, and Metallica) won’t ever go out of style, Gen Z has recently done an overhaul of the industry, swapping out their parents’ dusty favorites for new—well, technically old, just less old—totems of eras past. As we’ve all adapted to a life spent in sweatpants and slippers, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin tees have lost their luster in the wake of new nostalgic icons—think Aaliyah, Selena, and
that, Madonna made streetwear waves with a sold-out Supreme collection featuring retro images of herself. And Harry Styles enlisted Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to design a shirt inspired by his 2019 album, Fine Line. Young pop stars often look to the A-listers who came before them for inspiration. Trendsetting ’90s and ’00s babies like Miley Cyrus (a Madonna stan, according to her wardrobe) and Billie Eilish (who’s been known to rock a Spears tee) have folded vintage merch from music’s biggest stars into their own aesthetics. Stylist Maeve Reilly, who works with Hailey Bieber and Ciara, says her clients are drawn to the look of ’90s icons. For artists, there’s money to be made in rewinding the clock—look no further than the fervor Lindsay Lohan kicked up among millennials when she reissued her 2004 album Speak on vinyl last year. But the savviest among them have realized nostalgia is an easy way to communicate with fans longing for connection during socially distanced times. Take Mileyspace, a MySpace-indebted website listing Cyrus’s “Top 5” (including Stevie Nicks and, naturally, Tom), as well as her splashy new Plastic Hearts merch line, some of which pays homage to concert tees from decades past. Cyrus’s digital and marketing director, Olivia Rudensky, chalks up the retro-fest to the singer’s willingness to listen to fans and her desire to celebrate a legacyin-progress. “So many of these artists are really tapping into what the fans want because they’re seeing it,” she says. “Nostalgia makes people feel comfortable and safe and part of this community, beFROM LEFT: BILLIE EILISH WEARS HER OWN, RETRO-INFLECTED MERCH; MILEY CYRUS REPS THE PRETENDERS. cause it’s almost like we’re all in this together.” It also fits into a longing for a time when music was less driven by algorithms Britney—whose legacies signal a less overwhelming time in pop and massive streaming platforms. For Rudensky, one of the few culture, before streaming and social media. The shirts are comupsides of quarantine was the ability to actually enjoy pop culfort blankets, swaddling burned-out fans in pre-pandemic bliss, ture again rather than merely navigating through the onslaught reminiscent of childhood and gesturing toward happier days of noise: “We’re just constantly keeping up, especially with the ahead. And now, current artists are churning out new merch streaming era. There are so many songs every single day, where that channels the nostalgia of those cherished vintage finds. Dell it used to be an event. I think we were able to go back to a lot of Furano, founder and CEO of Epic Rights, which licenses for acts these things and give them the real appreciation they deserved.” like Britney Spears, *NSync, and Juice Wrld, notes that it’s beOf course, it’s important to remember that nostalgia is just as come an important source of revenue: “Especially with no tourcyclical as fashion itself. In merch, everything old is new again— ing in the last year and a half, you have to maintain your profile.” until the next red-hot throwback comes along. The Stones beNo wonder more and more musicians are turning to estabgat Bruce Springsteen, who begat Metallica, who begat Spears, lished designers to modernize their legacies while still evokwho’ll soon cede the floor to acts like Cyrus and Eilish. As one ing vintage style. Streetwear brand The Hundreds is fresh off enraged TikTok user bemoaned recently, “If my kid puts on a throwback collaboration with pop princess Spears, whose a One Direction shirt for fashion because it’s hip and vintage, Oops-era image has been printed onto hoodies and track jackets I’m gonna tell him to take it the f--k off.”—BRENNAN CARLEY as bright and eye-popping as a Lisa Frank sticker sheet. Before 38
EI LIS H: DA F O R LOVSKY; CYRUS: CO URT E SY O F @ MI LEYCY RUS.
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EYEWEAR COLLECTION Available at your eye Care practitioner
Accessories
HIGH ART
GIORGIO ARMANI’s shoulder-grazing white gold,onyx, and diamond stunners—part of the designer’s Sì collection of high jewelry—are sculptural enough to deserve their own exhibit.
COLLAGE BY ANNA BU KLIEWER
SÌ COLLECTION EARRINGS, GIORGIO ARMANI HIGH JEWELLERY, GIORGIO ARMANI, NYC
Accessories
TRUNK Club Even LouisVuitton’s most MODERN CREATIONS are steeped in artistry that goes back more than 160 years.
Capucines Mini handbag, Louis Vuitton. Photographed by Studio KH.
Accessories
Twist MM handbag, Louis Vuitton.
n the mid-nineteenth century, Louis Vuitton was not yet the name of a venerable maison, just a man with a novel idea—and talent honed by years of apprenticeship to a box maker on Paris’s Rue Saint-Honoré. Young Vuitton opened the doors to his own nearby luggage boutique in 1854, and soon introduced his breakthrough design for a flat-top trunk—a practical, stackable improvement over the traditional domed version—designed for a well-heeled public traveling the globe via a burgeoning network of passenger ships and trains. Today, as one of the most recognizable symbols of fashion in the world, the maison is still following the polestar of travel, with goods crafted by a fleet of artisans that has grown exponentially alongside it. They continue to fabricate the flat-top trunks: In Asnières, just outside Paris, where Vuitton relocated his family, the former residence’s salons retain their floral Art Nouveau interiors, but they’ve been converted into workshops filled with fresh-cut wood frames, leather, and canvas, ready for artisans to transform them into trunks for contemporary travelers. There are now 25 workshops in the Louis Vuitton dominion, where craftspeople, rigorously trained in luxury workmanship, execute classic techniques with focused dexterity: the precision blade-cutting of leather, the millimeter-tight edge-stitching that finishes a bag, the fine painting of the leather border that provides the final touch of perfection. With craft on the wane, it’s become increasingly difficult to find the skilled hands to make such high-caliber leather goods. The École des Savoir-Faire was founded by Louis Vuitton in 2010 to ensure that artisanal knowledge will live on. The school teaches young people how to create the maison’s laborintensive bags according to its demanding level of mastery. Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH, followed suit, opening the Institut des Métiers d’Excellence in 2014 to serve 37 of its brands. Both schools cultivate traditional workmanship that risks otherwise being lost to the world. The dedication to protecting such artistry has earned Vuitton France’s prestigious Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label, which honors companies conserving the nation’s traditional techniques. Expanding the notion of preservation beyond just workmanship, Louis Vuitton has committed to improving the environmental impact of its production, with the goal of using completely responsibly sourced raw materials by 2025. The Capucines bag, one of Vuitton’s most sought-after designs since its introduction in 2013, boasts a minimal, cleanlined form but still requires nearly 200 individual steps to create, executed by a dozen artisans. The Capucines is adroitly seamed inside and out to retain its neat split-satchel shape; topped with a robust curve of a handle that takes four hours alone to complete; then finished with an inlay of LV initials set into place with micro-screws, with the exactitude of a jeweler fitting a diamond into prongs. Christened in honor of the Rue des Capucines, site of Louis Vuitton’s 1854 boutique, the iconic design follows a long line of house legends, like the 1930 Keepall weekender for quick jaunts out of town and the 1934 Alma purse with its structured, roomy arch of an interior for carrying a day’s needs—the wanderlust aesthetic passed down from an inventive young luggage maker to generations of artisans keeping his vision alive.—LAURA RYSMAN
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S E T DE S IG N BY N IC HO L AS W HI T E; PRODUC E D BY MIC H AË L L AC OMBLE Z AT LOU IS 2.
Accessories Petite Boite Chapeau handbag, Louis Vuitton. For details, see Shopping Guide.
P R OMOTI ON
J U N E /J U LY 2 0 2 1
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For healthy, hydrated, and luxe-looking locks that will shine all summer long, reach for Mane ‘n Tail Deep Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Both are enriched with Coconut Oil, vitamin E, B and botanical proteins that naturally retain and lock in moisture, nourishing your hair and scalp while strengthening and protecting your strands. So go ahead and dive in. SHOP NOW AT STORE.MANENTAIL.COM
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DIOR’S DIORIVIERA CAPSULE (COMPLETE WITH TOILE DE JOUY SURFBOARD) POPS UP AT MONTECITO’S ROSEWOOD MIRAMAR BEACH ON MAY 27.
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Ocean State
CLASSICS LESSON 1. Bikini top, $90, bottom, $75, la’mariette, la-mariette.com. 2. Bikini top, $69, bottom, $49, Guess, guess.com. 3. Bikini, Pale Swimwear, $162, paleswimwear.com. 4. Bikini top, $100, bottom, $100, peony, peonyswimwear.com. 5. Top, Free People, $78, freepeople.com. 6. Sunglasses, Jacques Marie Mage, $671, matchesfashion.com. 7. Sandal, Fabrizio Viti, $744, fabrizioviti.com. BIKINI TOP, $74, BOTTOM, $70, ZONARCH, ZONARCH.COM
BIKINI BOTTOM, JADE SWIM, $90, JADESWIM.COM
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STRING THEORY 1. Sandal, KJacques, $253, kjacques.fr. 2. Tote bag, SVNR x Petit Kouraj, $255, petitkouraj.com. 3. Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35, EleVen by Venus Williams, $50, elevenbyvenuswilliams.com. 4. Sunglasses, Bottega Veneta, $495, bottegaveneta.com. 5. Bikini top, $85, bottom, $145, Monica Hansen Beachwear, monicahansenbeachwear.com. 6. Bikini top, $78, bottom, $78, Zonarch, zonarch.com. 7. Bikini top, $207, bottom, $174, Christopher Esber, christopheresber.com.au. 8. Bikini top, $82, bottom, $76, Away That Day, awaythatday.com.
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SWIMSUIT, DOS SWIM, $149, DOSSWIM.COM
JADE SWIM MODEL: PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRYAN CARR; CHRISTOPHER ESBER BIKINI: COURTESY OF MODA OPERANDI; DOS SWIM MODEL: PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATRICK SPEARS; REMAINING IMAGES: COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.
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PRINTED MATTER 1. Swimsuit, Versace, $695, versace.com. 2. Bikini, Emilio Pucci, $530, emiliopucci.com. 3. Bikini, Andrea Iyamah, $125, revolve.com. 4. Bikini top, $118, bottom, $118, Mikoh, mikoh.com. 5. Aviators, Nroda, $30, nroda.com. 6. Sandal, Larroudé, $150, larroude .com. 7. Shorts, Joe’s, $128, nordstrom.com.
Party 1
Yacht Rock
SWIMSUIT, $775, EARRINGS, $505, SANDALS, $880, TOTE, $1,705, PHILIPP PLEIN, PLEIN.COM
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1. Swimsuit, Anemos, $265, anemosswim.com. 2. Bikini top, $84, bottom, $84, Solid & Striped, solidandstriped.com. 3. Swimsuit, Adriana Degreas, $340, adrianadegreas.com. 4. Bikini top, $90, bottom, $82, Sidway Swim, sidway.com. 5. Glass, Campbell-Rey x Laguna B, $210 (for set of two), matchesfashion.com. 6. Earrings, Schiaparelli, schiaparelli.com. 7. Sandal, Canfora Capri Sandals, $265, canfora.com.
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Beauty
Hit summer headon with blunt, eyelashgrazing fringe.
BIG BANGS
C O U RT ESY O F C HA N EL.
T H E LO O K
Contemplating a new cut for your return to social life? Consider the showstopping bangs seen at Chanel fall 2021, which recall the signature styles of Jane Birkin and Françoise Hardy. “It’s inspired by the ’70s, but very wearable now,” says show hairstylist Damien Boissinot of the look, shown here on model He Cong. Long, thick bangs—achieved by casting or cut—were also spotted at Victoria Beckham, Dior, and Givenchy.
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ELLE editors reemerge from stay-at-home for a summer filled with sparkling nails, soft skin, intoxicating fragrances, and customized red lips.
1. GILDED BODY NERO BATH SOAK, $125, GILDEDBODY.COM
“We all became bath people last year. This marble globe filled with lavender salts is the ultimate tubside accessory.”—Katie Becker, Beauty and Health Director 2. YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE SUR MESURE POWERED BY PERSO, $299, YSLBEAUTYUS.COM
“You can create more than a thousand unique lipstick shades with this device. Every morning, I open the Sur Mesure app and take a photo of my outfit, and the Perso blends a complementary lip color.”—Margaux Anbouba, Associate Beauty Editor
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3. THE FEELIST TOTAL PACKAGE SOFTENING MILKY SERUM, $68, THEFEELIST.COM
“This lightweight, antioxidantrich serum absorbs instantly into my skin, leaving it plump and dewy. The best part? Its faint blue tansy scent, which smells fresh and herbaceous.”—Amy Synnott, Executive Editor 4. CARTIER LES RIVIÈRES DE CARTIER INSOUCIANCE, $113, CARTIER.COM
“Slightly sweet and buzzing with undertones of iris and violet, this light fragrance is perfect for those who think they don’t like florals.
It’s not too heady—it’s like taking a daylong walk through a summer garden.” —Laura Sampedro, Deputy Managing Editor 5. CHANEL LE VERNIS LONGWEAR NAIL COLOUR IN SOLAR, GLIMMER, AND GOLDEN SAND, $28 EACH, CHANEL.COM
“I’m a big fan of what I call ‘nail highlighter’: iridescent, sheer neutrals that make your nails look oh-so-healthy. The shiny, translucent effect also makes them foolproof—you can swipe them on lazily, as mistakes hardly show.”—KB
6. SAINT JANE HYDRATING PETAL CREAM, $68, SAINTJANEBEAUTY.COM
“I love the light, gel-like texture of this soothing CBD cream. With hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, it brightens and moisturizes without leaving the skin greasy.”—AS 7. CHANTECAILLE ORANGE FLOWER WATER, $62, CHANTECAILLE.COM
“The calming scent reminds me of Italy. I use it before my serum for extra hydration, or at midday to freshen up my makeup—I even like it on my pillow at bedtime.” —Nina Garcia, Editor-in-Chief
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHNNY MILLER
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Beauty
F RAG RA N C E
100 YEARS YOUNG
The most famous scent in the world has been around for a century, and remains one of the most mysterious.
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hile Chanel N°5 celebrates its centennial this year, many would argue the scent is as resonant today as it was in 1921. In 2019, an item infused with its fragrance—a perfume, shower gel, or soap—was purchased in America every minute, either in person or online. So at a time when beauty trends come and go with the swipe of a thumb, it begs the question: What makes an icon everlasting? Chanel N°5 is both recognizable and unique to each individual. “It is not that certain notes [in N°5] smell differently on each woman’s skin,” says Olivier Polge, Chanel’s in-house perfumer creator. “It’s more about the complexity of notes that resonate in a very personal way according to the woman wearing them.” That nearly bespoke feel is due to a blend of over 80 notes and accords, from rich sandalwood and ylang-ylang to citrusy bergamot and orange blossom to a copious amount of specially sourced
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jasmine. The formula—a guarded secret, of course—also includes aldehydes, synthetic elements that add a heady je ne sais quoi. They were cutting-edge when Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel introduced the scent in 1921. At the time, single-note floral scents dominated the market, so the mix itself broke the mold as the opposite of the era’s monotone florals. “She wanted to make sure people would say, ‘You smell good,’ and not, ‘You smell like rose or jasmine,’ ” explains Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, Chanel’s head of global creative resources for fragrance and beauty, fine jewelry, and watches. “The only thing that counted was the woman.” The abstract scent wasn’t the only thing that made Chanel N°5 unusual for its time. Prior to the ’20s, perfumes usually had fanciful names like Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue—an ode to the time each day when the sky is at its deepest hue. Most fragrances, including Guerlain’s, came in ornate, detailed bottles with swirled motifs carved into the glass. N°5’s sleek, geometric bottle couldn’t be more different. Rumors abound as to the inspiration for the silhouette, including the stopper, which some say mirrors the geometry of the Place Vendôme, seen from Chanel’s favorite suite at The Ritz Paris. The shape and design ushered in a totally new aesthetic in the world of fragrance. Coco Chanel also enshrouded her choices in mystery. Historians often ponder her fixation with her lucky number, five. The fragrance may have been introduced on the fifth day of May, the fifth month, for example. And then there’s the name, said to be the inevitable choice when the nose she worked with, Ernest Beaux, presented her with various numbered options of the formula. “The vagueness around the perfume is part of the whole mystique and created quite intentionally by Beaux and Chanel,” says Lisa Chaney, author of Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life. Ultimately, Chanel had a knack for understanding what women appreciated and would continue to appreciate. It’s hard to imagine the more avant-garde scents of today, like Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 (a cult-loved mix of synthetic and natural notes in a sharplined bottle), existing without Chanel N°5 before them. “She wanted to give the message of modernity,” Chaney says. “She had this uncanny instinct for being one step ahead of her time.”—RACHEL FELDER
A DS: CH A N EL (1985 ) BY AN DY WAR H O L: T HE A N DY WAR H OL FO UN DAT IO N FOR T H E V ISUA L ARTS, IN C ./L IC EN S ED BY A RS/C O U RT ESY O F RO N A LD F ELD MA N F I N E A RTS.
THE CHANEL N°5 BOTTLE INSPIRED ART ALL ITS OWN, INCLUDING THIS IMAGE FROM ANDY WARHOL’S FAMED ADS SERIES (1985).
LIGHTWEIGHT MOISTURE
FOR FINE CURLS.
UNCAP THE LOVE™
Beauty
H A I R
F I L E S
THE BRUSH-OFF
AMIKA THE CLOSER INSTANT REPAIR CREAM ($28) IS ONE PART FRIZZ FIGHTER, ONE PART SPLIT-END MENDER, AND ONE PART HAIR SMOOTHER.
When hairstylist Tim Binnington’s wife, Dani, lost her hair in connection with an illness, they both noticed traditional brushes were rough on her new hair growth and her scalp. So Binnington drew from his professional experience to design the Manta—a flexible silicone brush that fits in the palm of your hand for gentle detangling and smoothing. Part of its magic is its universality: It can be used on wet or dry hair, from superstraight 1A all the way to coily 4C, as well as extensions, bleached or damaged hair, and a baby’s first curl. Plus, the teeth feel like hundreds of tiny fingers softly tickling your scalp. MANTA HAIRBRUSH, $30, SHEN-BEAUTY.COM
air is composed of a protein called keratin, held together by chemical bonds. But if you dye, treat, or heat-style your hair, the bonds snap, leaving you with two possible fixes: a haircut, or mending the damage with a bond-building treatment. Cult brand Olaplex launched the first bond builder in 2014, and the category has been booming ever since. New athome bond builders claim to be more high-tech: Amika The Kure Collection rebuilds bonds through a four-part system, including an innovative 60-second rinse inspired by Korean splash masks; Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate uses citric acid in three products to repair breakage and add shine; and pH Plex’s under-$15 system includes four malic acid–spiked weekly masks. Sound too good to be true? “I don’t know too many hard-core hair scientists who believe in bond building,” says Trefor Evans, PhD, director of research at the hair and skin research institute TRI Princeton. “But it can make hair feel better because of conditioning ingredients, so everybody is happy at the end of the day.” As someone with bleached hair who has yet to find the mask of her dreams, I still wanted to give these a shot. After a recent cut, I divided clippings into four cups (one per treatment, plus a control), washing and styling them as usual. A month later, I tested each for strength (did it retain its shape after being stretched?), porosity (did it float or sink in water?), and texture (did it feel healthier?). All three of the treated samples were silkier, smoother, and shinier than the control—and certainly better than my hair’s current state. So if that means I get to stay blonde, I won’t split hairs over the science.—MARGAUX ANBOUBA
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THIS HAIR ROCKS At first, a geode looks like any other rock—until you crack it open to reveal a glittering surprise inside. A hair color trend at London dye mecca Bleach (opening soon in L.A., too) mirrors this effect: On the outermost layers, hair is a natural shade like blonde or brunette, while the inner layers are painted a striking hue. So when you style a half-pony (or just run your hands through it), a flash of vibrant color peeks through like a crown jewel.—MA
M O D E L : P H OTO G R A P H E D BY CA R I N BAC KO F F; S H A M P O O D RO P L E TS, C R EA M S M EA R, AN D HA IR B RUSH : CO U RT ESY O F T HE B R AN DS; AGAT E BAC KDRO P : J OH N L AWSO N /G E T T Y IMAGES; PURPLE AND SILVER HAIR: COURTESY OF BLEACH LONDON (@BLEACHLONDON).
three new at-home on her bleached, damaged locks.
COOLER COLOR, LONGER.
UNCAP THE LOVE™
Beauty
F RAG RA N C E
D IA RI E S
Hitting the High Notes If you turned every perfume you’ve ever worn into music, what would be your soundtrack? Alix Strauss presses Play.
or most of us, fragrance evokes deep emotion and meaning. Like a song, it can instantly bring you back to a moment, a feeling, or a memory of where you were when you first smelled it. Your attachment to a scent can be so deep that it becomes part of your identity—a specific olfactory indicator that’s associated with who you are and how you want to be seen, even remembered. And a new fragrance, like a drastic haircut, often accompanies a significant personal change. When I reflect on my own lineup of scents, it feels like I’m looking at an aromatic soundtrack of my life. My first perfume, at age 15, was Lauren by Ralph Lauren—the quintessential scent for young Manhattanites. Next, I had a dramatic moment with Poison by Dior in 1987, during my freshman year of college. It was strong and overwhelming, which technically could have defined my personality at the time, too. When I transferred from Ithaca College to NYU, my perfume morphed as well: Enter Xeryus by Givenchy. I thought I was hip, smart, and sexy to wear a man’s cologne. (I was not.) My first apartment
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coincided with a short stint of Annick Goutal Eau de Charlotte. It was light, feminine, and pretty. (On a good day, I was feeling that way, too. Early twenties, single, living in Manhattan.) A 20-year love affair with the classic, citrusy-green Calyx by Prescriptives followed, which, after a long-term relationship ended, I left for the two current perfumes I’ve alternated between for the past five years: Pacific Lime by Atelier Cologne and Park Avenue South by Bond No. 9. The former is clean, crisp, and fresh, with a fruit-forward smell—just different enough from Calyx to feel distinct. The latter is an enigma to me, as it smells like nothing I’ve ever been exposed to before. It doesn’t smell the same on my skin as it does straight from a tester. Part of its appeal is its elusiveness. I didn’t have a single reference for it—no memory, no past emotional association. When big life moments happen, the desire to reboot your scent is a normal, healthy response. “There is some psychological and neurobiological basis for wanting to change your perfume,” says Julie Walsh-Messinger, a psychologist and assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Dayton,
PER FU M E SP L AS H: KE IT H G R EEN BAU M ( ST YLE D BY AU DE A N GOT ) ; ST R AUS S: CO U RT E SY O F T HE SU BJ EC T; R EM AI N IN G IM AG ES: C O URT ESY O F T HE BR A N DS.
Through her work as a cofounder of 12.29, an agency who focuses on olfaction, emotion, and social behavior. “Making that helps brands to differentiate themselves through smell, a change mentally gives us power and impacts our emotions. If Goldworm has zeroed in on two main groups of perfume puryou go through a breakup, the last thing you want to do is smell chasers: loyalists and butterflies. Loyalists, like me, stick to the something that makes you feel sad. Switching your perfume is same scent for years. “They change only when they don’t want to easy. It helps you manage your emotions, lets you stay away from be reminded of the past. It’s a knee-jerk reaction and an empowold memories, and allows you to create new ones.” ering one,” Goldworm explains. For me, my breakup wasn’t just It’s no secret that our sense of smell offers one of the strongest with a person. I was pretty married links to our feelings and memories. to Calyx, but I needed something Like a song, it connects and stimunew to help me move forward. lates a specific, though different, part Butterflies, on the other hand, of the brain. “The pathway from the do not want to bond or connect with nose is the shortest and most direct one perfume. Like their lipsticks way to activate the limbic system in and handbags, their scents are interthe brain, which is responsible for changeable; they have dozens they creating, reactivating, storing, and wear whenever the mood strikes. recalling memories and emotions,” They are carefree, unattached, and says Alfredo Fontanini, MD, PhD, spontaneous. “Butterflies go for neuroscientist, professor, and chair of what’s hot, cool, and new. Their the department of neurobiology and perfumes are maybe only a quarbehavior at Stony Brook University ter used, because they never finand a codirector of its Neurosciences ish a fragrance,” Goldworm says. Institute. “Each perfume is associat“They use perfume as an accessoed with different recollections and THE AUTHOR IN HER LATE TWENTIES IN 1996, THE BEGINNING OF HER CALYX LOVE AFFAIR. ry, as opposed to an identity. They experiences. As you form new memwon’t change perfumes when lifeories, older ones and emotions tend changing events happen, because to fade. When you try a new perfume, they have no particular connection to them. Rather than switch you are trying an odor that has no associations, so it gives you the fragrances, they might go on a trip or make new friends.” possibility to make new ones and write new memories.” Thanks to the pandemic, many of us are looking for a deAccording to Dawn Goldworm, an olfactory expert who’s finitive change. Goldworm suggests a total sweep of any scents worked with the likes of Lady Gaga and the Olsens, “Everyone that might remind you of this traumatic period. “Throw out scents themselves culturally. For some, it’s a sign of their generaany detergents, candles, shampoos, toothpastes, body lotions, tion,” she says, adding that olfactory memories continue to grow or perfumes, and introduce new ones into your home,” she says. and become the largest, most heightened part of your memory. Though that sounds a bit drastic, who doesn’t want a Novelist Marcel Proust famously captured this direct and visfresh start? The world is different now, and so am I. Recently, ceral sense/memory connection in his evocation of a tea-soaked Loubidoo, a new fragrance from Christian Louboutin, caught madeleine in Volume 1 of Remembrance of Things Past. (Fun fact: my attention, with its playful cap of a cat holding a lipstick. Taste is mostly perceived by smell.) “Later in life, when you smell When I look at it, I see a symbol of good fortune, and the scent something, you are brought back to a specific moment or event,” is laced with strawberry and rose. Perhaps the smell of optiGoldworm says. “You remember how you feel. If it makes you mism is in the air. ▪ feel good, you keep it. If it doesn’t, you change it.”
ON REPEAT
My all-time favorite scents read like the Top 40. While some were one-hit wonders— as in, I wonder how I thought I could pull that off?—others were timeless classics.
Ralph Lauren Lauren, $82, macys.com Launched in 1978, Lauren is soft and fresh. Its top notes are rose, lily of the valley, and jasmine, with hints of warm, rich cedarwood and vetiver accord.
Dior Poison Eau de Toilette, $115, dior.com Headlining with a spicy floral elixir, Poison features notes of orange blossom, plum, and wild berries. Introduced in 1985, this fragrance packs a punch.
Calvin Klein Eternity for Men, $85, macys.com A classic men’s juice of its era, this woodsy fougère launched in 1988, just around the time of Givenchy Xeryus (now discontinued)—making it a fitting replacement.
Clinique Calyx, $60, clinique.com An icon created by now-shuttered cult brand Prescriptives in 1986, Calyx is a mix of fresh grapefruit, green leaves, mandarin, and other citric, floral notes.
Bond No. 9 Park Avenue South, $350, bondno9.com Released in 2015, it pops with green apple, jasmine, and velvety peach, with an amber and musk base that’s earthy and warm.
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Beauty
S KIN T E L L I G E N C E
In the CLEAR
Adult female acne is common, complicated, and linked to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. Katie Becker asks, Can the transparency and community of the #acnepositivity movement help?
my own experience, I’d say up to 40 percent of women in their thirties are dealing with some form of acne,” says New York dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. Closing that gap between perception and reality—and helping those with acne feel supported—is the goal of social media’s acne positivity movement. Influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers post unfiltered, makeup-free selfies of pimples and scars with pride, and acne care brands like Starface, ZitSticka, and Banish attempt to normalize the condition they treat, rather than shame it. Even celebrities are joining in. “To all the people struggling with this please know you’re not alone and that you are still so fucking fine! MY ACNE AINT NEVER STOPPED ME,” wrote actress Keke Palmer on her Instagram acne reveal last December, to nearly 1.3 million likes. “I’ve struggled with acne my entire life, and I never saw people like me in skin care ads,” says 25-year-old Mik Zazon (aka @mikzazon), a body- and acne-positive influencer in Columbus, Ohio, with nearly 900,000 followers. “I thought I was this ugly person with some sort of disease; that people were looking at me and just wanted to fix me. The acne-positive community is about showing skin that is normal.”
y cystic acne started in my early twenties. On what had been an impossibly clear complexion throughout puberty and high school, deep pimples started forming almost every day, leaving my face riddled with red scars alongside fresh angry bumps. I spent countless evenings in my bathroom poking, treating, or just staring at the breakouts from my cheekbones to my jawline. This continued into my thirties. (Though I was never diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, I may well have suffered from it; a 2020 study showed a high prevalence in those with acne.) Each morning, I layered on makeup. I avoided eye contact with coworkers and even my friends. Back then, I felt alone, but I wasn’t. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, up to 15 percent of women have acne, but it is on the rise among adults, both women and men, and some believe the numbers are higher. “Based on surveys and
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But there’s a big difference between standing up to beauty standards and white-knuckling through the stigma, stress, and even physical pain that can come with acne. “A lot of people with severe acne are more likely to be depressed,” says Karan Lal, DO, MS, a dermatologist in Worcester, Massachusetts, who specializes in pediatric and adult acne. A 2020 review of 42 studies in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed a significant link between acne and depression and anxiety. “Almost every day, [an adult patient] cries in my office about their acne,” says Cybele Fishman, MD, a holistic dermatologist in New York City and my derm. “When I ask, ‘How does this make you feel?’ the responses I get are: ‘I don’t sign up for projects at work that will have a presentation’ or ‘I haven’t had sex in two years because I’m terrified to take off my makeup.’ It makes them feel really, really, really bad.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 115
MO DEL : EST E LL A BO ERS MA (P HOTO G R AP HED BY TA N YA A N D ZH EN YA P O ST ER N AK).
“I’VE STRUGGLED WITH ACNE MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I NEVER SAW PEOPLE LIKE ME IN SKIN CARE ADS.”
THE GRATITUDE BOOM Interest in gratefulness practices exploded during the
pandemic. Gina Hamadey explores the latest research into how and why being thankful can help during dark times.
PEN C I L IL LUST R AT IO N : S HO UT; LET T E R : C O U RT ESY O F G IN A HAM AD EY.
WE LLNE S S
Beauty
meditative it felt. Peace and calm would come over me like a “WILL THE POOL make us cleaner or dirtier?” I asked my blanket, and my breathing and heart rate seemed to slow. husband, lying in the shade and clocking how grimy he and the That heart-slowing sensation was real, even if I didn’t know kids and I all were after two days of no power or running water. it at the time. A 2017 study by the Yonsei University College of It was the summer of 2020, and—after being cooped up in the Medicine in Seoul examined the effects of gratitude and resentcity for the first few months of COVID—we were living with his ment on mental well-being, using heart rate as one indicator. The parents in the rural Berkshires. average heart rate was significantly lower while the participants That night, Jake slept upstairs with our two young boys in were spending four minutes thinking grateful thoughts about case of bats. (Keeping one lamp on keeps the bats away. Alas, their mothers, compared with spending those four minutes fothere was no light, and so my father-in-law had chased one out cused on moments or people who made them angry. with a broom the night before.) Each month of my gratitude year was dedicated to a different It’s hard to deny that this was a low point: We had been living group of recipients, such as friends, family members, parenting with my in-laws for going on three months, with no child care helpers, career mentors, and favorite authors. The eight notes I and only an hour or two of work possible per day. And now we wrote to my mother-in-law throughout the year changed the dywere peeing in the woods, debating whether chlorine is a suitable namic of our relationship: I became more aware of how much she bathing agent, and trying to sleep in the sweltering heat with no does for our family, and she was touched by how much I noticed. air conditioning. And then, of course, there were bats! Among the many gratitude benefits I experienced was a Yet, here’s what my journal at the time reads: “I just finished heightened sense of resilience. Writing the notes not only ofthe Liane Moriarty book I started this morning, and then looked fered me a short-term feeling of calm, it made it easier to chanout the window at the beautiful stars and listened to the sounds. nel positive emotions in general. So dreamy here. Grateful I found “Sitting with any feeling, whether my way back to reading novels.” positive, neutral, or negative, has A few days later, I wrote this the potential to rewire our neural note to my mother-in-law, Lulu: connections due to our neuroplas“Truly, when I think back to that tic brains,” explains Bret Stetka, power outage—or “power cut” [as author of A History of the Human the kids called it]—my thoughts are Brain. “When we use any brain net(1) Wow, we got grimy so quickly, work—whether for riding a bike or and (2) Lulu is amazing. And not playing a guitar—those neuronal necessarily in that order. I felt like connections are strengthened and a slowly deflating balloon, barely more easily called upon. Expressing able to accomplish anything aside gratitude and sitting with your posifrom reading my book. Meanwhile, tive feelings towards others bolsters I’m watching you on the floor playDURING HER YEAR OF SAYING THANKS, these networks, making it easier for ing with the kids—and then in the HAMADEY WROTE EIGHT LETTERS TO HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, LULU. the brain to access that warmth.” kitchen magically putting together Glenn Fox, a neuroscientist and a delicious dinner. Your energy and expert in the science of gratitude at USC’s Marshall School of sunny attitude astounded me and continue to do so.” Business, teaches the power of gratitude and optimism—both in I’m not the only one who’s been turning to gratitude as a cophis new mindfulness program for entrepreneurs, called Found ing mechanism during the pandemic. In February 2021, search Well, and in his popular 100-person class “The Science of Peak terms such as “How to thank the bus driver,” “How to thank a Performance.” When USC canceled classes in the spring of 2020, nurse,” and “How to thank a health care provider” began trendstudents were in the middle of writing their three- to four-week ing. Overall, internet searches for the term “What is gratitude” optimism journal. He recounts: “It made for this interesting have increased nearly sixfold, from 1,400 searches in January timeline. Their optimism took a hit, but it recovered quickly.” 2020 to 8,000 in January 2021; over the same period, searches He has been keeping up his own gratitude practice, which for “gratitude journal prompts” have tripled to a high of nearly has been helpful while he and his wife have been navigating life 10,000 searches in January 2021. with a 10-month-old in close quarters. Every morning he tries Buying trends indicate the same. “We’re seeing customers to “find the smallest thing in my room or the neighborhood to be shopping for more gratitude/thankful products across the whole grateful for,” he says. “I focus on that and imagine life without it, store,” says Paper Source marketing manager Alex Knauf. A pack and then think about how great it is that it’s there. So we have this of simple cards that say “THANK YOU for your kindness and soft, fluffy blanket, for example. It was a wedding present. I often sympathy,” for example, took in $9,000 in 2020—a 290 percent think about that blanket, and about the friends who gave it to us.” increase from $2,000 in 2019. He says he thinks about gratitude all day. “It takes some skill: Our collective instincts are clearly on to something: Studies There are days when you wish you were grateful, but you’re show gratitude helps in tough times, and it’s proven especialnot. Then you’ve got to just breathe, and find the smallest thing ly comforting in the past year. In December 2020, the UK’s around you that’s working.” University of Surrey posed the question, Which coping mechaKeep in mind: Even when nothing seems to be working— nism was the most helpful during lockdown: focusing on nostalthe power, the pipes, your city’s infrastructure, your sense of gia for the past, gratitude for the present, or hope for the future? humor—there is always something (or someone) that is. You It found that gratitude and optimism were far more effective for just have to look. ▪ a person’s well-being than nostalgia. I learned firsthand that gratitude is strong medicine in 2018, when I spent a year writing 365 thank-you notes and gratitude letters. I came up with the concept after writing a stack of Gina Hamadey is the author of I Want to Thank You: How a Year of Gratitude thank-you notes to fundraiser donors and noticing how oddly Can Bring Joy and Meaning in a Disconnected World (TarcherPerigee). 67
P E R S P E C T I V E S | Amanda Kloots
LOSING NICK Amanda Kloots laid bare her husband’s COVID nightmare on Instagram. Is this the way we grieve now? BY AMANDA FORTINI
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P E R S P E C T I V E S | Amanda Kloots
I
n mid-March of last year, with coronavirus cases spiking around the country, Amanda Kloots, a fitness instructor and online influencer, and her husband, the actor Nick Cordero, flew to Los Angeles from New York City. A few months prior, the couple had purchased a small threebedroom fixer-upper in Laurel Canyon. While Kloots was reluctant to leave her life of 19 years in New York, where she had family and a thriving fitness business, Cordero had hopes of breaking into the music industry in L.A. In her new book, Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero, out this month from Harper, Kloots explains her mindset at the time. Like most of the country, she and Cordero thought the hysteria seemed “overhyped.” It is poignant to read her analyzing her errors in hindsight. The couple landed in Los Angeles on March 17. The city announced its stay-at-home order two days later, on Kloots’s thirty-eighth birthday. The following morning, Cordero began complaining of exhaustion, but he didn’t have the cough, body aches, or fever commonly associated with the virus. Kloots recalls feeling “a little frustrated” by his lethargy—they had a nine-month-old baby; she had just launched an online subscription service for her classes—but she chalked it up to the massive changes of the moment. Cordero, an extrovert, was prone to depression, and the musical he was starring in, Rock of Ages, had just been canceled. But when Cordero fainted while changing their baby Elvis’s diaper—all 6 feet 5 inches, 225 pounds of him crashing to the ground with a thud—Kloots realized something serious was going on and took him to urgent care, where he was told he likely had pneumonia. Days later, he was struggling to breathe. On the morning of March 30, Kloots dropped him off at the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “I had no idea,” she writes, “that that would be the last time I would ever see him as him.” Cordero would spend 95 days in the hospital, most of them in a coma, before passing away due to complications from COVID at the age of 41. Kloots, meanwhile, chronicled the arduous, emotional ordeal on Instagram, where she maintains a prolific presence. During the two Zoom meetings
we have together, I ask Kloots, who never tested positive for the virus, if she knows how or why her husband contracted such a severe case. After all, he was young and had no preexisting conditions. “We’ll never know how he got it or why he got it,” she tells me. “It doesn’t even make sense. I was around him. My parents were around him, my sister, our friends...and nobody else got it,” she says, shaking her head. “None of it makes sense. It never will.” FACE TO FACE, Kloots is warm, unguarded, and candid, with a demeanor that
is fiercer and more blazingly intense than her sunny online persona would suggest. In Live Your Life, she notes that she is “type A to my core.” She tells me that her four siblings call her a “go-getter” and a “workaholic.” As she talks about her life, she is sometimes serious and emotional, her eyes welling up with tears. At other moments, she’s animated and funny, tilting her head dramatically and doing voices, like the former theater performer that she is. She has been in the ensemble casts of several Broadway musicals, including Good Vibrations, Follies, and Bullets Over Broadway, where she met Cordero in 2014, around the time her seven-year marriage to actor David Larsen was ending. She was also a Radio City Rockette and has run her own fitness business since 2016. “Amanda is always going,” her older brother Todd, 45, a software engineer who works for Slack, told me. “She’s ‘execute, execute, execute,’ ” he adds, comparing her to their father, a successful insurance salesman, now retired. (Her mother is a homemaker.) We speak on a Wednesday afternoon in late February. Kloots, who is pretty in a classic way, is sitting in her dressing room on the CBS lot in Studio City, California, having just finished filming an episode of The Talk, which shoots four mornings a week. Kloots is one of five cohosts on the daytime talk show. She was hired in late November, nearly five months after her husband’s death. “Just to be able to go to work and talk to four other women is so important for me right now,” she says. Behind her hang three framed photographs: one of her holding Elvis, an adorable baby with wise eyes and wispy blond hair; another of a toddling Elvis in tiny overalls; and, in the middle, Cordero, hands in the pockets of his shorts, carrying Elvis, who is now two, in a Baby Björn on his chest. Five days earlier, Kloots posted a photo on Instagram. She is sitting in a car at a drive-through vaccine clinic, wearing a denim mask with the name “Elvis” stitched in red. Outside the window, a National Guardsman can be seen administering the vaccine into her left upper arm. “I just got my COVID-19 vaccine!” she wrote in the accompanying caption. “I went to a site and waited in my car until all of the appointments were over in hopes that they had any extra vaccines.... I have been terrified since Nick has passed, as a single mother, of getting this virus, and now I am one step closer to safety.” At the time, the only people eligible for the vaccine in Los Angeles County, where Kloots lives, were health care workers or residents of long-term-care facilities. Kloots, a healthy 38-yearold leader of exercise classes who had no apparent preexisting conditions, clearly fell outside those criteria. Commenters accused her of white privilege, and of using her connections to jump the line and take a shot from someone who needed it more than she did. The site she visited was also on the Eastside of Los Angeles, a heavily Hispanic area disproportionately ravaged by the virus—though there’s no arguing that Kloots’s life was not ravaged by COVID, too. Kloots updated her original caption and took to her Instagram Stories to clarify, calling the response “vaccine shaming,”
“THINGS JUST KEPT HAPPENING, AND I FELT LIKE, HOW CAN I NOT KEEP UPDATING?”
CO U RT E SY O F T HE SU BJ EC T.
and explaining that she’d waited in line late at night for a leftover dose that would otherwise have been tossed. “I didn’t jump the fence, sneak into a tent, and shoot myself in the arm,” she says now. She describes getting vaccinated after losing her husband to COVID as “a full-circle feeling,” and says she was in the moment and posted without thinking. The incident highlights not only how viperish the internet can be, but also how treacherous it can be to live one’s life very publicly on social media. Kloots has also been criticized for never stepping away from her public platform while her husband was sick, thus defying our ideas about how people should grieve. Her frequent posts on Instagram—memories of the couple’s relationship, heartbreaking updates on her husband’s condition and Baby Elvis’s milestones, plus clips and photos promoting her fitness classes and business ventures—reminded her followers that you can find yourself in truly awful circumstances and still find a way to, well, live your life. Hers is a thoroughly contemporary story, and not only because it’s about coronavirus. It is a tale of vulnerability, authenticity, and what it means to grieve in public, which, for better or worse, is how we grieve now, especially this year. Live Your Life, written by Kloots and her younger sister Anna (a writer and travel blogger working on a memoir of her own), elaborates on the history and memories that Instagram captions could not sufficiently detail. (The title comes from a song Cordero wrote that Kloots’s Instagram followers sang each day at 3 p.m. PST while he was hospitalized.) The book portrays Cordero as a serious artist, a lover of music and people, a devoted son and father, an excellent listener, and an impractical dreamer. Readers also get to see the pair’s relationship in all its humanness and complicated reality. Kloots tells us that they broke up twice before finally tying the knot in 2017. They fought about religion (she is Christian; he was not a believer) and what to name their baby (Elvis was her idea). They come off as well-paired opposites, like a couple in a
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE KLOOTS-CORDERO FAMILY ON KLOOTS’S THIRTY-EIGHTH BIRTHDAY, A PHOTO TAKEN DAYS BEFORE CORDERO WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL THAT WOULD BE THEIR LAST AS A FAMILY; KLOOTS AND SON ELVIS ON A RECENT GETAWAY; KLOOTS AND CORDERO; THE FAMILY IN BETTER TIMES; KLOOTS, CORDERO, AND ELVIS ON THE DAY THEY FOUND OUT THEIR OFFER WAS ACCEPTED ON A HOME IN LOS ANGELES’S LAUREL CANYON.
rom-com. “Their imbalances kind of balanced each other out,” Anna says. “She would light a fire, and he would kind of tame her down. She was more conventional, whereas Nick was very avant-garde. It was a classic case of opposites attract.” The book tunnels back to these memories while following Cordero’s harrowing medical odyssey chronologically. He was admitted to the ICU because his organs were oxygen-deprived. Doctors placed him in a medically induced coma and put him on a ventilator, an intervention that was readily used early on in the pandemic but eventually became a treatment of last resort because of the complications it can cause. Ten days into his stay, he got an infection and spiked a fever, which caused his heart to stop. At this point, the doctors put him on an ECMO, a machine that assists with heart and lung functioning. From there, Cordero experienced a cascade of medical problems: a blood clot in his right leg, which had to be amputated; internal bleeding; a lung infection; sepsis; acidosis. Four times, Kloots was told to rush to the hospital because her husband would be dead in a matter of hours. Throughout the entire three-month ordeal, Kloots posted regularly on Instagram, where she has 654K followers, a number that has risen steadily in the last year. Kloots says that when she first starting sharing news about Nick being in the hospital, she thought he’d get better—she had no idea she’d be updating on his downturn and eventual death. Anna tells me that “there was never a doubt in our minds that he was not going to be okay.” Kloots also says she initially felt a duty to warn her followers that the virus didn’t exclusively affect old people. In those early weeks of Cordero’s illness, when the pandemic was new and many people were glued to their screens, Kloots’s posts captured the public’s attention. She’s not sure the response would have been the same 71
P E R S P E C T I V E S | Amanda Kloots
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were people not “forced to stay at home and do nothing,” she tells me now. Tens of thousands liked each post. Thousands commented, including celebrities like Katie Couric and Selma Blair. Meanwhile, Cordero kept getting worse. And Kloots’s growing legion of followers—she calls them her “Instagram army”—became deeply invested. “Things just kept happening, and I felt like, How can I not keep updating, because now there are these people who are...clinging to this story?” She explains that she didn’t feel like she could be avidly online to promote and run her fitness classes and not tell the truth. “She kind of painted herself into a corner in a way,” says Zach Braff, who starred in Bullets Over Broadway with Cordero, and let Kloots live in his Laurel Canyon guesthouse while the bungalow the couple had bought was being renovated. “She didn’t want to let the community down, but there were days when she just wanted to disappear, you know?” But Kloots didn’t disappear, not even in the days after Cordero died. “God has another angel in heaven now. My darling husband passed away this morning...I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere...,” she wrote in her post announcing his death, on July 5, 2020. The next day, she posted about the support of her family, writing, “In times of trauma, look for the silver linings.” And in the days and weeks that followed, she did just that,
to the awe and admiration of many and the confusion of others. On July 18, she posted a video of herself, red-faced and smiling, executing a workout on all fours and advertising a jump rope she’d created for her class. “You’re so strong! Keep up the positivity [heart],” read a typical comment. Of course, some were not so supportive, suggesting she shouldn’t be smiling so soon after her husband’s death. “Oh, really?” she says now. “I should just be in my bed in tears then? Would that make you feel better?” When I watched the video, I saw a person, tired and a little puffy, trying to muscle through the pain and not entirely succeeding. WE MEET OVER ZOOM for a second time in early
KLOOTS’S MEMOIR WILL BE PUBLISHED THIS MONTH BY HARPER.
March. Kloots is once again in her dressing room. Wrapped in a pale gray robe, she peels and eats an orange as we talk. We discuss our culture’s rigid idea of what grief looks like—sobbing, breaking down, going to therapy—and the judgment that’s unleashed when people don’t adhere to this. She tells me that shortly after Cordero died, her three best friends came over one night and, in her words, “told me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do.” They suggested she go to therapy, get offline, and turn down a job she’d been offered: “ ‘Stop talking on social media. It’s not good for you.... If you do this, the world’s going to judge you.’ ” She says she CONTINUED ON PAGE 115
“ELLE HAD A VERY TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD, BUT SHE’S A FIGHTER.”
nna Sawai smiles when she recalls telling a friend as a teenager that she wanted to become an actress. Her friend told her, “You look like you could be in Fast & Furious.” Little did Sawai know she’d one day land the role of Elle, a mysterious girl who loses her parents at age 11 in F9: The Fast Saga, out June 25. “Elle had a very traumatic childhood, but she’s a fighter,” says Sawai over Zoom from Tokyo. The 29-year-old actress grew up between New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan due to her father’s job with an electronics company. Meanwhile, her mother, who studied opera, taught her to sing, which helped her secure the title role in a Tokyo stage production of Annie. From there, she made her film debut in 2009’s Ninja Assassin and performed as part of a J-pop group named FAKY. Joining a welloiled machine like the Fast franchise was intimidating, but director Justin Lin couldn’t have been more welcoming. “He knew I didn’t have much experience and really guided me through it,” she says. Next, Sawai plays Naomi, a savvy businesswoman in the Apple TV+ adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko. The series chronicles four generations of a Korean family living in Japan, from 1910 to 1989. In choosing roles, Sawai makes a point not to perpetuate Asian stereotypes. “Yes, [Elle] is Asian and does action, but she had to become a fighter to protect herself, and [Naomi] is struggling to stand up for herself at a time when it was really difficult for women [to do so].”—ARIANA YAPTANGCO
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The 29-year-old actress’s ascension has been swift, from the Fast & Furious franchise to Pachinko.
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rom hits like “I Say a Little Prayer” to “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” Dionne Warwick has inspired many throughout her musical career, spanning over 60 years. The pop and R&B vocalist started out singing with The Gospelaires along with her sister Dee Dee, before releasing her first solo single in 1962, “Don’t Make Me Over”—a song that foreshadowed her lifelong commitment to remaining true to herself. Today, the Twitter community has welcomed the 80-year-old “Auntie Dionne,” celebrating her wisdom and witty tweets. Here, Warwick talks about her life in the music industry, the power of confidence, and being happy in her own skin.—MARIAH CAMPBELL
DIONNE WARWICK ON REMAINING TRUE TO YOURSELF The legendary vocalist talks about her iconic career.
Dionne Warwick was interviewed for Project Tell Me, which records the wisdom and life experiences of Black Americans ages 75 and older by connecting them with a new generation of Black journalists. Warwick’s interviewer, Mariah Campbell, is a journalism major at Texas Southern University. The complete oral history series will run across Hearst Magazine, Newspaper, and Television websites starting Juneteenth 2021. Go to hearst.com/ projecttellme for links.
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ELLE: You are absolutely hilarious on Twitter! Did it offend you when people started to think you weren’t writing your own tweets? DIONNE WARWICK: No. You know, of course they’re gonna think that. I want to have as much fun as anyone, and that’s what I’m doing on Twitter. ELLE: And you sure are making it a good time for us, too. DW: Great! That’s the important part. ELLE: As a child, was it your dream to become a singer, or did it just happen? DW: If I quote my mother, she says I came out singing. I come from a gospelsinging family, and you know the old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? Well, that proved true for me and everybody else in my family. ELLE: What was your childhood like? DW: My childhood was full of love and laughter and music. As I said, I come from a gospel-singing family, so I spent a majority of my life in church. My grandfather was a minister. So this was all I ever knew, and it’s all I guess I ever want to know. I had a normal childhood like everybody else—I went to grammar school, and I walked to school with my friends and got into the little scrapes that we all get into every now and then when we’re youngsters, and I’ve got the marks to prove it. ELLE: What was it like being a young Black woman in the music industry when you first started? DW: Coming from East Orange, New Jersey (Go Panthers!), what I experienced in the early part of my career and in the very early tours that I did in the southern region of our country—I saw a lot of stuff I never even knew existed because I didn’t experience that where I came from. I lived on a block that I refer to to this day as virtually being the United Nations. We had every race, color, creed, and religion, and we interacted with each other on the basis of who we were, not what we were. So it was interesting to see what is unfortunately occurring again today, the prejudice and this nation of people being stupid. I guess that’s what I’d call it, complete stupidity, because the color of my skin is not to your liking. I used to joke with some of my white friends: I’d say, “How stupid is it that you’re going to judge me by the color of my skin, and every summer you slather yourself and lie out in the sun to get my color?” I never quite understood that. And so now with everybody plumping up their behinds and their lips and wanting to look like me, all of a sudden it’s like, Whoa, wait a minute, what’s going on? What happened? ELLE: Out of all of the songs that you’ve made, which one would you say is your favorite, and why? DW: I don’t have a favorite of the songs I’ve sung; they’re all my favorites. Each one of them I’ve grown with as they’ve grown with me lyrically. One’s words take effect on you. At the tender age of 19 they meant one thing, and when I was 27 they meant another thing, and with each decade they meant something else. ELLE: You’ve broken so many barriers for African American women in the entertainment industry. How well do you think today’s female artists have upheld that legacy? DW: I refer to my babies, that’s how I refer to them all—they’re all my babies. But their recordings are geared for younger ears than mine. Some of [their lyrics] I take very great offense at—I must say that—and I’ve voiced that on many occasions with those particular artists. However, I don’t listen to the artists of today that much, I really don’t. I listen to my peers; I listen to the music that comforts me. CONTINUED ON PAGE 114
WA RW IC K: KWAKU ALSTO N /C O N TO UR R A /G E T T Y IM AG ES; L ET ’ S B E R EA L ( 2 0 21 ) BY DANIE LLE MC KINNE Y: PHOTO G R AP HED BY JAS O N MA N DELL A, CO U RT E SY O F T HE ART IST A N D FO RT N I GH T INSTITUTE .
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LET’S BE REAL (2021) BY DANIELLE MCKINNEY.
C U L T U R E | Music
WHAT MAKES A HIT? ASK TIKTOK. Addictive beats, cheeky transitions, and evocative lyrics are all key— but so is...Cran-Raspberry juice? Nerisha Penrose investigates. COLL AGE BY LIZZIE GILL
T IKTO K LO G O A N D M I CK F LE ET W O O D: CO URT ESY O F T IKTO K; DOJA CAT: KE V IN W IN T E R/GE T T Y IMAGE S; LIL NAS X: TIM MOS E NFE LDE R/GE T T Y IMAGE S; MEGAN T H EE STALL IO N : GARY M ILL ER/ G ET T Y I M AGE S; L IPA: GAR E T H CAT T ER MO LE/ GE T T Y IMAGE S; BANKS: JLN PHOTOGRAPHY/S HU T TE RSTOC K.
f the 176 songs to surpass one billion views on TikTok last year, less than half of the top 10 were from artists who need no introduction. Drake’s “Tootsie Slide” took the crown at number one, followed by Cardi B’s “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and Billie Eilish’s “Therefore I Am.” Farther down the list: Popp Hunna’s “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)” and DJ Chose’s “Thick,” featuring BeatKing. While those last three names might not ring a bell, you’d likely recognize the dance moves their songs inspired (if not, almost any teenager could get you up to speed). While social media’s democratizing effects are nothing new, the fact that Grammy winners and relative unknowns—and the TikTok creators who choreograph dances to tracks by both—are all mingling in the pop stratosphere feels like a particularly early-2020s phenomenon. After all, with just a 15-second clip, a creator can become a pop star (Addison Rae), a country-trap song can transform a lonesome teen into a global phenomenon (Lil Nas X), or a drop (pop!) of the knee into a low squat can turn a rising Houston rapper into a Warner Records signee (Erica Banks). There are some constants between the songs that have taken off on the platform—catchy beat, dramatic transition, lyrics that lend themselves to interpretive dance moves—but there is no magic formula. Perhaps the most alluring aspect of the short-form content app is how attainable (and utterly random) viral fame can be. Take TikTok user Nathan Apodaca. Under normal circumstances, Cran-Raspberry juice, skateboarding, and Fleetwood Mac are an unexpected trio. But in Apodaca’s viral video, which captures him blissfully gliding along to “Dreams” while guzzling a bottle of Ocean Spray, it just works. When “Dreams” hit number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 last October, Fleetwood Mac’s first time on the chart since 1977, Stevie Nicks told CBS Sunday Morning, “This TikTok thing has kind of blown my mind. I’m happy about it because it seems to have made so many people happy.” If Banks had any say in the matter, “Buss It” wouldn’t have been the track that introduced her to the world. While she was drawn to the beat—a
sample of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” that fades into Banks repeating the titular call to action (i.e., twerk as low to the ground as possible)—she doesn’t think it’s her best song. “As an artist, you’re very critical of yourself, and I felt like I could do better than that,” she says. But that’s the thing about TikTok: You don’t get to choose what goes viral; the creators do when they swarm a dance or song. Banks released “Buss It” in June of 2020, hoping it might find a home at the club, but with COVID restrictions still in place, Club Quarantine would have to suffice. In January, TikTok user Erica Davila posted a clip of herself dancing to the song and challenging other users to “plz do this transition but all prettied up.” In the blink of an eye, social media timelines were flooded with other TikTok users doing a similar shimmy-and-dice-roll dance in their sloppiest quarantine getup before dipping into a low squat. When the beat changed, the same user would appear mid-twerk, but in full glam. The way the “Buss It” challenge transcended the app—even trending on Twitter at one point—is a clear example of how TikTok has impacted the way we engage with and discover music. In an endless game of copycat, one creator comes up with a dance to a random song, others imitate it, and slowly but surely (though sometimes very quickly), the song starts showing up in lip-sync videos, makeup tutorials, and even the charts. TikTok has only grown during COVID-19, with nostalgia-fueled trends like re-creating childhood photos to the tune of Simple Plan’s “I’m Just a Kid” providing a security blanket in this period of confusion and fear. Another joyful antidote: some unintentional lyrical similarities between Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” and the CDC’s social distancing guidelines. “Don’t show up , don’t come out,” Lipa sings on the song, which was all over TikTok at the start of quarantine. In April of 2020, Brooklyn rapper Sleepy Hallow released “Deep End Freestyle,” a track that included a haunting—and initially uncredited—vocal loop. The song racked up tens of millions of views on YouTube, and many commenters wanted to know, Who was the mystery woman singing the catchy chorus? Eventually, the Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Fousheé took to TikTok, uploading a clip of herself singing the song while strumming a guitar and captioning the post, “The irony of this is…I’m actually the original singer in this song...but nobody knows or believes me…and it’s legit making me go off the DEEP END.” By the time she released her own full-length version that July, Fousheé was fed up—but not over the lack of credit. “It was right after George Floyd, and I felt like it was the moment for me to speak up on behalf of Black [people],” she says. “[‘Deep End’] is an anthem for underdogs and finally getting all the things that you deserve.” On YouTube, the official video for Fousheé’s version of “Deep End” has over 12 million views. On TikTok, timeliness rules: “It never takes us too long to come up with a routine,” says Zhané, who performs alongside her sister, Shayné, as TikTok’s NaeNae twins. Their most viral dance challenge to date, for Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé, took about 45 minutes to choreograph. The 26-year-old Los Angeles–based identical twins have a knack for predicting what will go viral on TikTok, but Beyoncé’s nod to the app in the second verse—“Hips tik tok when I dance”—made the track a pretty safe bet. A week later, Megan uploaded a video of herself doing the NaeNae twins’ dance, and performed it again at YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual event. The singer Doja Cat went further when she incorporated TikToker Haley Sharpe’s choreography into her video for “Say So,” even giving Sharpe a cameo near the end. A big part of Isabel Quinteros Annous’s job as TikTok’s senior manager of music partnerships and artist relations is to give celebrities a crash course in the art of TikTok. Her current star pupil is singer-songwriter-dancer Jason Derulo, who reached out near the start of quarantine. “I spent two hours with him going through all the different features of the app, explaining why collaborating, community, and doing the trends is important. And he just took it to the next level,” she says. The more his fan base grew, the wilder his videos became, from bizarre cake recipes to pranks involving his girlfriend, influencer
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C O N V E RSAT I O N
STACEY ABRAMS AND MICHAEL CONNELLY ON PLOT, PERSISTENCE, AND PASSION
Stacey Abrams, who solidified herself this past election season as one of the most powerful women in American politics, has another job: She’s a writer. And not just about politics. She’s a master of fiction, with eight romance and suspense novels written under the name Selena Montgomery. Now she’s back to Stacey Abrams, with While Justice Sleeps, which is both her first novel written under her real name and her first legal thriller. Abrams hopped on Zoom with veteran thriller writer Michael Connelly, author of The Lincoln Lawyer and the Harry Bosch series, to talk shop.
ABR AM S A N D CO N N ELLY S CR E EN S HOTS: KAT ELYN BAKER.
Stacey Abrams | P E R S P E C T I V E S
MICHAEL CONNELLY: Thank you so much for doing this. Maybe two years ago, I was on a plane and you were sitting across the aisle from me. And I spent the whole flight, four or five hours, thinking, I want to say something to her, to thank her, but I just didn’t want to screw it up. After, I thought, Man, I missed my chance to say something to Stacey Abrams. Now here we are together, and it’s a real honor for me to say, first of all, thank you for everything you’ve done for our world, our society, our country. STACEY ABRAMS : I’m so sorry I didn’t know that you were sitting near me, and hopefully you saw that I was happy to talk to anybody who reached out. My mission is going to be for us to be on a plane together again and have a rousing conversation! MC: [While Justice Sleeps] is very much of this moment, with contemporary thoughts about what’s going on in our world and where our world is going. So it leaves me with the big question: How the heck did you have time to write such a complex and accomplished book? SA : I actually started writing it years ago. I was having lunch with a partner at the law firm where I used to work. She mentioned this question she had about what would happen if a Supreme Court justice could no longer do their job, because Article III of the Constitution is silent on it. So I thought about it and sat with the idea, and on the way home I was listening to some story about someone in a persistent vegetative state. And I thought, Oh my God, what if a Supreme Court justice was in a coma and you didn’t know whether they would ever emerge? I wrote this initial scene in 2008, then I put the book aside because I was involved in trying to save the Democratic Party in Georgia. I became the Democratic [minority] leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and also started a company. I finished the book between 2011 and 2012, but no one wanted it. I [sent it out] to agents, and essentially they said, “Well, the Supreme Court is played out and there will never be a president who is involved in international intrigue in this way.” They just dismissed it. Then, in 2019, I was talking about some other books and I mentioned While Justice Sleeps. The person I was talking to said, ‘Wait, you’ve written this already?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty much done.’ I mean, it was started back before smartphones [really took off ]. So I was going to have to do a little tweaking. But the spine of the story was there. MC: With trying to save the Democratic Party in Georgia, and I would probably expand that to the United States, what’s a writing day like for you? SA: I have to schedule time to write, but I have also learned to write pretty quickly. I make time in the day to write, because writing is part of the core of who I am. But also, I write really well on deadline. I’m not one of those regimented
writers who wake up at 7 a.m. and write for a certain number of hours. It gets in where it fits in. MC: You mentioned that writing is a part of your core. What was your experience? How did storytelling and reading inspire you? SA: Until I was 15, my mom was a librarian. When we moved from Mississippi to Georgia, my father complained that with six kids and two adults, we had more boxes of books than boxes of clothes. We would later throw out a box of clothes, but books were sacrosanct—you could not touch them. We grew up with my mom just always encouraging us to read and literally having the run of a library to find the works that we wanted to read. My dad is dyslexic and was undiagnosed until he was in his thirties, but he loves storytelling and he has this rich imagination. So he would tell us these very complicated stories every Friday when he would put us to bed. They would get more and more fantastical and elaborate because he had to meet the needs of six different kids asking for something. It was the cleanest version of Game of Thrones you’ve ever seen, but it was just this rich storytelling. The two combined when my parents became Methodist ministers, because part of their job is to really help people think about their present, think about their past, but also think about their future. MC: I’m one of six kids as well. In my memory, I always see my mom with books. She was always passing on books to me, and I think that’s possibly why I do what I do. I spent a lot of time in libraries, because I grew up in South Florida. And so I went there initially just to cool off, but I started reading books there. And here we are talking about legal thrillers. Can you talk about Avery Keene, the protagonist of While Justice Sleeps? Where does she come from? SA: Avery was an amalgamation of folks I went to law school with who didn’t have the traditional experience where you go to a great college, a great law school, and you sail into where you want to be. WHILE JUSTICE SLEEPS, My sister, Leslie, is a federal judge. She clerked right OUT MAY 11 FROM DOUBLEDAY. after law school. And I know our story—I know that Leslie has this amazing résumé—but we did not have the easiest upbringing in terms of economics and access. I also brought in part of my brother’s story. I have a younger brother who has really grappled with drug addiction. So often when you have stories, especially in this kind of fiction, the narrative is so stark. You’re either a villain or a hero, and there’s a complicated nature to addiction. There’s a complicated familial relationship that develops, and you don’t cease to be a good person because you make mistakes, but you also don’t get to be a good person without having to work at it. So, for me, it was, “What could happen if you have a parent who is so challenged, but you don’t have the capacity to walk away?” MC: Was there a first villain or a mystery you read that made you say, “I want to do this someday?” And I’m talking about mystery, thriller, whatever. SA: So, I grew up reading. I love The Count of Monte Cristo. I love sagas where you have a villain and a hero and everyone is more complicated than they seem. I also loved Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. So those are your precursors. And the two books that really centered me in the thriller writing space, John Grisham’s The Firm and The Black Ice [written by Connelly]. I keep hearing the word “propulsive” used to describe what I was able to do with While Justice Sleeps, but it is so important to me that you can enter a book and not want to leave that world. MC: That word propulsive—we live for that. This is a unique question to you. You inspire many, many people, everywhere you go and with everything you do. Where do you find inspiration yourself? SA: Thank you for that; that’s a very generous compliment. I have two of the most amazing people I’ve ever known as my parents. My mom grew up in abject poverty. She is the only one of her seven siblings to finish high school, let alone go to college and graduate school. At the age of 40, she became a United Methodist minister and went to graduate school. She raised six children, and 79
P E R S P E C T I V E S | Stacey Abrams
she did it with a partner, my dad, who struggled with being underestimated his entire life. He grew up in a segregated school system in Mississippi, and his inability to read was dismissed as a lack of intelligence as opposed to a lack of access. He, too, became a United Methodist minister and attended graduate school. Imagine going to graduate school at the age of 40, having really only learned to functionally read 10 years before then. Together, my parents are this couple who believe in good people; they believe in service, they believe in being there. And they gave me five brothers and sisters who are some of the most extraordinary people I know. And even as we grapple with and try to navigate challenges, there’s never a moment where we doubt that my parents are the people we can turn to and that the family they created is a safe space for us. And so they inspire me. MC: Now I’m going to pose a really simple question: When you’re writing, what’s the one thing you have to have with you? Is it music? Is it a cup of coffee? Is it a favorite lamp that has to be turned on? Which thing helps get you into the groove? SA: Music is usually the most important part for me. When I wrote my first novel [Rules of Engagement], I was listening to an extraordinary guitarist. He actually is a writer; he’s a journalist now [and new CEO of The Atlantic], and his name is Nick Thompson. Since then, it’s just been really important to me to have music in the background. I want it to be so mutable that no one cares. I see something that really keeps my cogs going and gives me my own little soundtrack for the story. MC: The book was 13 years in the making—stops and starts, some rejection. You kept coming back to this book. How come? SA: The first time I wrote the original full draft, I actually gave it to my siblings to read, and they liked it. And they are not kind people in that way. We’re critical in the sense that we want to help make one another better. They weren’t going to just give me pablum compliments. It was my siblings who asked me about the book, who said, “Where is it? What did you do with it?” When you’ve got someone who can tell you that you’re not hallucinating, that what you think is good actually does make sense, it’s easier to hold on. But, also, I’m Southern. There’s this moment where you realize that sometimes what you want has gotten here sooner than you’re able to use it. MC: In While Justice Sleeps, what was the question you were trying to get the reader to consider? SA: I wanted a heroine who made the affirmative decision to face hardship, to face the danger, to face the challenges, and not because she didn’t have a choice, but because she made the decision that it was worth the risk. We sometimes avail ourselves of the excuse that we didn’t have a choice. It’s that decision to do it anyway, to act anyway, to risk failure, to risk loss. Sometimes we just have to choose to act, never knowing if it’s going to work or not. We have to act. ▪ 80
BO O KS
SUMMER READS While many gear up for a summer of fun, those remaining indoors a bit longer might be looking for something more meditative.
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STAYING IN SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER, BY ASHLEY C. FORD (Flatiron Books, June 1)
Celebrated journalist and podcaster Ashley C. Ford makes her literary debut with an extraordinary memoir. Growing up, Ford idolized her father, who was incarcerated throughout her childhood. Only in the aftermath of trauma does she start to untangle the complicated threads of her inheritance.
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GOING OUT DREAM GIRL, BY LAURA LIPPMAN (William Morrow, June 22)
Lippman returns with a new thriller, this one about the startling relationship between an author bedridden after an accident and a mysterious caller who makes the shocking claim that she’s the protagonist of his most popular novel. This metafictional take on psychological suspense reckons with questions of gender and agency, making it both an effective response to the #MeToo movement and the ultimate page-turner for fans of complex horror. WHILE WE WERE DATING, BY JASMINE GUILLORY (Berkley, July 13)
Guillory has turned many a romance-novel skeptic into a true believer, and her newest release will garner
even more converts. Set in Hollywood, it follows Anna, an actress determined to make it big, and Ben, an ad exec, who lands a huge campaign featuring Anna. Their chemistry pushes them off-script in this charming, sexy love story. THE TURNOUT, BY MEGAN ABBOTT (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, August 3)
Dare Me author Abbott’s latest is set in a ballet studio with a tragic past. Sisters Dara and Marie, along with Dara’s husband Charlie, have been running the studio since their parents died years earlier—until a new figure around the studio threatens to upset their careful balance. The result is an excavation of the dark sides of family and femininity.
SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN, BY ALEXANDRA KLEEMAN (Hogarth, August 3)
In L.A. in the near future, drought and ecological collapse have led to a scorching city where all but the richest citizens drink a mysterious synthetic water. This speculative setting provides the backdrop for an unsettling new noir, as heady as heatstroke, from the author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine. KIN, BY SHAWNA KAY RODENBERG (Bloomsbury, June 8)
Rodenberg spent four years of her childhood in an isolated religious community, where she experienced sexual abuse. Kin, her memoir about surviving this traumatic episode, paints a complex portrait of an Appalachian community. —MARIAH KREUTTER
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ELLE SUMMER 2021
On Leslie Grace: Jacket, $2,845, vest, $845, pants, $1,075, Dolce & Gabbana. On Melissa Barrera: Dress, Oscar de la Renta, $4,590.
IN THE HEIGHTS 83
It’s been over a decade since In the Heights brought salsa, hip-hop, and diversity to Broadway. The highly anticipated film adaptation is here to remind us why we need it all now more than ever. By Laura Sampedro. Photographed by Greg Williams. Styled by Charles Varenne.
On Anthony Ramos: Jacket, $9,900, mockneck, $1,450, Dior Men. Joggers, 7 Diamonds, $125, nordstrom.com. Sneakers, Nike, $100, similar styles at nordstrom.com.
On Barrera: Dress, Zero + Maria Cornejo, $795. Bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, $6,700. Sandals, Jimmy Choo, $750, similar styles at nordstrom.com.
When In the Heights premiered on Broadway in 2008, it became a guiding light for a generation of performers trying to find their way. “I must have watched it at least 15 times,” says Melissa Barrera of the four-time Tony-winning musical. “When I saw that show, I was like, ‘This is where I fit in on Broadway. These are people who look like me, who sound like me, who have names that sound like mine.’ ” The Mexican actress now costars in the show’s long-awaited feature film adaptation (in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on June 11) as Vanessa, an aspiring fashion designer yearning for a life outside of Washington Heights, the upper Manhattan neighborhood at the film’s center. Anthony Ramos, who stars as Usnavi, a bodega owner and neighborhood griot who, in between attempts to woo Vanessa, dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic, echoes the sentiment. “I didn’t know where I fit in on Broadway. I’m Latino, I’m from the hood in Brooklyn; people don’t even speak like me on Broadway. I ain’t gonna fit in on South Pacific. Who’s giving me a lead role on Broadway? [In the Heights] was like a beacon of hope for me.” Although Latin Grammy–nominated singer-songwriter Leslie Grace hadn’t seen the stage show, she related deeply to her character, Nina, the pride of Washington Heights and the first in her family to go to college. After a disastrous first year at Stanford, riddled with overt racism and microaggressions, Nina comes home for the summer questioning her path and afraid of letting her family down. “I was just at that moment in my life, like Nina was,” says the New York City native of her acting debut. “That crossroads where you’re figuring out, ‘Is this who I am?’ I’ve always felt like I’m straddling the fence of being Latina, being American, and being Afro-Latina, too. And I looked at this film before I left home like, ‘This is going to be my Stanford.’ ” Corey Hawkins, who plays Benny, the dispatcher for a local car service run by Nina’s father (played by Jimmy Smits), first saw In the Heights while studying drama at Juilliard and immediately felt at home. “I saw people who I knew growing up. I saw myself onstage in Benny, and I saw this beautiful tapestry of human experience that I gravitated toward,” he says. Nina’s journey was also a familiar one for Hawkins. “I know what it’s like being one of the very few people of color in a school. I went 3,000 miles away from home to school on the West Coast for a year and came up against that, too. ‘Am I enough? Can I bring all of me? Do I have to dim my light to feel like I’m accepted? Do I have to bow my head as I inhabit space?’ ” he asked himself. “This film gives people permission to be themselves and to chase after whatever they
want and to achieve it. It’s also hella fun, too. It just feels good. Especially with everything we’ve gone through this year, this film feels right on time. It feels right in the pocket.” Long before the sensation of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda created In the Heights (and originated the role of Usnavi) out of necessity. “I started writing [the] show because I desperately wanted a life in musical theater, and I didn’t see that many opportunities for me or for Latinx performers,” says Miranda, who is now a producer on the film. “We had West Side Story, which was back in the ’50s, and not that much new since then on the stage. The show came out of an impulse to create more opportunities for Latinx performers.” Crucially important in bringing the show to the screen was representing the breadth of the Latinx population. “The thing we tried really hard to do was cast with the understanding that the Latinx community is not a monolith. We come in all shades,” Miranda says. “We are Afro-Latinos, and lighter-skinned Latinos, and Latin Americans, and Central Americans. So the diversity within the film company really represents the many flavors that our community comes in. We’re very proud of that.” “It’s great because sometimes within the Latinx community...we don’t even support each other on things if it’s not exactly who we are,” Barrera says. “We’re so nitpicky about it, but I can understand because we get [so few] opportunities to tell our stories that we burden these shows and movies with representing everyone.” Ramos concurs: “For most things, you don’t see a mixed Latin movie. There’s like one Mexican guy, or one Cuban guy, or one Puerto Rican. This cast is colorful, and almost everybody is Latino. Somebody’s from Peru, somebody’s from Panama, because that’s the diaspora of Latinos— we come from the Africans and the Taínos and the Spanish, and we’re mixed.” Home—where it is, the impact it has on who we become, and who we choose to become—is a theme that fills every crevice of the film. For its director, Jon M. Chu, those ideals felt familiar. “I hadn’t really seen a Broadway show like that, that spoke to my immigrant family or my community,” he says of first seeing In the Heights. “Like my mom and all her sisters, they took care of us, all us kids. I’m the youngest of five and my dad has a Chinese restaurant, so everybody who works there took care of us. That pressure, but also the love, and questions of, ‘What’s my path moving forward? What do I carry forward?’ All those [ideas] are very complicated,” Chu says. “I’d never seen it laid out like the show did.” 87
On Ramos: Shirt, $995, pants, $1,295, Versace. Watch, Rolex.
Moments of exuberance, stress, and sadness that can be so easily expressed onstage through song and dance are brilliantly translated in the film with touches of magical realism, echoing the literary genre often associated with Latin American authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and Laura Esquivel, who use a dreamlike reality to portray the everyday stories of people feeling hindered by their true circumstances. Through this lens, Vanessa takes to the streets of Washington Heights, her frustrations manifesting as colorful bolts of fabric slowly enveloping the neighborhood as she fails to escape. Nina and Benny find themselves performing an R&B-inflected pas de deux on the side of a building as the sun sets over an ever-present George Washington Bridge, and a heartbreaking solo from the film’s matriarch, Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), a grandmother to all who know her, sees her recounting her immigration story in a subway car and graffiti-splattered station as ivory-clad dancers stand in for her Cuban ancestors. “I really have to give the lion’s share of the credit to Quiara, who boldly reimagined what the story of In the Heights could encompass onscreen,” Miranda says. “She captured the essence of the stage production, but from the new framing devices to differences within story arcs, she really wasn’t afraid to embrace what we could do onscreen that we couldn’t necessarily do onstage. I think Quiara and Jon were a magical combination. They kept daring each other to go bigger and bolder.” Most big-screen musicals naturally relish stretching far beyond the limits of a physical stage, but few have compelling reasons to draw the audience in close. “As Abuela Claudia says in the film, ‘It’s the little details that tell the world we’re not invisible,’ ” says Hudes, who, like much of the cast and crew, took a personal interest in making sure that specific elements of Latinx culture were represented throughout the film. “Jon let me go to town in the dinner scene, down to what piques (hot sauces) are in the kitchen,” Hudes says. “I’m like, ‘We need something store-bought, and we need a home-brew hot sauce they got off their tio’s work buddy.’ ” The input was a more than welcome resource for Chu, who knew firsthand from his experience making Crazy Rich Asians how impactful seeing those tiny details reflected onscreen for the first time could be. “Jon was always asking us questions,” Ramos says. “ ‘How would you say that? How would you do this?’ And we’d be like, ‘Jon, you got to get shots of the food, that’s huge! The guava and the queso on the cracker, and the aguacate.’ Everything’s got to be as authentic as possible. The little details matter just as much as the big ones.” Hudes took care to populate Abuela Claudia’s home with personal touches. “I approved every single pot in Abuela’s kitchen—I also approved the menu—details that add up to a portrait,” she says. Miranda, who cameos as Piragüero, a neighborhood mainstay selling shaved ice and cursing his rival, the Mister Softee truck, made his role extra sentimental. “I knew if I was playing [Piragüero], I was going to play him as a love letter to my grandfather,” he says. “I’m wearing his spectacles around my neck. I have his cowboy novels tucked into my pocket. I think every actor involved saw this as a way of honoring our ancestors and the people who came before us—our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers—who came here to provide a better life for us.”
“That was the main challenge: how to justify this story for the screen; how to make it necessary for the screen. I loved asking that question.”
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The film, which had been stymied for years by unsure studios, collapsing production companies, and concerns about star power and overseas performance, eventually found a comfortable home at Warner Bros., where all the pieces seemed to finally fall into place—just as Chu was looking to make a change. “I said, ‘I need to find something that speaks to me and that is scary for me to do.’ That’s when I found Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights.” Although the prospect of digging deeper into questions of cultural identity for the first time in his career intimidated Chu, exploring those themes in Crazy Rich Asians proved worth the stress when the film wound up a critical and box office success, ultimately becoming a cultural touchstone. The added pressure of representing a culture outside of his own with In the Heights was a task the director did not take lightly. “I had to meet with Lin in New York, which I was very nervous about. When you’re talking about his baby and how people are going to change it for a movie,” he says, recalling their first meeting. “We met in a café, and I think I babbled most of the time because I was just so nervous.” For Miranda, Chu’s reimagining was literally more than he could have hoped for. “Jon just dreamed big,” he says of the director’s approach. “We’d been pitching this as a little independent movie: ‘Please just give us a couple million dollars so we can film this movie musical in our neighborhood!’ But Jon took the ball and said, ‘No. We can dream bigger than that. These characters live in a specific place, but they have big dreams! And this movie can go big.’ So he really pushed for us to have the resources to make a big movie musical.” Musicals have (in recent history, anyway) had a difficult time defending their leap from stage to screen. Even the most energetic and storied productions can suddenly come off as stale and strange when the camera closes in. “That was the main challenge: how to justify this story for the screen; how to make it necessary for the screen. I loved asking that question,” says Quiara Alegría Hudes, the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright who wrote the show’s original book and the film’s screenplay. “Usnavi has a line early in the film: ‘The streets were made of music.’ Jon and I returned to that line time and time again, as though it were a piece of the film’s DNA.” For Chu, it was critical that the focus be on the places central to the characters’ formative experiences. “I didn’t want to take the audience away from these buildings when [characters] sang about their dreams. I wanted to make it feel how it feels when you’re a kid from an immigrant family dreaming and you only have the resources that you’ve seen. I wanted to invade their spaces, so you know that the walls of these buildings aren’t big enough for their dreams.” Chu’s years working with dancers informed his ability to infuse each musical sequence with purpose, avoiding the oftentimesstiff transitions to characters breaking into song, and maintaining a musicality that simmers just beneath the surface, so musical numbers come to a natural boil. “In this, especially in Washington Heights, when [Usnavi] says, ‘The streets were made of music,’ they truly are. I understood that whenever they went into song or dance, or even just the score, that it wasn’t just a movie tool. This is how they saw and expressed their lives, and I really needed to plug into [that],” Chu says.
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Much of the cast had been keeping tabs on the film’s progress to becoming reality. “I had been looking for it for 10 years, since I was in college,” Barrera says. “I would go and audition on every open call I could get my hands on. It’s crazy because I’ve always believed in manifesting things, putting it out there in the universe, believing they can come true. After 10 years, I thought, ‘Maybe that’s just not going to happen—maybe I’m too old for [it now].’ Then it came around, and it’s the most full-circle thing that’s ever happened to me.” For Ramos, the connection is even deeper. “Whether people believe in faith or not, I feel like this was ordained, like God-divine. This group of people, there was a greater power at hand, handpicked to be in this movie.” At 19, Ramos performed in a regional production of In the Heights in Salt Lake City, an opportunity that earned him his theater union card, and the ability to audition for shows open only to union members. “And boom—that’s how I got Hamilton four auditions later from the In the Heights job,” he says. Even Smits, a New York City native and a veteran of stage, television, and film, says, “It had been on my radar since it was in its infancy,” having attended an early reading of the show, the off-Broadway production, and “the Broadway play, like, nine times” while working nearby. “When I got to see it and meet Lin and Quiara, I was like, ‘You kids are the real deal. You have the love of the tradition of Broadway, and a beautiful message that’s universal in terms of what home is all about.’ Then you
“I feel like every detour, every setback, and every challenge this film has faced to make it to the screen has only made the movie better.”
have this kicker of hip-hop and the pulse of the city that resonated so beautifully.” Smits plays Kevin, whose small business is feeling the squeeze of gentrification as the bills for Stanford begin to pile up. The sticky conversations between Kevin and Nina surrounding education and sacrifice will be familiar ones for any child of immigrants. “Those lines that Jimmy does could be so harsh,” Chu says. “Yet he does it with such care that it makes those conversations with his daughter complicated. Conversations that I’ve had with my parents.” For those involved in the production, the film’s decade-long delays to bring those conversations to the screen have ultimately been for the better. “I think in a year where we’ve all been locked down and reminded about what is important, to put out a film where we are able to celebrate community and togetherness is something that feels really relevant,” Miranda says. “Sometimes I shiver when I think about previous versions of this film that were possible, because I feel like every detour, every setback, and every challenge this film has faced over the 10-plus years it’s taken to make it to the screen—it’s only made the movie better. It clarified for us what we wanted out of a big-screen adaptation of In the Heights.” For Ramos, the time for In the Heights to keep shining its light is just right. “I hope kids around the world, in Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, all these places where they’ve never seen this before, can watch this movie and be like, ‘Damn, hold up. Maybe I can do that.’ Because I know that’s what [it] did for me.” ▪ 93
On Grace: Jacket, $6,350, pants, $3,350, necklace (worn at waist), $2,300, Chanel. Sandals, Jimmy Choo, $750.
On Barrera: Dress, Carolina Herrera, $2,490. Bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, $6,700. Sandals, Jimmy Choo, $750. On Grace: Jacket, $2,545, shorts, $725, Dolce & Gabbana. Ring, Roberto Coin, $3,590. Sandals, Gianvito Rossi, $815. For details, see Shopping Guide.
Kacey Musgraves Is in Her Feelings The singer’s latest high-wire act transforms heartbreak into high art. By Véronique Hyland. Photographed by Cass Bird. Styled by Alex White.
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Kacey Musgraves thought she had it. She describes the moment when she felt “on top of the world” in 2019, when her record Golden Hour was named Album of the Year at the Grammys. After about 30 seconds of sitting in the audience dumbfoundedly mouthing “What?” she took the stage, wearing bright-red Valentino ruffles, and thanked her husband, fellow singersongwriter Ruston Kelly, saying, “This album wouldn’t have been created without you.” Now, she says ruefully, “If you would’ve told me the night of the Grammys, ‘Hey, in two years, you’re going to be divorced and have a whole ’nother album written,’ I would have been like, ‘Fuck off. No. No way.’ ” Musgraves is lying in bed, wearing the kind of waffle-weave robe you associate with fancy hotels, her hair long and loose, her nose ring glinting every so often as she turns, her long gray nails punctuating every gesture. Zooming with her feels like FaceTiming with a friend—such is the brand of intimacy she radiates. At the beginning of this year, she decided to lean all the way into the loss of control she was feeling and take a guided mushroom trip. I’d venture to say that Musgraves has type A tendencies rolled into a type B personality, based on the fact that she used a Johns Hopkins–created playlist made for the purpose, unwilling to completely surrender control of the aux cord even while tripping. She tells me about the psilocybin-induced vision she had of her nine-year-old self—not coincidentally, that was around the age when she began performing music in public—and the compassion she felt for young Kacey. “Less time for bullshit” was a major revelation she came away with. “I am so repelled by the artificial, the chatter, the pressures of society. It doesn’t matter. We’re not here for very long.” The singer’s psychedelic quest came on the heels of a year that would tax anyone. She was grappling with the pandemic, but also with the end of her marriage to Kelly, whose entry into her life she once compared to the turn from blackand-white to Technicolor in The Wizard of Oz. The two had been living what looked like a musical fairy tale: They met at Nashville institution The Bluebird Cafe and went on to adorably perform a musical version of the Johnny Cash poem “To June This Morning” together. Being forced to sit with her cornucopia of emotions in self-isolation was hard, but ultimately 98
necessary. “I could have coasted for another couple of years,” she says now, “just not paying attention to my feelings or not really dealing with some things.” Instead, she burrowed into herself, bouncing off the walls of her own anguish. She started asking herself tough questions: “Why did I make these decisions? How did I get here? How can I prevent myself from getting there again? Why do I keep choosing the same kind of people?” And she second-guessed some of her choices: “I would love to meet the person who makes a very insane life decision and is just”—she snaps her fingers—“fine from then on.” Forty songs tumbled out of her, 15 of which made it onto the eventual album, set to be released in late summer or early fall of this year. At the onset of the pandemic, there were jokes about how Shakespeare managed to write King Lear during a plague. With this album, which she refers to as a “catharsis,” Musgraves may have created a timeless tragic work of her own. The horrifying inevitability of loss that has marked this time feels well within the realm of tragedy—we’re all spectators, numbly watching things unfurl, feeling largely powerless. “I’m constantly torn between free will and fate,” Musgraves says of her conception of the world, and for her, the genre has resonated in ways both personal and political. “I think when you look at the whole last year, or last four years, here in America, you could say that on many fronts it was a tragedy,” she says. “Then whenever I zoom in to my own personal life, I also experienced tragedy, but in a completely different, personal way.” The album’s three-act structure came to her a few days before recording. She was lying on her bed, journaling and listening to Bach. “The word tragedy just popped into my mind. And I was like, ‘Whoa, what if the album was formulated like a modern Shakespearean or Greek tragedy?’ ” When she was doing Shakespeare in high school, Musgraves would dissolve in fits of giggles. “At the time, I didn’t quite understand it. It’s still pretty heady, the ‘old English’ and all that. But it’s themes that we’re still familiar with today. They’re just wrapped up in a different way. Those things will carry on forever, as long as humans are living, breathing, crying, loving, dying, fighting, all of that,” she says. “Being a human is
tragic, but it’s also beautiful. And you can’t really experience the beautiful parts of life without also experiencing the absolutely heart-wrenching.” She knows whereof she speaks. “I felt, in many ways, on top of the world in my career, but in my personal life, I felt like I was dying inside. I was crumbling. I was sad. I felt lonely. I felt broken.” L E T ’ S G O B A C K for a moment to small-town Texas, telescoping in on the storybook-sounding town of Golden, the birthplace of a little girl who called her first song “Notice Me.” Says Musgraves, with a laugh, “Quite possibly the most thirsty title anyone’s ever heard.” She played the western swing circuit and formed a duo, the Texas Two Bits, with another girl her age. Along with the applause, she started to imbibe the idea that as a performer, and as a woman more generally, it’s your duty to make other people happy. She recalls “learning how to please roomfuls of people before really even knowing how to navigate my own emotions first.” It’s something she clearly still struggles with, but her career has been built on pushing back against that need for external validation. When she released her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, she rejected the “shut up and sing” mandate, her lyrics touching on everything from LGBTQ rights to her marijuana use to the bell-jar suffocation of small-town life. She’s remained politically outspoken about everything from gun violence to Ted Cruz’s abandonment of her home state during this winter’s devastating storm. (She released T-shirts that read “Cruzin’ for a Bruzin’,” with the proceeds going to Texans in need.) “It’s physically impossible to shut up and sing at the same time,” she quips of the hoary critique. “So that doesn’t even make any sense.” “What I love about her is not only her voice, but her personality that goes with that voice,” her good friend Willie Nelson tells me. “It’s, ‘Hey, this is me. I hope you like me, but if you don’t, that’s cool.’ ” That extends to her distaste for being hemmed in by categories. “I feel like I don’t belong to country in any way on one hand, but on the other hand, I’m deeply rooted in that genre. So I’m not owned by it.” She name-checks influences on the new album: Bill Withers, Daft Punk, Sade, the Eagles, and Weezer.
“She can do whatever she wants to,” Nelson says. “I think whatever she thinks she can do, you’d better get out of the way.” And with her upcoming music, her canny ability to connect with her listeners should only intensify. Troye Sivan, who worked with her on a remix of his song “Easy” last year, puts it best: “It feels like you have a friend when you’re listening to a Kacey Musgraves song.” It isn’t quite right to say that her new album is the inverse of Golden Hour, which was written while she was falling in love with Kelly—the looming negative image behind those warm snapshots. When I went back and re-listened to Golden Hour, I was struck by the pathos lurking in the wings of even the most chipper songs, like a restless houseguest. “Lonely Weekend” is about missing someone who’s out of town to the point where you feel unmoored. The title track begs, “Keep me in your glow.” And “Happy & Sad” pretty much explains itself. Musgraves excels at writing about the kind of complicated emotional states that there should be a multisyllabic German word for. And sometimes, she admits, “I just make something more sad than it needs to be. “Golden Hour was, in a lot of senses, escapism,” she adds. “It was fantasy. It was rose-colored glasses.” Its successor, she says, “is realism.” The album rejects the linearity of the moved-on, never-been-better narrative. Instead, she sings about longing for the past, recognizing that it was imperfect and craving it anyway, thinking about the possibilities of putting oneself out there again, and then politely demurring, for now. And about modern quandaries like scrolling through old pictures on your phone, examining the digital wreckage of an analog entanglement (“It’s that space where you’re like, ‘It’s too soon to delete these, but I also don’t want to look at them’ ”), and timeless ones, like trying to shape-shift into the person a partner wants you to be. Even in her lowest moments, the writer in her is peeking out, pen at the ready, to chronicle the Sturm und Drang. “I’ll be in the middle of an argument and somebody’ll say something, and I’ll be like, ‘Damn, that’s a good line. I need to remember that.’ ” But anyone expecting a he-said, she-said, nakedly confessional ticktock of a love gone wrong is in for a curveball. Instead, there is a slight remove to it all. Maybe the only way into her story was to become its narrator, as opposed to a character, to adopt a literary distance, to graft order onto random experience. She tells the story of “two people who love each
“I felt, in many ways, on top of the world in my career, but in my personal life, I felt like I was dying inside. I was crumbling. I was sad. I felt lonely. I felt broken.”
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T H E O T H E R N I G H T , Musgraves woke up at 2 a.m. with an ache in the pit of her stomach, worrying about how the album might be received. “It’s daunting to put your emotions about something really personal on display,” she says. “I haven’t spoken much about this chapter, and I don’t feel like I owe that to anyone, but I owe it to myself as a creator to flesh out all these emotions that I’ve felt, and I do that through song. It would be strange if I didn’t acknowledge what happened in my life creatively, but it is scary to be like, ‘I’m about to share my most personal thoughts about me, about this other person, about a union that I had with someone.’ I mean, I’m not a ruthless person. I care about other people’s feelings. So it’s kind of scary.” (Though she tells me she is in “no rush” to jump into dating, and is “definitely focusing on [her]self,” rumors of a possible romance start to swirl a month later, when she’s seen embracing a cute doctor, Gerald Onuoha.) She’s already dipped a toe into singing about heartbreak with her verses on “Easy,” and she covered Coldplay’s grief anthem “Fix You” as part of a TV spot for Chipotle’s Cultivate Foundation, which helps young farmers. But the public anticipation for her album can feel charged in a way that only happens for female artists, and that might explain her subversion of those expectations. Bon Iver makes indelible breakup songs, but no one is cheering when he hits a pothole in his personal life; meanwhile, I’ve seen tweets in response to female artists’ breakups expressing delight about the music that will result, as though they’re jukeboxes, not people. We expect confessionals from women; rather than an outpouring, Musgraves is giving us high art. Speaking of the expectations we place on women, Musgraves has spent this time reexamining the ideas she absorbed about marriage growing up. The album finds her wondering what it means to be the right kind of wife. “I come from
a family full of long marriages. My grandparents met when they were in second and third grade, and they’re still together in their eighties,” while her parents ran a small business together and sat side by side at their desks for 30 years. When she divorced, “It was hard to not feel like I was in some ways a failure,” Musgraves says, bemoaning the fact that relationships that have ended are described as “failed” or seen as shameful. After all, she says, “There’s nothing more shameful than staying somewhere where you don’t fit anymore.” “ I ’ M D O I N G W H A T E V E R the fuck I want in here, and it feels amazing,” Musgraves says as she walks around her Nashville bachelorette pad, grabbing a cookie to thoughtfully munch on. The time at home has helped her realize that years of touring have kept her from experiencing the contours of regular life. Days on the road ran together. “Meanwhile, back at home, your grandparents are aging. Your parents are aging. Your sister has a baby you’ve never met. Your friends—you see them on Instagram, and they’re moving on without you. It’s this constant sense of FOMO for your real life,” she says. “And then sometimes you wake up and you’re like, ‘What the fuck am I doing in Idaho? It’s my dad’s birthday. I haven’t seen him in three months.’ ” Now, rooted in place, she’s been reconnecting with family and friends in a way she hasn’t been able to in years, and reexamining her need to fix people, a pattern that goes back to childhood. “We try to re-create and fix whatever was broken back then,” she tells me. “We try to fix it in the now through different people, and that can go on your entire life if you’re not careful. I don’t want to do that.” The only thing she’s focused on fixing now is her house, which she’s been remodeling for four months, “and I’m really ready for it to be finished,” she says. While making Golden Hour, she recalls “almost having a mini-breakdown” while planning her wedding, renovating a house, and working on the album at the same time. “I told myself I would never do that again.” A few years later, she’s nearly come full circle: She’s making another album and fixing up another house. “It seems like there was this heightened need to channel something or shape something,” she says, marveling at the cyclical nature of life. “It just happened to be at the same damn time again.” ▪
“I’ll be in the middle of an argument and somebody’ll say something, and I’ll be like, ‘Damn, that’s a good line. I need to remember that.’”
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other so much, but they cannot make it work in the physical realm to be together, because it’s just not written in the stars for them. It almost takes the blame off the two people, which is what I like, because it could be easy in a heartbreak to be like, ‘Well, you fucked up, it’s your fault.’ ‘No, you fucked up, it’s your fault.’ And it’s like, ‘No, let’s just blame the stars. Let’s just say that we’re not meant to be.’ ”
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Styled by Rebecca Dennett Photographed by Jens Ingvarsson
Newly anointed Bulgari ambassador Martha Hunt makes a star turn in some of the house’s most dazzling jewels—plus a supporting cast of classic neutrals.
Top, $425, pants, $845, Max Mara. Earrings, $3,550, rings, from $1,350, Bulgari. Flats, Staud, $295.
L E F T:
Top, $620, pants, $920, Khaite. Necklace, rings, from $1,350, Bulgari. Sandals, Yuni Buffa, $425.
A B O V E:
Jumpsuit, Chanel.
HA IR BY RO MI N A M AN EN T I FOR M AY 1 1 HA IR O IL; MA KE UP BY AL LI E SM ITH AND MANIC U RE BY ADA YE U NG, BOT H FO R C H AN EL B EAU T Y; S ET DES I GN BY AL IC E MA RT I N ELL I; PROD UC E D BY H ILL ARY FOXW E LDON.
A B O V E: R I G H T:
Bralette, $118, brief, $128, Live The Process. Earrings, $4,550, necklace, Bulgari.
Dress, Proenza Schouler, $1,690. Bracelet, ring, $7,000, Bulgari. For details, see Shopping Guide.
BEAUTY TIP:
For velvety-smooth skin, try European Wax Center Slow Shea Body Polish ($16).
Shopping Guide COVER KACEY MUSGRAVES
Dress by Atelier Versace, versace.com/it/ it-it/atelier-versace/. TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 22: T-shirt by AllSaints, nordstrom .com. Jeans by Celine Homme, celine.com. NINA’S EDIT
PAGE 25: Ring by Jennifer Miller Jewelry, $10,450, jennifermillerjewelry.com. NEW ARRIVALS
PAGE 29: Timepiece pendant necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, $31,000, vancleefarpels.com. ACCESSORIES
PAGES 42–46: Handbags by Louis Vuitton, louisvuitton.com. LOSING NICK
PAGE 68: Dress by Agua by Agua Bendita, aguabendita.com. Sandals by Ancient Greek Sandals, similar styles at ancientgreeksandals.com. PAGE 72: Dress by Silvia Tcherassi, silviatcherassi.com. Bracelet by Tamara Comolli, $20,350, Tamara Comolli, Southampton, NY. IN THE HEIGHTS: WHERE THE STREETS ARE MADE OF MUSIC
PAGE 83: Jacket, vest, pants by Dolce & Gabbana, select Dolce & Gabbana boutiques nationwide. Dress by Oscar de la Renta, Oscar de la Renta boutiques nationwide. PAGE 85: Jacket, mockneck by Dior Men, dior.com. Joggers by 7 Diamonds, nordstrom.com. Sneakers by Nike, nike .com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. PAGE 86: Dress by Zero + Maria Cornejo, zeromariacornejo.com. Bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels, vancleefarpels.com. Sandals by Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo .com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. PAGES 88–89: Shirt, pants by Versace, versace.com. Watch by Rolex, $36,950, rolex.com. PAGE 91: Jacket, sweater, pants by Louis Vuitton Men’s, 866-VUITTON. Ankle boots by Christian Louboutin, christianlouboutin.com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. PAGES 92–93: Dress, bralette, brief by
Dior, at Dior boutiques nationwide. Hoop earrings by Roberto Coin, robertocoin .com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. Ring by Bulgari, bulgari.com. Jacket, jeans by Dolce & Gabbana, dolcegabbana.com. T-shirt by Acne Studios, nordstrom .com. Watch by Rolex, $13,150. PAGE 94: Jacket, pants, necklace by Chanel, select Chanel boutiques nationwide. PAGE 95: Dress by Carolina Herrera, carolinaherrera.com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. Jacket, shorts by Dolce & Gabbana, select Dolce & Gabbana boutiques nationwide. Ring by Roberto Coin, similar styles at nordstrom.com. Sandals by Gianvito Rossi, gianvitorossi .com, similar styles at nordstrom.com. KACEY MUSGRAVES IS IN HER FEELINGS
PAGE 97: Pumps by Giuseppe Zanotti, giuseppezanotti.com. PAGE 100: Dress, skirt by Chanel Haute Couture, 800-550-0005. PAGE 101: Dress by Atelier Versace, versace.com/it/it-it/atelier-versace/. PAGE 103: Pendants, comb by Fendi Couture. PAGE 104: Dress by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, giambattistavalli.com. PAGE 105: Bolero by Chanel Haute Couture, 800-550-0005. PAGE 106: Dress by Dior Haute Couture, by special order, 800-929-DIOR. PAGE 107: Dress by Schiaparelli Haute Couture, 011-33-1-76-21-62-59. GOLD STANDARD
PAGES 108–113: Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings by Bulgari, 800-BVLGARI. PAGES 108–109: Top, pants by Max Mara, maxmara.com. Flats by Staud, shopbop.com. PAGE 110: Top, pants by Khaite, khaite.com. Sandals by Yuni Buffa, yunibuffa.com. PAGE 111: Jumpsuit by Chanel, 800-550-0005. PAGE 112: Bralette, brief by Live The Process, livetheprocess.com. Necklace, $96,000, by Bulgari, bulgari.com. PAGE 113: Dress by Proenza Schouler, proenzaschouler.com. Prices are approximate. ELLE recommends that merchandise availability be checked with local stores.
ELLE (ISSN 0888-0808) (Volume XXXVI, Number 9) (June/July 2021) is published monthly by Hearst, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 USA. Steven R. Swartz, President and Chief Executive Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.: Debi Chirichella, President and Treasurer, Hearst Magazines Group; Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer. © 2021 by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ELLE® is used under license from the trademark owner, Hachette Filipacchi Presse. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement No. 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. Subscription Prices: United States and possessions: $15 for one year. Canada: $48 for one year. Other international locations: $87 for one year. Subscription Services: ELLE will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, undertake fulfillment of that order so as to provide the first copy for delivery by the Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. For customer service, changes of address, and subscription orders, log on to service.elle.com or write to Customer Service Dept., ELLE, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies that sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers via postal mail, please send your current mailing label or an exact copy to: ELLE, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. You can also visit preferences.hearstmags. com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by email. To assure quicker service, enclose your mailing label when writing to us or renewing your subscription. Renewal orders must be received at least eight weeks prior to expiration to assure continued service. Manuscripts, drawings, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. ELLE cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. Printed in USA. Canadian registration number 126018209RT0001. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NONPOSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to ELLE, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037.
D I O N N E WA R W I C K ON REMAINING T R U E TO YO U RS E L F C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 74
I think as my babies grow and get a little bit more age on them and have children of their own, maybe they’ll begin to realize that, Oh, wait a minute, maybe I shouldn’t be expressing that as freely as I am. I said to Snoop, “You know, you’re going to grow up and you’re going to find somebody that you’re going to fall in love with, and guess what? You’re going to get married and you’re going to have children, and you may have a little girl. And that little girl’s going to hear one of your songs one day and say, ‘Daddy, is that you saying that?’ What are you going to say to her?” I said, “Your ears are going to grow up, and so is your mind and your heart, so be very careful.” I learned a long, long time ago that we’re messengers, and we have to be very, very careful of the message that we give to people. ELLE: You have a tour planned. What do you still love about performing? DW: First of all, the fact that people want to hear me sing. They still put their butts in the seats, and that’s very important. As long as I am able to give the very best that I can possibly give and feel satisfied that it is the very best that I’m giving, that’s how long I’ll be doing this. When I feel that I’m faltering, that’s when Dionne will hang up her ballet slippers and say adieu. ELLE: You have a very beautiful energy, a great spirit about you. What’s the secret to staying youthful and energetic? DW: My parents instilled in me, as have my mentors during the course of my career: You be who you are. You cannot be anyone other than you, and I truly believe that, and as a matter of fact, I like me, so I don’t have any reason to want to be anybody other than me. ELLE: What do you think it means to be successful? DW: Happy in your skin, I think. Knowing that you are achieving exactly what you’re setting out to do. Your aspirations are being met, and if they aren’t, then there’s something else you have to do. And you have no reservations about doing that. And when you have completed something, you say, “Oh yeah, that’s a good thing.” Then on to the next, and you never stop. I don’t ever stop. I have so much else left to do, and I’m looking forward to it. ▪
IN THE CLEAR C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 6 4
Derms often treat adult acne with prescription topical retinoids, birth control pills, antibiotics, or an off-label oral medication called spironolactone (which blocks acne-causing hormones in women). Two new topical prescriptions— Winlevi and Aklief—came to market in the last two years. But oral isotretinoin (which goes by many brand names but is commonly referred to by the nowdiscontinued name Accutane) is considered a potential cure for acne, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD), as about half of patients can stop treatments altogether after a four- to six-month course. “It’s very effective,” Lal says. However, rumors of potentially dangerous side effects have held patients back, myself included. Even if I did take isotretinoin and it worked, I worried I’d just cure a symptom of an underlying medical problem, instead of the problem itself. My doctors ruled out polycystic ovary syndrome, a serious condition that can trigger acne (and that was, in fact, the cause of Palmer’s breakouts). In my quest to find
LO S I N G N I C K C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 7 2
was “taken aback,” though she knows her friends were only trying to protect her. “I just couldn’t believe that people were trying to tell you to do anything other than what you needed to do for yourself at that time. Yes, you might go right to therapy...but for me, it’s grabbing my jump rope and filming a workout.” Kloots reiterates that she runs an online business, and when Cordero was hospitalized and out of work, perhaps forever, she realized that going offline was not an option. She recounts the criticism she received for promoting a Fourth of July sale on her fitness mats—the day before Cordero passed, as it turned out. “Oh my gosh, the shame,” she says. She went on Instagram Stories to address the negativity. “There’s a lot in my life that is uncertain right now,” she said. “I have a family. I have bills. I have no idea what Nick’s hospital bills are going to be. I have a mortgage. I have a car payment. I have a son. So I will work.” (Her friends also set up a GoFundMe that brought in more than a million dollars; the money helped with costs associated with Cordero’s illness.) Although the mix of promotional posts, medical updates, and grieving
a solution, I sought out allergy tests, special diets, and herbal remedies; I tried hundreds of creams, high-tech tools, and even meditation. The answer, it seemed, was always just one more Google rabbit hole away. Yet it never really was. Eventually, it was clear that the stress of my struggle was much worse for my body than any pill I was avoiding. “People think of Accutane as an aggressive medicine, but it’s just a synthetic [derivative of ] vitamin A, and every cell in your body has receptors for it. It’s not foreign,” says Fishman, who avoids prescribing oral antibiotics for acne, as they can cause resistance and long-term microbiome imbalances. According to the AOCD, the most common side effects of isotretinoin include extra-dry skin, lips, and nose, and irritated eyes. There is also an extremely high risk of birth defects if a patient gets pregnant (abstinence or two forms of birth control are required). But Lal and Fishman say the data surrounding the bigger concerns like adverse mental health or digestive effects has been controversial and may be overblown. Zazon is one of a handful of skinpositive influencers who’ve chosen to take isotretinoin and chronicle their
experience. “What I think a lot of people don’t understand about acne is that it’s not just how it looks, it’s genuinely very painful,” says Zazon, who often iced her face due to pain and inflammation. She shares her mental health diagnoses with her followers and says she took isotretinoin with mental health support. “Acceptance doesn’t mean that you have to accept what’s painful. You can make your own choices and exercise your autonomy.” That is ultimately the crux of acne positivity. “We want to give women choices they can feel good about, regardless of which ones they make,” Fishman says. While isotretinoin isn’t the cure for everyone, my six-month course took me to 99.9 percent clear and lifted a two-ton boulder of stress off my shoulders. I think about the hours in front of a mirror and wonder what I could have done with that time back. Or maybe it made me stronger and more empathetic. But my real regret is not having a community in the exact same boat to help me feel okay. “The more that I talked about it, the more I began to accept myself as I am,” Zazon says. And if her growing follower count is any indication, she’s far from alone. ▪
all together on the same page can occasionally be jarring, this is the way we live now, with all the facets of our lives on display. Yet Kloots also believes there was a frustrating double standard at work. “I wonder,” she says wryly, “if I was in the hospital and Nick was trying to provide for his family, would people be like, ‘What an exemplary father! What an amazing man trying to keep his business alive to support his family!’ ” Kloots is clear that through it all, her belief in God was a source of great strength for her. Though she was raised Lutheran, her faith seems beyond the dictates of any particular religion, a seamless part of her life—she often mentions talking to God. “While it was happening, I noticed my faith getting stronger,” she says. Was it rocked by this tragedy? “Yes, of course,” she replies. “There were a lot of times where I was like, ‘Wow, God, this isn’t fair.’ And I could have easily just thrown my hands up and been like, ‘You don’t take a 41-year-old father for no reason!’ But that option sounds hopeless instead of hopeful. And I choose to be hopeful.” Perhaps it is faith, then, that drives her ardent positivity. After all, what is optimism but a belief in the future? Optimism is Kloots’s brand: She posts a positive quote every morning, and has, with her
sister, created “Hooray For” T-shirts that celebrate lovely parts of life, like birthdays and sisters. It can seem, at times, a tad forced. But her friends and family say she is a genuinely joyful person. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sad before this incident,” Braff says. And of course, no matter how authentic you are online, Instagram is only ever a snapshot of a moment. (In the book, she’s a lot more like the rest of us, occasionally popping a Xanax.) “There would be nights she would come home from the hospital, and...her mood would be completely destroyed by some news she got,” says her brother Todd. “Yes, she’s super positive. Yes, she’s superwoman. But she’s still human.” Six months after Cordero’s death, having partly processed the experience by writing her book, Kloots felt ready to start therapy. “There’s just an innate part of me that is a fighter, I think,” she tells me, discussing one of her therapeutic epiphanies. “I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s there.” These days, she says, she’s not crying as much. “Every night, when I’m holding Elvis, before I put him down for sleep, I say our prayers. We always say goodnight to Dad. I cry every night, in that one second, and then it’s... then I wipe my tears and start cleaning up the kitchen.” ▪ 115
Horoscope GEMINI ZODIAC MEDALLION, BRIONY RAYMOND, $5,800, BRIONYRAYMOND.COM
AQUARIUS JAN 20–FEB 18
CANCER ZODIAC MEDALLION, BRIONY RAYMOND, $3,900, BRIONYRAYMOND.COM
Your diligence pays off when the June 10 solar eclipse ushers your work into the spotlight. Romantic initiatives take a positive turn, possibly with someone from your past. Once Mars enters your partnership house on June 11, you’ll want passion and commitment. On July 23, the first of two Aquarius full moons will reveal your truth... which will be impossible to ignore once revelatory Jupiter returns to your sign on July 28.
PISCES FEB 19–MAR 20
field—perhaps on a postponed trip near the July 23 full moon.
Although Jupiter is retrograde in your sign until July 28, it could send you on a voyage to discover what’s next. First, tie up loose ends‚ especially with family and childhood friends. Fortunately, Venus lends some creativity and romance to this process from June 2 to 27. Percolating partnerships could become real after July 21, or you could move on to a more promising prospect.
CANCER
ARIES
JUNE 22–JULY 22
MAR 21–APR 19
Flirt, brag, and seduce while Venus sashays through your sign from June 2 to 27. Break from a draining alliance near June 14, freeing you for someone new around the June 24 and July 23 full moons. This birthday season, invest in something lasting.
New partnership possibilities emerge with the June 10 eclipse. Outline roles and responsibilities clearly! When your ruler, feisty Mars, enters your fame zone on June 11, you might be basking in the limelight as a solo star. High season for romance begins on July 22, when the Sun beams into Leo, followed by Venus and Mercury. Take the lead in love!
JULY 23–AUG 22
With Jupiter in your partnership zones starting on June 20, you’ll be ready to cut loose the slackers. Activator Mars powers into Leo from June 11 to July 29, signaling “Go” for a passion project. On July 23, relationship needs are illuminated. Ask for what you deserve!
VIRGO AUG 23–SEPT 22
Your career could take a new direction near the June 10 solar eclipse, and retrograde Mercury might offer another shot at a missed opportunity before June 22. On July 29, lovebirds Venus and Mars harmonize in Virgo—and lucky Jupiter frees you to live your truth.
116
SAGITTARIUS
SEPT 23–OCT 22
NOV 22–DEC 21
Trust issues arise near the June 14 Saturn-Uranus square, but stick to fair play. Career plans get a boost from your radiant ruler, Venus, from June 2 to 27; then from the Sun, from June 20 to July 22. Producing quality work is essential, but true success means nurturing your relationships. A VIP connection could open doors.
Jupiter is reversing through Pisces until July 28, begging you to take a sabbatical. A collaborator could emerge near the June 10 eclipse, or a former ally may return before June 22. Romantically speaking, everything’s up for grabs until red-hot Mars enters Leo and seals a deal on June 11.
SCORPIO OCT 23–NOV 21
The June 10 solar eclipse kicks off a wellness crusade. Shared spaces get a shake-up near the June 14 Saturn-Uranus square, but don’t make any decisions about where to live until the full moon on July 23. Mars gives career plans a boost from June 11 to July 29. Put out feelers and let people in on your creative process.
CAPRICORN DEC 22–JAN 19
What’s worth the effort? That’s the question when your ruler, Saturn, clashes with Uranus on June 14. You might lose your taste for situations that cost more than they deliver. With Venus in your partnership zones in June and July, cocreating with another will triple your gains. Treat yourself on June 24, when the year’s only Capricorn full moon insists you put yourself first!
TAURUS APR 20–MAY 20
Money moves pay off big-time near the June 10 solar eclipse, especially if you partner up with a kindred spirit. One caveat: Mercury is retrograde until June 22, so spell out agreements to the letter. A surprise career opportunity could arrive near June 14. While this may disrupt your daily routine, you can integrate the changes in July. The full moon on June 24 might be one of the year’s most glowing nights for love!
By the AstroTwins, Tali and Ophira Edut
CO U RT E SY O F T HE DES I G N ER.
LEO
LIBRA
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