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“Am I the ripple that catches the glittering light?” This recent tweet from singer Briana Marela sums up the breathy, ethereal vibe of her excellent third album, Call It Love, dropping today.

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AUGUST 18 The “hillbilly heist” that drew Steven Soderbergh out of retirement, AUGUST 3 Logan Lucky Things take stars Adam a wild turn Driver and for Dawson Channing in Viceland’s Tatum as What Would brothers tryEI NG ing to manage Diplo Do?, WO M E N a robbery at a starring James Van NASCAR race—plus Der Beek (who’s 40!) as an against-type Daniel a Diplo-esque EDM DJ. Craig, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank! N

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AUGUST 1 Jenny Zhang’s Sour Heart, published by Lena Dunham’s new imprint, Lenny, is a sly, brilliant debut made up of stories

narrated by daughters of Chinese immigrants navigating ’90s New York.

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AUGUST 1 Focusing on the murder of a friend, Carolyn Murnick’s The Hot One is at once a true-crime story and an exploration of the fault lines between beauty and female friendship.

AUGUST 18 In The Hitman’s Bodyguard, an action comedy with a Deadpoolesque edge, Ryan Reynolds is tasked with protecting his hit-man nemesis, played by Samuel L. Jackson.

AUGUST 31 Last day to catch Women Seeing Women at NYC’s Staley-Wise Gallery, which is filled with stunning images by female documentary and fashion photographers.

S N ’ RD E TH TM A GUA I Y H D BO

Marela: Eleanor Petry; Reynolds and Jackson: Jack English/Lionsgate; Logan Lucky: Michael Tacket/Fingerprint Releasing/Bleecker Street; Lady Gaga: Getty Images; Women Seeing Women: Martine Franck/ Magnum Photos

AUGUST 1 Shape-shifting artist Lady Gaga, who once hatched herself from an egg at the Grammys, shed a few avatars on her latest record, Joanne. Now, as she kicks off her 60-show world tour in Vancouver, anything is possible.

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AUGUST 16

Levi’s Limited, a capsule collection of Woodstock-worthy jean jackets, fringed denim, and pearl-snap shirts, arrives today at macys.com. The best part: Prices range from $69.50 (cutoffs) to $148 (an embroidered jacket).

AUGUST 6 Happy birthday, Mr. Warhol! Celebrate with (a) a pilgrimage to the artist’s hometown museum in Pittsburgh; or (b) a flip through Taschen’s upcoming Andy Warhol: Seven Illustrated Books, 1952–1959 (6), featuring the illustrated volumes Andy created during his stint as a commercial artist.

AUGUST 8 New York, London, Milan, Paris…Copenhagen? The Danish capital’s Fashion Week (August 8–12) is generating legit buzz, thanks to homegrown talents such as LVMH Prize finalist Cecilie Bahnsen (3) and contemporary powerhouse Ganni (shop it stateside at Saks). AUGUST 8 Rag & Bone tapped Schott—creators of the Perfecto jacket championed by Marlon Brando 4

and Joey Ramone—to craft the ur–biker jacket (2), seen here on model Rose Gilroy (the spitting image of mom Rene Russo) in this photo from the brand’s fall ’17 portrait series, commissioned to mark its fifteenth anniversary.

AUGUST 13 Vacation wardrobe need a jolt of last-minute cool? Check out Mara Hoffman’s signature hippie-chic motifs, now trending on Converse’s iconic Chucks (4) at marahoffman.com and converse.com. AUGUST 25 For National Kiss and Make Up Day—yes, really!—we suggest a gift sure to melt any heart: an überluxe mini top-handle (1) by neuroscientistturned-designer Jason Stalvey. Swoon.

Book: Courtesy of the publisher

AUGUST 1 SeaVees fan Derek Lam (5)—that’s him with Irish terrier Roscoe—is taking the 53-year-old seafaring staple into uncharted waters: His women’s collection, in leather or wool, comes in colors such as cognac, teal, and black and drops online today at dereklam.com and seavees.com.

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August 2017

ON THE COVER 73

ELLE FASHION

Step up your game! Athleisure hits the fashion big time in retro track pants and more

ELLE ACCESSORIES

Ogle all you’d like: This month’s picks are polka-dotted, sapphire-studded, and riot-grrrl ready

ELLE SHOPS

Fall’s best sportsinspired looks, translated. Plus: Four It Girl–approved athleisure brands

124

ELLENESS A–Z

Our intrepid beauty editors count off 26 obsession-worthy developments in the world of fitness, food, and gear

140

AL GORE IS GETTING ...HOTTER

Martin Rusch/Trunk Archive

On the occasion of An Inconvenient Sequel, the former VP sits down with Lisa Chase to talk about the Paris Agreement, presidential power, and where we go from here

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FASHION 56

JET-SETTER: PEARL JAM

Stories + Objects founder Jamie Pelayo sets sail to French Polynesia. By Naomi Rougeau

STAR TECH VOYAGERS

POLITICS, NOT AS USUAL

Does personal style have a place in DC? Political strategist Jess McIntosh carves her own path p.000

THE 18 FOR ’17

144

DO THE RIGHT THING

In Detroit, director Kathryn Bigelow takes on the city’s 1967 race riots. In the 50 years since, how much has changed? Detroit native Michael Eric Dyson sounds off

154

BORN TO RULE

p.89

164

As Game of Thrones enters its penultimate season, Emilia Clarke’s onscreen badassery brings her into power—both in and out of the Seven Kingdoms. By Joseph Hooper. Photographed by Alexi Lubomirski. Styled by David Vandewal p.114

Presenting fall’s most transcendent, playful, culture-shifting collections. Photographed by Terry Tsiolis. Styled by Samira Nasr

182

TALK OF THE TOWN

Speak up, speak out! Graphic tees get political— and chic. Photographed by Beau Grealy. Styled by Simon Robins

192

CORONATION STREET

At the helm of Diane von Furstenberg, Jonathan Saunders reinvents colorful, light femininity. By Alison S. Cohn. Photographed by Alex Cayley. Styled by Yashua Simmons

p.124

120

Interior minimalists du jour Rachel Cohen and Andres Modak share a sprinkling of Snowe. Naomi Rougeau reports

Which exercise, diet, and training tips really work? Veteran fitness writer/ editor Lucy Danziger separates fact from fad

ROOM SERVICE

148

ASK E. JEAN

Relationship hell? E. Jean Carroll to the rescue!

198

THE KEY MASTER

Funnyman KeeganMichael Key on showing skin, God complexes, and the naïveté of a “postrace” world. By Mickey Rapkin

IN EVERY ISSUE 16 26 52 54 197

CALENDAR FASHION CALENDAR EDITOR’S LETTER HOROSCOPE SHOPPING GUIDE

108

HAIR APPARENT

Calling all Instagrammers: Follow these four hairstylists pronto. By Cotton Codinha

114

Seven fashion stalwarts share their hair obsessions, from Zoë’s fairy-tale locks to Tilda’s signature undercut. By Megan O’Neill

Sundance breakout Danielle Macdonald… Aubrey Plaza strikes darkcomedy gold in Ingrid Goes West…novelist Danzy Senna wrestles with racial privilege…and more

EVERY DAY, PEOPLE

BEAUTY, HEALTH, FITNESS

FEATURES ELLE INTELLIGENCE

p.118

138

SHE’S ELECTRIC

118

IT LIST

Emilia Clarke wears a printed cottonand-silk-blend dress from Dolce & Gabbana, diamond and gold earrings from Van Cleef & Arpels, and a studdedleather belt from What Goes Around Comes Around. Photographed by Alexi Lubomirski (styled by David Vandewal; hair by Didier Malige; makeup by Pati Dubroff at Forward Artists; manicure by Julie Kandalec at Bryan Bantry; set design by Nicholas Des Jardins at MHS Artists; produced by Vivian Song at Kranky Produktions; fashion assistant: Daniel Gaines). To get Clarke’s makeup look, try The Brow Liner in Mocha, Intenseyes Mascara, The Khol Pencil in True Black, The Bronzer in Desert, The Blush in Warm, and Shine Lipstick in Emotion. All, Dolce & Gabbana Beauty.

Runway and Ewers: Imaxtree.com; polish: Devon Jarvis/Studio D

Eight innovators, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs tell us how they’re changing (and fixing) the world in our fourth annual Women in Tech power list. By Molly Langmuir

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THE GOOD FIGHTER

This month, Senator Barbara Boxer shares the keys to her highly effective 30-plus years in Congress and demonstrates the importance of looking to history to fight today’s big issues In the beginning of Senator Barbara Boxer’s memoir–cum–advice book, The Art of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Life (Hachette Books), she lists the wildest insults hurled her way over the years by politicians, pundits, and the general public—from a “detestable femiNaz” to “the biggest doofus ever.” But above all, Boxer thinks that a 2005 statement from Ann Coulter best sums up just how vile some public discourse has become: “Barbara Boxer is a great candidate for the Democratic Party: female and learning disabled.” “When you’re out to make change,” Boxer contends, “you’re going to come up against people who will try to shut you up, shut you down, stop you.” In The Art of Tough, just out in paperback, Boxer equips her readers, particularly women, with the tools she’s acquired that have enabled her to persevere against extreme opposition—especially in the 10 years she served in the United States House of Representatives and 24 in the Senate representing California. Raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Boxer went to public school and graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in econom-

SOUND COUNSEL This August, get inspired by Boxer’s most memorable experiences helping run the country 42

DON’T BACK DOWN

ics. In a typical 1962 move, she got married at age 21 to her college sweetheart, Stewart Boxer. Less typically, Boxer spent the next three years as the sole breadwinner, working on Wall Street as a broker at J. R. Williston and Beane while her husband finished law school. In 1965, when the couple visited Boxer’s sister in San Francisco, they fell in love with the Bay Area and decided to head west. While raising her two children, Boxer started organizing community efforts against the Vietnam War. In 1972, she ran for a spot on the Marin County Board of Supervisors—her “first and only losing campaign”: While running a fundraising drive that requested “just two dollars” from supporters, she was shocked when she opened an envelope from one of the country’s biggest Democratic donors—a woman—and found a check…for two dollars. “Barbara, you get what you ask for,” the woman later told her. After a two-year stint as a local newspaper reporter, then two years working for San Francisco congressman John Burton, she again ran for the board of supervisors— and won. In 1982, when Burton stepped down, he asked her to run for his seat. With the slogan

August 7 Compromise is great—unless it puts what you know is right in jeopardy. Boxer recounts a 1951 incident when, at 11 years old, she confronted a shoplifting friend.

HOLD THE RAGE

August 14 While outrage can be a useful driving force, Boxer documents how acting in anger will rarely get you what you want. Here’s how to keep your cool and be effective.

“Barbara Boxer Gives a Damn,” in 1983, she was sworn in to the 98th Congress. Of the 435 House members, she was one of just 22 women. Over the next decade, Boxer became known as a fierce proponent of environmental and civil rights. When the Reagan administration failed to address the AIDS crisis, Boxer went on record: “Anyone who knows how to stop the transmission of AIDS and refuses to talk about it is guilty of murder!” “As my mother said, you can tell someone to go to hell,” she says, “but if you do it in the right way, they’ll say thank you.” On the heels of her public support for Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings, Boxer’s successful 1992 Senate bid helped launch the so-called Year of the Woman: When former San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein also won her race, California became the first state in history with two female senators, tripling the number of women in the Senate. During her 34-year tenure in Congress, which ended in January, Boxer was awarded a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 96 percent rating from the National Organization for Women; sponsored the 2004 Freedom of Choice Act; and introduced the 2015 International Violence Against Women Act. EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock has called her “one of the most steadfast champions for women” in the Senate. Now, even in her “retirement,” Boxer remains a political force. She’s focused on winning back Congress for the Democrats in the 2018 midterm election, where she hopes to regain 27 seats by fundraising for candidates like Wisconsin senator Tammy Baldwin. Live in a state where you think your vote matters less, because everyone else votes the same way? Boxer suggests adopting another state’s candidate and sending financial support. All month long on ELLE.com, read Boxer’s tenets on toughness. If you’ve been waiting to get involved in government, Boxer thinks there’s no better time to start. “I can tell you what’s at stake now in one word,” she says. “Everything.” —Keziah Weir

ACCEPT THE BEST

August 21 Never settle for less than love, Boxer advises. Speaking truth to power can lead to loneliness if you don’t have the right people by your side. Here’s how she’s always made sure that she did.

SING IT LOUD

August 28 Yes, sing! In office, Boxer was known for her political lyrics that fit famous melodies—whether chastising John McCain for his environmental policies or lobbying for access to the men-only House gym.

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ELLE.COM @elleusa

@elleusa

ELLE Magazine (US)

STAFFER SPOTLIGHT

NICOLE CLIFFE

DIVE RIGHT IN Summer beauty picks from the ELLE.com team

As Game of Thrones returns and the mother of dragons covers ELLE, ELLE.com’s resident GOT expert and Nicole Knows advice columnist Nicole Cliffe enlightens us. WHICH GOT CHARACTER WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH? Sharp-tongued matriarch Olenna Tyrell. I’d bring a recorder and a pitcher of margaritas and say, “Tell me about your whole life.” WHICH ARE YOU MOST LIKE? Stark survivor Sansa. I’m desperate for approval, and I love nice things. But push me far enough, and I’ll watch while animals eat you, then sleep like a baby.

KRISTINA RODULFO, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte “In the heat, the last thing you want to do is layer on makeup. This sheer, tinted, nonchemical sunscreen will let you skip concealer and foundation for a more naturallooking glow that’ll let your skin breathe.”

AN ELLE.COM PRIMER

HOW TO LIVE LIKE ’70S ICON EVE BABITZ Go to the party. Make friends with celebrities: Jim Morrison, Steve Martin, and Harrison Ford are fine for a start. Get a song written about you, if you can. Never order fewer than eight taquitos. Playing chess with Marcel Duchamp? Get naked. Writer Eve Babitz’s wisdom is pretty straightforward: Between a bad time and a good time? Make that an unforgettable time. Now something of a recluse, Babitz has written seven books, including the recently reissued essay collections Slow

Days, Fast Company and Eve’s Hollywood (NYRB Classics). And now Counterpoint Press has resurrected her deliciously titled 1979 bildungsroman Sex and Rage. (Who would have thought that almost 40 years later, that pairing would still be so sharply resonant?) Whether you prefer the fizz of champagne or the froth of ocean waves, there’s no better model for summer living than the effervescent Babitz. Read all about her and get even more sage advice at ELLE.com/evebabitz.

THE BINGE BEAT

The cast of GLOW

“I didn’t know what I was missing,” Jenji Kohan, the creator of Orange Is the New Black (better than ever in its fifth season), told ELLE about the wonderful world of ’80s female wrestling—gloriously on display in Netflix’s now-streaming GLOW, executive produced by Kohan. Well, neither did we! The span-

dex! The hair! And—much like OITNB’s still-beloved band of Litchfield prisoners—the community of complex, diverse, incredibly real woman warriors! Tune in to ELLE.com/ glowshow and ELLE.com/ ointb for exclusive behind-thescenes looks at each series and the women who continue to expand the Jenji universe.

ESTELLE TANG, CULTURE EDITOR Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Pink Crush “In August, my wine is blush pink, and my skin is flushed. Naturally, my nails should match. Enter Tom Ford’s glossy formula. Bonus: The shade allows me to cosplay the nailpolish emoji.” JULIE SCHOTT, BEAUTY DIRECTOR Milk Makeup Matcha Toner “Like a dry eraser for face grime, Milk’s solid toner stick refreshes salty, sweaty summer skin with a cooling blend of matcha, kombucha, and witch hazel. I swipe it over my forehead, cheeks, and chin before re-upping on sunscreen to prevent breakouts.”

Stark: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO; Babitz: Mirandi Babitz; GLOW: Erica Parise/Netflix

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For our ELLEness issue, our editors share what we do to stay healthy and sane! (Find dozens more ideas on page 124.)

“A ‘sound bath’ at NYC’s Sky Ting Yoga is meditation for dummies (like me): Just lie on the floor while strange, soothing tones wash over you.”—@maggiebullock

EMILY DOUGHERTY Beauty & Fitness Director “Running! It’s the best stress reliever. I run around Central Park— about 10K (6.21 miles). I try to do at least 18 miles a week!” —@chris.macaraeg

“I get double takes at the gym for engaging in oldman exercise (usually in old-school sweats, while watching Frasier reruns on my phone), but I don’t care: The stationary bike is low impact and cardioish, and 30 minutes go by quickly when you’re watching Niles bicker with Frasier.” —@amanda.fitzsimons

ROBBIE MYER S

MAGGIE BULLOCK Deputy Editor

JENNIFER WEISEL Entertainment Director

“I walk my dog, Mirabelle, to Prospect Park and try to get lost in the trails that go through the woods.” —@mollykayt

Editor-in-Chief RUBA ABU-NIMAH Creative Director EVAN CAMPISI Design Director KEN GAWRYCH Managing Editor SAMIRA NASR Fashion Director

LAURIE ABRAHAM Features Director

ALEXANDRA RIEGELHAUPT Brand Communications & Strategic Projects Director

JOANN PAILEY Market Director

BARBARA GROGAN Photo Director

FASHION Executive Market Editor JADE FRAMPTON Senior Accessories Editor JENNIFER GACH Associate Market Editor JESSICA RAWLS Credits Editor CAITLIN MULLEN Associate Fashion/Menswear Editor YASHUA SIMMONS Assistant Editor MAC WOESTE Assistants NATALIE BUCHANAN, KIA GOOSBY, CHRISTOPHER MACARAEG, STEPHANIE SANCHEZ FEATURES Senior Features Editors LISA CHASE, RACHEL BAKER Senior Editor AMANDA FITZSIMONS Senior Fashion News Editor ALISON S. COHN Senior Associate Editor SETH PLATTNER Fashion News Editor NAOMI ROUGEAU Associate Editors MOLLY LANGMUIR, KEZIAH WEIR Editorial Assistants DAJION DAVENPORT, BRIANNA KOVAN BEAUTY AND FITNESS Executive Beauty Editor APRIL LONG Senior Beauty and Fitness Editor MEGAN O’NEILL BULL Beauty and Fitness Editor COTTON CODINHA

“Painting courses at the New York Academy of Art. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to tell a story with no words at all.” —@naomirougeau

ART AND DESIGN Deputy Art Director STRAVINSKI PIERRE Associate Art Director DANIEL FISHER International Coordinator MONIQUE BONIOL Deputy Managing Editor LAURA SAMPEDRO

“The app Headspace offers 10 minutes of guided daily meditation. Every night I try to force myself (and my thoughts) to be still.” —@queendajion

“I start and end each day with a shot of Floradix—a disgusting liquid iron supplement that makes me feel like Wonder Woman— followed by a glass of warm water with apple cider vinegar while reading in bed or watching The Office.” —@keziahweir

PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Editor LAUREN BROWN Associate Photo Editor ARIELLE LHOTAN COPY AND RESEARCH Copy Chief TERRI SCHLENGER Research Chief BRENDÁN CUMMINGS Copy Editor MARGARET WILLDEN Research Editor KELSEY H. MURDOCH

PRODUCTION Production/Operations Director CHUCK LODATO Operations Account Manager DIANE ARLOTTA Premedia Account Manager CELESTE MADHERE Digital Imaging Specialist JAIRO CORLETO Editorial Business Director CAROL LUZ Senior Editorial Business Manager LISHA MANNING “On weekends, I walk about five miles to the city from my house in Bushwick, Brooklyn. When it’s blisteringly hot, I strap on my Tevas and wear something nonrestricting, and walk and walk under the pounding sun. It’s aerobic but meditative.” —@megagirl

“Lighting candles throughout my apartment and listening to jazz or Frank Sinatra on Sunday afternoons helps me reflect and recharge for the week to come.” —@natalieb13

Editor-at-Large RACHAEL COMBE Contributing West Coast Fashion Editor SARAH SCHUSSHEIM ELLE.COM LEAH CHERNIKOFF Editorial Director SALLY HOLMES Deputy Editor Social Media Director GENA KAUFMAN Beauty Director JULIE SCHOTT Senior Fashion Editor NIKKI OGUNNAIKE Senior Editor NATALIE MATTHEWS Senior Editor of Branded Content LEAH MELBY CLINTON Culture Editor ESTELLE TANG Social Media Editor EMILY TANNENBAUM News Writer MATTIE KAHN Associate Editor KRISTINA RODULFO Associate Market Editor JUSTINE CARREON Assistant Editor ALYSSA BAILEY

“Last month I did the Whole30—completely eliminated sugar, processed foods, dairy, and alcohol for 30 days all in hopes of reducing inflammation and clearing my skin. The first week is basically a sugar hangover, but after you get past it, your body starts readjusting. I really saw an improvement in my skin, stamina, and energy levels, so I’m planning on doing it again!”—@mondo_lb

Contributing Editors BLISS BROYARD, NINA BURLEIGH, E. JEAN CARROLL, KATE CHRISTENSEN, BEN W. DICKINSON (Film Critic), AMANDA FORTINI, ANDREW GOLDMAN, LIZZY GOODMAN, CATHI HANAUER, NANCY HASS, JOSEPH HOOPER, LOUISA KAMPS, DAPHNE MERKIN, HOLLY MILLEA, JESSICA PRESSLER, MICKEY RAPKIN, DANI SHAPIRO, LISA SHEA, LAUREN SLATER, REBECCA TRAISTER

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EDITOR’S LETTER

@Robbiemyers

@Robbie_Elle

The ELLEness Project ELLEness: The state of having ELLE. Obvious, yes? But it’s kind of like that old joke—ask 10 ELLE editors to define ELLEness, and you’ll get 10 different answers, no doubt based on what each one covers, what they spend their days immersed in. Chic, for sure. And smart. Inquisitive, in-depth, joyful, beautiful, fierce, funny.… Here’s me, trying again, late one night: The quality of having ELLE; a feeling of effervescence, of curiosity and appetites satisfied. Which appetites? We say we “open” women’s appetites—but which ones? To show women what’s possible, and that it’s okay to want, really want—then offer a path that leads them to fulfilling their desires. How to take—and give; how to be heard. Is the drive for recognition as strong as the drive for, say, financial independence? It’s all about independence, isn’t it? ELLEness: The quality of knowing what you want—or being willing to try to figure it out—and the assuredness that you have what it takes to pursue it. The word ELLEness was initially coined to convey what we hope is a more expansive way of characterizing the idea of wellness, which is strictly defined as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal” but has come to embrace a whole realm of activities, products, and Gwyneth Paltrow. She swanked up the joint, for sure, but the word for many still conjures up the benefits of mall walking (I know some very fast mall walkers—no judgment here!), or subway ads reminding you to get your yearly checkup. Another way to think of ELLEness? Like “the quan”—employed in one of the great moments in one of the great movies of all time, Jerry Maguire, when Cuba Gooding Jr., in the role that won him an Oscar, describes to his agent (please tell me you remember that he’s played by Tom Cruise?!) his cosmic view of love, community, respect, and success. Okay, and I’d add a few things: body love; technology that makes our lives smarter, better, more pleasurable; stylish gear; great sex; updated science on health and nutrition; and a fundamental hunger to know why we do the things we do. To that end, we’ve devoted much of our issue to the topic of ELLEness, kicked off with an essay by the former editor of Self, Lucy Danziger, about what she’s learned from 20-plus years on the wellness front, and followed by an A to Z guide to the potions, products, and insights from this sometimes hazily defined world of physical, emotional, and even spiritual self-realization. Senior Features Editor Lisa Chase does a masterful job of laying out the process by which former veep Al Gore (and the second-tolast winner of the popular vote for president who didn’t become president) came to the spiritual self-realization that his job now—as the putative leader of the global environmental movement—is the one to which he is best suited at this moment in history. Lisa took 52

a long walk with Vice President Gore, who joined the 2017 People’s Climate March on Washington on a day that was so hot, it gave new meaning to the phrase scorched-earth campaign. And as part of our ongoing effort to raise the profile of women making the culture, we submit our annual Women in Tech power list, capped by a great event in San Francisco celebrating these eight brilliant, game-changing women. I’m always moved and impressed by how driven women are to do good while doing well, and it’s heartening that the new tech economy is being fueled, in part, by businesses that are launched to make a positive impact on some of the tougher problems around the world. Although I have to say that for an industry that prides itself on being so modern, so datadriven, so disruptive and forwardly propulsive, 141 of the top 150 Silicon Valley firms are still run by men—one of whom, as we were closing this issue, worried aloud that adding women to corporate boards (which has been proven, with data and all, to result in better results, financially and otherwise) will slow things down because we talk too much. Well, let’s talk about this: A few months ago, we were thrilled to get a call from best-selling writer, public intellectual, and Baptist minister Michael Eric Dyson—whose latest book, Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, has been praised by Toni Morrison and Stephen King alike as seminal reading for our time. He’d like to write for us, he said, specifically about Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, whose new movie, Detroit, for which Dyson served as an adviser, bores in on a particularly deadly event during the 1967 race riot in his hometown. A much-published author and speaker, Dyson, in “Do the Right Thing” (page 144), delves into not just Bigelow’s skill as a filmmaker with a broad reach, but asks her, and all of us, to consider the role of history, memory, and personal responsibility as we work toward justice. When asked, he said he thought ELLE would be a good home for this piece because he liked our “tone, range, chutzpah, freshness, and ability to stretch out and engage a subject with high intelligence, deep literacy, and unapologetic sophistication.” We were blushing already, and then he added: “And y’all don’t seem to be afraid to wrestle with tough, intractable issues.” Thanks, Michael, for the recognition—and for offering up the best definition of ELLEness yet.

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CAPRICORN (DEC 22–JAN 19) August’s alchemical alignments activate your creativity. Develop preternatural plans near the 4th, as enterprising Jupiter draws out Pluto’s secret genius and exposes new avenues of income. The gamble will really pay off after the 25th, when your ruler, Saturn, snaps out of retrograde. On the 21st, a sultry solar eclipse transforms a cat-and-mouse game into a real-deal romance. Already an item? Slip off for a holiday after the 22nd. With a data-disrupting Mercury retrograde from the 12th to September 5th, revisiting a well-known spot would be smarter than playing neophyte nomads. AQUARIUS (JAN 20–FEB 18) Who do you think you are? By the 7th, that answer could change dramatically. A world-shaking lunar eclipse in Aquarius—the first since August 2009 (!)—pushes you out of stasis. There’s major momentum for relationships, too, thanks to a passionate pairing of the Sun and Mars in Leo. New love could appear, serendipitously, near the solar eclipse on the 21st, or you could take a thrilling leap with your amour. Socializing may bring a profitable “promance” by the 24th, but sign agreements before (or after) Mercury retrogrades from the 12th to September 5th. PISCES (FEB 19–MAR 20) With the Sun and coach Mars in your wellness zone until the 22nd, pile your plate with microgreens and become a Pilates regular. Include cheat days—for your diet, ahem, not romance. With amorous Venus in your hedonistic fifth house until the 26th, you won’t have the best impulse control, but block perfidious paramours from your past who may pop up during Mercury’s retrograde from the 12th to September 5th. A sexy yet stable type emerges after the 22nd. Paired-off Pisces could plunge into even deeper waters together.

ARIES (MAR 21–APR 19) The Sun and passionate Mars, your ruler, join Leo to roll out the red carpet until the 22nd. Life’s finer things are easily acquired, along with fame and fawning admirers near the solar eclipse on the 21st. Resolve relationship issues before then; prep projects for a big reveal after. The six months to follow could be the stuff fairy tales are made of. Career-wise, the Aries dream team comes together near the lunar eclipse on the 7th. But the devil is in the details while Mercury is retrograde for three weeks, starting on the 12th, so don’t you dare outsource what needs your signature touch. TAURUS (APR 20–MAY 20) A healthy dose of mermaid time is essential this August, so inflate the floaties—but stay ashore and within signal range on the 7th! A career-defining call could come in, courtesy of the lunar eclipse. Start-up dreams are sweetened when the Sun moves into Virgo on the 22nd; you could also begin traveling for work. In love, find variety via multiple mates or adventurous playdates, but don’t pick fights to keep things “exciting,” especially after Mercury turns retrograde on the 12th. Mercury’s backspin could lure back a former lover—but only stable relationships will survive once Saturn turns direct on the 25th. GEMINI (MAY 21–JUNE 21) Set your preferences to “locally grown.” August’s cultural fixes can be found by strolling into a neighborhood pub or barnstorming a nearby borough. The 7th is an exception: A lunar eclipse has you pulling out your passport and pricing flights to London or Lima. Book before Mercury spins retrograde for three weeks, starting on the 12th. Heads up: Mercury’s planetary pivot could cause friction with family or a close female friend. Don’t force resolution. Time and space will heal all by mid-September. Saturn snaps out of retrograde on the 25th, helping you define the parameters of a partnership and courageously discuss needs. CANCER (JUNE 22–JULY 22) Prioritize pleasure this August! Love priestess Venus lingers in Cancer until the 26th, and admirers flock like moths to a flame. Reserve time for pursuing creative projects. The muse will knock impatiently from the 12th to the 17th as Venus trades fire with dreamy Neptune, intuitive Pluto, and expressive Jupiter. The 7th’s lunar eclipse pushes a partnership to the tipping point. Decide firmly: Are you in or out? After the 22nd, the Virgo Sun speeds up the BPM of your social-butterfly wings. Get your fix of late-summer festivals and reunions with old friends—which occur with jaw-dropping serendipity, thanks to Mercury’s retrograde from the 12th to September 5.

Getty Images

SCORPIO (OCT 23–NOV 21) Launch that charm offensive, Scorpio! With the Sun and go-getter Mars in your success-obsessed tenth house, you’ll find your rightful place among the influencers. But switch to “Focus” view while at your desk, and have projects debutready near the career-defining eclipse on the 21st. Are certain affiliations holding you back? Part ways near a liberating Jupiter/Pluto mash-up on the 4th—or once Mercury turns retrograde on the 12th. Amorous Venus tours your worldly ninth house until the 26th, diversifying your dating pool. Coupled? A change of scenery makes for a killer aphrodisiac.

A u g u st 14

LIBRA (SEPT 23–OCT 22) August’s live-outloud star map unleashes your full-spectrum personality. Aim for unfiltered authenticity on the 4th, when candid Jupiter in Libra side-eyes secretive Pluto. True supporters will get in formation—and you’ll be relieved to know who has your back. Rapid romantic developments emerge near the lunar eclipse on the 7th, but you might not surrender to Cupid’s will until the Sun enters Virgo and your fantasy-fueled twelfth house on the 22nd. With your ruler, loving Venus, in your career zone until the 26th, casually mingling with the right VIPs will spell money in the bank.

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VIRGO (AUG 23–SEPT 22) Escapist urges overtake you this August, but you’d be wise to decompress before an accelerated Virgo season begins on the 22nd. Ghost to Greece, or lose yourself in the festival scene. Besides, Mercury will be retrograde in Virgo from the 12th to the 31st, enriching your inner landscape. Start a meditation practice, or turn that muse-fueled soliloquy into a screenplay. Amorous Venus cruises through your tech sector until the 26th, so tap that dating app. Coupled Virgos will be keen to experiment—with sexy gadgets or scenarios requiring a safe word.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22–DEC 21) The lure of distant lands is August’s siren song, so lay down your crossbow and nab a new passport stamp. But carefully read Airbnb reviews and confirm reservations, since Mercury turns retrograde for three weeks on the 12th. Venus provides sultry surprises until the 26th, like the discovery of a secret—and mutual— admirer. Coupled Archers could have an erotic awakening (how about purring in Peru?), but forge ahead with ambitions when Saturn ends a long retrograde in Sagittarius on the 25th. Victory is in your cross hairs if you hustle like hell before the taskmaster planet exits your sign on December 19th. Ku

JULY 23–AUG 22

With the Sun and dynamo Mars together in Leo until the 22nd, you’ve got one goal this month: Represent like a trailblazing original. On the 21st, change sweeps in, ready or not, with a rare solar eclipse in Leo. Launch a business, or publicly debut your work; some Leos could even relocate! Love-wise, the lunar eclipse on the 7th may fill the vacancy on your adjacent throne—or help you start fresh with your royal mate. Spill a secret before Mercury turns retrograde from the 12th to September 5th (in Leo the final five days). Confessions, while embarrassing, are always better than scandals.

LEO

PEARL JA M

Stories + Objects founder Jamie Pelayo goes to Fakarava, French Polynesia, where the water’s clear blue and the pearls are plentiful. By Naomi Rougeau During her nearly two decades of traveling the globe while working on the business side of the fashion and beauty industries, Jamie Pelayo began compiling a list of her favorite places, products, and dream destinations. In 2015, Pelayo began putting that list to use when she started Stories + Objects, a site that brings far-flung locations to life by creating documentary-style videos and articles (“Stories”) and showcasing local artisanal items (“Objects”), such as the ur-

espadrille of France’s Basque region. For the best rose water on the planet, the Malibu-based adventurer set out for Kashan, Iran. The finest salt? From Île de Ré, France, where harvesting is restricted to only the sunniest of summer days (a tradition that dates back to twelfth-century Cistercian monks). Pelayo’s most recent jaunt took her to French Polynesia’s Tuamotu Atolls, specifically Fakarava, a remote UNESCO biosphere reserve, whose pristine blue waters are home to a rare pearl produced by Pinctada margaritifera (the Polynesian black-lip oyster) and a little over 800 full-time residents. “Fakarava is really a place to go and disconnect,” Pelayo says. “It’s the only place I’ve been where I feel I’m just completely on a deserted, small island.”

Due to the fragility of the ecosystem in Fakarava (it’s essentially a giant coral reef ), you won’t find any high-rise resorts. What you will find: charming, frill-free establishments like Pearl Havaiki Lodge, where Pelayo stayed. The bungalow suites that border the azure waters are hard to beat. y Pela

Life on a coral atoll means no source of freshwater and limited farming. Instead, Fakaravans rely on rainwater and abundant seafood. At night, Pelayo frequented Le Snack du Requin Dormeur (the Sleeping Shark Café), where she feasted on simply prepared, locally caught fish. A scenic daytime meal option: a floating picnic on the blue lagoon. Boats are available for charter from the local marina. A visit to (and a purchase from) the Havaiki Pearl Farm is a must. Employees demonstrate

how the precious product is removed from shells and inspected (fun fact: Typically there are only one or two perfect pearls in a oneton oyster haul, though the other 99 percent are still highly desirable), and there’s something—from loose pearls to full strands—for every budget. For active types, Pelayo recommends snorkeling and scuba diving. “Though I must warn you about the sharks,” she says of the schools of largely friendly Pacific sleeper sharks that populate this particular corner of Polynesia, seemingly indifferent to their human interlopers. Noted.

Pelayo: Marianna Jamadi; crab: Getty Images

Clockwise from left: Pearl Havaiki Lodge; Stories + Objects Fakarava pearl necklaces; Pelayo cycling around Fakarava; a Polynesian black-lip oyster; Pelayo snorkeling; a friendly shark; a tropical cocktail courtesy of the Pearl Havaiki Lodge; Le Snack du Requin Dormeur

Partner, Sequoia Capital

STAR TECH VOYAGERS

In our fourth annual Women in Tech power list, we celebrate the founders, execs, engineers, and VCs shaking up the world’s most powerful industry—and challenging what you do with everything from your microbiome to your extra bedroom. By Molly Langmuir

BELINDA JOHNSON Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer, Airbnb

“I’ve always liked diving into new things,” says Belinda Johnson, Airbnb’s secondin-command behind cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky. That’s why in 1996, after five years of practicing law in Dallas, she jumped from an established firm to a start-up, becoming general counsel at entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s AudioNet, which broadcast live news, sports, and radio stations over the Internet. The risk paid off: She helped the company go public in ’98, then shepherded it through a $5.7 billion sale to Yahoo! a year later. In 2011, Johnson headed to Airbnb as general counsel. “It’s a marketplace, but it’s 58

also a movement that’s impacting the way people connect,” she says. Since then, as the company has expanded from a valuation of $1 billion to $31 billion, Johnson has played a lead role in its attempts to navigate thousands of different local housing laws and taxation issues, not to mention myriad lawsuits. Along the way, she’s consistently led the company to try to preempt problems by, say, getting to know regulators before issues arise and taking a conciliatory approach. As the tech blog Backchannel declared last year, “[Johnson] is largely responsible for the fact that Airbnb is a company that makes love, not war—especially when it fights.” Airbnb has its critics, but when it comes to dealing with them, as Chesky has said, “Hiring her was one of the best decisions we ever made.”

“There’s this nauseous feeling you get when you’re trying to do something you haven’t done before,” says Jess Lee, who, in 2016, became the first female partner at the venture capital fund Sequoia. “Seek that out.” This philosophy was what led her to take a project manager job at Google in 2004 (working for Marissa Mayer, then Google’s director of consumer Web services), when she was fresh out of Stanford’s computer science program, with plans to be a software engineer. And she’s followed it ever since. In 2008, Lee began spending time on the new social shopping website Polyvore and e-mailed cofounder Pasha Sadri about issues with the site—along with solutions. “He said, ‘These are great—why don’t you join us?’ ” she says. “So I did!” As the first hire, Lee did everything from write code to field advertiser calls. Four years later, she was named CEO; after Yahoo! acquired Polyvore for $230 million in 2015, Lee worked there as VP of product until joining Sequoia. She was ready for a new challenge, but she also wanted to improve tech’s gender imbalance: Only 6 percent of VCs are female, and since 2009, only 16 percent of funded start-ups have had a female founder. “My advice is to figure out what makes you amazing, lean into that, and become really successful,” she says. “Then you help show the next generation of female entrepreneurs it can be done.”

Cait Oppermann (styled by Nicolas Klam; hair and makeup by David Searle at Artists and Company for Nars and Bumble and bumble). Johnson wears: Dress, Max Mara. Bracelet, Mateo New York. Bracelet, David Yurman. Her own earrings, watch, and ring. Lee wears: Top, skirt, Michael Kors Collection. Her own hand-piece and ankle boots. For details, see Shopping Guide

JESS LEE

KIMBERLY BRYANT

Cait Oppermann (styled by Nicolas Klam; hair and makeup by David Searle at Artists and Company for Nars and Bumble and bumble). Bryant wears: Jacket, Proenza Schouler. Dress, Bassike. Ring, Emily P. Wheeler. Her own rings. Li wears: Coat, Akris. Pumps, Christian Louboutin. Her own dress. For details, see Shopping Guide

Founder, Black Girls CODE

While studying electrical engineering at Vanderbilt University in the ’80s, Kimberly Bryant knew she had what it took to excel, but she was one of the program’s few women— and even fewer women of color—which was isolating. And the numbers didn’t improve once she entered the workforce. “My grit and stubbornness got me through,” she says, “but it shouldn’t have to all be on the individual.” In 2010, she sent her middle-school–age daughter, Kai, to a tech-focused summer program at Stanford University. Kai loved it, but she was one of just a handful of girls, and the only student of color. “We hadn’t yet had a conversation about tech and diversity, but she noticed,” says Bryant, who soon afterward left her job as a senior project manager at biotech firm Genentech and launched the nonprofit Black Girls CODE, which offers workshops, hackathons, and summer camps to girls of color from ages 7 to 17—about 6,000 so far—with 12 chapters across the U.S. The oldest girls involved are just starting college, but it’s already had an impact. “We’ve seen these girls soar in terms of their leadership capabilities and aspirations,” Bryant says, “even my daughter.” During that Stanford camp, Kai went from wanting to be a video-game tester to a video-game developer. And now, after years of participating in Black Girls CODE, she’s set her sights even higher: She wants to start her own company.

FEI-FEI LI

Director, Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Lab; and Chief Scientist, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Google Cloud How might artificial intelligence transform our world? Ask AI guru Fei-Fei Li, and she’ll suggest the more appropriate question is how it won’t. AI already informs everything from Google’s search algorithm to speech-recognition tech, such as Amazon’s Alexa. “And this is going to transform every single industry,” Li says, from health care (early research has shown AI can identify some diseases better than doctors can) to education (through the use of AI tutors that are able to cater to individual students’ needs, for example). Li, who heads Stanford’s AI lab and is Google Cloud’s chief scientist of AI and machine learning, has played an instrumental role in advancing the field, particularly when it comes to enabling machines to recognize images, which is necessary not just for piloting self-driving

cars but also for searching Web photos and videos, content that grows by the millisecond and that would otherwise remain “the dark matter of the Internet,” as Li has called it. Born in China, Li was 16 when her family moved to small-town Parsippany, New Jersey. Later, while majoring in physics at Princeton, she borrowed money from friends to buy her parents a dry-cleaning business, returning home to work there on the weekends. After receiving a PhD in computational neuroscience and AI from Caltech, she was hired by Stanford in 2009 and joined Google last November. (Ask if she’s busy, and she just laughs.) “I imagine a world in which AI is going to make us work more productively, live longer, and have cleaner energy,” says Li, who, until recently, was the only woman in Stanford’s 15-person lab; she launched a nonprofit last March, AI4ALL, to draw students from underrepresented groups into the field. “But AI is not created in a vacuum. It’s created by us. It can only help if we want to help.” As for the technology’s more sinister possibilities, she’s unconcerned: “Leave the imagination to Hollywood.” 61

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SHIZA SHAHID As a Stanford undergrad eager to have an impact on the world, Shiza Shahid watched a video featuring Malala Yousafzai, then an 11-year-old living in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, where the Taliban had just banned girls’ education, and jumped into action: That summer, Shahid, who grew up in Islamabad, organized a camp for Yousafzai and 27 other girls to help them tell their stories. In 2012, after Yousafzai was shot by a member of the Taliban, Shahid, who had been working for the consulting firm McKinsey in their Dubai office, flew to England, where Yousafzai had been airlifted, and soon became the family’s de facto media strategist. Within a year, she also cofounded the girls’-education–focused Malala Fund with Yousafzai’s father. By 2016, though, Shahid was ready to hand the reins over to Yousafzai, then 19, to focus on a new project: Now Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in mission-driven start-ups. One of the fund’s first investments, Lucy, helps businesses provide individualized benefits for working mothers. “If we can prove that companies with a deeper sense of purpose are more successful, we can shift and evolve capitalism,” Shahid says. “I think that’s the most impactful thing I could do.”

JESSICA RICHM AN Cofounder and CEO, uBiome

“When it comes to entrepreneurship, I didn’t go through the typical path,” says Jessica Richman, who left home at 16, dropped out of high school, got her GED, and sold her first start-up, a retail operation, all before entering Stanford University in 2005. Six years later, while pursuing a PhD in computational social science at Oxford University, she got the itch to launch another business. She and UC San Francisco biophysics PhD student Zachary Apte began discussing the possibilities of the microbiome—the collective genomes of all the microbes that live in and on the human body—and the $153 million Human Microbiome Project, which had just released its initial results, based on samples from 242 people. It occurred to Richman and Apte that by using citizen science, they might be able to gather samples from thousands of people rather than hundreds. To fund their project, dubbed uBiome, they turned to the crowdfunding site Indiegogo and soon raised around $360,000 from 64

2,623 people willing to pay to have their personal microbiomes sampled. This set off a frenzied period of 14hour days during which the participants received a kit with “glorified Q-tips,” as Richman describes them, to swab bacteriarich areas of the body and then return to uBiome. The company, in turn, analyzed the samples and reported back about each individual’s microbiome. (Some participants used the test to conduct experiments, sampling their microbiomes before and after, say, taking antibiotics.) Within a year, the company had collected the largest database of microbiomes in the world; it now includes samples from more than 150,000 people—enough to begin to suggest tantalizing possible treatments for IBS and even sleep disorders (one uBiome customer found that incorporating potato starch into his diet, which prompted a particular bacteria to grow, improved his insomnia). Last year, uBiome, which has raised $22 million in venture capital, began offering a second test, available through doctors, that measures levels of bacteria associated with cer-

tain illnesses; the company also recently began submitting papers to peer-reviewed journals. Richman says uBiome’s unorthodox approach to research—crowdfunding, citizen science—has raised eyebrows in the scientific community. “But the point of science is to expand the range of human knowledge and use that to improve human life,” she says. “Why go into science if you don’t want to do that?”

Shahid: Jake Stangel (styled by Nicolas Klam; hair and makeup by David Searle at Artists and Company for Nars and Bumble and bumble). Richman: Cait Oppermann (styled by Nicolas Klam; hair and makeup by David Searle at Artists and Company for Nars and Bumble and bumble). Shahid wears: Trench coat, A.P.C. Richman wears: Jacket, Proenza Schouler. Top, COS. For details, see Shopping Guide

Cofounder, Now Ventures

Introducing

Â© Procter & Gamble 2017

Invisible Spray

Vice President, Amazon

Maria Renz has spent the last 18 years rising through the ranks at Amazon, but as a teenager in New Jersey during the ’80s, a period when “I had tremendous hair,” she says, “and went to the mall every day after school,” she had no interest in business. “To me it meant accounting, and that seemed boring.” After getting a degree in interior design, though, Renz worked on a corporate headquarters renovation— interviewing everyone from the CEO to the security guard—and realized she actually found business fascinating. She headed to business school at Vanderbilt University, worked at Hallmark and Kraft Foods, and, in 1999, joined the marketing department at Amazon. (The jump appealed to her partly because the company moved at the quick pace of retail, which she’d learned to love from her mall-rat days.) At the time, Amazon’s Seattle offices were based in an old veterans’ hospital (“So of course we thought it was haunted,” Renz says), and she managed the company’s home page with an Excel spreadsheet.

“It felt scrappy,” she says, “but there was a lot of energy.” By 2001, she had become director of marketing, yet she still recommended that Amazon establish a free-shipping option instead of spending money on a TV campaign, a suggestion that the company (famously) took and that Renz describes as her “lean in” moment. In 2015, she became Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s technical adviser, a coveted fast-track position that’s often referred to as Bezos’s “shadow.” Now Renz oversees an essential piece of the e-commerce giant’s business—getting goods to the customer—and is particularly focused on making delivery faster. She appreciates the benefits of speedy delivery from a personal perspective, too: Recently she was flying for business when she got an e-mail saying that someone in her daughter’s class had lice. Renz cringed—then, via Amazon, ordered an anti-lice shampoo to be delivered that same day. “I’m a professional and a mom, and tech enables me to balance both realms,” she says. “Being able to build solutions for problems that directly affect women—that’s an incredible place to be.”

PIR AYE YURTTAS BEIM Founder and CEO, Celmatix

Piraye Yurttas Beim was in her first year of the PhD molecular biology program at Cornell in 2001 when it was announced that the human genome had been decoded. The news left an indelible impact: “I was really inspired by the idea that you could use genetics to guide life decisions,” she says. So in 2009, when she was studying embryology at Cambridge University, she was shocked to discover that no one was utilizing what was known about the genetic drivers of infertility to help patients. Soon after, she left Cambridge, moved to New York, and launched a biotech company, Celmatix, which this past January released Fertilome, the first comprehensive genetic test dedicated to revealing what a woman’s DNA says about her reproductive health. (The blood test is available through doctors’ offices and costs $950 out of pocket.) To create the test, Celmatix assembled the largest-ever clinical data set on fertility treatment outcomes, which it also used to build Polaris—a software program that considers information such as a woman’s age and hormone levels to determine her chances of conceiving with various approaches. “Previously, doctors offered advice that was very ballpark-y,” Beim says. “Polaris provides better accuracy.” So far, it’s informed the treatment of 30,000-plus women. Beim was drawn to infertility because she found it a fascinating scientific puzzle. But at 32, just married and in the midst of getting Celmatix off the ground, she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserves. Knowing she’d soon lose the ability to have children, Beim had three in four years. (She’s pictured above with her youngest.) “My investors have rarely seen me not pregnant,” she says. (It hasn’t been an impediment—she’s raised $47 million.) This firsthand experience informs her advocacy for testing patients’ fertility before they become one of the 7.5 million American women struggling to conceive. “It’s not theoretical for me,” she says. “It’s personal.”

Renz: Cait Oppermann (styled by Nicolas Klam; hair and makeup by David Searle at Artists and Company for Nars and Bumble and bumble). Beim: Cait Oppermann (styled by Sarah Schussheim; hair and makeup by Sae-Ryun Song at De Facto for Dior). Renz wears: Dress, Salvatore Ferragamo. Sandals, Jil Sander. Her own ring. Beim wears: Trench coat, Boss. Dress, Diane von Furstenberg. Her own earrings. For details, see Shopping Guide

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After years of dressing for work like she would for a date, political strategist Jess McIntosh found a Washington enclave where she could do something truly radical: Be her (proudly weird, coolly androgynous, punk-leaning) self

Ever wonder why the

hairstyles of female politicians seem stuck in the suffragette era? Here’s your answer: The first job of candidates and elected officials is to represent huge swaths of incredibly disparate people. Conventional wisdom holds that challenging one’s audience via personal style is counterproductive to the role. It’s not all that different for political staffers, lobbyists, and people like me—whose job is getting politicians elected, advocating for issues, speaking on behalf of marginalized communities, and generally convincing the media (and thereby the public) that X organization/cause/politician is great. According to the caption on the bottom of the screen when I appear on, say, MSNBC, I am one of those creatures variously known as a political consultant, a Democratic consultant, a strategist, or—my least favorite—a pundit. When we’re not on air defending our positions, we tend to aim for a certain sartorial anonymity: dodging out of camera shots, blending into backgrounds, and generally making no waves. You’re speaking on behalf of a cause. It isn’t about you. And the last thing you’d want to read in an article quoting you is something that undercuts your authority. Watch: “ ‘ This pipeline will have huge consequences for our children’s health, and the governor should resign if he’s unwilling to address it,’ says McIntosh, the pink-haired spokesperson for Clean Water USA.” See what that does? For 12 years, since I graduated from NYU with the master’s in English lit I’ve never figured out how to use, I’ve made a living talking people into acting on, or believing in, or voting for whatever noble, progressive political cause I believe in—and also happens to be paying my bills. I think of myself as a hired gun for the good guy. Going to bed with the knowledge that the majority of your day was spent making the world safer or cleaner or fairer is an amazing feeling. Even when—especially when—the role you have to play to do the work you want to do is not always the most authentic to who you really are. Because, left to my own devices, I’d have the pink hair. I’ve always gravitated toward a more androgynous personal style, a more fluid sexuality. Growing up, I wanted to be Luke and Leia; to my mind, David Bowie’s Gob-

Bec Lorrimer (styled by Yashua Simmons; hair by Lacy Redway at the Wall Group for Deva Curl; makeup by Sir John for L’Oréal Paris; manicure by Kelly B. at Defacto for Dior). McIntosh wears: Jacket, pants, Tibi. Brogues, Church’s. Her own bracelet and watch. For details, see Shopping Guide

POLITICS, NOT AS USUAL

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lin King was way out of poor, sweet, whitedressed Jennifer Connelly’s league in Labyrinth. In college, my uniform consisted of jeans, black tanks, and a ’50s gas-mask bag from the army-navy store, which I carried as a purse. But I knew from the get-go there was no chance I could work in politics dressed like that. So immediately after graduation, I broke up with the 20-hole black Doc Martens that had been the longest relationship of my life. For the first decade of my career, I dressed for interviews or important business meetings with the same mentality I’d have for a date. At 24, I was working as a researcher on the campaign of a New York City borough president, a job that requires the kind of round-the-clock dedication only possible with the utter abdication of style. Running the length of Manhattan and back every day, working late into the night with spreadsheets all over the floor, drafting and perfecting documents that might become city policy, I hardly had time to shower, much less to accessorize. And yet I instinctively knew when the job called for me to look good—not just professional, but good in a way that men would appreciate, men who typically were far older and more important than me, and whose help the campaign needed. In one memorable case, our candidate was working on an issue that a certain man owned in the state legislature; if we were going to wade into the conversation without getting smacked for it, we needed his input and blessing. I was the ambassador sent to get this blessing. So while I showed up for work that day in my standard jeans and campaign tee, before the meeting I changed into my cutest vintage pencil skirt and the four-inch Chinese Laundry heels I’d stuffed in a plastic bodega bag that morning. Did any of my all-male colleagues think the 70

costume change was weird, or even worth noting? Not to my knowledge. To them, these spiffier clothes were just the girl’s version of the suit jacket they all kept hanging on their office doors in case of impromptu meetings. But in my case, the “professional” gear showed off my shape, flattered my legs, and made me a good four inches taller. I wasn’t an office Lolita; I didn’t attempt to seduce bosses. But did I make use of my erotic capital? Hell, yes. I was always aware that I possessed a certain type of prettiness—I can play it up to the point of turning heads, or ignore it completely and receive the same in return. This is a neat trick for inviting or avoiding attention at bars. But, more insidious, it works in the office, too. I understood, even before I graduated from high school, that most bosses were men, and most men were more likely to take the time to notice you were smart if they’d already taken the time to notice (even subliminally) that they vaguely wanted to have sex with you. Otherwise, you risked being invisible. In my late twenties, while I was working as a midlevel press secretary for a senator, I once listened as an older woman helpfully explained the “rule of three” to new interns at the start of a semester: They could show legs, décolletage, or arms, but not all at once. The implication: Turning heads was going to get them noticed, and being noticed was going to count for their careers—they just needed to learn how to do it right. The fact that they were learning the acceptable way to sexually present themselves in an office setting didn’t cause the amount of outrage in this group of young women that one might hope, or really any at all. (Nor do I recall any strenuous objections to the fact that, as supposedly idealistic up-and-coming wonks, we mocked en masse the women who got it wrong: Girls who wore their sheathdresses a

little too short or their heels a little too Forever 21 were labeled “skinterns.”) For years, I obediently wore my skirtsuits and pumps. I kept my hair long, my makeup always on, my smattering of tattoos well hidden. I did my best to emulate the women who seemed to thrive under the male gaze, not the ones who challenged it from the margins. I figured, Hey, we all know it’s tough to get ahead in any male-dominated industry. Just ask female directors, or corporate lawyers, or Silicon Valley engineers. You do what you have to do. Besides, there’s nothing inherently unfeminist about pencil skirts and lipstick. Claire Underwood and Olivia Pope still kick ass in stilettos and buttery silk blouses. (Okay, they’re both fictional, but whatever. It could happen.) Then, six years ago, I switched from working on the Hill to working in feminist politics, first as press secretary and eventually as vice president of communications at EMILY’s List, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice, progressive women. It was my job to help determine our message, the language we’d use to help our candidates, our strategy to fight back against anti-choice legislation. I worked almost exclusively with other women. Inside this odd Washington enclave, looking professional was still a must, but women dressed in whatever the hell they felt like, which turned out to be mostly Tory Burch flats and comfortable, easy dresses. Slowly it dawned on me that my sexual viability vis-à-vis the man across the conference-room table was irrelevant. My ability to hold a room long enough to pitch an idea had nothing to do with my looks. In a case of happy synergy, this feminist immersion collided with two major developments in my life and my understanding of style: One was getting the hell out of my twenties. The other, as luck would have it,

was catalyzed for me in a March 2015 article in ELLE, “Urban Outfitters,” about the rise of androgynous streetwear led by designers such as Shayne Oliver and Telfar Clemens. I loved this stuff. I started paying attention to contemporary fashion, the fun of it, the humor of it, the power of it. Without really knowing it, I had begun to wield this power in my own life, gradually but dramatically overhauling my appearance at work, even as my role became more public. I was speaking at more panels and conferences and appearing on cable television several times a week about whatever issue bubbled up that day. But by then, my heels were long gone, even for fancy events. What was the point, when I could live in Opening Ceremony grunge-soled oxfords and Dries Van Noten metallic brogues—and when designers are making flats that cost as much as pumps and are recognized (outside the Beltway, at least) as every bit the status symbol? At the moment when I was ready to consciously realize and reject the idea that I’d been dressing to please powerful men, here were designers churning out clothes I loved that helped me make a pointed statement about femininity and gender constructs. Today, I wear an AllSaints men’s overcoat with oversize button-downs. My Monrow graphic-print sweatpants cost as much as the leather-paneled pencil skirts that used to populate my closet—and look far cooler. I have a hard time controlling myself around the tomboy-chic offerings at Rag & Bone. I lust after Hood By Air’s tech-canvas crop top—I just don’t know where I’d wear it. I’ve started sporting more visible tattoos; bats and snakes peek out from scoop-necks and sleeveless shirts, and blouses with sheer backs show off the 20-plus hours of work I’ve had done from shoulders to hipbones. And I’ve been doing an aggressively asymmetrical white-blond thing with my now-shorter hair. I wear less makeup. Often, I wear none at all. Even formal balls, which look glamorous from the outside but are, in fact, the bane of every female staffer’s existence (how do you keep up with your boss in those shoes? Where do I carry my phone in this gown?), have become an opportunity for reinvention. I bought a tuxedo. It’s Helmut Lang, and cost far more than I’d ever spent on one of my many now-discarded Karen Millen dresses (purchased because they had pockets and thus a prayer of accommodating business cards). It’s also perfect with the vintage Chanel blouse—cream, with that iconic black piping!—I found at a Paris flea market.

“At the moment when I was ready to consciously realize and reject the idea that I’d been dressing to please powerful men, here were designers churning out clothes I loved that helped me make a pointed statement about femininity and gender.” I love my tux. When I walked a red carpet for the first time in it, I finally stopped diving out of shots, no longer embarrassed to be caught in costume at work. I wonder now how much of my previous allegiance to the standard DC uniform was necessary. Things were different 10 years ago, but maybe not so different that I couldn’t have nudged the Washington norm along just a bit. But maybe at 25, I’d have done it wrong—maybe with the designers available to me then, I couldn’t have struck the right balance of punk and professional. Or maybe Andreja Pejic and Ruby Rose and a riot of men walking down women’s runways had to happen before I could stand up in a boardroom dressed as the best of all genders. I don’t mean to suggest I’ve reached some state of political/personal style zen. Because there are still TV appearances. Something I love—a privilege! A chance to share my opinions about feminism, politics, and news of the day with the world! Except that before I can do that, I have to spend 20 to 30 minutes in the chair getting my hair and makeup done. You know, so that I can look presentable enough to talk about feminism alongside wild-haired men in their sixties who receive a two-minute comband-powder. It’s not that I lack vanity—I like looking good. But TV makeup is not the stuff I’d use if I were going somewhere special for dinner with my boyfriend. It’s thick and powdery; it settles into wrinkles and clogs pores and pulls other unattractive tricks you can’t see onscreen. Though I will say that one glorious time, they gave me false eyelashes. My lashes have always been superskimpy, and these were a revelation. I wore them for two days straight—they looked amazing under my HRC flat-brimmed ball cap. As a society, we’re becoming used to

women in flats and pants at formal events. We no longer think cutting your hair means you’ll never catch a man. But seeing a woman on TV without, at minimum, eyeliner, foundation, mascara, blush, concealer, brows, eye shadow, and lipstick? Radical. She’d look tired, washed out, just…wrong. (Political commentators are rarely as well lit as the gloriously barefaced Alicia Keys on The Voice.) Viewers would never get past the shock to notice we were saying something interesting. Sure, I could refuse the makeup chair. But the same way I once knew a date-ready outfit would help me get noticed in a meeting, I know that on TV, makeup helps me land a point. I don’t want to challenge the audience by daring to go barefaced. I want to land a punch over the potential GOP repeal of abortion rights. I once heard Senator Elizabeth Warren ask a makeup artist to do “as little as possible,” which made me love her even more. But even she isn’t completely immune—no one is. Do you think Rachel Maddow wears that much smoky charcoal eye shadow in her daily life? Never before have women in Washington been so sure that the man in charge wants us to look a certain way. But my own little evolution is proof we can make progress regardless. Style can be even more radical under oppressive circumstances. We can get heard just by being seen—as long as we have the age or the privilege to be a little subversive. Eventually, we’ll enter a gender-binary-smashing world where women can go makeupless on TV and men can go in full-face, and each can be free to identify by whatever pronouns and performances and pants feel right to them. Until then, I’m going to keep my eye on that sleek, formal suit Gabriela Hearst sent down her fall 2017 runway. One day I’ll have the inauguration of a woman president to wear it to. 71

FASHION Hair by Lucas Wilson for Bumble and bumble; makeup by Nancy Sea Siler for Chanel Beauty; manicure by Yuko Wada at Atelier Management for Chanel Beauty; casting by Paul Brickman at Zan Casting; model: Susanne Knipper at the Society Management

First up: Miu Miu’s “sweatsuit” comes with a waist-defining self-tie belt and sportif varsity numbers, natch

Time to step it up, fashletes: Athleisure has gone haute PHOTOGRAPHED BY BEC LORRIMER STYLED BY YASHUA SIMMONS EDITED BY JOANN PAILEY

Embellished-jersey top, $2,740, pants, $1,235, belt, all, MIU MIU, miumiu .com. Steel, pink rubellite, white lacquer, and ceramic watch, BULGARI, $6,300. Lambskin sneakers, PIERRE HARDY, $595. For details, see Shopping Guide.

RUNNING CLUB The track-pant trend proves its endurance—here, the latest to take you from barre class to the bar

TRY THESE!

Denim jacket, $905, cotton shirt, $661, both, OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH, off---white .com. Silk pants, CHLOÉ, $1,695. Suede pumps, MANOLO BLAHNIK, $725. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Chas Tenenbaum chic Nylon track pants, NAUTICA, $98, similar styles at nautica.com

STYLIST’S TIP

To elevate the look, swap sneakers for super-pared-down slingbacks—nothing that competes with the pant.

Snap front: Be as open as you like! Umbro woven track pants, FENTY PUMA BY RIHANNA, $170, puma.com

Hair by Lucas Wilson for Bumble and bumble; makeup by Nancy Sea Siler for Chanel Beauty; manicure by Yuko Wada at Atelier Management for Chanel Beauty; casting by Paul Brickman at Zan Casting; model: Susanne Knipper at the Society Management; stills: Richard Majchrzak/Studio D (styled by Jill Telesnicki for R.J. Bennett Represents); for details, see Shopping Guide

Rainbow, for the retro-Olympiad Fleece jersey track pants, ALEXACHUNG, $245, alexachung.com

join the club

Photographed by Tyler Joe

CARTE BLANCHE

How to make the überclassic (and überessential) white shirt your own? Let us count the ways.…

TRY THESE!

Puff sleeve Poplin shirt, KATE SPADE NEW YORK, $148, katespade.com

Tie-front Stretch poplin shirt, DONNA KARAN NEW YORK, $150, collection at Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide

Cutouts (to button or not) Cotton shirt, MILLY, $325, at Milly, NYC

Pleated hem Cotton poplin shirt, CH CAROLINA HERRERA, $310, at CH Carolina Herrera, NYC

Cropped Cotton shirt, KHAITE, $520, collection at By George, Austin, TX

STYLIST’S TIP

The devil’s in the details: Cuff it, tuck it, tie it—this top is a blank canvas for your personality.

Cotton shirt, $1,290, leather skirt, $3,990, both, CAROLINA HERRERA, at Carolina Herrera, L.A. Gold earrings, SOPHIE BILLE BRAHE, $4,588. Gold and diamond necklace, $4,095, gold, enamel, and diamond medallion, $1,550, diamond link, $550, all, FOUNDRAE. Rose gold bangles, both, ROBERTO COIN, $980– $3,440 each. Cotton socks, FALKE, $24. Leather ankle boots, GIANVITO ROSSI, $1,075. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Sparkly trim Embellished cotton shirt, ADAM LIPPES, $950, collection at matchesfashion.com

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Svend Lindbaek (prop styling by Peter Tran for Art Department); for details, see Shopping Guide

GET PUNK’D

The rebel favorite is reborn with artful lacing and superdetailed soles EDITED BY MARIA DUEÑAS JACOBS

Leather ankle boot, PROENZA SCHOULER, $995, at Proenza Schouler, NYC

Leather ankle boot, SERGIO ROSSI, $1,495, sergiorossi.com

THE

SUNNIE SKINNY PRESENTED BY FOSTER GRANT ® FOR THE MANY SHADES OF YOUª

Nothing turns up the heat on a summer look like the right pair of shades. It-girl Kat Graham shows us how it’s done, mastering the season’s biggest sunglass trends from Foster Grant®, the iconic brand that is synonymous with great style, craftsmanship, and value.

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FLATOUT COOL

Stay ahead of the fashion pack with super-flat lenses— lenses with no curve at all. This pair marries an ultraglam shape with a mirrored smoke lens for a modern look that’s so in-the-know.

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TREND:

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SPOT ON! The delightful dot—with its retro associations and graphic appeal—livens up every look in the book

EDITED BY JENNIFER GACH

Silk-corded earrings, REBECCA DE RAVENEL, $345, rebeccaderavenel.com

Steel and gemstone watch on leather strap, FENDI, fendi.com

Leather handbag, LOEWE, $2,850, collection at Barneys New York

Gold-plated silver ring, OFFICINA BERNARDI, $390, officinabernardi.com

Mesh pump, JIMMY CHOO, $775, at select Jimmy Choo stores nationwide

For details, see Shopping Guide

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Black DLC titanium and sapphire watch on alligator strap, ROGER DUBUIS, $17,400, rogerdubuis.com

White gold, diamond, and sapphire necklace, BULGARI, call 800-BULGARI

White gold, sapphire, onyx, and diamond bracelet, CARTIER, available by appointment only, call 800-CARTIER

Sapphire and diamond earrings, GRAFF, at Graff, NYC

Sapphire and diamond ring, NIKOS KOULIS, collection at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC

For details, see Shopping Guide

blues with classic sapphires—plus a few of their sparkliest best friends

CONNECT FOUR Get a head start on fall with a quartet of instant classics to wear right now—and forever 1

HOUSE PROUD

Burberry’s tasteful new tophandle, the DK88—so named for the honey-colored gabardine from which the British house fashions its iconic trenches—is made of leather grained to mimic the fabric’s weave. It comes in seven styles and nine colorways, but we fell hard for the graphic yet discreet black and white (very The Crown!)

Leather handbag, BURBERRY, $2,495, burberry.com 2

CURVES AHEAD

Bracelet: Devon Jarvis/Studio D; watch: Richard Majchrzak/Studio D

In an effort to capture the backstage drama that precedes a fashion show—the lights! The nerves! The energy!— footwear maestro Giuseppe Zanotti found a new application for an old technique. This extra-hot-pink wedge (sure to draw glances with or without a runway or supermodel status) owes its ultrasaturated shade to its flocked texture. Sprayed-leather wedge sandal, GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI, $995, giuseppezanottidesign.com 3

MATCH POINT

With power suits ruling fall runways, we’re definitely reliving an ’80s moment, fashionwise at least. The perfect accessory? Le Vian’s diamond Bolo bracelet, a nostalgic yet modern riff on the “tennis” number that earned its nickname when legend Chris Evert stopped a match during the ’87 U.S. Open to retrieve hers from the court. A feminist twist: Its clever design allows for onehanded fastening. Sisters are doing it for themselves. Gold and diamond bracelet, LE VIAN, $11,047, levian.com

TOP OF THE HOUR

In a sea of tech-driven timepieces, Tiffany expands its Metro line of sleek, diamondinlaid jewelry with the überluxe Metro watch. It may not track your breathing, but its on-trend rose gold, diamond-surrounded bezel and pastel alligator strap are sure to quicken the pulse. Rose gold and diamond watch on alligator strap, TIFFANY & CO., $12,000, call 800-843-3269

First up: Nicolas Ghesquière’s racingstriped moto for Louis Vuitton

GO, SPEED RACER!

Taking the mania for haute hoodies and street-inspired athleticism up a notch, designers delve into the specifics of the track (and the court, and the paddock) for a revved-up take on extracurricular chic EDITED BY JADE FRAMPTON

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES Luxe leather and fiery accents declare a need for speed

Silver earrings, TACORI, $250, tacori.com

Steel watch on leather strap, OMEGA, $8,450, omegawatches.com

Lambskin pants, ZADIG & VOLTAIRE, $993, zadig-et-voltaire.com

Leather gloves, AGNELLE, $195, collection at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC

Calfskin boot, THE ROW, $1,390, at The Row, L.A.

Wool sweater, P_JEAN, $320, at Pinko, NYC

BACK IN THE SADDLE

ZA TU AL

UNDER $300

Even non-equestrians will be champing at the bit

Suede handbag, VINCE CAMUTO, $278, vince camuto.com Wool knit turtleneck, BECKEN, $725, collection at saksfifthavenue.com

UNDER $175 Polyamide jacket, GANT, $150, gant.com

STYLIST’S TIP

A peek of Edwardian collar adds drama to a classic crewneck.

Sunglasses, BLAKE KUWAHARA EYEWEAR, $599, blakekuwahara.com

Cotton mélange pants, MARISSA WEBB, $398, collection at modaoperandi.com

TT BO

V GA

A ET

Silk blouse, SANDRO, $395, at Sandro, NYC

Leather boot, THE FRYE COMPANY, $428, thefrye company.com

Runway: Imaxtree.com (2); stills: Richard Majchrzak/Studio D (styled by Anita Salerno for R.J. Bennett Represents); for details, see Shopping Guide

Leather jacket, LA PERLA, $3,070, at La Perla, NYC

COOL RUNNINGS

Track-star staples and oversize fleece master the new cool

White gold and diamond stud earrings, HEARTS ON FIRE, $1,990, heartsonfire.com

Leather backpack, ANYA HINDMARCH, $1,995, anyahindmarch.com

UNDER $125

STYLIST’S TIP

Block-heel T-straps add a sure-footed element of surprise.

Nylon and velvettrim track pants, PYER MOSS, $375, pyermoss.com

Velvet pump, COLE HAAN, $450, colehaan.com

UNDER $125

UNDER $100

Stainless steel watch, NIXON, $100, nixon.com

Cotton T-shirt, J BRAND, $78, jbrandjeans.com

É LO

HOOP DREAMS

Throwback sneakers and team tees make a courtside statement

Cashmere and silk T-shirt, THE ELDER STATESMAN, $585, collection at barneys.com

French terry hoodie, WILDFOX, $118, wildfox.com

Pavé bracelet in gold and silver vermeil, EDDIE BORGO, $300, eddieborgo.com

Quilted duffle bag, ALDO, $55, aldoshoes.com

Leather skirt, LONGCHAMP, $1,075, at Longchamp boutiques nationwide

UNDER $125

UNDER $75

Leather sneaker, NIKE, $95, nike.com

O HO

Cap, PUBLIC SCHOOL, $65, publicschoolnyc.com

UNDER $100

Runway: Imaxtree.com (2); stills: Richard Majchrzak/Studio D (styled by Anita Salerno for R.J. Bennett Represents); for details, see Shopping Guide

Fleece pullover, PATAGONIA, $119, patagonia.com

ALREADY THE #1 OTC ACNE PRODUCT IN DRUGSTORES After 30 years, there’s finally a different active ingredient in the acne aisle. One that you could only get from a doctor before. Differin® Gel has a multi-benefit RETINOID called adapalene that clears your acne where it starts, prevents future breakouts, and as a result, restores your skin’s natural tone and texture.

TRAINING DAY

These days, the label you wear in (and out of) the gym is a critical extension of personal style. Here, four indie brands the cool girls are hot for now

Like supermodels, athletic brands are nothing without a cult following. So frequently has Gigi Hadid been spotted in her favorite sports bra, a racer-back by London-based label LNDR—known for minimalist color blocking and “smart” fabrics that boast temperature-regulating technology and antimicrobial properties—what else could it be called but the “Squad Bra”? It’s the perfect way for Hadid to show off the abs she sculpts (in New York City, at least) with Gotham Gym founder Rob Piela. (Complete the pugilist-chic effect with Reebok’s Noble Fight Trainer boxing boot.) The perfect recovery meal for the LNDR girl? Hadid swears by Noho fave The Smile’s protein-packed all-American breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, and, yes, bacon! 94

P.E NATION

What’s a reality star–turned– beauty entrepreneur to do when it’s time to maintain her worldfamous, er, assets? Surprisingly, Kylie Jenner reaches for the basics. Well, at least an elevated take on sporty staples, courtesy of Aussie label P.E Nation. We’d love to see her round out the look with Puma’s Velvet Rope sneakers. The layered shorts and racing-stripe separates will transport you right back to high school gym class, minus the whistleblowing coach (unless you’re into that kind of thing). Much of the Kardashian-Jenner clan takes its orders from longtime celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, who also keeps the L.A. Lakers in fighting form. Among his tricks to keep even the most jaded of clients/athletes engaged? The bright yellow Hummer parked inside his gym, to which he attaches battle ropes for them to swing. Only in Hollywood, folks.

LIVE THE PROCESS

Favored by recovering bunheads, lithe supes (Jourdan Dunn), and other introspective souls en route to selfactualization, Live The Process was launched by New York fashion publicist Robyn Berkley. The label’s ballet-inspired corset unitards, bustier bras, and high-waist leggings are the thing to wear among the potted plants and stuffed-giraffe mascot (long and lean is the mantra here) at Manhattan’s hipper-thanthou Sky Ting Yoga studios. Complete the transformation while sipping a turmeric latte after a stint in Sky Ting’s Higher Dose infrared sauna.

NO KA ’OI

No time to hit the gym because you’re #nevernotworking? Let Miami-based Snapchat sensation @YesJulz—who turned partying into a lifestyle brand with 1AM Vibes— be your spirit animal. She rocks ruffle-waisted and crystal-covered No Ka ’Oi leggings 24/7. While these pieces (manufactured by Rilievi, an Italian manufacturer that does specialty work for Prada and others) might be a hazard on, say, a treadmill, in the club they scream, Watch me sweat. In need of motivational beats (Julz swears by Pell, Sampha, and Twelve’Len to get her through the grind)? Only the finest of headphones will match a disco ball–rivaling derriere: At $14,500, Happy Plugs 18-karat gold earbuds cost the same as a six-week course with celeb-beloved trainer Peterson.

Hadid and turmeric latte: Getty Images; breakfast plate: courtesy of The Smile; Hummer: Alamy; Jenner and Dunn: Instagram; yoga class: courtesy of Sky Ting Yoga; @YesJulz: Gerry Laureus

LNDR

MOVIES, BOOKS, MUSIC, MORE!

HUSTLE & FLOW In the Sundance breakout Patti

Hair by Johnnie Sapong at the Wall Group for Toni + Guy; makeup by Natasha Severino at Forward Artists for Nars; manicure by Ashlie Johnson at the Wall Group for Chanel; produced by Joy Asbury Productions; fashion assistant: Mark-Paul Barro. Macdonald wears: Shirt, Melissa McCarthy Seven7. T-shirt, PLY428. Jeans, Good American. Earrings, Ana Khouri. For details, see Shopping Guide

Cake$, Danielle Macdonald brings to life a new hip-hop heroine. By Seth Plattner

If we told you before this year’s Sundance Film Festival that 26-year-old Danielle Macdonald could spit with Nicki-level swagger, we’d understand if you didn’t believe us. After all, Macdonald, who grew up in a small Australian beach town and had never rapped a single rhyme, was barely known in Hollywood, her credits consisting of bit parts—such as a member of an anarchist group in the 2013 film The East—and being cast as the lead in ABC Family’s 2010 dramedy series Huge (until her visa didn’t come through). But when Macdonald debuted as MC-in-the-making Patti in director Geremy Jasper’s Patti Cake$—about a struggling Jersey bartender with rap-star dreams and a screw-the-haters attitude—she caused a who’s-that-girl frenzy on par with previous festival breakouts Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious). In 2014, Jasper cast Macdonald after seeing her in The East, and the two spent weeks honing Patti. At first, “she was a little cut-and-dried,” Macdonald says. “Patti is tough and knows what she wants, but I wanted to find all her weaknesses— her inner turmoil, her self-doubt—in order to eventually get to her strength.” Then, for the next year and a half, Macdonald immersed herself in hip-hop culture while working on her own flow. “I listened to Nicki, Jay Z, Kendrick—and a lot of Biggie,” says Macdonald, who’ll be on the film’s soundtrack rapping about everything from sex to body image to the struggles of the working class. “Biggie helped me find that relaxed confidence Patti needed.” As for Macdonald ’s rap future? “I think I’ll leave it with Patti,” she says. “Geremy wrote everything; I just performed it. So I’ll still just, I don’t know, rap along in the car.” 97

INFERNAL MACHINE

Aubrey Plaza shines darkly in a savagely funny comedy about a pathologically needy woman on a social media rampage—a Single White Female for our time. By Ben Dickinson The arrival of Ingrid Goes West this month portends all kinds of good news for American comedies. The feature debut of 33-year-old cowriter and director Matt Spicer announces him as a serious talent—one whose take on our cultural preoccupations wields a sly but lethal satirical edge. It also answers the question of what O’Shea Jackson Jr., who was electrifying two years ago playing his father, Ice Cube, in Straight Outta Compton, has been up to; here, he enjoys a juicy, against-type role as Dan Pinto, a somewhat goofy and slightly too gullible Batmanfanboy screenwriter with a heart of gold. But most of all, Ingrid Goes West is a slamdunk personal best for coproducer Aubrey Plaza, who turns the very tricky lead role into a triumph. Perhaps not since the heyday of Lucille Ball has a female comedian had the kind of resourcefully crazy eyes that Plaza flashes; her kohl-lined saucers silently express elo98

quent volumes about the absurdities of life and human relationships. Plaza has long specialized in an intelligently loopy brand of deadpan sass—as April Ludgate on NBC’s hit show Parks and Recreation; in a string of screen comedies (last year’s Dirty Grandpa, for example) that have mostly failed to do right by her (she was great in 2009’s Funny People as the proverbial Girl Next Door, but the screen was crowded with more established stars); and as a favored (and reliably hilarious) guest on every late-night talk show. And wow, is she good at it. But Plaza’s lead role here as Ingrid Thorburn sees her deepen and darken her talent in ways that add a whole new dimension of pathos to her take on the human condition. For Thorburn is a victim of some kind of personality disorder, as we gather from the get-go when she riotously invades the wedding reception of a hapless social media “friend” who didn’t invite her to the nuptials. Thorburn’s loose grasp of the line between fantasy and reality is manifested in her apparent conviction that she can somehow crawl into other people’s (real, daily) lives via their apps and feeds. As such, she vividly demonstrates how technology has weaponized the capabilities of those who would stalk unsuspecting victims the way she does. She may be a horror show in the making, but it is—weirdly—almost impossible to not root for her. After coming into a small inheritance, Thorburn goes in search of something to

bring fresh meaning to her life, which seems to have come to a dead end. She discovers her new muse while lolling in her bathtub and looking through a fictional issue of ELLE, in the Living section of which she encounters a feature on one Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen, who’s altogether differently employed elsewhere on the big screen this month—see our short take on Wind River on the next page). Sloane appears to be living a picture-perfect life in Venice Beach, California—and seemingly within hours, Thorburn has sublet an apartment from Pinto in order to invade Sloane’s world. Using Sloane’s social media feeds as a treasure map, Thorburn achieves her mission with chilling efficiency; soon she’s hobnobbing with Sloane and her boho-artist husband, Ezra (Wyatt Russell), in their chic SoCal bungalow, embarking on day trips with her new bestie and joining a charmed circle of Hollywood glamour-pusses, including— very inconveniently for Thorburn—Sloane’s visiting brother, Nicky (Billy Magnussen, in hilarious over-the-top bro mode). Among the impressive achievements of Ingrid Goes West is that, against all odds, Spicer brings this train wreck of a narrative arc to a twisty, satisfying, and supremely ironic ending. Without feeling the least bit didactic, the film succeeds in demonstrating that our smart phones are making us stupid crazy—and, though we hardly need reminding, that no one’s life is all it’s cracked up to be on Instagram.

This page: Courtesy of Neon. Opposite page, clockwise from top right: Fred Hayes; Momentum Pictures; Getty Images; Jake Giles Netter (2)

Plaza as the scheming Thorburn

TRUST US

FAMILY CIRCUS

The roiling blockbuster memoir The Glass Castle could hardly have gotten a more simpatico director to adapt it for the big screen It’s not hard to imagine that Destin Daniel Cretton felt, well, destined to bring Jeannette Walls’s 2005 best-seller, The Glass Castle—about growing up in an itinerant family with two sisters, a brother, and parents who could be called (with considerable charity) eccentric—vividly to the big screen (he both cowrote the script and directed the film). “I connected with it on so many levels. I wanted to be involved in any way I could,” says Cretton, 38, who grew up on Maui in a family with six kids—albeit, he hastens to add, in far happier circumstances than young Jeannette endured. Cretton related deeply to the grittier, desperate elements in Walls’s story because, between graduating from college and attending film school, he worked for two years as a counselor in a group home for at-risk teens. That experience directly inspired and informed his critically adored 2013 indie, Short Term 12—which also gave Brie Larson her breakout film role as a counselor who is herself deeply troubled. So it seemed like kismet when Larson came on board to play Jeannette in the

new project—and also when Woody Harrelson agreed to play Walls’s father, Rex. “Brie and Woody have a really profound connection,” Cretton says, “going back to the very complicated father-daughter relationship they played in Rampart,” a widely admired 2011 film about a corrupt Los Angeles policeman and his family. Naomi Watts affectingly plays Jeannette’s inscrutable, excitable mother, Rose Mary, who pursued her dream of being a painter through all the havoc of family life. In dramatizing the Walls saga from Jeannette’s early childhood to her midlife career transition from gossip columnist to freelance writer, The Glass Castle employs a head-spinning 13 actors, both child and adult, to portray the Walls kids. Ella Anderson in particular does a spectacular job as the preteen Jeannette, whose uncritical adoration of her father, Rex—a dreamer who can’t ever settle down to a steady job—goes through a sea change as she becomes aware of the cost her family is paying for his mercurial scheming and obsessive fantasies. Cretton credits the film’s impressive sense of flow through all these personnel changes to the fact that the actors got together to work on their characters before filming began. The central drama of how they all survived, and even in some cases made peace with their incorrigibly nonconformist parents in the wake of extreme dysfunction, is a marvel to behold. “I really identified,” Cretton says, “with the siblings bonding together to get through the ups and downs of family life.”—B.D.

HIGH LONESOME

Actor, screenwriter (Hell or High Water, Sicario), and now big-time director Taylor Sheridan stages a taut contemporary tale of horror and vengeance on a Native American reservation in Wind River, amid a Wyoming landscape of devastating beauty and majestic desolation. A sultry, soulful Jeremy Renner plays a local game tracker who helps a seemingly out-of-her-depth FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) get the grim job done.

LADIES’ NIGHT

Toni Collette shines brightest among a quartet of un–Bad Moms (also including Molly Shannon, Bridget Everett, and Katie Aselton) in Fun Mom Dinner, which lifts our heroines from disenchantment with parenthood to high-spirited After Hours–style adventure, largely at the expense of good-humored hubbies (Rob Huebel, Adam Scott) and stray encounters (Paul Rudd, Adam Levine).

Harrelson as Rex Walls and family; (above) Larson, Cretton, and Harrelson on set

GIANT LEAPS

In the moving, mesmerizing documentary Step, high school seniors Blessin, Cori, and Tayla get a leg up on their flickering college dreams via the step-dancing team at their West Baltimore charter school. Watching this trio overcome trip wires as basic as having no food at home and trying to study when the electricity gets shut off makes you marvel at their persistence—and their resilience.—B.D.

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window, a fire escape, and an artisanal bottle of beer. Later, she tries to free herself from her lust for him by examining, in the dusky late-afternoon light, the diamond N and sapphire engagement ring on SE her finger from Khalil. “It looks like somebody else’s hand, a woman she would like to become someday. A fiancée. The hand of a special somebody.… The ring is evidence that she is a part of this tribe— herself, Khalil, Lisa, their friends—a tangle of mud-colored New People who have come to carry the nation—blood-soaked, guilty of everything of which it has been accused—into the future.”

TRUST US

Lizzie Borden reimagined, Hollywood reexamined, and family tales of the heart Schmidt’s recasting of one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time.

If you ever thought Lizzie Borden was framed, you’ll dig See What I Have Done (Atlantic Monthly Press), Sarah

If Hollywood’s treatment of women leaves you wanting, you’ll find good, heady company in Carina Chocano’s essay collection, You Play the Girl (Mariner). Why, Chocano asks, does the ingenue have to choose between marriage and death?

If 1970s Greenwich Village is a magical place and time for you, read Tamara Shopsin’s memoir, Arbitrary Stupid Goal (MCD). One letter between Shopsin’s parents: “Kenny, I love you! Please stop being angry at me. I promise never to put gum in your armpit again. I can’t sleep without you. Eve.” If road trips transport you, jump into Sara

Taylor’s dazzling novel The Lauras (Hogarth), about a mother and gender-fluid child discovering each other. “I’ll tell you everything once we’re out of here,” Ma tells Alex. “You can’t keep a secret to save your life, kid. It shows all over your face.”—L.S.

Senna: Mara Casey

In her latest novel, New People (Riverhead), Danzy Senna bores into the dynamics of race, identity, heritage, poverty, and privilege in contemporary America, exposing the pride and promises of change therein, as well as the pitfalls and pathologies. Agile and ambitious, the novel is also a wild-hearted romance about secrets and obsessions, a dramedy of manners about educated middle-class blacks—the talented tenth—that is Senna’s authorial home ground. One critic, in reviewing Senna’s 2009 memoir, Where Did You Sleep Last Night?, about her writer parents’ marriage and divorce, and her father’s disappearance from her life, called her trenchant observations on America’s fixation with race “nod-inducingly brilliant.” That brilliance is on display in New People. Senna herself is mixed-race—her mother, a poet, is white and a Boston blue blood; her father, a poet, author, professor, and editor, is of African American and Mexican heritage. Senna first claimed this narrative territory as a 28-year-old in her breakout best-selling 1998 novel, Caucasia, which won multiple awards and quickly became required reading on English and African American college-course syllabi. The female protagonist of New People, Maria, shares some of Senna’s biographical outlines: Maria refers to herself as a “quadroon” adopted and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by a single mom, Gloria, who struggled for years but never was able to complete her dissertation at Harvard. Maria meets Khalil— who “grew up in a liberal, humanist, multiracial family, oblivious to his own blackness,” when they are students at Stanford—after he’d broken up with his white girlfriend. “Maria liked to joke that she was his transitional object,” Senna writes. “He was morphing into a race man before her very eyes.” Now it is 1996, and they’re engaged and living together in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood. “Interspersed among the old guard—the Jamaican ladies with their folding chairs, the churchy men in their brown polyester suits—are the ones who have just

Danzy Senna deftly returns to the subjects of race and individuality in her new book. By Lisa Shea

THE COLOR BIND

arrived. It is subtle, this shift, almost imperceptible. When Maria blurs her eyes right it doesn’t appear to be happening. They dance together at house parties in the dark. If I ruled the world they sing, their voices rising as one, Imagine that. I’d free all my sons.” Maria is trying to finish her PhD dissertation on the ethnomusicological component of Jim Jones’s ill-fated Peoples Temple, while Khalil pursues his dream of establishing a successful community-building start-up. They are also the featured couple in a documentary being filmed about the blending and intermingling of races by a Scandinavian filmmaker who believes that “a new race will be born from these New People.” Inconveniently, as wedding plans shape up, Maria becomes obsessed with a tall black poet she meets at a reading with Khalil and his younger sister, Lisa. “The thought of him makes her not so much relax as it seems to transport her, electrified, to a secret, happy place.… The light in the scenes that play in her mind is grainy and muted, like clips from an old movie…maybe Klute. She imagines them together inside one of those movies, where the women had real faces and drooping, small breasts and the men were dirty and sly.” Senna is a master at unmasking the conflicted psyches as well as the societal pressures of her high-achieving yet vulnerable characters. Midnovel, Maria acts on her fantasies about the poet in an elaborate and unsettling episode that involves a case of mistaken identity, a random baby, an open

“Most narrative is part purpose, part accident, and the messiness of life always pulses up against the myth,” writes Anne Gisleson in her affecting new memoir, The Futilitarians: Our Year of Thinking, Drinking, Grieving, and Reading (Little, Brown). This book’s narrative does just that, charting one year in the life of an unusual New Orleans–based book club, dreamed up by the author as a way to cope with personal tragedy (through literature, friends…and wine). Authors have used the book-club backdrop before—Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran on one end of the spectrum, Sophie Hart’s The Naughty Girls’ Book Club on the other. Gisleson’s Existential Crisis Reading Group, or ECRG, is made up of an eclectic crew of friends and relatives (among them a professor, a plumber, and a burlesque MC) living in post-Katrina New Orleans, for whom “flux was the norm—divorces, jobs lost, jobs gained, children birthed, children considered, sustained economic insecurity, and unexpected windfalls.” Gisleson’s 102

so n

catastrophe doubles as a communal tale of redemption. By Keziah Weir

sle

MISERY’S COMPANY One woman’s memoir of

almost surrealist addition to the canon—so much goes so wrong for so many of the book club’s members—manages to drive the reader outside herself and into the hardships of others, while promoting deep introspection: the mark of truly great writing. The author’s pain centers on the deaths of her youngest siblings, twin sisters who, in their midtwenties, committed suicide just a year and a half apart. Using the ECRG’s wide-sweeping monthly readings as a metaphysical guide (they range from Ecclesiastes to the Polish writer Tadeusz Borowski’s short-story collection about his time in the Dachau and Auschwitz death camps), Gisleson brings the texts to life while plumbing the depths of her feelings about her sisters, their parents, motherhood, daughterhood, and romantic love. Never does she dip a toe into the clichéd or saccharine. Employing a Dave Eggers–esque eye for specificity and the absurd, Gisleson conjures the strange beauty of her world: the “Great Disgorging,” when Katrina victims purged ruined belongings from their houses and the streets were filled with rubble; a semisecularized, interactive reimagination of the Way of the Cross (renamed the “Way of the Crisis”); failing the “Test of the Open Bar” by overdoing it on drinks with names like Night of Deepening Memory (which has something, but not everything, to do with the Metaphysical Hangover). Indeed, Eggers himself recommends the book to all who love “existential literature, or New Orleans, or your family, or are curious about the meaning of life.” One definition of existentialism is the idea that we, as humans, have agency over our i G actions through free will. In a year when much of life can feel overwhelming and out of control, Gisleson’s writing provides a reminder that one of life’s sole inevitabilities is its penchant for change—and, indeed, our capacity to influence those changes. At one point, she describes a family trip to Mexico, where she and her husband and young sons happen upon an enormous tree filled with egrets—though “common enough in south Louisiana, I’d never seen this before, in the middle of a town, so many high up in a tree”—and she is struck at once by the birds’ arresting beauty, their cacophonous noise, and “the sharp odor of their nesting.” After a minute, Gisleson writes, she and her family “continued down, avoiding the shit-covered paths below the cathedral of egrets, which wasn’t difficult, because there were lots of other paths to take.”

TECH LOVE

Ellen Ullman sees beauty in the machine. By Jessica Bennett In Ellen Ullman’s world, code isn’t merely keystrokes; it’s personality, creativity, innovation, and life. To read it is to “get a glimpse of the person on the other side,” she writes in her new memoir–meets– cultural history, Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology (MCD). Ullman is a rare breed, a writer and former software engineer (her first book, Close to the Machine, is a techy cult classic), and she offers a vivid, gripping window into what it is to be shaped by keyboard characters and machine, in which a single wrong tap can bring entire systems crashing down. “Women were just starting to poke their shoulder pads through crowds of men,” Ullman has written of the early 1980s, when she was one of a very few women in computing. But Life in Code isn’t focused on what it is to be a female per se. Rather, it is a stream of staccatolike depictions from Ullman’s 40-plusyear career. She describes turning down a job from Google’s Larry Page and engaging in an e-mail relationship with a guy who could only express his feelings through the medium of code. She writes poignant passages about love, animals, and artificial intelligence. How do computers think? she wonders. To readers who may not know the lingo—abend (another word for “crash”), Unix, COBOL— prepare for a learning curve. But there are also relatable observations: Those who can’t “do” become project managers, a common tech-world dis. Ullman relishes tech’s beauty while fearing what it has created: Before the Web, “if you wanted to sustain a belief in farfetched ideas, you had to go out into the desert, or live on a compound in the mountains.… But now, without leaving home…you can divorce yourself from the consensus on what constitutes ‘truth .’ ” She leaves it to “a new generation…to turn a sharp eye” and come up with a fix.

Photographed by Tyler Joe

always on

Brendan Freeman

POWER PL AYERS

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Styling Pudding keeps curls conditioned all day long.

This month, inspiration surges through us like adrenaline, in the form of aboutto-be-huge hairstylists with talent flying from their shears; dreadlocks and mermaid-esque cascades that make up the best manes in the business; and all the science-backed breakthrough tech, gear—and skinsmoothing lattes!—to make you your gleaming-est, strongest self. EDITED BY EMILY DOUGHERTY

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FIGHTS 5 SIGNS OF DAMAGE

WEAK, DRY, DULL, ROUGH HAIR – AND SPLIT ENDS

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HAIR APPARENT

With Instagram feeds that showcase their truly spotlight-stealing styles (their work is that elusive mix of edge, elegance, and awesome), these four ascendant hair superstars have inspiration—and tips—in spades. Take a look at their creations below, and be the first of your friends to follow them. By Cotton Codinha

ASHLEY LYNN HALL

@hairbyashleyh L.A.-based Ashley Lynn Hall received her first curling iron in first grade, and the rest is history. The hair savant’s tastes range from “supersmooth and slickedback with a center or deep side part” to rich-with-whimsy fishtail braids to billowing, wild curls. To keep flyaways at bay, Hall loves Oribe Superfine Hair Spray. “It sprays a perfect mist every time and has amazing hold ,” Hall says. Between washes, she works a few drops of Bumble and bumble All-Style Blow Dry into oily roots and then blasts hair with a dryer. “It removes all the oil, as if your hair were freshly washed. ”

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@rubi_jones Unfurling sleek, tightly woven plaits (below) adds major texture to hair—hopefully as much as the model’s shown here.

RUBI JONES

@rubi_jones “I grew up in a big, tight-knit Mexican family in San Diego and Tijuana, and just about every family gathering at my house included perm rods and highlighting caps on someone’s head,” Rubi Jones says. The author of 2015’s The Art of Hair: The Ultimate DIY Guide to Braids, Buns, Curls, and More has since refined her sensibility—interlocking braids and cornrows framed by halos of careful baby-hair curls are featured prominently on her feed, but her styling must-have remains reliably old-school: Jones swears by L’Oréal Paris Elnett hairspray (she picks up the European version while seeing clients in Paris). “It’s lightweight enough that it works on the finest of hair and can be built up for thicker hair without looking crunchy or greasy, or weighing it down.”

@priscillaurrutia Thick corkscrews and playful, fine lengths—which are both celebrated on her feed—require different products to make them sing.

PRISCILLA URRUTIA

@priscillaurrutia Arizona-based Priscilla Urrutia finds herself musing about time while she’s working—“how fast it passes, how it’s affected by the environment, either personal or not.” Though the styles she curates in her social media range from high-fashion punk to free, natural curls, the execution is consistently flawless. To perfect the subtly mussed look of an ’80s mullet (or any short style,like the lob below), Urrutia recommends going for ultrapiecey with R+Co Mannequin Styling Paste. “It’s a great grooming product for shorter cuts, but it can also be used on a variety of textures for superdefinition and moisture.”

@bokheehair Chopra’s mussed magic, as well as scraped-back, sophisticated dos like the one below, are among the stylist’s zillion specialties.

BOK-HEE

@bokheehair “I get my current inspiration from children’s hair,” says NYC-based Bok-Hee, who brings a hint of that playful spirit to her styling. One of her zany master tips: creating texture backstage for runway models by using static electricity from a balloon (as she did for designer Tracy Reese). Given the silky, tossed-about waves (could this look Hee did for Priyanka Chopra radiate Montauk beach vibes any harder?) and perfectly ’70s, glossy, face-framing lengths on her Instagram, it’s no surprise that Hee’s hero product is a simple conditioner. “My current favorite is Pantene Pro-V Smooth & Sleek. You can put it on wet or dry hair, rinse it off or not, all depending on the look you want.”

Top row, from left: photo by @angelamarklew; photo by Yudi Ela; photo by Matt Martian; bottom row, center right: photo by @hilaryramos

@hairbyashleyh The key to fishtail braids: Sleep on them to get this killer wispy effect.

SHE’S ELECTRIC Stylists who have coiffed every high-profile head at Fashion Week know a dynamo when they see one. Here, hair gurus share the looks they’re loving. By Megan O’Neill

ZOË KR AVITZ

JOURDAN DUNN

ANNA EWERS

Sure, she has acting chops and eyeballscorching beauty, but part of Zoë Kravitz’s allure comes from her unique personal style. “She can do anything with her hair, from twisted locs to high-lift looks,” says Guido Palau, who advises platinum-obsessed clients (especially African Americans with fragile curl patterns) to investigate potential colorists on Instagram before booking an appointment, to make sure the pro is seasoned at bleaching textured hair.

Not everyone can add a silver tint to her hair and look impossibly sleek. (And perhaps only Jourdan Dunn can rock sterling strands with metallic eye shadow to utter bombshell effect.) “I love that she changes her hair—the length, texture, color—almost weekly,” Tippi Shorter says. “My favorite is when she has a lob.” The shoulder-grazing chop can suit anyone, since “where you place the part is what determines the best fit for your face.”

Even though “incredible mullets at the airport and tightly braided looks on the subway” often turn his head, James Pecis is most compelled right now by the bohemian rhapsody that is German model Anna Ewers’s breezy waves, which he calls “fabulously undone with just the right amount of movement.”

In addition to a weekly cocooning treatment—try REDKEN Extreme Mega Mask— white-blond strands benefit from a leave-in, such as VERNON FRANÇOIS Braids and Locs Spray.

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Chosen by Tippi Shorter, Aveda Artistic Director for Textured Hair

For ultrastraight styles, Shorter can’t live without the ISO BEAUTY Super Spectrum flatiron. To ward off frizz, she spritzes AVEDA Air Control Light Hold Hair Spray a few inches away from the head—instead of shellacking with a direct blast.

Chosen by James Pecis, Oribe Global Ambassador

Vital to keeping things exquisitely mussed versus flat-out messy is stocking the appropriate products for one’s texture: Fine hair gains a sexy touch of grit from ORIBE Matte Waves, while those with corkscrews benefit from a defining curl cream, such as NEXXUS City Shield Sheer Frizz Resistance DD Crème.

Kravitz and Dunn: Getty Images; Ewers: Imaxtree.com; Palau: Terry Tsiolis

Chosen by Guido Palau, Redken Global Creative Director

Chosen by Amy Farid “I admire people who have a look and are committed to it,” Amy Farid says. “It takes time to color your hair, and these ladies should be acknowledged for their great style.” Here’s looking at Anna Trevelyan, the British stylist with the aquamarine cascades that Farid admiringly calls “anime-goddess mermaid hair.” Farid’s no-fuss way to style it: Divide hair in half for manageability, and braid each side using a wave-building product, like Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream. Sleep with the plaits in; wake up with windwhipped perfection. To maintain Technicolor brilliance like Trevelyan’s, go easy on the ablutions. In lieu of a daily shampoo (which can fade color over time), Farid loves BATISTE and OUAI dry shampoos to absorb oil from the scalp.

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SCARLET T JOHANSSON

KIRSTY HUME

It’s the unexpected show of quirky flair that makes Scarlett Johansson’s rebellious cut so mesmeric. “Her look is strong and feminine and shows character, which is something I’m attracted to,” Eugene Souleiman says. There’s also the contrast of unabashed dark roots against the golden hue of the ends—an effect that injects the perfect iota of grunge.

“Kirsty’s long hair has that slight hippie vibe yet always looks chic, but the thing I love most is that it’s all one length, cut straight across the bottom,” Orlando Pita says. “It’s different from the layers we see so much of.” Hair that’s all one length can appear “especially frumpy when highlights fade,” Pita says. “Make sure color looks vibrant around the face, since you can’t use layers to play with the color.”

Chosen by Sam McKnight The actress’s mile-long limbs and likeness to an Egon Schiele subject are aweinspiring, but not nearly as much as her “low-key but still such a statement” hair, says Sam McKnight, who created Tilda Swinton’s signature undercut (the hair on the top of her head is long, while the sides are buzzed) 10 years ago. “With that boy cut,” McKnight says, “Tilda can dial up its severity to create an empowered, genderless look or soften it to make her overall style more frivolous.”

For Johansson’s sculpted bangs, Souleiman works a root-lifting product, such as TRESEMMÉ Max the Volume cream, into damp hair, then hits it with heat and uses a round brush “to create movement away from the face.” WELLA EIMI Grip Cream creates “separation, control, and shine.”

Keratininfused masks, such as GARNIER Whole Blends Repairing Mask and ORLANDO PITA Satin Pillow Overnight Hair Mask, keep lengths smooth and sleek.

To prolong an elaborate Victory roll– esque do like Swinton’s, mist hair with multiple layers of L’ORÉAL PARIS Lock It spray. On off-duty days, McKnight smooths in a dry clay, such as SUPREMO Magic Move, “to give some lived-in hold without too much volume.”

Chosen by Eugene Souleiman, Wella Professionals Global Creative Director

Chosen by Orlando Pita, Founder of Orlando Pita Play

TILDA SWINTON

Trevelyan, Johansson, Hume, and Swinton: Getty Images; Souleiman: Andreas Laszlo Konrath

ANNA TREVELYAN

A SHIMMER AND A SHAKE

SHIFT TO NEUTRAL

Dr. Dana’s newest shades of polish are named for six inspirational women (shown, from left, Quincy [Davis] and Gayle [King]). Part of the proceeds from each purchase go to a charity chosen by each muse.

What’s better than being bare? Adding just a little bit of glitter. By Cotton Codinha

FINGERS GLOSSED

L.A. fine jeweler Ariel Gordon interprets her delicate, multihued, semiprecious pieces in five shades of polish (shown in Candy Crush)—“the ultimate complement to a great ring stack,” she says.

SUGAR BE

Prada Candy Gloss, the latest to join the fragrance family of all things pop, favors orange blossom and tart cherry for a bright and sunny scent.

Up the ante of any lip look with Urban Decay’s Vice Special Effects Lip Topcoat in Fever: Nonsticky and iridescent, its ultrafine, unicorn-hued sparkle is embedded in an everyday, wearable pink.

MOTHER, MAY I?

In homage to the matriarch of Sisley’s D’Ornano family, Izia incorporates Isabelle D’Ornano’s beloved roses with accents of white bergamot and freesia.

DRINK IT UP

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Hydro Soothe Eye Gel helps relieve undereye puffiness with homeopathy’s favorite antiinflammatory, arnica.

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Devon Jarvis/Studio D

LIP FLIP

ELLENESS

EVERY DAY, PEOPLE

I never heard my active, upbeat mother use

the word diet. She seemed to maintain her tall, lean body with zero effort. It took me years to realize that effort was in fact ingrained in every decision she made: Eat what you want, she’d tell me, but in small portions. When you wake up, do deep knee bends, stretch for the sky, and start moving. If your clothes fit tight, just skip dessert. Exercise should be fun—like a raucous, social game of tennis. Going out is a treat to be savored. A sign of being a grown-up is putting yourself to bed on time. When you eat ice cream—as she did, every day of her life—enjoy the ice cream. But that’s not the kind of advice anyone wants to hear. Over 25 years of covering our culture’s tectonic shift toward well-being and America’s collective obsession with exercise and diet—including 13 years as the editor in chief of health and fitness magazine Self—I’ve fielded questions from lit120

erally millions of men and women. Here is what people want to know: How can I have more energy? Achieve Mobama biceps? What really works? On an almost daily basis, I’m asked: 1. Should I do a cleanse? 2. Will spinning make my legs bulky? 3. What single move will tone my arms, flatten my abs, and make my legs look leaner? 4. Will eating Paleo help me lose weight faster? 5. Should I freeze off my fat in a cryogenic chamber? (Answers: 1. No; 2. No; 3. Planks; 4. Yes, as long as you still burn more calories than you consume; 5. You can, or you could just stand half-naked in a meat locker twenty-some times and keep your $1,000.) For every study on how to eat, work out, or think ourselves healthier, there is a counter study saying we should do the opposite. We read: Drink tea! No, wait, drink coffee. Better yet, coconut water. Hold on, do drink tea. (That’s actually the latest: In one Penn State

study, mice on a high-fat diet that exercised and ingested decaf green tea extract lost 27 percent of their total body weight in 16 weeks. Of course, we humans would have to swill at least eight cups a day, unsweetened, to get anywhere near rodent-level results. Bottom line: A cup or two of green tea a day? Can’t hurt.) The fact that science is constantly reviewing, reversing, and modifying such findings is a good thing. But instead of a bunch of “breakthroughs” that might be debunked next week, what I’ve included here is tried-and-true wisdom I feel strongly about sharing with readers who accept the (boring) fact that it takes a lifetime of good habits to make you strong, fit, and healthy—not some magic powder sprinkled on your food. To wit: Google “colloidal silver”—currently touted as a health boon by a handful of cultishly revered gurus—plus

Martin Rusch/Trunk Archive

For two and a half decades, editor and writer Lucy Danziger has had a front-row seat at the well-being revolution, watching trends come and go, and learning what works, what doesn’t, and which “cheats” are actually good for you. Here, the advice she predicts will stand the test of time, and science—i.e., how to change your body without obsessively watching every bite or living at the gym

WELCOME TO THE TEA HOUSE. PREMIUM ORGANIC TEA. EXQUISITE INGREDIENTS. EXTRAORDINARY TASTE. Also available in these flavors: Sicilian Lemon & Honeysuckle

• Valencia Orange Peel • Wild Blackberry & Sage

ELLENESS

I call it PMA: positive mental attitude. Adopt it. Inevitably you will fail at your first few attempts to quit smoking/drop pounds/get in shape. Positive psychology studies, however, show that success is not born of willpower alone, but rather resilience and the ability to stay positive in the face of failure. When you’re resilient, falling off of whatever wagon you’re on (food, sleep, alcohol) is a momentary lapse on the way to future accomplishment. True story: When I was a newspaper reporter in my stupid twenties, I smoked. It was a way to shed my college athlete vibe and adopt a journalist’s profile, or so I thought. I’d read it takes an average of six attempts to quit, but after my sixth, I was still telling myself I was a “social smoker.” Then I went to a hypnotist who instructed our class to see ourselves as “nonsmokers.” He made us repeat in our heads, over and over, “I am a nonsmoker.” Try number seven worked. What I learned is that envisioning success is the first step to blueprinting it, then building it. It’s exactly what coaches drill into the heads of athletes: See it to be it. The second part of PMA is motivation, or, in self-help circles, “knowing your why.” Set an achievable goal that is meaningful, authentic, and only for yourself. Starving for days to fit into that dress by Friday may work for one black tie, but the weight will inevitably come rushing back. Defying the odds of everyone in your genealogy who has heart disease, and living long enough to teach your grandkids how to ski moguls? That’s the goal that has helped me try to be healthy for 30 years. For every diet, you will cheat; for every workout streak, you’ll be slothful. Breaks are, in fact, a necessary part of getting fitter. The 90/10 diet approach is the only one I remotely subscribe to: Succeeding 90 percent of the time and giving yourself permission to cheat 10 percent of the time is success. The stress over punishing yourself is worse for your body than the offense itself. Little mantras help. One of mine: Make the healthiest choice you can in every situation. But sometimes the cookie, or the entire sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mints, wins. Adopt a PMA. Drive on. 122

I’m convinced that America’s weight problem is actually a sleep-deprivation problem. Fact: Exhaustion causes the stomach to release the hunger-boosting hormone ghrelin. Hence the direct inverse relationship between sleeping less than eight hours a night and increased body mass index. Lack of sleep makes you “metabolically groggy,” according to University of Chicago researchers, who found that when dieters got a full night’s sleep, more than half of the weight they lost was fat. When they cut back on sleep, only one-fourth of their weight loss came from fat (so not the kind of long-term loss you want). In a related study, sleep-deprived subjects found it 55 percent harder to lose weight at all. A sleep-starved brain will seek alternative energy, usually in the form of sugar. Find yourself hunting for a sugar hit at 3 p.m., when brainpower tends to plummet? Get more shut-eye tonight, then see what happens tomorrow afternoon. (And pop some almonds to get you through to dinner with more energy and focus.) There’s a simple way to figure out the right amount of sleep for you: Go to bed an hour earlier, then see what time you get up naturally, without an alarm. Repeat. When you can wake up before you actually need to get up, you have your optimal bedtime. Also: If you lie awake at night, one recent study suggests the best way to get back to sleep is to allow yourself to get up, do some light reading—of an actual physical book; reading a backlit device will keep you up— and put yourself back to bed after 20 minutes. Don’t force it. A little brain activity seems to be useful to clear anxiety and calm the mind.

Too frequently I hear, “I work out and don’t see results.” To which I answer: Get moving first thing. Make it a habit. It’s true that a spin class at 7 a.m. burns the same calories as one at 7 p.m., but the early-morning option keeps your engine burning for hours. Better yet, work out before breakfast, or fueled by just a handful of berries or half a banana and a cup of coffee. In a small study in Bath, England, overweight male exercisers who worked out before breakfast burned fat more readily than those who worked out after eating. After a night’s sleep, muscles’ available fuel—aka glycogen—is at its lowest, so your body is more likely to pull the energy it needs from stored fat. About that morning joe: Not only is coffee

the primary source of antioxidants in the diet of most Americans, studies have also shown that caffeine can boost metabolism and signal the body to utilize fat instead of glycogen for power. A cup 30 minutes preworkout can both increase focus and enable you to work harder, longer—and faster. In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, runners who fueled up on coffee ran faster than a group that skipped the java.

Most people do the opposite—work out smooth and eat spiky. What do I mean by “work out spiky”? You’ve probably heard of high-intensity interval training (HIIT)—basically gym-speak for something you probably did as a kid, like “running lampposts,” aka sprinting as hard as you can to one post, easy to the next. When you work your muscles at maximum effort, even for one to two minutes, your body needs more fuel than is available in that moment. Again, it has to pull fat out of storage. Once you turn up the burners, they keep roaring for up to 24 hours afterward, adding significantly to your total deficit as your body tries to get back to resting metabolism. According to one Canadian study, a total of just three minutes a week of all-out intensity (three bursts of 20 seconds at maximum effort separated by bouts of moderate activity, done three times a week) improved blood pressure, VO2 max, and other measures of cardio fitness. (Mind you, they have to be very intense minutes.) Why do so many of my friends spin two to three times a week? Because this is exactly what they make you do in spin class, and it works. “Eat smooth” means keeping the glycemic index (essentially a measure of how certain foods impact blood-sugar levels) of what you eat low and steady by cutting sugar consumption, increasing protein and complex carbs—and, importantly, eating small portions throughout the day. Eating sufficient lean protein (ideally, 15 to 20 percent of every meal) keeps blood sugar from spiking, which means there’s less insulin telling your body to cart off extra calories to be stored. When

This page: Rebecca Pierce/thelicensingproject.com. Opposite page: Patrick Randak/thelicensingproject.com

“blue skin.” I have a family friend who took too much of this stuff and turned blue, permanently. It was enough to make me skeptical of diet supplements forever. What you’ll find here is gimmick-free advice that can change a body for the better and improve how we feel in (and about) it.

that sleeve of Thin Mints does win, chase it with a glass of milk. It levels out your internal sugar meter and reduces the damage. Beware of sugar cravings, which can be misfiring signals—when your blood sugar’s dropped, what you really need is protein, not more simple carbs to send you back up the sugar roller coaster. Multiple studies have shown that participants who ate protein early in the day—Greek yogurt, eggs—ate fewer empty calories later. Protein helps keep blood sugar steady, making it easier to fend off midafternoon doughnuts.

Chances are you’re never more than a few minutes from your next food source. If you don’t want to store extra calories in your body, don’t eat more than what you need to fuel your next activity, or about the next three hours. I learned this lesson doing Ironman triathlons. If you don’t take in about 200 calories an hour during the six- or sevenhour, 112-mile bike ride, you won’t be able to manage the 26.2-mile run (meanwhile, you already swam 2.4 miles). I find eating while biking nearly impossible, since it requires your digestive system to work at the same time as your legs, and I have to force myself to chew small pieces of energy bars and sip sickeningly sweet sports drinks. Eat too much and you get queasy; too little, and you leave your focus by the side of the road. The takeaway for non-triathletes? Your body needs only a small amount of steady fuel to keep going; that’s it. Overeat, and you store the excess. Undereat, and you demolish the bread basket at your next meal. So anticipate your next three hours, and eat to fuel that level of activity. And since it takes roughly 20 minutes from the moment you begin eating for your brain to sense satiety, slow down.

The hot topic du jour, anti-inflammatory foods, essentially refers to those that are rich in antioxidants, low in sugar, and packed with good old-fashioned fiber. Fiber in it-

self may be the simplest diet booster ever. In one study at University of Massachusetts Medical School, people who added 30 grams a day to their regular diets lost 75 percent as much weight as those who switched to a much stricter diet; the fiber eaters also saw similar improvements in blood pressure. Hitting that magic number isn’t as hard as it sounds: A cup of cooked oatmeal has 4 grams; two slices of whole wheat bread have 4 grams (some have only 3; check the label); a cup of raspberries has 8; a cup of black beans, 15. That Sweetgreen salad you ate for lunch? Essentially a big bowl of fiber.

A leading breast cancer specialist once told me that when a patient says she wants to restore her looks to their precancer state, it’s often the best news a physician can get—a sign of her commitment to making a full recovery. I see a real correlation between self-care and health, in that a regular beauty routine can be a gateway to a more consistent health routine—and hey, if looks are your main motivation to make choices that will also make you healthier and fitter, so be it. Plus, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey showed that women are more likely than men to delay health care when they need it—we tend to grin and bear it. Regular appointments for so-called superficial concerns (nails, hair, skin) can sometimes lead to bigger revelations. A dermatologist appointment is a great example: You go in to eradicate a pimple; she finds a mole that needs investigating, or a telltale sign of hormonal disruption.

I know you hate this. I can’t say it enough. There is no clinical evidence that “detox” regimens actually help your body shed toxins, nor is there proof that extreme cleanses help you lose weight. Quite the opposite. Since your body (when starving) burns fewer calories and goes on “dimmer” mode, cleanses that reduce your calories below about 1,200 a day actually slow your metabolism. You can drop pounds, but it’s mostly water weight—or, worse, muscle (if you don’t eat protein)—and temporary. Once you revert to normal eating, your smart body—to help with, you know, survival—will overrule you and store every morsel as fat. So sure, if you want to slow your metabolism, cleanse.

We think of breathing as something our body does without conscious participa-

tion—a reflex—but you can control both the depth and frequency of your breaths, and it may be the easiest way to dial down your stress level. This past March, a group of researchers at Stanford published a study revealing a cluster of cells they dubbed the brain’s respiratory “pacemaker” that connects breathing to stress response. Breathe rapidly, from your upper chest, and you get anxious, produce all sorts of negative stress hormones, and feel terrible; breathe slowly, fully, and deeply into your abdomen, and it instantly signals your cells to calm down— oxygen is on the way. In one of my favorite after-work yoga classes, the instructor’s mantra was always, “Breathe, breathe, breathe. Everything’s going to be fine.” We would breathe in for five beats, pause, and breathe out for six, expelling all that stress. Try it right now, as you read this. See?

10.

Except on Friday mornings, apparently, when studies show most people are at their lightest. Weight-loss research often indicates that daily weigh-ins can be an effective tool, but I’ve found them to be counterproductive: When it says you’re down, it’s like being told, Good job! When it says you’re up, it’s a downer. Either way, it can derail you. Weigh yourself monthly. How your clothes fit, and how your body feels walking up a flight of stairs, tells you what you need to know. Keep track, but don’t obsess. One side effect of training for triathlons is that when swimming, biking, or running, the number on the scale is less important than what your body can do, where you can go, and how much fun you can have doing it. The biggest sea change I’ve witnessed in my decades in the health and well-being trenches: Back in my twenties, when I started out, friends of my mom’s would talk about shipping themselves off to the “fat farm” to lose weight, like it was some kind of penance for having fun, drinking, and eating whatever they liked the rest of the year. Now we see a spa trip as a luxury, and living healthy as an even greater privilege. I’ve witnessed crazy-bad luck: Healthy friends get sick no matter how many good choices they’ve made. And I’ve known women who smoked like chimneys and live into their nineties, defiantly happy. Well-being is a choice, yes, but also takes a whole lot of luck. Every day I realize this and remind myself to keep a PMA. Drive on. 123

Our specific brand of wellness means being emotionally and physically robust, and tackling the day, or any workout, with ferocity—all while outfitted in the sleekest gear to perform at max capacity. Here, the latest news from the feel-great front lines

A Just a few years ago, the

ELLE team’s new favorite verb sounded too hippie-dippie; it didn’t fit in with our scientificmethod mind-set. But what seemed crazy then (gut bacteria can affect the brain; sugar is more dangerous than fat) is now canon, and while some wellness fads still merit a dollop of skepticism, belief itself is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to fitness.

BODY STICKERS

Though the claims surrounding Body Vibes, holographic stickers made from carbon fiber, are dubious—they’re purported to emit bio-frequencies to reboot the mind and body or to trigger the release of glutathione, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals—at the very least, said stickers are cooler than temporary tattoos.

Cashmere, which comes from the fleece of goats, lacks the sweat-wicking powers of traditional athletic-apparel fabrics, but it excels in featherlight feel and thermal agility. The fabric’s high moisture content makes it comfortable to wear in any climate, since as the air’s humidity changes, so does cashmere’s breathability. That’s not to mention the luxury factor: APL’s TechLoom Pro Cashmere sneakers are the ultimate in chic, and we can’t take off Athleta’s perfectly cozy hoodies.

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Model: Benjamin Becker/blaublut-edition.com; body stickers: @bellamarieadams

CASHMERE

CHRONIC MIGRAINE DOESN’T HAVE TO KNOCK ME DOWN

If you’ve been getting hit by 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more, it’s time to talk to a headache specialist about the impact of Chronic Migraine. Discover treatment options you may not have tried at

ELLENESS A–Z

YOUR WAY TO ELLENESS Four of our most beloved healthy haunts from around the globe serve up skin-boosting tonics that are as addictive as they are glow bestowing—and take mere minutes to whip up in the blender at home.

MAKE IT

FROM MOON JUICE IN LOS ANGELES ½ bunch kale ½ bunch dandelion greens Packed fistful of spinach ½ bunch parsley 6 stalks celery Alternate the celery with the greens as you press them through the juicer.

FROM HONEY HI IN LOS ANGELES

FROM ICI-SELFCARE IN PARIS

1 cup warm water 1 teaspoon beetroot powder 1½ teaspoons coconut butter 1 teaspoon coconut sugar ¼ teaspoon Shatavari

SHOPPING LIS T VITAMIN E

Try adding 1 tablespoon of tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E nicknamed “tocos,” an antioxidant important to skin health and cell function) to any of the smoothies. It makes the Merman even creamier.

FROM ELLE CAFÉ IN TOKYO

1 beetroot 2 oranges ½ red bell pepper ½ thumb-size piece of ginger

FROM CAP BEAUTY IN NEW YORK CITY

¼ teaspoon He Shou Wu 1 tablespoon coconut butter 1 tablespoon tocos 1 cup warmed almond milk, coconut water, or purified water

FL A X

How do ELLE editors get their daily dose of radianceinducing omegas and fiber? Stir a teaspoon of organic ground flaxseed into your elixir (or sprinkle on salad or yogurt).

GINGER

The spice MVP has a long list of benefits, ranging from boosting immunity to slowing the signs of skin aging. A 2013 International Journal of Preventive Medicine report on the antioxidant effects of consuming ginger found that the plant inhibits inflammation-causing and collagen-eroding cytokines, messenger proteins that send specific signals between cells.

HE SHOU WU

Prized in Chinese herbalism for its circulation-improving capabilities, He Shou Wu (pronounced “huh show woo”) is starting to garner major attention in Western medicine. A 2015 review of studies from the journal Pharmacognosy Research examines its antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties, which can affect skin integrity and aging.

According to UNICEF, more than 4 billion people are iron deficient, with symptoms ranging from fatigue to anemia. Boiling a Lucky Iron Fish (think of it as a bullion bouillon) in, say, pasta water can infuse food with up to 90 percent of iron’s RDA. And being an iron chef won’t just make you healthier: For every Lucky Iron Fish sold, the company will send one to a family in the developing world.

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Model: Peden+Munk/Trunk Archive; Merman smoothie: Brandon Jones; ginger root: Getty Images

8 ounces nut milk 1½ frozen bananas 1½ ounces frozen coconut 1 teaspoon spirulina 1 teaspoon chlorella algae 6 or more mint leaves 1 tablespoon cacao nibs 2 tablespoons collagen powder Garnish with granola and fruit.

long on protection for even the shortest of shorts.

UP TO LEAK-FREE PERIODS Wear what you want.

ELLENESS A–Z

Kang

MUAY THAI

J NYC’s current pulse-revving obsession is The Rope, a class created by fitness phenom Amanda Kloots that dials the recess activity up to max sweat level. The benefits of consistent rope skipping include “a decreased resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, and an increase in metabolism, which helps to reduce excess body fat,” Kloots says.

KETOSIS

From Atkins to Bulletproof, fat—and making it a significant portion of your daily diet—is the through line. “Ketosis is the metabolic state in which, instead of using glucose as the primary source of fuel—which we do generally—we use fat,” says epidemiologist Chris D’Adamo, PhD, director of research for the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “When you’re in a ketogenic state, the liver starts to produce ketones,” i.e., molecules broken down from fat that act as an energy source for the body and brain, potentially resulting in weight loss, improved blood sugar, and sustained energy. The quickest way to reap the benefits of the diet without total immersion? Ketone salts (dietary supplements containing ketones), says D’Adamo; the fat-savvy take them in powder form for a brain boost. 128

The body’s lymphatic system processes waste and transports immunity-boosting white blood cells. Although there’s scant clinical proof, wellness gurus attest to the debloating, energy-boosting powers of lymphatic drainage via massage. A preshower once-over with a stiff-bristled brush, starting at the feet and moving up toward the heart, boosts circulation and exfoliates to leave body skin glowing. Regular dry brushing, says L.A. derm Annie Chiu, MD, can also temporarily diminish the appearance of cellulite.

The combat art that’s now recognized by the Olympics is also the new workout du jour (the kicks provide a more full-body workout than boxing). “You can do it anywhere because it just uses the body,” says Phil Nurse, owner of New York–based The Wat gym, who coaches Sports Illustrated swimsuit model (and competitive fighter) Mia Kang. “You’re throwing punches, but you don’t want to overthrow punches, so you’re using core muscles to pull back at the same time. Everything becomes tighter with these ballistic movements, and you’re strengthening fast-twitch muscle fibers,” which power dynamic movements and improve overall agility.

Turns out the new straw beach bag of summer is actually made of wet-suit material—the perks of which go beyond a nostalgic surf’s-up, ’80s aesthetic. “Neoprene is extremely durable; it withstands water and flame,” says Alexandra Cassaniti, founder of beach-loving clothing brand Summer Bummer, which features neoprene bikinis, fanny packs (below), and achingly cool tassel-affixed bucket bags. “If someone spills on your bag, everything’s fine. If you need to squeeze extra items inside, it’ll stretch.”

Jump-roping model: Jon Compson/ Trunk Archive; Kang: @missmiakang

LYMPH

ELLIE GOULDING #TRUETOTHECORE

P E R F E C T p H WAT E R I N T U N E W I T H YO U R B O DY

ELLENESS A–Z

It should come as a surprise to no one that our cultural climate of disposable, well, everything comes with a price: Ours is adding anywhere between 10.5 and 28 billion pounds of floating PLASTIC garbage per year to enormous gyres dotting the globe. In an attempt to stop the cycle, several athletic companies are doing their best to work with what we’ve got. Merrell has introduced running socks spun from refuse plastic; fitness company Lolë, the unofficial athleisure uniform of ELLE’s Beauty and Fitness team, produces its own polyester from recycled bottles; and Adidas has partnered with environmental group Parley for the Oceans to create gear ranging from sneakers to shirts from collected plastics and other reusable materials—all presented at the register in a paper bag, natch.

QUIET

Silence may do more than just give our ears, and nerves, a break (consistent exposure to noise pollution has been shown to result in elevated stress hormones). A 2013 Duke University study conducted on mice showed that two hours of silence a day prompted cell development in the hippocampus, the brain region that governs memory. 130

RE VERBER ATION

Sound baths don’t require H2O: Participants lie comfortably on yoga mats while a musician or skilled practitioner, using objects such as crystal bowls, creates sonic vibrations, which have been shown to have calming, therapeutic effects. “It’s a pathway to meditating without knowing how to meditate,” says NYC sound therapist Nate Martinez, who hosts a sound bath series at Sky Ting Yoga. At Sacred Light in Los Angeles, founder Arlene Uribe (below) combines the practice with energetic healing techniques such as Reiki. Her most recent sound bath sessions are available for download at sacred-light.com.

Five years after the launch of the innovative Flyknit shoe, the dream weavers at Nike apply the same technology to the sports bra: The high-tech fibers are woven in ingenious patterns—a tight, structural knit to add support and a less-dense weave to provide ventilation.

The most exciting thing about sneakers is where they can take you—but fit and comfort are key. These top treads make sure you have the support you need, starting from the ground up. 1. ASICS’s DynaFlyte2 updates the best-selling shoe with an ultradurable rubber-material outsole that diminishes wear and tear when running on asphalt. 2. Nike Air VaporMax—the latest iteration of the sneakerhead fave Air Max line— loses the foam midsole (10

points for reducing waste!) for an amped-up air cushion that makes the feel even more featherlight and offers awesome flexibility and energy response. 3. The rubber lugs on the outer edges of the Reebok Fire TR allow for quick lateral traction—ideal for boot camps.

Uribe: Diana Zalucky

A fully sustainable outfit from Adidas by Stella McCartney and Adidas x Parley Shoes

Jockey celebrates those who are brave enough to share their true selves and show the world what’s inside—which is why they’ve chosen ballerina Michaela DePrince for their latest campaign. Her tale embodies hope, overcoming personal tragedy, poverty, and discrimination—and yet, she’s never lost sight of her dreams. This is her inspiring story.

presented by

Michaela DePrince is more than just your basic beautiful ballet dancer. The 22-year-old American ballerina—who is currently a grand sujet (demi-soloist) with the Dutch National Ballet—has fought adversity and overcome massive obstacles to conquer her dreams. Here, Michaela bravely shares her incredible tale of how an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone overcame tragedy, discrimination, and neardeath to become a professional ballerina—showing the world what’s underneath is truly the stuff that matters most.

“I am inspired to keep DANCING, because, like BREATHING, it is what makes me ALIVE.”

with Michaela DePrince Q. How did you discover ballet? A. When I was a little girl in the orphanage in Sierra Leone, a dance magazine was blown by the wind of the Harmattan, right into me. I picked it up and found a picture of a beautiful and happy ballerina on the cover. At that moment I decided that I wanted to be just like her… I knew that I would be a ballerina too someday. Q. What do you love about it most? A. I love the synchronization of body movement with music in an artistic and elegant way; I love costumes…I’ve always had a fascination with costumes; and I love the sets (especially the elaborate ones). Q. What is the secret to becoming a professional dancer? A. Stay focused and dedicated to your art, always remain open to learning from others, and keep your body healthy. Q. Why did you want to be a part of the Jockey campaign? A. I knew that the opportunity would give me the chance to express what I want to do—how to be a role model, how to give people hope—plus I knew that the organization was an amazing one; very raw and very real.

SHOW ’EM WHAT’S UNDERNEATH.

#ShowEm Your Jockey

“When I am dancing I feel

LIFTED AWAY from

my own life and worries, and transported to

ANOTHER REALM.” -Michaela DePrince

Show’Em What’s underneath. #ShowEm Your Jockey Visit Jockey.com to discover more

Visit Jockey.com/ShowEm to discover more. Michaela is wearing Jockey Seamfree® Sporties Bralette and Cozy Knit Jogger Pant

ELLENESS A–Z

U If the grueling, 12-mile hilly hikes at the Ranch Malibu seem too easy-peasy, we propose XPT Experiences, three-day private retreats hosted from Kauai to Malibu to Montauk by volleyball icon Gabby Reece and her big-wave surfer husband, Laird Hamilton. Their unique pool-based workout combines breath work with underwater weight training. Prefer to keep your head above water? Speedo Fit brings water aerobics into the new millennium with classes at Life Time pools across the country (speedousa.com/ speedofit-training).

XCT OIL

The a.m. power move a la mode: Savvy athletes are adding a few squirts of XCT Oil, Bulletproof’s take on healthfood–store favorite MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil, to coffee and smoothies to reap the invigorating benefits and “help the liver produce more ketones, to give you a cognitive boost,” says D’Adamo. Distilled from coconuts, the fatty acid–rich oil’s medium-chain triglycerides are more easily absorbed than long-chain fatty acids, and it’s swiftly converted into long-lasting energy rather than being stored as fat.

Model in desert: Nate Hoffman/ thelicensingproject.com; ConBody: Justin Bridges for Saks Fifth Avenue

VO 2

Ready for a twist on highintensity interval training? Try SMIT, or supramaximal training, which, studies indicate, may be equally, if not more, effective at boosting cardiovascular health. The difference: HIIT involves intense exercise intervals just below one’s VO2 max (the amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise), interspersed with one-minute bouts of lowerintensity exercise or rest, while SMIT requires all-out bursts of activity (above one’s VO2 max), punctuated by full rest periods lasting two to four minutes.

Y WET SET

We applaud indie swim brands Aquastocking (shown), Lahtak, and Lock Journey for creating swim caps designed to fit over braids and dreads.

For those who consider shopping therapeutic, get ready to enter seventh heaven: Wellness is coming to department stores. Through October, Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC has devoted an entire floor to the pursuit of health, with beauty and fashion pop-ups in addition to rotating in-store fitness classes. Under the tagline “Style for the Spirit,” customers are invited to explore

PSA: Nicknames for the vagina tend to be misogynistic, infantilizing, or both. As beauty brands launch more and more products designed especially for the hypersensitive skin downtown, we nominate yoni, Sanskrit for “sacred space,” as our preferred synonym, if you’re looking to get familiar.

spiritual and physical wellness by curating their own vitamin pack at one station; relax in one of Breathe’s individual salt rooms; or even take a ConBody class—the latest boot camp iteration—and test-drive a new look, like a sweat-friendly Heroine Sport crop top and leggings. Retail has never been so serene. 135

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ROOM SERVICE

A couple of months ago, Rachel Cohen and Andres Modak threw a dinner party at their New York apartment to celebrate Cohen’s birthday. The spread was what one would expect from a designconscious, well-heeled, thirtysomething Manhattan couple: The 35 guests were served buffet-style at the dining table—a sleek ebony wood affair outfitted with chic, no-frills white serving platters and meticulously lined stacks of matching dinner plates. A friend came over beforehand to mix a special cocktail, which was doled out in ontrend stemless cocktail glasses. The only difference: The plates, the glasses, the napkins, and every fork and knife were all for sale. Welcome to The Whitespace, a 1,500-square-foot loft in the city’s Gramercy Park neighborhood that doubles as the couple’s residence and as the brick-and-mortar arm of Snowe, the home-goods brand they founded in 2015. At The Whitespace, which opened earlier this year, customers can browse the offerings—home basics with a distinct, clean-lined sensibility—in situ. While customers are encouraged to “touch, sip, and shop,” rifling through cabinets isn’t necessary—instead, every available Snowe product is on view, from dinnerware (perfectly placed on said dining-room table and seemingly ready to receive guests) to linens (carefully folded and stacked by size in the guest bath). Aside from the couple’s bedroom and master bathroom, which are off-limits (they had to set some boundaries), pretty much everything else in the apartment is up for grabs—even stuff that’s not Snowe brand. Should a customer be interested in, say, the midcentury-inspired bench from Edgewood Made that sits in the couple’s living room, Modak and Cohen have a direct line to the retailer. Still, it’s not quite a store—visits are by appointment only (you can sign up on the company’s website), and it’s not like there’s space for a stockroom in the back, so everything is merely a sample. (Purchases are shipped to the customer the next day.) It’s not completely surprising Cohen and Modak, 35 and 33 respectively, decided to open their home in this unconventional way, since, in a sense, they were their own first customers. The couple met while pursuing their MBAs at Penn’s Wharton School of Business (where they bonded over, among other things, a love for minimalist de138

sign); they came up with the concept for Snowe while shopping for their first New York apartment postgraduation—and finding themselves in that home-decor purgatory many young, upwardly mobile urbanites know all too well: craving something more upscale than Ikea but slightly more attainable than Design Within Reach. “Everything that spoke to us from a quality standpoint was so far beyond what we were willing to pay,” says Cohen, who handles the financial and operational elements of the business, while Modak focuses on the marketing and creative. (Snowe, in case it’s not immediately obvious, was so named for the cool, pristine image it conjures.) Calculating that they weren’t alone in their decorating dilemma, the couple transitioned out of their day jobs (Cohen as an investment

Winnie Au (styled by Yashua Simmons; hair by Juli Ananeya for R+Co; makeup by Tiffany Saxby for Chanel)

If the showroom for Rachel Cohen and Andres Modak’s home-goods line, Snowe, looks an awful lot like an actual living room— that’s because it is. Welcome to a new level of experiential shopping. By Naomi Rougeau

From left: The couple’s dining table set with Snowe tableware; the main living area

“This is an experiment—a laboratory. It’s an opportunity for us to learn as much about our customer as possible, to interact with them intimately,” Modak says.

From far left: Modak and Cohen; the foyer with a midcentury bench the couple can help order for you; a tablescape chez Snowe with one of the brand’s candles

banker for a hotel group; Modak as a retail-strategy consultant). “We said, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s make products of the highest quality that can be provided at an attainable price point. Let’s actually streamline and simplify the process of shopping for the home, which is so rife with terrible experiences all the way through,’ ” Modak says. To that end, they set out on a two-year journey, scouring the globe for the best home-goods artisans—who would eventually become vendors and collaborators. At Snowe, you can find white Limoges porcelain from a 240-year-old Portuguese producer that has the timelessness of Grandma’s set, but with a fuss-free design you’ll actually use every day (five-piece table settings start at $220); or cloudlike bath towels (also from Portugal) that are made with a special “air spin” technique so they won’t weigh you down when wet (starting at $8 each). While the couple won’t go too far into specifics about revenue,

they say they became profitable within the first year; have grown their staff to 10; and have support from several high-profile investors, including Chris Burch. For what it’s worth, they seem to have hit upon a recipe that’s worked very well in the fashion sector, where brands like Cuyana and Everlane have taken off in recent years by offering carefully constructed staples at direct-to-consumer prices. (What’s more, as with Snowe, the goods are often brought to you not by designers, but by MBAs.) Like those brands, brick-and-mortar came after e-tail—though Snowe is the only one headquartered in the founders’ actual home. “We wanted to give customers a way to see the products,” Modak says. “You want to really feel this stuff.” After an eight-month search for a space with the ideal layout (something airy), Cohen and Modak gave their new apartment a few dark accent walls to provide a contrast to the products, then set up shop. Part of what makes the operation work is that the couple are fastidiously neat by nature—the kind of people whose home would be guest-ready all the time anyway. (There’s nary a piece of mail out of place.) Modak also points to the fact that their bedroom and bathroom are off-limits. “That’s the separation point, and that tends to make things pretty easy.” Still, do they ever grow tired of having people filter through what is also their home? “People ask us that a lot,” Modak says. “We were working 24/7 anyway, so it actually doesn’t feel that different. It’s a closer commute.” 139

AL GORE IS GETTING â&#x20AC;¦HOTTER 140

The story of the former veep’s life as a climate crusader is the story of almosts…but not now. This month he stars in the sequel to his game-changing 2006 film, An Inconvenient Truth. Finally, we’re ready for his message. By Lisa Chase April 29, 2017: Climate change has sent an emissary to the 2017 People’s Climate March on Washington: a freakish, one-day heat wave. The temperature is 91 degrees as we march, 200,000 of us, sweating profusely but wary of hydrating too fully (because where would 200,000 people pee?), past the new Trump hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, on to the White House. Al Gore, the unofficial Moses of this march, is dressed in black jeans, black boots, a black polo-style shirt. He’s carrying not a staff but a banner for his Climate Reality Project. He can barely progress up the avenue, because every few paces people stop him to get a selfie, to hug him and shake his hand, or to tell him that they’re among the 10,000 people the former vice president has trained over the last decade to present the climate slide show he made famous in An Inconvenient Truth. Loosely flanking Gore are his oldest child, Karenna, the director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary; his youngest child, Albert, who works for Tesla; and about a dozen of the brainiac millennials who work for him at Climate Reality Project, the nonprofit he started in 2006, following the huge success of An Inconvenient Truth and the best-selling book of the same name. The former vice president’s Johnny Cash ensemble is just absorbing sun; his face is alarmingly red. One of his staffers, a tall guy, is standing right behind Gore, angling a protest sign over his boss’s schvitzing head and neck, trying to give him some shade in the beating sun… when pushing into our midst is a little old lady from Long Island, brandishing her iPhone. “You’re in my way,” she jabs at the young man. Then, to me: “Al Gore should have been the president, you know.” “I’m trying to shade him from the sun, ma’am,” the staffer says. She is unmoved: “But I can’t see.” There’s so much to say about Al Gore and our relationship to him and his message over the last decade. A lot has happened—is happening—in the realms of political will and climate change. A lot hasn’t. And in this window during which we have to choose between saving ourselves from the worst effects of the most challenging crisis of our time—or not—we’re given a koan in the form of the lady from Long Island. She’s made the trip all the way from New York to DC. She voted for the VP in 2000. She’s here in the hot sun. But in the balance between a greater good and her, uh, needs, it’s no contest. She wants her picture. After the march, we retreat to the DC Climate Reality Project

offices; Gore is based in Nashville, though he travels frequently all over the globe. “Al is one of the greatest guys in the world. He’s gen-

Photographed by Lorenzo Meloni

uine, smart, emotional,” says Jeff Skoll, a philanthropist, a sustainability investor, and the chairman of Participant Media, which produced An Inconvenient Truth as well as Gore’s new film, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Skoll has known Gore well for about 10 years. “When he first meets people, he might be awkward and standoffish. When you get to know him, he’s the opposite. I don’t know which Al you’ll meet,” he says. Gore and his staff are pretty spent from the day and the heat. But he settles into a chair in an ascetic, blissfully air-conditioned conference room and starts talking about how, at the urging of producer and environmental activist Laurie David, he shortened his slide show from two hours to 20 minutes, then down to 10 minutes. David pressed on him that he had to have a version to share over social media. (Here’s a mind-bender: Twitter and Facebook were newbie launches at the time of An Inconvenient Truth.) “And Donald Trump was running The Apprentice,” Gore notes dryly. “I had to kill my darlings,” he says of the slide-show cuts. “I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase.” Why, yes. And that’s the conundrum, in trying to pick which of the Al Gore threads to unspool. He’s a Zelig, at the center of pivotal events in late-twentieth-century/early-twenty-first-century American politics, history, and environmental concerns. He at once cuts a melancholy figure, schlepping his carry-on roller bag through airport security, and that of a man full of hope and optimism, with the powerful connections to world leaders and business titans to make things happen. Here’s an Al Gore time line, in which many darlings have been killed: 1. As the lady from Long Island would have it, Gore should have become the president in 2000—like Hillary Clinton, he won the popular vote. But when the Electoral College win came down to Florida and a few hundred contested votes there, a majority-conservative Supreme Court ruled in favor of George W. Bush. 2. For a time, Gore sported an impressive beard known as either an “achievement beard,” per the New Yorker, or a “failure beard,” per the Internet, that seemed emblematic of his movement from politics into postpolitics. 3. While the following should not necessarily be viewed as cause and effect, Gore shaved the beard, and Laurie David talked him into turning his climate-change slide show into An Inconvenient Truth. It all started, oddly enough, with the global-warming disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, which twigged people’s fears about how real the climate calamity might actually be. “The producers wanted to do a town hall with Al Gore and asked me to host it,” David remembers. “Al presented a four-minute version of his slide show. I was floored by how simple it was, how he’d communicated it. After that event, I said, ‘Just give me two dates, and I will present this to opinion leaders.’ I booked hotel ballrooms in L.A. and New York. It was very hard to get interest at first, because people were still pissed at him for losing the election. At both events, he got standing ovations.” That was the moment David knew that Gore had to do more than a slide show. The movie won two Oscars in 2006. Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Hundreds of thousands—maybe millions—of us were moved to change our ways, reduce our emissions, recycle, even compost. 141

Greetings from balmy Greenland: Gore, with NASA’s Eric Rignot, near Swiss Camp in An Inconvenient Sequel

4. Meanwhile, Gore had become a savvy investor, having cofounded the managed-asset fund Generation Investment Management in 2004. To borrow from the Atlantic, Generation is a “demonstration of a new version of capitalism, one that will shift the incentives of financial and business operations to reduce the environmental, social, political, and long-term economic damage being caused by unsustainable commercial excesses.” Between 2005 and 2015, the average annual return for Generation’s global equity fund was 12.1 percent; the average stock market return in the same period was around 7 percent. 5. In 2010, Al and Tipper Gore separated after 40 years of marriage and four kids (Karenna, Kristin, Sarah, and Albert). That was sad. They’d seemed like Paul and Linda, Goldie and Kurt.… A few years ago, the vice president began dating a politically connected environmental activist named Elizabeth Keadle. He took her to Cannes in May! (See number 8.) 6. He sold his Current TV cable channel to Al Jazeera in 2013 for a reported several hundred million dollars. Al Jazeera then used the frequency to launch (the now shuttered) Al Jazeera America, which fed animus against Gore; he’s also been a lightning rod for animus from the likes of Oklahoma senator James Inhofe, former vice president Dick Cheney, and the Koch brothers. 7. He can get Tesla’s Elon Musk on the phone anytime, including evenings and weekends. 8. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which screened in Cannes in May and is out this month, is both more hopeful and scarier than the first film. It dwells on Gore’s many climate-change triumphs and setbacks since losing the 2000 election and has higher production values. (It’s directed by documentarians Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, who filmed Gore for more than a year on multiple continents.) A sequence early in Truth to Power finds Gore in a helicopter flying over Greenland’s ice sheet, geopolitical-thriller music in the background, as we watch giant chunks of glacier seem to smoke and then explode, almost as if they’re being bombed. “The exploding part of it was dramatic,” Gore says, “and then a couple of minutes later, when it’s kind of crumbling, in real time, it’s like a computer-generated image.” Except it’s not computer generated; this is really happening. There are other moments in the sequel that are real, and terrifying: the footage of the destructive force of the 195-mile-per-hour

winds of Typhoon Haiyan that utterly leveled Tacloban City in the Philippines in 2013; a storm vortex forming suddenly like a dark turbine over the Midwest; “a rain bomb” that appears to hit Phoenix with the strength of a tidal wave; 122-degree temperatures in India that turn the roads to taffy, so that pedestrians lose their shoes in the sticky pavement as they walk. The movie does an excellent job of something that’s been elusive in climate-change messaging: It makes you see the connections between melting ice sheets and glaciers in Greenland and West Antarctica and the extreme weather shifts back home that many of us are beginning to recognize as weird, or worse. Greenland’s ice sheet is disintegrating far faster than current climate models have predicted. (In 2016, Elizabeth Kolbert wrote in a New Yorker piece about Greenland that “in the past four years, more than a trillion tons of ice have been lost. This is four hundred million Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water.”) The rapid melting is setting in motion complex weather biofeedback loops that make it increasingly difficult for climate modelers to predict at what rates and how high the oceans will rise; how long the droughts and heat waves will last; how far afield diseases will travel out of tropical zones; how many years before the Great Barrier Reef dies completely; and when Miami, parts of southern Manhattan, and many other major cities will be underwater. Depending on how the next 10 to 20 years go, you may live to witness all of this. 9. On December 5, 2016, TV cameras glimpsed Gore stepping into the gilded elevator at Trump Tower on his way up to see the president-elect in a meeting brokered by Ivanka Trump. “You really have to give him a lot of credit. He really puts himself out there. He’s taken a lot of shit. He has a sense of mission, which is very impressive,” says Kolbert, who’s interviewed Gore many times over the years and has written extensively on climate change, including the critically acclaimed Field Notes From a Catastrophe and The Sixth Extinction. So what did he say to Donald Trump that day? “You’ve probably read enough stories to know I don’t talk about that,” Gore says. “First…while I was vice president, I always protected the confidence of my communications; I think any president who enters into private conversation is entitled to that kind of respect. Secondly, I want to have more conversations. I don’t have a hunger for access. I don’t crave that at all. Believe me. I have had all of that that I need for several lifetimes. But the chance to affect decision points on a few really important things, like staying in Paris, is important to me right now.”

Gore, of course, means the monumental Paris Agreement, in which 195 countries pledged to work toward the goal of net-zero carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy–powered economies,

Continued on page 194 142

Paramount Pictures and Participation Media

“Millions are having the same kind of internal dialogue, namely: ‘I’m gonna have to get involved in this. The political system has produced President Donald Trump, so I have to get involved,’ ” Gore says.

Judy Woodruff, Anchor & Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour, Katy Tur, Correspondent, NBC, Senator Lisa Murkowski, (R) Alaska, Meighan Stone, CEO, Malala Fund, Rhea Suh, President, Natural Resources Defense Council, Robbie Myers, Editor-In-Chief, ELLE

P O W E R

L I S T

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, ELLE celebrated its seventh annual Women In Washington Power List with an intimate dinner in partnership with Bottega Veneta at renown restaurant Fiola Mare in Washington, D.C. The dinner, hosted by ELLE Editor-In-Chief Robbie Myers and restaurateur Maria Trabocchi, honored ten of the nation’s capital’s most influential and innovative power players: Sarah Chamberlain, Jacquelyn Days Serwer, Debra Lee, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Patty Murray, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Meighan Stone, Rhea Suh, Katy Tur, and Judy Woodruff.

Dr. Gerrit Rützel, Heather Podesta

Robbie Myers, Marissa Mitrovich, Neera Tanden

I N PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H

Andrea Mitchell, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Neera Tanden, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

Eun Yang, Rebecca Cooper Dupin, DeDe Lea

Molly Levinson, Emily Lenzer

Maria Trabocchi, Michelle Freeman, Kate Goodall

Eve O’Toole, Ingrid Duran

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Jennifer Tapper

Kate Bennett, Susanna Quinn, Dana Bash

Catherine Pino, Fleur Paysour

Kristian Denny Todd, Rebecca Cooper Dupin, Tony Dokoupil, Katy Tur

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Judy Woodruff

Gloria Borger, Tammy Haddad

From left: Algee Smith, Kathryn Bigelow, Nathan Davis Jr., Jason Mitchell (crouching), Malcolm David Kelley, Peyton Alex Smith, and Jacob Latimore (crouching)

DO THE RIGHT THING

After making two hugely acclaimed movies on contemporary international warfare, director Kathryn Bigelow turns her camera backward to the 1967 Detroit riots, where white cops played a “death game” with a group of young black men and two white women at the Algiers Motel. Reverend, professor, and writer Michael Eric Dyson returns to his family home with the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar and asks: Has anything changed? Photographed by Henry Leutwyler “You think that’s him?” the director Kathryn Bigelow furtively whispered to me as yet another aging, crumpled black man passed us by. We were in Detroit, standing outside a weathered apartment building near the waterfront. It sat in the shadow of the on-the-comeback downtown, once the fourth-largest city in the country and a teeming hive of entrepreneurial energy fueled by the automobile industry. If the apartment house didn’t quite scrape the sky, it at least pointed to the heavens in a glory that seemed to have faded eons ago. We were looking for a man whose life story would be featured in Bigelow’s latest film about a bloody siege of police terror at a seedy motel during the epic upheaval in Detroit known as the ’67 riots. He’d been one of the victims, and Bigelow wanted to talk to him about his memories of that night to better shape his character onscreen. Although he’d spoken to her team during preproduction, he proved to be pretty elusive when it came to actually meeting. So we set out to bag a reluctant star. Call it guerrilla astronomy: Larry Reed. Black male. In his late sixties. Sang second tenor with the soul-music sextet the Dramatics before they made it big. (And to prove how big-hearted I was, I pitched in despite the fact that the eventual lead singer of the group, the great L.J. Reynolds, had tried to holler at my fiancée one night in the late 1970s in a small west side Detroit jazz spot, Watts Club Mozambique.) Bigelow and I did our best imitations of Columbo, chatting up a few brothers in the effort to find Reed, who wasn’t returning calls or answering buzzers. It was hard to make an appointment with a phantom. So we stealthily made our way past security and onto the elevator to 145

the wrong floor, then up a more convenient flight of stairs to the right floor, and left a culinary goody bag at Reed’s door when he failed to answer. I was quietly impressed that Bigelow wouldn’t just send a hireling to do this kind of grunt work. But I guess you learn to pay attention to the smallest details when you hang around eagle-eye military types like those Bigelow met filming the landmark war flick The Hurt Locker, focusing on a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad—a movie that won her the Academy Award for directing—and the harrowing Zero Dark Thirty, about the global hunt for Osama bin Laden. At Hollywood events, the tall, lanky Bigelow is a model of elegance, with a wholesome beauty that defies the arithmetic of her 65 years. But Detroit ain’t Hollywood. That day, when we were looking for Reed, and most other times we met while she was working, she wore gray Nike running shoes; dark blue, cropped skinny jeans; and a lightweight black quilted puffer over a black T-shirt. (The exception was when she dressed up to hear me preach in New York in the spring of 2016; I’d urged her to get a flavor of black-church criticism of racial terror to prep for her film.) Her face was sometimes partly obscured by gold-rimmed aviators, their dark tint hiding her hazel eyes; her light brunette hair was parted in the middle and lightly tousled, falling just below her shoulders. Whether in Hollywood or the hood, she never looked out of place, especially in Detroit, where her sleek but casual look mingled effortlessly with the working- and lower-middle-class practical wash-and-wear of no-nonsense strivers. At one point, I broke away from Bigelow to see if I could ply my homeboy instincts to locate Reed better on my own. That’s where I met the truth, disguised in crinkly black flesh. “But do the white girl really know what these crackas did to us?” a wizened old man asked me. It was more threat than question. I’d just told him that Bigelow was directing a movie about the Algiers Motel incident, in which racist white cops killed three black men—Carl Cooper, Aubrey Pollard, and Fred Temple—and viciously beat another eight, as well as two white women. From the looks of it, the man had seen more than his share of suffering. His radiant, purple-black face was perforated by eerie, glistening sockets of merciless knowingness where eyes should have been. He’d witnessed the halcyon days of dizzy capital taking luxurious rides down tree-lined 146

streets in the latest Cadillac to roll off the assembly line, each year’s design more terrific, more decked out than the one before. But he’d also witnessed the vengeance of whites, including newly arrived European immigrants, who clashed with the surging population of black people continually migrating to Detroit from the South. (My father booked passage to the northern promised land from Georgia in the late ’40s; my mother, from Alabama in the mid-’50s.) As car manufacturers converted to the war effort in the late 1930s, the competition for jobs and housing became increasingly in-

tense, and the race riot of 1943 in Detroit was a foreshadowing of the ’67 rebellion. A common denominator linked both antagonisms: a ruthless white police force that waged war against a captive, vulnerable black community. All of that seeing and knowing bubbled to the surface in the words that the old man hurled as much as spoke. And then came, slowly, his dagger of a query: “What she know ’bout niggas anyway?”

The man’s challenge gnawed at me as I made

my way back to Bigelow. (We left without

Styled by Sarah Schussheim; Bigelow: Hair and makeup by Glenn Nutley at Cloutier Remix for Kadus Professional; actors: Grooming by Anna Bernabe at Exclusive Artists for Pur~lisse; produced by Ryan Beshara at Goldie Productions; fashion assistant: Mark-Paul Barro. Bigelow wears: Jacket, R13. Sweater, Barneys New York. Jeans, Rag & Bone. Sneakers, Nike. Her own necklace. From left: Algee Smith wears: Jacket, Thom Browne. Shirt, trousers, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Sneakers, Vans. Nathan Davis Jr. wears: Jacket, trousers, Tom Ford. Shirt, Bally. His own sneakers. Jason Mitchell wears: Shirt, trousers, Acne Studios. Tie, Dior Homme. Sneakers, Diadora Heritage. Malcolm David Kelley wears: Suit, shirt, Dior Homme. His own sneakers. Peyton Alex Smith wears: Tuxedo, shirt by Valentino. Trousers, Tom Ford. His own sneakers. Jacob Latimore wears: Shirt, trousers, tie, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Sneakers, Adidas Originals. For details, see Shopping Guide

finding Reed, but she managed to connect with him a few weeks later.) I grew up in Detroit, and now I’d come back to help Bigelow find her man, and to scout my beloved birthplace for sites to shoot her film. I’d traveled these streets as a schoolboy, a gang member, an expelled prep-school student, a teen father, a janitor, a crime victim, and, for a brief stint, a factory laborer before I entered the ministry at 21 and headed south to college. I’d walked these streets when Detroit wore the dubious crown of “murder capital of the world.” I was born less than three months before Berry Gordy first amplified the aching melodies and sparkling harmonies of Motown, in January 1959. I vividly remember the wigged-out jubilance after the Tigers captured the 1968 World Series. That victory consoled a city that, a few months earlier, briefly erupted in futile homage to a lonely prophet who was murdered at another desolate motel, this one in Memphis. And the year before that, my eight-year-old eyes watched plumes of smoke billow above a horizon hazed by the flames of black desperation. And exasperation too. I was frightened; my mother explained that it had all been caused by a police raid of a “blind pig,” but my young mind couldn’t comprehend what a sightless mammal had to do with the chaos I saw. When adults were forced to come inside earlier than normal, I turned to my tattered gray hardback Merriam-Webster in search of the meaning of “curfew.” I saw black folk scampering down my ghetto street, dollar bills precariously stashed in their blooming Afros, nutritional booty tucked into their pockets, hustling radios and televisions and couches and chairs to homes that hadn’t seen newer versions of any of that in a while. There was an eerie mix of glee and grief. Black folk were plain tired of sinking into what John Bunyan had three centuries earlier called the “slough of despond.” In the looming postindustrial economy, black brawn was quickly becoming unnecessary, black skill devalued, and persistent racism would handcuff new educational and economic opportunities, as police continued to flash their batons and guns with menacing regularity. All of that hurt and pain is what led to the uprising, the rebellion, the riots, or, to pinch a phrase Southern historians used to describe the Civil War, that “late unpleasantness.” Black folk were tired of being bossed and beaten by the police, of being killed by them. Just like we are today. In that sense,

As black bodies are herded and harassed in Bigelow’s Detroit, the need for the hashtag, the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter,” becomes agonizingly clear. Bigelow’s film couldn’t be more timely. “When [screenplay writer, producer, and sometime collaborator] Mark Boal presented the idea of the incident at the Algiers Motel, it was right on the heels, sadly, of the death of Michael Brown,” in Ferguson, Missouri, Bigelow tells me on a break from the editing room at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. “It crystallized the need to add, from my vantage point, more volume to that conversation. Because it’s a conversation that I believe needs to be had.” Indeed it does. Black folk have it every day, all the time, in ways that are probably difficult for many white folk to imagine. That’s because if your ass is being kicked, it’s in your interest to talk about it, to make as much commotion as possible to get the beaters up off you. One of the most confounding elements of the recent uproar over police brutality is that, despite the smartphone video recordings, cops’ hostility toward blacks seems to refresh itself without abatement, without shame, and with the belief that getting caught on camera bashing or cursing or taking precious black life will likely cost them nothing more than the inconvenience of being put on paid leave. Or, at worst, getting fired. And, oh so rarely, charged with a crime—say, manslaughter, for which they’re often exonerated. Or they’ll plead guilty to excessive force, a slap on the wrist that doesn’t begin to make up for the poetics of destruction they so callously practice on black life. That poetics must be met by higher, deeper art—art lifted by theory from its academic trenches without showing off. In that sense, Bigelow is working similar ground as virtuosos like Kendrick Lamar, whose primal scream of black humanity against its jaundiced denial on To Pimp a Butterfly offered

a measure of vicarious release from both police brutality and neighbor-to-neighbor mayhem. And worse, from the soulgutting experience of playing by the rules, of seeking redress through the courts, only to be met with state-sponsored obfuscation, rationalization, and rebuff. Tragically, our only answer, sometimes our only pipeline to justice—yes, at times, our revenge—is art.

Bigelow doesn’t often get credit for just how

sophisticated her craft is, how theoretically informed; how alluring the palette of ideas from which she draws. That may have in part to do with the more commercial or, at times, quirky films she directed early on, such as Point Break and Blue Steel. But the thread that runs through all her work is an attraction to story. “Finding stories that speak to you, and imbuing them with artistic integrity, is a challenge for every filmmaker,” Bigelow says. “I look for substantive stories that are informational, set against a canvas that is worth viewing. My choice of projects is primarily instinctive.” The narrative that coalesces around Bigelow hinges on her being a female director, but that doesn’t do justice to how adroitly she’s traversed the tightrope between art and politics. She began as a painter, studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, and, upon graduating in 1972, decamped for New York City and an independent study program at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She started hanging with highbrow thinkers like conceptual artists Lawrence Weiner and Jeffrey Lew, and the intellectuals who produced the seminal critical theory journal Semiotext(e). Bigelow took up philosophy and film theory at Columbia, where she earned an MFA in 1981. But her desire to probe the interface of art and politics can be traced to her roots in California during a turbulent decade. “I was in high school in the ’60s,” Bigelow says. “Obviously, there was a lot going on, especially in the San Francisco area. And then I went to New York to study art. One of my advisers was Susan Sontag. And my work got more and more and more politicized.” In the mid-’70s, Bigelow’s baptism in aesthetics and postmodern theory instigated a gradual migration from paint to film. At 26, she made a movie called Psychological Operations in Support of Unconventional Warfare, which critiqued American counterinsurgency methods and death squads. “When I moved into film,” she says, “I never drifted away from that.” For Bigelow, taking on the stories of The Continued on page 195 147

ASK E. JE AN

This month, ex-boyfriend revenge, currentboyfriend sexual schooling, code breaking, how to meet a very rich boss, and more

DEAR E. JEAN: I don’t want to sound mean, but actually, maybe I do: My ex-boyfriend and I run in the same social circles, and he’s an asshole! He’s always between jobs, couch surfing, borrowing money, etc., but somehow he still manages to have tons of smart women after him. I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but I have a really great job and a lot of other good things going for me, yet no suitors in sight. I’m fine with that, but I’m bothered by the fact that when we run into each other, he always seems to have a romantic interest, while I’m painfully alone. Externally, I remain composed, even when I see him making out with girls right in front of me. But internally, I’m screaming. It’s not that I want him back (see above, re him being an asshole), but the situation is frustrating and sometimes embarrassing. I’m reaching my boiling point and afraid I might do something insane like grab a guy by the crotch and have sex on a restaurant table just so my ex (and our social group) sees that I, too, am desirable. Do you have any suggestions for coping with this situation in a more self-respecting way? It would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely… —Miss Swiftly Crumbling Composure Swiftly, My Snapdragon: Yes, my luv, I have a suggestion. Run and get a pencil, and circle the correct answers to this little true/false quiz, which I call: ALL THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING “DESIRABLE” IS MISTAKEN 1. T or F: A woman alone is always in the best company. 2. T or F: The chick on the back of a rebel’s motorcycle is more fetching than the chick who is the rebel on the motorcycle. 3. T or F: The most attractive heroines in literature never appear on a page without a boyfriend. 148

4. T or F: Arriving in public without an escort makes you nervous, Miss Swiftly, because you believe the total crap the witch doctors, abbesses, elders, gurus, grannies, pastors, doctors, and dingbats have been laying on women to control them for the last 17,000 years, right up to 2017 (when a girl doesn’t go to the prom alone; she goes with her squad of girls!). 5. T or F: So maybe you should grab a guy, or at least plant one on his lips. 6. T or F: You’ll see Taylor from Billions wearing a push-up bra and little satin tap pants before anyone cares what your scurvy, money-scrounging chump of an ex thinks. 7. T or F: A woman without a man appears more mysterious than a woman with a man. 8. T or F: A woman alone is a threat to some, but yet also a symbol of strength and choice; you’re waiting till you find the right one. 9. T or F: You should join Bumble, meet some new friends, and enlarge your social circle.

Q: I’ve sat here for several

hours and typed up all my problems and solved them with my own answers. Thank you for standing by, E. Jean! A: Excellent. As you are at your leisure: I just broke the cork in my $18 bottle of claret. Can you come to my house and tell me how to get it out?

Answers: 1. True; 2. False; 3. Frighteningly close to true, but false; 4. True; 5. You can grab a man whenever you like, Miss Swiftly, but this statement is false if you begin grabbing men to make yourself appear more enticing to your odious ex; 6. True; 7. True; 8. True; 9. Doubly true.

BREAKING (INTO) THE CODE

DEAR E. JEAN: First-world problem here: I hate my job! I don’t hate the company I work for, I don’t hate my coworkers, I don’t hate my boss. I hate what I do! I’m an executive assistant. I’m 34, and if I have to schedule one more meeting, pick up another lunch for my boss, or put together another PowerPoint presentation, I’ll lose my mind. I’ve given notice and will be quitting my job at the end of the month. I have money saved up, and my question is: What can I do now? I have no idea what being an executive assistant for 12 years qualifies me to do, other than being an executive assistant. I’ve learned that I’m not a people person. I’m quite introverted, I like math, and the less I have to deal with people, the better. Am I just being a cranky bitch here? Am I unrealistic? I need your advice, E. Jean! I dread going to work every day. It’s not a stressful job, and yet I feel stressed. I’m always on edge and aggravated. —A Girl’s Gotta Find Her Passion Gotta, My Gladiolus: Go to Harvard. Learn to code for free—virtually. You have the time and the math savvy, not to mention the mesmerizing introverted personality, to code like a mofo. If you don’t like Harvard, go to MIT or UC Berkeley. They, too, offer free online computer science and coding courses through edX.org. Or, if you prefer, choose a coding academy. For a list of the best: switchup.org/ research/best-coding-bootcamps. I’ve hired grads from Flatiron School (Lily) and App

Gregg Delman (styled by Christian Stroble; hair by Eduardo Carrasco at Ford Artists NYC; makeup by Sylwia Rakowska at Ford Artists NYC)

DESIRABILITY DOS AND DON’TS

Academy (Eric), both of them excellent. Note: Forget the nine-week programs. Coding well requires, at the very least, nine months to attain even fledgling level, in my opinion as an employer who employs coders. Find yourself a mentor, and prepare to spend an additional four or five months interviewing for the best jobs. If enough women enroll in enough coding programs, we’ll soon be writing the code that will create the algorithms that will rule the men who used to rule the world. Not to say there isn’t some bright, introverted 15-yearold in her bedroom writing the code that will end the world as we know it next Thursday. Read Ray Kurzweil’s book The Singularity Is Near, about how technology will soon “transcend our biological limitations and amplify our creativity.” And revel in the next letter, from a Stanford MBA grad who’s dying to be—you guessed it—an executive assistant.

IT’S JUST AS EASY TO MEET A RICH MAN…

nery.”) Add a note inviting the lady to tea at Manhattan’s legendary Carlyle hotel. The rich love presents. Didn’t they teach you anything at Stanford?

SEX AND THE SINGLEMINDED BOYFRIEND

DEAR E. JEAN: Today I got incredibly mad at my boyfriend when he asked for sexy pics to “tide [him] over” till we see each other tomorrow. It’s not the idea of pictures that got me worked up, but the fact that our sex life has become increasingly about him meeting his desires. I feel like an animated blow-up doll. I want romance! I want a compliment! I want foreplay! I want him to take time! I want him to actually kiss me! The few occasions I’ve broached the subject, he’s rebuffed me in a teasing manner. So now I feel uncomfortable even bringing it up. How do I get him to become conscious of my needs in the bedroom? —This Doll Is About to Blow Up

About, My Darling: Let’s make a list of what DEAR E. JEAN: I was recently referred for a your boyfriend is or is not doing and come up job opportunity to be the right-hand person with ways to get him to do the right thing. of a bona fide Manhattan billionaire. It’s an 1. He can’t end a sentence without asking amazing opportunity, for which I am very well you for a topless selfie. Tell him you’ll be qualified as a recent Stanford business-school delighted to show him anything he wishes (and some fascinating graduate. I would give my things he hasn’t even left foot for this job! The THE BILLIONAIRE JOB THEOREM thought of), but first, he problem is that to even Cartier note cards You must give you three comhave a chance, I feel that Carlyle hotel Stanford MBA pliments. Then do not I must get a personal inSociety grande dame connections Job offer from billionaire troduction to this billionbudge until he hails you as aire, not just to one of his the queen of all women. aides. (I already have that.) Through a mutual 2. He can’t romance. Haul the tedious blockfriend, I reached out to an old society grande head out of the house and go camping, dancdame who can connect me to Mr. Billionaire, ing, roller-coaster riding, etc. This will bathe but she hasn’t answered my missive (and I’m his brain circuits in dopamine and norepinephrine, the very neurotransmitters that afraid she never will). So how can I get a one-on-one chat with Mr. cause the butterflies to flit in first love. Hell, B? I am working all the connections I have, but I just going outside and turning a somersault seem to be coming up short. E. Jean, do you have can flutter the buggers. any other suggestions? I’m willing to try any- 3. He can’t kiss. At the next party you both thing! Thank you! attend, play Kissing Charades: Each couple —Ardent acts out a famous movie kiss; the couple who gets the most correct guesses wins (and will Ardent, My Artichoke: Edith Wharton is find the make-out pump is well primed). guffawing in her grave at your innocent 4. He doesn’t take his time. Here’s the rule: “reaching out” to a Manhattan socialite. No wham-bam until he thanks you, ma’am. One never “reaches out” to the rich. One He must entertain you with fancy caresses sends the “old society grande dame” a gift, for 15 minutes before you even consider perhaps a box of vintage Cartier note cards. taking off your clothes, and every woman (We may as well make another couple of bil- knows that keeping her clothes on and rolling lionaires richer, because now that I think of around on the bed with a cute person is someit, I just made Sergey Brin and Larry Page times sexier than taking her clothes off. fatter by Googling “Cartier vintage statio- 5. Skip numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, and tell him

exactly what you think. The dude is not all-powerful. The less seriously you take him, the better. You say you feel “uncomfortable even bringing it up”? You say he “rebuffs” you? Ha! Shout at him! Pelt him with epithets! “You worthless oaf-boy! You selfaggrandizing, bush-league premature ejaculator! Floppo! Dud! Rookie! Bumbler! Botcher of orgasms!” Tell him what you want. “I want long, slow, dirty, life-destroying foreplay, and I’m bored, bored, bored with you!” This is only half of what you’ll yell when you finally decide you’ve had enough and leave him. But why wait? Why not tell him immediately? Why not recognize that he’s just a fragile, selfish, thoughtless, rather silly fellow who probably doesn’t even know that if you enjoy sex, he’ll enjoy more sex? Why give up years of delicious, teeth-grinding pleasure because you’re afraid to speak up? He can take it. Tell him the truth, straight out.

THE INGENIOUS RIPOSTE

DEAR E. JEAN: I was visiting a close friend of mine, and she treated me to a night out with her girls—all friends from her church. I enjoyed meeting everyone, and we were having a lovely time, but somewhere in the conversation after dinner, one of them—a woman with a sharp sense of humor—made an inconsiderate quip about me. I, of course, laughed along with everyone else, brushing it off. But I couldn’t help but wonder: The next time someone aims a poke at me, what should I do? Turn the other cheek? Or wisecrack back at them? And how do I do that? —Not the Butt

Butt, My Butter Bean: It’s difficult. But it can be dealt with. Back in the day, when I was a writer at Saturday Night Live and the friendly badinage could kill a normal woman, whenever anyone started in on me, my head would fill with cotton, and my uvula would swell and shut off my windpipe. Not once was I able to think fast enough to come up with a witty reply. But I did stumble on a way of getting laughs. When a wag began ragging on me, I simply agreed with him more and more passionately—until he shut the hell up. Ask a question! E.Jean@AskEJean.com or Twitter.com/ejeancarroll. Read past columns at ELLE.com/life-love/ask-e-jean/. You can watch videos, write with anonymity, and exchange genius tips on Advice Vixens at AskEJean.com. And if you’d like a date: Tawkify.com.

Born for mischief

Introducing the first-ever Toyota C-HR. A crossover crafted with agile handling to enhance your drive. Designed with expressive features like standard vortex-styled 18-in. Sport alloy wheels to leave a mark wherever the roads take you. Please enjoy responsibly.

Prototype shown with options. Production model will vary. 1. Drivers are responsible for their own safe driving. Always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. Depending on the conditions of roads, weather and the vehicle, the system(s) may not work as intended. See Ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manual for additional limitations and details. ÂŠ2017 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

SLAY, BABY, SLAY In this issue, warrior queen

Alexi Lubomirski

Emilia Clarke shape-shifts yet again, this time as a bombshell for the ages; our fashion team votes on the 18 greatest ideas and most covetable looks of fall; and boldly worded T-shirts provide a political and sartorial starting point. Game on! Embellished-wool top, $1,200, skirt, $3,120, both, PRADA, prada.com. Diamond and gold earrings, $18,000, rose gold necklace, $2,600, gold bracelet, $3,850, all, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS. Rose gold watch on alligator strap, HERMÃ&#x2C6;S. Peridot ring, ARIEL GORDON, $330. Gold and diamond ring, ANTHONY LENT, $5,750. Amethyst and tsavorite ring, POMELLATO, $2,500. Belt, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, $128. Pin, MY SIMPLE DISTRACTIONS. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Beaded fringe top, $2,480, feather skirt, $6,090, both, PRADA, prada.com. Gold earrings, $1,700, pendant, $2,450, bangle, $8,875, all, ELIZABETH LOCKE. Cuff, PALOMA PICASSO FOR TIFFANY & CO., $2,600. Cuff, GURHAN, $5,950. Bangle, IPPOLITA, $7,995. Ring, LALAOUNIS, $3,960. Ring, ARIEL GORDON, $330. Ring, ANTHONY LENT. Ring, MAHNAZ COLLECTION. Ring, POMELLATO, $2,100. Ring, L.A. CANO, $176. Belt, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, $128. Heart safety pin, KY & CO, $30. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Born to Rule

In Game of Thronesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daenerys Targaryen, Emilia Clarke has created one of the strongest, most enduring female characters in our pop-culture consciousness. So where does all that fire come from? By Joseph Hooper PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI STYLED BY DAVID VANDEWAL

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he wasn’t the first choice to play Daenerys Targaryen. The part supposedly called for a tall, willowy blonde, but when the pilot episode of Game of Thrones ran into problems, Emilia Clarke, a then-22-year-old Londoner—petite, curvy, and blond only by dint of that now-trademark platinum wig— dove headlong into her audition. “We intentionally chose heavier scenes requiring a bold, Joanof-Arc faith in herself that extends beyond the bounds of reason,” wrote the show’s cocreators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, via tandem e-mail from Los Angeles, where they were adding final touches to the seventh and penultimate GOT season, which begins airing July 16. “We watched her audition on a tiny, two-inch-by-two-inch video window on a computer in David’s kitchen. Then we met her in London—this fun, friendly, easygoing person who was about fivefoot-nothing. And we were like, ‘You did that?! Do it again!’ So she did, and we knew she was the one.” The casting revealed its perfection from the first episode—the story of a young queen coming into her power, bound up with an erotic coming-of-age. We get a glimpse of Daenerys’s future capabilities when she’s literally tossed into an arranged-marriage bed with the muscle-bound 6'4" ruler of the semibarbarian Dothraki clan. This fragile-looking, tiny woman, until then a virgin, soon has him in her sexual thrall, ready to seek world domination at her bidding. Death soon removes Khal Drago from the picture (a fate that seems to await most GOT characters), but Clarke’s “Khaleesi” (the honorific given to her by the Dothraki people) has just begun her quest for the Iron Throne—the power center of the show’s 67-episode, seven-kingdom epic. She’s a young woman on the make who wants to do the right thing, but when the expedient thing is called for, as 156

it often is in the bloody alt-medieval world she inhabits, she’ll have you hanged from the nearest lamppost without losing too much sleep over it. And when conventional realpolitik fails her, she’ll play the dragon card (another honorific: “Mother of Dragons,” a nonmetaphorical title) and materialize from a wall of flames, naked and purified, as her people swoon in wonder and her cold-blooded offspring swoop menacingly in the sky. The HBO offshoot of George R.R. Martin’s dungeons-and-dragons fantasy novels, once regarded as the exclusive province of adolescent boys of all ages, has emerged as a pillar of our Golden Age of Television alongside Mad Men, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad, with 8.9 million viewers tuning in for the season six finale alone. And Clarke has emerged, along with her friend and castmate Kit Harington (aka Jon Snow), as the heart and soul of the show. “I remember vividly the first time I met Emilia, which was in the hotel bar in Belfast, before season one,” Harington recalls. “I was sort of bowled over by this absolutely stunning, petite girl with this wicked sense of humor. We became very fast friends quite quickly.” Although a showdown between their characters is inevitable (“I think it will be a huge pleasure,” he says), to date they’ve never shared the GOT screen; their time together is time off in London, usually in the company of Harington’s girlfriend, Rose Leslie (her GOT character, Ygritte, was killed off in season four), who has become one of Clarke’s best friends. “It can get a little tricky in pubs,” he says. “With two or three of us in the same show, you can attract a bit more attention than you might like.” No such problem at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Clarke’s meeting choice—it’s on her New York to-do list. (A keen seer and doer, she checked off many of the city’s attractions during the four months she spent here in 2013 during her run as the title character in Holly Golightly, a Broadway reimagining of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.) “I’m lucky to be working constantly, but the focus can get so narrow,” she says. “I kind of have to go to museums and galleries and concerts.” At the Whitney, the actress is in character as maybe her least publicly recognized guise: herself. Her fellow museumgoers haven’t the slightest that if they were to turn their attentions, and their iPhones, in her direction, they could capture the woman responsible for one of the more iconic television images of our time: Daenerys leading her army of liberated slaves across the desert, a pop-culture mashup of the aforementioned Joan, Lawrence of Arabia, and Eva Perón. Which suits her just fine. “Once, I had someone run down the street after me and say, ‘My friend says you’re famous; can I get a picture?’ And I was like, ‘No, you idiot!’ ” she says with a laugh. And then some minutes later, in a characteristic fit of people-pleasing remorse: “I feel really bad about being so disgruntled about selfies. I increasingly sound like an old lady.” Clarke, 30, hardly looks the part of an old lady, nor does she particularly resemble Dany, as “Thronies” are wont to call her. An English tea-rose complexion, full lips and, yes, Dany’s prominent brows add up to a friendly beauty. Today, her naturally brown hair is cut in a chic, shoulder-length bob, and she wears a silky Valentino peasant

Wool cashmere coat, POLO RALPH LAUREN, $598, ralphlauren.com. Silk slipdress, RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION, $998. Bronze earrings, JOANNE BURKE, $275. Gold and sapphire watch on leather strap, $8,000, rose gold, pink opal, and diamond ring, $2,740, both, CARTIER. Gold and multicolor gemstone ring, $1,125, sapphire ring, $330, both, ARIEL GORDON. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Cupro dress with embellished-PVC overlay, $1,595, suede sandals, $895, all, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC, calvinklein.com. Gold, vermeil, and diamond earring, LARA MELCHIOR, $1,360. White gold, pink tourmaline, and aquamarine rings, $1,045â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$1,870 each, aquamarine, diamond, and beryllium ring, rose gold, green tourmaline, and beryllium ring, $1,045, all, DELFINA DELETTREZ. Leather belt, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, $128. Heart safety pin, KY & CO, $30. Tulle socks, PAN & THE DREAM, $71. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Silk and Lurex dress, BOTTEGA VENETA, call 800-845-6790. Tulle bra, WIXSON. Gold-layered silver hoop earrings, GURHAN, $400. Bronze charm bracelet, EYE M BY ILEANA MAKRI, $210. Gold and oxidized silver bangle, $2,995, gold bangle, $5,080, both, YOSSI HARARI. Pink gold and bronze ring, BULGARI, $5,850. Leather belt, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, $128. Pearl safety pin, WOUTERS & HENDRIX, $155.

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Kit Harington says, “Emilia is so sweet, so giving, but she also has a filthy, filthy mind when she wants to.” skirt and suede Gucci jacket far removed from the low-cut, lingerieinflected gowns that make up Dany’s warrior/dominatrix look. On this trip, relative anonymity suits her. Clarke, contrary to her native exuberance, has been charged with the keeping of corporate secrets. For one, she’s not allowed, contractually, to divulge any Game of Thrones plot turns. Even more hush-hush are the details of the latest and greatest coup in her emerging film career: At this moment, she’s in the first weeks of shooting a new Star Wars spinoff, a prequel account of Han Solo’s early years. Which is to say she now finds herself swooped up in the only global entertainment juggernaut capable of eclipsing GOT. “This film dispels the very common interpretation that if you’re going to do a big blockbuster, you just need to stick some muscles and a pair of boobs in, and that will be that,” she says. “Everybody in the cast [which includes Woody Harrelson and Thandie Newton] is, like, an ‘actor-actor,’ which is just wonderful.” If Clarke’s metamorphosis into Khaleesi wasn’t proof enough that she, too, belongs squarely in the “actor-actor” realm, she seems determined to use the launchpad provided by GOT to carve out a film career that exhibits a sort of extreme versatility. Last year, she starred as Lou Clark, an adorable, chatty, unapologetically dorky English country girl—her famous contours hidden beneath a rainbow of mismatched, lumpy sweaters—charged with the care of a handsome quadriplegic in the romantic sleeper hit Me Before You. “The second she walked into the audition,” says Thea Sharrock, the film’s director, “I texted the producer straightaway: ‘We found her.’ ” Later this year, in a notable change of pace, she’ll play a Kentucky trailer-park denizen, drug addict, and sexual opportunist who leads an FBI agent astray in Above Suspicion, a gritty indie based on a true story. The interview for that role, too, was an at-first-glance affair. “She came over to my place in Hollywood, and I opened the door, and there was the character from the movie,” says veteran Aussie director Phillip Noyce. “The accent, the swagger, the neediness, the confidence. We could have started shooting that day.” Almost a year after filming wrapped, Clarke can still slip into character when the mood strikes. “Ah play this girl called Susan Smith,” she says in an Appalachian hill country accent, the words pouring out like codeine cough syrup. “She was married to a drug dealer, then she meets this other guy. It doesn’t end pretty.” Still, in the cinematic universe, Clarke’s calling card remains, in a word, badassery. She was, after all, Linda Hamilton’s successor in the Sarah Connor role, playing opposite Ah-nold in the 2015 Terminator reboot, Terminator Genisys. And even though we don’t know what character she’ll play in the Han Solo movie, it’s impossible to imagine that there won’t be a frisson of recognition, an echo of the young Carrie Fisher from those first Star Wars: cute, feisty, and constitutionally incapable of taking any crap from men, whether they be foes or friends. Fearless is the adjective that her friends and colleagues invariably use to describe her. But as fearless as Clarke has been in seizing the chances that come her way, she admits that certain aspects of

maintaining her alter-ego masterwork, Dany, send her nerves into overdrive. Take that yet-to-be-shot final season of Game of Thrones: “Oh God, I get sleepless nights over it. ‘Oh, you’re gonna mess it up. It’s the last season, and it’s going to go wrong.’ My mates are like, ‘It’s you—you [and Daenerys] are one and the same now. You need to trust your instincts!’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’ve got to do more research!’ The higher everyone places the mantle, the bigger the fall. That sounds really awful, but it’s true! I don’t want to disappoint anyone, basically.” While it’s an excellent thing that Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot has finally proven that a woman superhero can carry a global blockbuster, for the past six years, GOT has given Clarke the canvas to sketch a richer palette of female power. And you don’t have to take a refresher course in Carl Jung or Joseph Campbell to recognize the different forms it takes: lover, warrior, mother, at times something close to messiah. Take, for example, the close to season three, when Daenerys is carried aloft by a multitude of slaves she has just liberated; Clarke’s face, in extreme close-up, ecstatic—a rock ’n’ roll goddess at a medieval rave. But it’s the lover who has generated the controversy. Game of Thrones is a show that can creep up to the border of soft porn—yes, all those harem scenes—and yet virtually nothing on TV or in film has so many strong, indelible female characters: Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister; Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark; Maisie Williams’s Arya Stark; and, of course, Clarke’s Daenerys, whose control of the bedroom is as firm as her dominion over the multiple kingdoms she conquers. GOT has generated pushback for this have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too approach to sexual desire between the sexes—the New Yorker likened it to reading an antimisogyny tract inserted into an issue of Penthouse— but Clarke is fully on board. She’s even game to gleefully dissect one remarkable scene in the fourth season, when her lieutenant Daario slips into her bedchamber, and Daenerys basically commands him to disrobe before her. “ ‘ Take off your clothes,’ ” Clarke quotes. “It’s brilliant. I actually went up to [GOT cocreators David Benioff and Dan Weiss] and thanked them. I was like, ‘That’s a scene I’ve been waiting for!’ Because I get a lot of crap for having done nude scenes and sex scenes. That, in itself, is so antifeminist. Women hating on other women is just the problem. That’s upsetting, so it’s kind of wonderful to have a scene where I was like, ‘There you go!’ ” In the scene, her disrobed cavalier was played by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman. “He has got a cute bod and definitely wasn’t a shy wallflower about it! He didn’t wear a sock. Which was a surprise. David and Dan were like, ‘You need to pull yourself together. Daenerys would not be cracking up like this.’ Not very queenly.” Kit Harington says, “Emilia is so sweet, so giving, but she also has a filthy, filthy mind when she wants to.” And Daenerys is, to be sure, a woman warrior, not of the handto-hand combat variety, but rather a leader possessed of the notion, heretical in the tooth-and-claw milieu of GOT, that she can make the world a better place if she’s running it. In one oft-quoted scene 161

“Relying on just being an actress is never going to be fulfilling enough for me. When I think about running a company, I have that kind of calm and certainty that I go to when I play Daenerys.” from this past season, she compares the jousting ruling families of the Seven Kingdoms that make up the GOT universe to the spokes on a wheel. “I’m not going to stop the wheel,” she tells her counselor Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). “I’m going to break the wheel.” Her soft voice, informed by a certitude that would sound mad if she didn’t make us believe it, achieves a kind of Shakespearean intensity. Yes, it’s Shakespeare with CGI dragons, but still, the Bard’s force is with her. milia Clarke is the daughter of two strivers who raised her and her twoyears-older brother in the bucolic countryside outside the university town of Oxford. Her father, who died last year, had been a roadie who worked his way up to sound engineer for some of the biggest, most overthe-top London musicals; Mum was a secretary who climbed the ranks to become a respected marketing executive. Clarke went to a prominent local boarding school, St. Edward’s, mostly, she says, because her brother did, and she fancied some of his friends. (Scorecard: one serious high school romance.) But, ever the keen enthusiast, she says she’d never have been mistaken for one of the cool kids. “My school was quite posh, and I never quite fit in that mold,” she says. “I was really arty, and no one else was. They were all, like, lawyers who did tennis. I was crap at tennis, and I didn’t care about law.” After boarding school, she found her tribe in drama school—not the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (she hadn’t been accepted), but at the still-more-than-respectable Drama Centre London. That was her kind of fun. (“I like being surrounded by people where you suddenly go, ‘Oh, I’m not clever enough; I need to read more, watch more.’ ”) By graduation, she says, not one of her teachers considered her the next breakout girl, so she decided to take a practical approach: She’d give it a year and then assess her future. After some low-profile TV and movie work and a pay-the-rent stint as a telemarketer (a quotidian hell beyond the imagination of George R.R. Martin), she’d already passed her self-imposed deadline when she shot herself out of the cannon at that GOT audition. In some ways, Clarke and the character she created couldn’t be more different, a testament to her dramatic gifts. Dany, even in her most endearingly underdog moments, is rather grand, and Clarke comes across like your cheerful best mate from school. But in drive and ambition, they’re at least first cousins. If Clarke doesn’t aim to 162

break the Hollywood wheel—one actress up, another down—she at least wants to be able to walk away from it unbroken, with options intact: “If this industry tires of me—which I’m sure it will, because it tires of everybody—I will already have been doing something different. I’ve got a ferocious thirst for doing other stuff.” Remarkably, after ascending to Iron Throne status in this profession, Clarke says acting, for her, is the coolest day job imaginable. “My best friend Lola and I are writing a script together, and I’m starting a production company. I’m that girl. Because I know that relying on just being an actress is never going to be fulfilling enough for me. When I think about running a company, I have that kind of calm and certainty that I go to when I play Daenerys. But it’s not like I’m going to be burning down slave masters or anything.” Clarke explains: “My mum gave me most of that drive, if I’m really honest. She always just said, ‘You know, you do this silly job, and well done,’ but she’s proud of me when I go, ‘I’m gonna run a production company.’ That’s when she says, ‘Oh yeah, that’s my girl!’ That’s something she understands.” To get to know Emilia Clarke, even a little, is to appreciate that she’s got a master plan in her head—and not just about work, all-consuming as it currently is. At some point, she says, romance will come back into the picture. The gossip sites have had her linked with Harington, “which literally makes me want to cry, it’s so far from the truth,” she says. But she has been open about the long-distance romance she had with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane that ran its course about four years ago. “It’s funny,” she says. “I’ve dated other people, but he was the only one that the Internet found out about. But I kind of set myself with a little rule this year: NMA. No More Actors. And yet it’s almost the only bloody choice; they’re practically the only people I know!” But somehow a solution will be found. “Yes, I want babies,” she says. “I don’t know about marriage. That’s probably quite a painfully millennial thing to say. But I do want to find a human that you’d want to create a family with.” In England, in the country, not dissimilar to the Oxfordshire countryside where she grew up. “I grew up with ducks in the garden and a stream,” she says. “We used to go mushroom picking in the fields. My first plays were done inside of trees. And if I manage to push out a few sproglets, I’d like them to have that experience as well.” Way back in the second season of Game of Thrones, in the citystate of Qarth, a young would-be queen makes her pitch to a highly skeptical spice merchant to borrow his ships so she can get on with her mission of conquering the Seven Kingdoms and ascending to the Iron Throne. Emilia Clarke could just as well be speaking for herself when she speaks as Daenerys: “Do you understand? I am no ordinary woman. My dreams come true.”

Crystal-embroidered wool tweed jacket, $4,100, skirt, $1,300, both, GUCCI, gucci.com. Crepe blouse, ALTUZARRA, $895. Silk bra, WIXSON. Gold earrings, VALENTINO GARAVANI, $745. Gold bracelet, IPPOLITA, $1,995. Leather belt, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, $128. Pearl safety pin, WOUTERS & HENDRIX, $155. Tulle socks, PAN & THE DREAM, $71. Embroideredleather pumps, LOEWE, $890. For details, see Shopping Guide. Hair by Didier Malige; makeup by Pati Dubroff at Forward Artists for Laura Mercier; manicure by Julie Kandalec at Bryan Bantry for OPI; set design by Nicholas Des Jardins at MHS Artists; produced by Vivian Song at Kranky Produktions; fashion assistant: Daniel Gaines

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The 18 for ’17 Twice a year, ELLE travels the globe in search of a new season’s very best fashion: the most resonant ideas, the directional 180s, the pieces our editors simply want to snatch off the runway and wear right now. Here, we present our fall hit list, from Raf Simons’s debut at Calvin Klein—the indigo ode to Americana seen here— to Miuccia Prada’s high-voltage, fullvolume shearlings, and much more PHOTOGRAPHED BY TERRY TSIOLIS STYLED BY SAMIRA NASR

Far left: Denim shirt, $495, pants, $495, both, CALVIN KLEIN JEANS ESTABLISHED 1978, calvinklein.com. Cotton turtleneck, $295, leather boots, $1,395, all, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC. Gold signet ring, MATEO NEW YORK, $395. Left: Shearling coat, $6,800, boots, wool and feather skirt, $3,400, pony-hair hat, $1,220, leather belt, all, PRADA, at select Prada boutiques nationwide. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Wool polyamide coatdress, $2,690, rhinestoneembellished satin sandals, $890, all, LOEWE, loewe.com. Wool beret, KANGOL, $45. Beauty Secret: Keep a clean face from being overshadowed by accessories with a defined brow. Try DIOR Sourcils Poudre.

Crystal-embroidered velvet dress, $8,990, velvet boots, $1,790, all, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO, at Saint Laurent, NYC. Tulle veil headband, JENNIFER BEHR, $182. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Right: Embroidered ruffle dress, calfskin and rubber boots, all, LOUIS VUITTON, at select Louis Vuitton stores nationwide. Far right: Embroidered jacket, $11,595, velvet trousers, $1,895, both, GIORGIO ARMANI, armani .com. Crystal-embroidered velour felt hat with veil, ERIC JAVITS, $750. Diamond, white gold, and platinum earrings, DAVID WEBB. Velvet and patent leather sandals, STELLA LUNA, $376. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Metal-mesh dress, VERSACE, versace.com. Beauty Secret: Keep it all in the family with a touch of LANCĂ&#x201D;ME Le Metallique Liquid Eyeshadow in Or Farniente on the inner corner of the eye for added glimmer.

Cotton denim coat, $995, jeans, $295, crystal, brass, and enamel earring, $195, calfskin boots, $1,800, all, MARC JACOBS, marcjacobs .com. Wool and alpaca hat, STEPHEN JONES FOR MARC JACOBS, $550. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Mélange twill coat, $2,950, printed-jersey top, $625, leather pants, $2,450, python loafers, $910, all, PROENZA SCHOULER, at Proenza Schouler, NYC. Gold and pavé diamond earring, PAIGE NOVICK, $1,690. White gold and diamond stud earrings, HEARTS ON FIRE, $3,950. Beauty Secret: For a cat-eye to rival any rock star’s, try MAYBELLINE NEW YORK Eyestudio Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencil in Sleek Onyx for the perfect smudge.

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Wool and silk jacket, shorts, printed-canvas and calfskin handbag, suede boots, all, DIOR, at Dior boutiques nationwide. Stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own head scarf. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Far left: Tweed jacket, pants, $3,350, glitter PVC handbag, $2,400, metal, strass, and glass-stone bracelet, $2,025, patent leather boots, $1,400, all, CHANEL, at select Chanel boutiques. Mabe pearl, diamond, and gold brooch, BELADORA, $5,450. Left: Suede and leather top, $4,595, pants, $3,850, both, CHLOÉ, at Chloé boutiques nationwide. Cotton bucket hat, LACOSTE, $55. Suede boots, GIANVITO ROSSI, $1,595. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Left: Bonded textured suiting coat, $3,650, wool suiting trousers, $1,600, lambskin hood (worn around neck), $2,200, wool blanket, $1,100, calfskin ankle boots, $1,050, all, CÉLINE, at Céline, NYC. Right: Tulle dress, $7,800, calfskin boots, $1,190, all, FENDI, at Fendi, NYC. Stylist’s own belt. For details, see Shopping Guide.

Calfskin jacket, $4,650, viscose drape top, $1,495, pleated-wool skirt, $1,250, lace tights, $195, silk pumps, $995, all, BALENCIAGA, balenciaga.com.

Velvet dress, $7,300, silk shirt, $1,890, both, VALENTINO, at Valentino boutiques nationwide. Necklace, VALENTINO GARAVANI, $1,025. Stud belt, TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE, $22. Studembellished leather flats, SERGIO ROSSI, $1,195. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Lace silk dress, $1,795, gold necklace, $2,150, gold rosary-bead necklace, $2,450, printed-leather handbag, $1,195, all, DOLCE & GABBANA, at select Dolce & Gabbana boutiques nationwide. Leather oxfords, TOD’S. Stylist’s own socks.

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Crystal-embroidered printedmohair jacket, $3,800, velvet dress, $4,300, black crystalâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; embroidered mesh leggings, $3,980, Lurex knit hat, $295, stud- and crystal-embellished leather boots, $2,390, all, GUCCI, gucci.com. For details, see Shopping Guide. Hair by Kevin Ryan for Unite; makeup by Frankie Boyd at Streeters for Bobbi Brown; manicure by Elisa Ferri at See Management for Chanel; casting by Paul Brickman at Zan Casting; models: Hannah Bennett, Misty Downs, Lameka Fox, Elsa Hosk, and Jasmine Tookes at IMG; set design by Bette Adams at MHS Artists; produced by Una Simone Harris for Wanted Media; fashion assistant: Yashua Simmons

Talk of the Town Get your feelings on your chest with a literal statement piece: Boldface graphic tees proclaim your allegiancesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and your personal style PHOTOGRAPHED BY BEAU GREALY STYLED BY SIMON ROBINS

Down puffer jacket, $3,025, viscose top, $625, both, VERSACE, at select Versace boutiques nationwide. Wool dress, FENTY PUMA BY RIHANNA, $980. White gold rings, $780â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$1,440 each, white gold and diamond ring, $3,580, all, CHOPARD. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Crepe de Chine jacket, CHANEL, $5,700, at select Chanel boutiques nationwide. Cotton T-shirt, JEREMY SCOTT, $200. Silver necklace (worn as wraparound bracelet), $1,500, bracelets, $475–$1,100 each, silver rings, $175–$400 each, white gold and pavé ring, all, TIFFANY & CO. Her own nose ring.

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Cotton T-shirt, KATHARINE HAMNETT LONDON, $80, katharinehamnett.com. Swarovski crystal net top, JEREMY SCOTT. Leather skirt, MONSE, $2,590. Black zirconia and silver earring, THOMAS SABO, $239. Velvet handbag, LANVIN, $1,250. White gold, emerald, onyx, and diamond rings, both, CARTIER. Leather boots, JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARÃ&#x2021;ONS , $1,230. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Print top, COMME DES GARÇONS HOMME PLUS, $230, comme-des-garcons .com. Goose down pants, THOM BROWNE, $1,690. Leather backpack, BALMAIN, $4,030. Silver and diamond bracelets, $1,300–$2,000 each, silver rings, $325–$495 each, all, LAGOS. Socks, VANS, $15. Slides, FILA, $30.

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Cotton T-shirt, KATHARINE HAMNETT LONDON, $80, katharinehamnett.com. Nylon jacket, $1,535, trousers, $1,095, both, STELLA McCARTNEY. White gold earring, LANA, $695. White gold and diamond bracelet, ROBERTO COIN, $11,000. Silver and black-onyx locket bracelet, $975, silver and sapphire link bracelets, $1,385â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$1,865 each, all, MONICA RICH KOSANN. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Far left: Cotton jacket, $1,250, pants, $595, both, MAX MARA, at Max Mara, Beverly Hills. Cotton T-shirt, EACH x OTHER, $170. Silver bracelets, both, JOHN HARDY, $695–$795 each. White gold rings, $2,300 each, white gold and diamond rings, $2,550– $3,700 each, all, BULGARI. White gold and diamond ring, $2,250, silver and diamond ring, $350, both, DAVID YURMAN. Left: Cotton and modal T-shirt, ALICE + OLIVIA BY STACEY BENDET, $125, aliceandolivia .com. Leather and shearling sleeves, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO, $5,990. Cotton pants, ASSEMBLY, $258. Leather clutch, BOTTEGA VENETA, $2,400. Leather boots, TOD’S, $995. Her own nose ring. For details, see Shopping Guide.

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Canvas vinyl blazer, $1,960, pants, $850, both, LANVIN, at Lanvin, NYC. Cotton and modal T-shirt, BY MALENE BIRGER, $135. Titanium and diamond bracelets, all, MESSIKA PARIS, $1,860â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $2,250 each. Plexiglass and brass handbag, CHANEL, $10,200. Leather boots, R13, $1,195.

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Fox-fur coat, TOM FORD, at Tom Ford, NYC. Cotton trousers, CAROLINA HERRERA, $990. Silver necklaces, all, THOMAS SABO, $44–$239 each. Turquoise ring, ROBERT LEE MORRIS SOHO, $38. Silver-plated brass ring, ROBERT LEE MORRIS COLLECTION, $195. Silver rings, both, TENTHOUSANDTHINGS, $350–$400 each. Leather backpack, VERSACE, $1,995. Socks, $15, slides, $30, both, VANS. Her own nose ring. Stylist’s own T-shirt. For details, see Shopping Guide. Hair by Charles McNair at Artists & Company for R+Co; makeup by Fiona Stiles at Starworks for Fiona Stiles Beauty; manicure by Camille Black at Opus Beauty for Dermelect; casting by Samantha West; models: Quin at M Models; Ajani Russell; Vanessa Mendez and Victoria Seng at Vision; Grace Cheng and Ruby Campbell at Two Management; Janae Roubleau at Wrenn; Taylor Bagley at Photogenics; and Braina Laviena at Ford; produced by Brandon Zagha; fashion assistants: Robert Deno Johnson and Kenny Paul

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On singer Okay Kaya: Sash dress, $598, charm earring, $228, both, DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, dvf .com. On Saunders: His own clothes. For details, see Shopping Guide. Hair by Fernando Torrent at L’Atelier for Shu Uemura; makeup by Chris Colbeck at Art Department for Lancôme; manicure by Roseann Singleton at Art Department for Chanel; model: Okay Kaya at the Society Management; fashion assistant: Rashad Minnick

Coronation Street How do you redefine a company synonymous with its own larger-than-life founder? Jonathan Saunders is steering Diane von Furstenberg into the future with bold prints, gorgeous color, and a bit of straight-outta-London grit. By Alison S. Cohn PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEX CAYLEY STYLED BY YASHUA SIMMONS “There’s almond milk and normal milk—do you want sugar?” asks Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders, as he bustles about the light-drenched open kitchen of his dreamy new threestory, ivy-covered, Greek Revival slice of prime West Village real estate. (“My wedge of cheese,” Saunders calls the triangular building, which itself has an impressive fashion pedigree: It once belonged to Annie Leibovitz, and now to David and Lauren Bush Lauren.) “Banana bread—look at me!” the designer adds in a gravelly Glaswegian lilt—voted by Americans in a recent poll as the sexiest of British accents, and with good reason. Saunders, who not so long ago was living and working in gentrifying-but-still-edgy east London, seems acutely aware of the almost-too-Instagram-perfect nature of the moment. Staring in amazement through six oversize south- and westfacing windows at his new neighborhood’s impressive sidewalk landscaping, he admits, “It still doesn’t feel quite like real life here.” Last year Diane von Furstenberg, a longtime fan of Saunders’s work, called to say she was in London—might he drop by her suite at Claridge’s? At the time, he had grown weary of fashion’s ever-faster pace. He’d spent 12 years designing up to six collections a year (four women’s, two men’s) for his eponymous line—one of London’s most celebrated, and most wearable, “young designer” brands, lauded for streamlined silhouettes featuring graphic prints and virtuosic color combos—and hustling to meet yet more deadlines for myriad consulting projects (over the years he’s taken on commissions for Alexander McQueen, Emilio Pucci, and Chloé). So great was his disillusionment that in December 2015, Saunders closed his atelier to focus on his own line of mixed-media furniture, a métier he studied at the Glasgow School of Art in his hometown before switching to textile design and then undertaking the Central Saint Martins fashion MA in London. “I was at a point where I’d created so many things, and I didn’t want to be just churning out work for the sake of it,” Saunders says. Turns out, the cure for burnout is a visit from a bona fide fashion icon with a very big idea. After a few hours with von Furstenberg, talking through the possibility of overseeing design for a brand with the infrastructure to create designer

clothes without elitist prices (and leaving her free to focus on her philanthropic work and her role as chair of the Council of Fashion Designers of America), Saunders was hooked. “Like an addict, I was almost instantly saying, We could do this, we could do that, wouldn’t this be wonderful,” he recalls. “I had an epiphany: I realized how much I actually do love making clothes for women to live in. They’re not wearing a table.” So last summer, the 39-year-old pulled up stakes with his partner, fashion publicist Justin Padgett, and their beloved Staffordshire bull terrier mix, Amber, to become the first-ever chief creative officer—and planned successor—at Diane von Furstenberg. Before Saunders committed, however, he asked von Furstenberg to grant him full creative autonomy. She agreed. “There’s a way I wanted to work and a way I perceived my role—that I’m able to articulate a message for the brand across all touchpoints,” he says. “Diane has the self-confidence to understand that that’s not disrespectful in any way.” Saunders’s adamance reflects the magnitude of his undertaking: carving a new path for DVF distinct from that of its inimitably glamorous namesake, whose signature wrapdress, introduced in 1974—a simple bit of brightly patterned, figure-hugging jersey that’s easy to put on before work in the morning, and even easier to take off—was itself the subject of a 2014 retrospective, Journey of a Dress, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s May Co. building. “You cannot take this brand into the future if you look at the wrapdress as a literal starting point,” Saunders says. “Instead, I think about the essential qualities of that dress—sensuality and effortlessness, and how to translate them.” He attributes this insight to a pearl of wisdom passed down by Alexander McQueen: “Lee told me that we are in the service industry. It was humbling to understand that he had this grand creative vision but that the most important thing was that his woman was able to wear his designs and express herself in her own way.” Saunders’s mandate includes creative direction for advertising and branding, which has focused so far on evolving the sort of woman to whom DVF clothes are destined to appeal. Fall 2017, his third collection for the brand, was a joyful, feminine mix of velvet ruffle tops; sequined, high-waisted pencil skirts; and Crayola-bright fur jackets, all presented tableau vivant style at the Sean Kelly contemporary art gallery. On our shoot, Saunders’s chosen muse, the soulful singer Okay Kaya, who is currently working on an album slated for release at the end of the year, described herself as a “not very ladylike” girl who grew up in Norway with five brothers—a statement very much in keeping with Saunders’s sensibility. “She has a very honest way of being,” he says. “She’s not brash or in-your-face, but she’s confident. And I think all of those qualities embody what I’m trying to say with the brand.” 193

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so that global temperatures will rise no more than 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. Any rise beyond that, and the world’s climate, which has been more or less stable for the past 10,000 years, will enter a new era of weather instability that no serious climate scientist is prepared to call. Al Gore’s trajectory on this issue is full of ironies, twists of fate, successes, and failures. Truth to Power is in large part about that twisty path; more so than in the first film, this time Gore is willing to go there. He’s been so close, so many times, only to lose the thing he was seeking, from U.S. political engagement on climate change…to the presidency. The date on which the Paris Agreement went into effect was November 4, 2016. Four days later, we elected Trump, who’d promised during his campaign to “cancel” the agreement. Plenty of people in his administration and in Congress lobbied him to stay in. Almost 70 percent of Americans wanted to stay in. But on June 1, 2017, the nationalist and fossil-fuel Trump influencers prevailed, and the president announced that he was pulling the country out of the agreement. How might the story of climate change and the United States have been written had Gore become president? As Kolbert says, “It’s really awful that we wasted the Bush years, and 194

now we’re going to waste the Trump years, and we don’t have those years to waste.” In 2013, Gore told a New York magazine writer, “I’m under no illusion that there’s any position with anywhere near as much potential for shaping the future in a positive way than as the president of the United States.” And yet, watch the movie and read about all he’s done in the last decade, and you’ll think, He’s getting stuff done! He’s got deep moral purpose! There are two scenes in Truth to Power that involve the struggle to get India to sign on to the Paris Agreement. Piyush Goyal, India’s minister of energy and power, argues compellingly that the West had 150 years of fossil-fueled economies; why shouldn’t India have the same 150 years to raise its people out of poverty and build its infrastructure before being asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Gore works his connections in politics, renewable energy, and international banking to help solve a previously insurmountable problem, and it’s thrilling to watch him operate. He’s a positively nimble global citizen. “A nimble president could do that seven days a week,” Gore says. But is there such a thing as a nimble president? Watching Donald Trump thrash and bang up against the norms and rules of the presidency, diplomacy, the judiciary, and even Congress oddly reveals the constraints

This page: Lorenzo Meloni. Opposite page: Henry Leutwyler

AL GORE IS GETTING…HOTTER

of the office in ways we never really considered during past administrations. “Well, I do stand by that quote,” Gore says. “I still believe there is no position with this much influence as the president of the United States. “Now the flip side of that is, there’s no position with as many competing priorities. But a president who is really committed from day one to bring about this change could do more than anyone in any other position. I am thrilled to have been able to find ways to do work that I think is crucial and that has become a kind of mission for me, even though that word sounds weird, but that’s kind of what it is. I’m thrilled because it is a joy and a privilege to have work that seemingly justifies every ounce of energy you can put into it. I don’t feel tired; I don’t begrudge more hours on the task. I love it because it feels like what I am supposed to be doing, and I feel the results. “There is a law of physics that becomes a cliché in politics, and it is this: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” he continues. “And the reactions to Trump’s moves on climate are even more passionate than his statements that are antienvironment and anticlimate. Millions of people are having the same kind of internal dialogue, namely: ‘I’m gonna have to get involved in this. The political system has produced President Donald Trump, and he in turn has put people in charge of climate policy who don’t even accept the basics of science, so I have to get involved.’ ” You could see the seeds of this renewed activism almost immediately. The same day that Trump made his announcement, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with the mayors of 30 cities (L.A., Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Pittsburgh among them); the governors of Washington, California, and New York; and more than 100 companies and 80 university presidents were organizing to submit a plan to the United Nations pledging to meet the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, global investment in renewable electricity now surpasses investment in fossil fuels. “The same kind of exponential change that characterizes the high-technology sector also, sometimes, describes the pattern of change in human affairs,” Gore says. “If someone had told me even five or six years ago that going into 2017, gay marriage would be legal in all 50 states, and not only supported but celebrated and honored by a supermajority of the American people, my response would have been, ‘I sure hope so, but I’m afraid I just don’t think that that much

change can happen that fast.’ But it did.… I do think that the climate movement is at the inflection point. No question in my mind. More and more people every day—” Suddenly he is interrupted, by himself: He sneezes. “I tried to stop that sneeze,” he says. “I learned a way to stop a sneeze, but I did not deploy it quickly enough.” “How do you do it?” I ask. “You bite your tongue about an inch back from the tip,” he says. “But I like to sneeze,” I reply. “In the middle of interviews?” “It’s fine, you know, it’s okay,” I stammer, embarrassed that I’ve started down this road with the former vice president of the United States. “It can be an off-the-record sneeze.” But the sneeze stays on the record. “I’m glad you’re cool with it,” Gore says. I’m pretty certain I’ve met genuine, smart, emotional, and funny Al Gore today; awkward, standoffish Al Gore would probably not engage with a reporter in a sidebar about sneezing. “I’ll get a little geeky on you here for just a moment,” he says. “Anybody who works on this issue has to deal with the phenomena of climate denial. One of the exotic forms of denial has a geeky name: system justification theory. What it basically means is that we all have an innate need to believe that the large systems in which we live our lives are okay. And if somebody walks in the door with his hair on fire and says, ‘Everything is not okay— all of these systems have to change radically, right away,’ then the natural reaction is, ‘If I bought into that, I would feel really anxious and stressed out. And so I am not going to believe you.’ ” Then came the Paris Agreement. “The entire world sends a nearly unanimous signal to industry, investors, city leaders, state and regional leaders, civil society: ‘Here’s what we’re doing, folks. This train is leaving the station. We are all changing. We are going to net-zero carbon emissions as early in the second half of the century as possible. Just so you know, that’s what our system is doing now. And if you’re not part of that, maybe you need to feel some stress.’ ” I used to wish this guy would run for president again—he’s so prepped for it, so intelligent, so right-thinking—but not anymore. I actually hope he never does. I hardly know him, of course, but my impression is that of a man who’s found his way and who feels an almost religious compulsion to help guide us through the climate crisis in these late days, in this time of Trump. Al Gore’s got the right job. Additional reporting by Michael Sakas

DO THE RIGHT THING

Continued from page 147

Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and now, Detroit, seemed like a natural extension of her interest in the thorny intersections of the aesthetic and the social. Her work with Sontag and other professors inspired her to think about what we see onscreen: why we like it, feel repulsed by it, or both, and what that conflict says about who we are. “Sontag had just written On Photography, and it was about how you identify not just a photographic image, but an image on film. That informed the longest film I had done thus far, called Set-Up.” It’s her 17-minute thesis film, and it kicks off with two men (one played by Gary Busey) tussling in a dark alley, though the images are shrewdly sabotaged in a continuous voice-over by two of her Columbia professors, Sylvère Lotringer and Marshall Blonsky. Bigelow instructed her teachers to explain what was simultaneously intriguing and disconcerting about the violence onscreen. “It was an attempt to deconstruct [what Lotringer calls] ‘scopophilia,’ which is why you are attracted to an image, a character. You’re trying to undercut that attraction. That’s what Set-Up tried to do, in real time.” It has certainly set the pattern for her subsequent work. “What is the tension that’s created between the viewer and the screen? What is that ‘contract,’ as [Jacques] Lacan calls it in the world of deconstruction? So Susan Sontag was a kind of bridge to thinking in more complex and elaborate terms about ‘Why do you make art? Why do you write books?’ I think we make art, we write books, to further understand why we make art and write books. It’s a conversation we have with ourselves.” AND IT’S A CONVERSATION Bigelow will now have with the nation. The bigger story— of which the Algiers tragedy was part—was bad enough, and Bigelow shrewdly begins Detroit there, tapping into the cumulative anguish that exploded in the city in the wee hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. The police had assailed an illegal after-hours drinking joint, the “blind pig” my mother told me about, expecting only a small group. To their surprise, more than 80 black revelers had gathered to celebrate the safe return of two local Vietnam vets. A bullheaded cop decided to arrest the whole lot of them, and as the police awaited

vehicles to haul everyone in, a crowd of 200 black folk amassed, venting their rage at the barbarous treatment they were routinely subjected to. Taunts and jeers led to bottles being tossed, and in quick order, stores being looted and burned. The powder keg of racial oppression, and black chafing at structural inequality, blew up, the fuse lit by cops who had the temerity to shut down a party for a couple of black men who’d fought for their country. By the end of the five-day riot, 43 people were dead—25 killed by police—7,231 were arrested, more than 1,000 injured, and about the same number of citizens, mostly black, were left homeless. Bigelow plays this opening skillfully, and thunderingly, to viscerally evoke the violence that has seeped into the seams of black existence. The bodies of black people are herded and harassed, and the need for the hashtag, the battle cry, the rallying plea, “Black Lives Matter,” becomes agonizingly clear. There’s a long history here, one that Bigelow memorably communicates through the images of the battering, and the battered, that stalk the screen. Where Bigelow’s rich theoretical background is most palpable—where her understanding of what violence does to us, how it at once makes us cringe and crane our necks, how it reveals our submerged fears and our truest, most confusing, sometimes destructive desires—is in her treatment of the events at the Algiers: home to a dubious though largely innocuous enclave of stragglers, pimps, hustlers, prostitutes, and people on the make and on the run. It was there, at the corner of Virginia Park and Woodward Avenue, about a mile southeast of where the riot had begun, that a report of a sniper led police to raid the motel and perpetrate their murderous assault. While Bigelow doesn’t make the connection explicit in Detroit—it is, after all, a period piece—Wayne State University historian Danielle McGuire, the author of a forthcoming book about the Algiers incident called Murder in the Motor City, says that what happened at the motel “contextualizes, and echoes, the recent spate of police killings of black boys and young black men like Laquan McDonald in Chicago, Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Michael Brown in Ferguson, and Akai Gurley in New York City, to name just a few.” Rutgers University professor Brittney Cooper, author of Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women, seconds McGuire, noting that the quest for a model of policing that “protects rather than destroys black lives is a multigenerational struggle.” The film goes broader, too, Cooper says, implicitly documenting the historical buildup of forces that still weigh on the city’s future: 195

disinvestment, gentrification, and the government’s utter abandonment of its citizens in a time of crisis. (A sip of Flint’s drinking water, anyone?) Of course, there were competing explanations for what happened at the Algiers that night. The cops claimed self-defense, although even then that was considered highly suspicious. But if it’s hard to prove that a police officer murdered a black person now, when there’s ample video evidence of a kid being shot within two seconds of being approached, of a man’s back being filled with lead as he flees, imagine how hard it was to prove police execution of unarmed blacks at a time when the contentions of white cops were virtually irrefutable? From the evidence that can be pieced together, following the conclusions of Pulitzer Prize–winning author John Hersey, the police giddily engaged in a kind of “death game,” toying with black lives and riddling black bodies with bullets, like so many bull’s-eyes on a target. Bigelow’s peripatetic and, at times, slightly jittery camera puts us right in the middle of this chaotic, chilling encounter, shifting anxiously from the perspectives of the perpetrators to that of the victims. And she vividly captures the psychosexual jealousy that spurred the white cops to perform what was in essence an extended castration for the crime of carousing with white girls. IF BIGELOW’S PHOTOGRAPHIC lens destabilizes the audience—refusing to let us be lulled into unspoken complicity with the status quo—her impact on the set is the opposite. “She made each and every actor feel not only safe, but empowered,” says Jason Mitchell, who plays Carl, one of the young men gunned down inside the motel. “Kathryn creates a world, then just lets you do you. She does the same with her cameramen; things are constantly moving.” Before the shoot, Jacob Latimore, who stars as another victim, Fred, says the white and black actors “all came together and really built a strong brotherhood,” a buffer for when things “got physical” and “emotionally exhausting.” Bigelow, if anything, encouraged the intensity. “I never read a full script and was unaware of what happens to the other characters, which put us in a very vulnerable place,” Latimore says, a strategy that likely contributed to the authentic mystery and urgent drama of the film. “She always kept us in the scene,” he adds. “There weren’t any distractions.” But there is a distraction the director may not be able to block: Bigelow knows that some people question her ability as a white woman to accurately, justly, and effectively tell this 196

story, just like the old black man I encountered. “I’ll admit that I’m automatically skeptical when a white woman is tasked with a story that depicts black life, particularly as it relates to how black women are portrayed,” cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux tells me. While that attitude is often warranted, there are no black women prominently featured in Detroit because none figured into what happened at the Algiers that night. Lemieux continues: “What might her lens be? Does she have even a limited understanding of the complicated politics of interracial dating from our side? Will she rely on the comfortable tropes so often employed by her male counterparts— hell, by black men?” Lemieux is no doubt referring to the conventional liberal wisdom that interracial sex is an act of resistance to bigotry. The idea can’t help but disturb black women, who are often thrust into competition with white women—whose beauty and worth is at a cultural premium—for a relatively small pool of “eligible” black men. To her credit, Bigelow tells the story straightforwardly, just as it happened that night, according to the best accounts. You don’t have to invent a Freudian quagmire of sexual resentment of black men when the facts are this harsh: White cops who, like the rest of society, trafficked in stereotypes of black sexual prowess couldn’t control their rage and attacked the black males, and slapped around and sexually humiliated the two white women. “Why you gotta fuck them, huh?” one of the officers asked the girls. Later another snarled, “Honestly, it doesn’t bother you, the Afro Sheen in the hair?” The truth was more hurtful than any fiction or mythology. Bigelow doesn’t shy away from parsing the meaning of her advantage: “Am I the ideal person to direct this movie? No. Having lived with a certain amount of privilege, how can I truly, truly get into the DNA of somebody who has experienced social injustice?” But she decided to not let the best be the enemy of the good. “Is this a story that needs to be told? Yes. And so I felt like, well, let’s just add more noise to the conversation and hopefully there will be many more movies.” And let’s be honest: However much her race limits her perspective, Bigelow had the power to get the project green-lighted. Not to mention that her ability to tell vivid, complicated war stories isn’t trivial to the project at hand: If Detroit is anything, it’s a tale of domestic terrorism. McGuire thinks of the matter this way: “It is important for white people to tackle these stories about white supremacy. After all, it is up to white people to end systemic and insti-

tutional racism.” Cooper goes so far as to suggest that there might be a benefit, even penance, in “one of the most celebrated female directors in the game” wielding her considerable influence to prod the nation to think seriously about race. “Given the 2016 election in which white women threw their lot in with white supremacy in support of Trump, it matters that a white woman is helping to recover this history,” she says. “Hopefully it will lead not to easy calls for reconciliation, but more to an authentic kind of racial reckoning.” As for Bigelow herself, she laments the underrepresentation of people of color, as well as women, in the directorial ranks, but she believes we’ve got to keep confronting and exploring racial themes…by any means necessary, you might say. Her initial impression of the Algiers Motel tragedy was, “That’s 50 years ago. Surely something has changed.” But she almost immediately recognized she was wrong. “Oh, no, it hasn’t [changed]. I feel that from a sociopolitical standpoint, we’re just trapped unless there’s a political will to change this paradigm of subjugation.” She pauses and sits back in her chair. “And I feel pain,” she says. And then a sincere confession, as much for herself as for her fellow citizens: “And shame.” BACK TO THE OLD MAN and his questions. Is Bigelow going to tell what cynical racists, and systemic racism, did to black folk? Yes. She probes white paranoia and fear, white privilege and innocence, white hate and resentment, white-on-black violence, with jarring fidelity to the facts of the case. And what does she know about black folk? Enough to limn our fragile, beautiful, worthy humanity with a discerning eye, and enough to know that telling the truth about the devastating consequences of structural racism and police brutality is one of the greatest gifts we can be given. Oh, and the red gators. They make an appearance on Carl Cooper’s feet about 40 minutes into the film: round-toed, Merlot-colored, crocodile-skin loafers with matching laces and black soles. Those gators were a wet kiss from Bigelow to black Detroit, to the men who lost their lives, to the black men who struggle daily to keep their heads above water, to the black men who take pride in sporting their finest threads amid estranging and repulsive conditions. Nothing says I know working-class black Detroit better than a pair of gators. “Pink gators / My Detroit players,” The Notorious B.I.G. once rapped. Add Bigelow to the Detroit shout-out hall of fame for that splendid recognition and powerful metaphor. It’s as fine a use of her high cultural theory as might be imagined.

COVER

Printed cotton-and-silk-blend dress by Dolce & Gabbana, $2,395, at select Dolce & Gabbana boutiques nationwide, call 877-70-DGUSA or visit dolcegabbana.com. Diamond and gold earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels, $18,000, at Van Cleef & Arpels stores nationwide, call 877-VAN-CLEEF or visit vancleefarpels.com. Studded leather belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, $148, whatgoesaround comesaround.com.

STAR TECH VOYAGERS

PAGE 58: Johnson wears: Wool jersey dress by Max Mara, $975, at Max Mara (NYC). Gold and pearl cuff by Mateo New York, $785, mateonewyork.com. Gold bracelet by David Yurman, davidyurman.com. Lee wears: Merino pullover, $450, skirt, $795, by Michael Kors Collection, michaelkors.com. PAGE 61: Bryant wears: Cotton jacquard jacket by Proenza Schouler, $2,490, at Neiman Marcus (Beverly Hills). Stretch-crepe belted dress by Bassike, $610, bassike.com. White gold and black diamond ring by Emily P. Wheeler, $2,400, emilypwheeler.com. Li wears: Lambskin coat by Akris, $5,990, akris.ch. Patent leather pumps by Christian Louboutin, $675, christian louboutin.com. PAGE 64: Shahid wears: Cotton trench coat by A.P.C., $720, at A.P.C. (NYC). Richman wears: Cotton jacquard jacket by Proenza Schouler, $2,490, at Neiman Marcus (Beverly Hills). Cotton-blend top by COS, $89, cos.com. PAGE 66: Renz wears: Silk-print patchwork dress by Salvatore Ferragamo, $2,790, at Salvatore Ferragamo boutiques nationwide. Sandals by Jil Sander, jilsander.com. Beim wears: Coat by Boss, $795, at Hugo Boss stores nationwide. Knit dress by Diane von Furstenberg, $367, at Saks Fifth Avenue (NYC).

POLITICS, NOT AS USUAL

PAGE 68: Wool-blend blazer, $595, pants, $375, by Tibi, tibi.com. Brogues by Church’s, $680, church-footwear.com.

TRENDS AND ACCESSORIES

From left: Bec Lorrimer; Beau Grealy

PAGE 73: Top, pants, belt by Miu Miu, at select Miu Miu boutiques nationwide. Bracelet by Bulgari, at Bulgari boutiques nationwide. Sneakers by Pierre Hardy, pierrehardy.com. PAGE 74: Track pants by Nautica, for similar styles, call 877-NAUTICA. On model: Pants by Chloé, collection at Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide. Pumps by Manolo Blahnik, at Manolo Blahnik (NYC). PAGE 76: Shirt by Adam Lippes, collection at bergdorfgoodman.com, saksfifthavenue.com. Shirt by Donna Karan New York, collection at Dillard’s stores nationwide, Lord & Taylor stores nationwide. Shirt by Khaite, collection at Weinstein’s (New Orleans), Chalk (Evanston, IL), lanecrawford.com. On model: Shirt, skirt by Carolina Herrera, at Carolina Herrera (NYC, Dallas). Earrings by Sophie Bille Brahe, collection at Dover Street Market New York. Necklace by Foundrae, foundrae.com. Bangles by Roberto Coin, robertocoin.com. Socks by Falke, falke.com. Ankle boots by Gianvito Rossi, gianvitorossi.com. PAGE 79: Ankle boot by Proenza Schouler, proenzaschouler.com. PAGE 82: Pump by Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo.com. Handbag by Loewe, loewe .com, collection at Bergdorf Goodman (NYC), Neiman Marcus stores nationwide, Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide. PAGE 84: Watch by Roger Dubuis, at Roger Dubuis (NYC). Earrings by Graff, graffdiamonds .com. Ring by Nikos Koulis, $92,400, collection at Bergdorf Goodman (NYC). Bracelet by Cartier, cartier.com. PAGE 87: Watch by Tiffany & Co., call 800-843-3269. Sandal by Giuseppe Zanotti, at Giuseppe Zanotti boutiques nationwide. SHOPS PAGE 90: Gloves by Agnelle, agnelle.fr. Sweater by P_Jean, pinko .com. Watch by Omega, at Omega boutiques nationwide. Jacket by Gant, at Gant (Brooklyn). Blouse by Sandro, sandro-paris.com. PAGE 92: T-shirt by The Elder Statesman, collection at Barneys New York. Skirt by Longchamp, longchamp.com. HUSTLE & FLOW PAGE 97: Denim shirt by Melissa McCarthy Seven7, melissa mccarthy.com. Cotton spandex T-shirt by Ply428, plyapparel.com. Stretch-cotton jeans by Good American, goodamerican.com,

collection at Nordstrom stores nationwide, nordstrom.com. Gold and diamond earrings by Ana Khouri, $65,830, collection at Barneys New York.

DO THE RIGHT THING

PAGES 144–145: Bigelow wears: Jacket by R13, $525, collection at Barneys New York, La Garçonne (NYC). Sweater by Barneys New York, barneys.com. Jeans by Rag & Bone, $198, rag-bone.com. Sneakers by Nike, $120, nike.com. Algee Smith wears: Jacket by Thom Browne, $2,880, thombrowne.com. Shirt, $550, trousers, $850, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, at Saint Laurent (NYC). Sneakers by Vans, $65, vans.com. Davis Jr. wears: Suit, $4,430 (sold only as set), trousers, $1,420, by Tom Ford, tomford .com. Shirt by Bally, $825, at Bally (NYC). Mitchell wears: Shirt, $320, trousers, $390, by Acne Studios, acnestudios.com. Tie by Dior Homme, $210, diorhomme.com. Sneakers by Diadora Heritage, $200, diadora.com. Kelley wears: Suit, $3,100, shirt, $590, by Dior Homme, call 800-929-DIOR. Peyton Alex Smith wears: Tuxedo, $3,195 (sold only as set), shirt, $695, by Valentino, at Valentino boutiques nationwide. Trousers by Tom Ford, $1,420, tomford.com. Latimore wears: Shirt, $550, trousers, $890, tie, $195, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, at Saint Laurent (NYC). Sneakers by Adidas Originals, $90, adidas.com.

SLAY, BABY, SLAY

PAGE 98: Earrings, necklace, bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels, call 877-VAN-CLEEF. Watch by Hermès, $34,550, hermes.com. Ring by Ariel Gordon, arielgordonjewelry.com. Ring by Anthony Lent, anthonylent.com. Ring by Pomellato, pomellato.com. Belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, whatgoesaroundnyc.com. Pin by My Simple Distractions, collection at etsy.com.

BORN TO RULE

PAGE 154: Earrings, earring pendants, bangle by Elizabeth Locke, collection at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. Cuff by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co., tiffany.com. Cuff by Gurhan, gurhan.com. Bangle by Ippolita, ippolita.com. Ring by LALAoUNIS, at LALAoUNIS (NYC). Ring by Pomellato, pomellato.com. Ring by La Cano, collection at modaoperandi.com. Ring by Mahnaz Collection, mahnazcollection.com. Ring by Ariel Gordon, arielgordonjewelry .com. Ring by Anthony Lent, anthonylent.com. Belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, at What Goes Around Comes Around (NYC). Safety pin by Ky & Co, contact kensiekitsch@etsy.com. PAGE 157: Coat by Polo Ralph Lauren, at select Polo Ralph Lauren stores nationwide. Slipdress by Ralph Lauren Collection, at select Ralph Lauren stores nationwide. Earrings by Joanne Burke, joanneburkejewels.com, collection at Alex Eagle (London). Watch, ring by Cartier, 800-CARTIER. Rings by Ariel Gordon, arielgordonjewelry.com. PAGES 158–159: Dress, sandals by Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, at Calvin Klein (NYC). Earring by Lara Melchior, laramelchior.com. Rings by Delfina Delettrez, delfinadelettrez .com. Belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, whatgoesaroundnyc .com. Safety pin by Ky & Co, collection at ajraefields.com. Socks by Pan & The Dream, panandthedream.com. PAGES 160: Bra by Wixson, wixsonparis.com. Hoop earrings by Gurhan, gurhan.com. Bangles by Yossi Harari, collection at Bergdorf Goodman (NYC). Charm bracelet by Eye M By Ileana Makri, eye-m-ileanamakri.com. Ring by Bulgari, 800-BULGARI. Belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, whatgoesaroundnyc.com. Safety pin by Wouters & Hendrix, wouters-hendrix.com. PAGE 163: Jacket, skirt by Gucci, at select Gucci stores nationwide. Blouse by Altuzarra, collection at Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide. Bra by Wixson, wixsonparis .com. Earrings by Valentino Garavani, at Valentino boutiques nationwide. Bracelet by Ippolita, ippolita.com. Belt by What Goes Around Comes Around, at What Goes Around Comes Around (NYC). Safety pin by Wouters & Hendrix, wouters-hendrix.com. Socks by Pan & The Dream, panandthedream.com. Pumps by Loewe, loewe.com, collection at ByGeorge (Austin), fwrd.com, Dover Street Market New York. Ring by Mateo New York, mateonewyork.com.

THE 18 FOR ‘17

PAGE 164: Ring by Mateo New York, mateonewyork.com. PAGE 166: Beret by Kangol, kangolstore.com. PAGE 167: Veil headband by Jennifer Behr, jenniferbehr.com. PAGE 168: Dress, boots by Louis Vuitton, call 866-VUITTON. PAGE 169: Jacket, $11,595, pants by

Giorgio Armani, at Giorgio Armani boutiques nationwide. Hat by Eric Javits, made to order, call 800-374-4287 or contact info@ ericjavits.com. Earrings by David Webb, at David Webb (NYC). Sandals by Stella Luna, stellaluna.co, collection at Barneys New York (NYC, Beverly Hills, Chicago, L.A.). PAGE 170: Dress by Versace, $18,475, versace.com. PAGE 171: Coat, jeans, earring, boots by Marc Jacobs, at Marc Jacobs stores nationwide. Hat by Stephen Jones for Marc Jacobs, marcjacobs.com. PAGE 172: Coat, top, pants, loafers by Proenza Schouler, proenzaschouler.com. Earring by Paige Novick, paigenovick.com. Stud earrings by Hearts On Fire, heartsonfire.com. PAGE 173: Jacket, shorts, handbag, boots by Dior, call 800-929-DIOR. PAGE 174: Jacket, pants, bracelet, handbag, boots by Chanel, call 800-550-0005. Brooch by Beladora, beladora .com. PAGE 175: Bucket hat by Lacoste, lacoste.com. PAGE 178: Jacket, top, skirt, tights, pumps by Balenciaga, at Balenicaga (NYC), collection at Barneys New York. PAGE 179: Necklace by Valentino Garavani, at Valentino boutiques nationwide. Belt by Trash and Vaudeville, at Trash and Vaudeville (NYC). Flats by Sergio Rossi, sergiorossi.com. PAGE 180: Oxfords by Tod’s, tods.com. PAGE 181: Jacket, dress, leggings, hat, boots by Gucci, at select Gucci stores nationwide. Boots by Gianvito Rossi, gianvitorossi.com.

TALK OF THE TOWN

PAGE 183: Dress by Fenty Puma by Rihanna, puma.com. Rings by Chopard, at Chopard boutiques nationwide. PAGE 184: Jacket by Chanel, call 800-550-0005. T-shirt by Jeremy Scott, jeremy scott.com. Necklace, bracelets, rings by Tiffany & Co., tiffany .com. PAGE 185: Top by Jeremy Scott, jeremyscott.com. Skirt by Monse, collection at shopbop .com, net-a-porter.com, moda operandi.com. Handbag by Lanvin, at Lanvin (NYC). Rings by Cartier, $24,000–$74,500 each, call 800-CARTIER. Boots by Junya Watanabe Commes des Garçons, comme-des-garcons .com. PAGE 186: Top by Commes des Garçons Homme Plus, at Commes des Garçons (NYC). Pants by Thom Browne, thombrowne.com. Backpack by Balmain, balmain.com. Bracelets, rings by Lagos, lagos.com. Socks by Vans, vans.com. Slides by Fila, fila.com. PAGE 187: Jacket, trousers by Stella McCartney, at Stella McCartney (Las Vegas). Earring by Lana, lanajewelry.com. Bracelet by Roberto Coin, robertocoin.com. Bracelets by Monica Rich Kosann, monicarichkosann.com. PAGE 188: T-shirt by Each x Other, eachxother.com. Bracelets by John Hardy, johnhardy.com. Rings by Bulgari, visit bulgari.com. Rings by David Yurman, at David Yurman (NYC). PAGE 189: T-shirt by Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet, at select Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet boutiques nationwide. Sleeves by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, at Saint Laurent (NYC). Pants by Assembly, at Assembly (NYC, L.A.). Clutch by Bottega Veneta, call 800-845-6790. Boots by Tod’s, tods.com. PAGE 190: T-shirt by By Malene Birger, bymalenebirger.com. Bracelets by Messika Paris, at select Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. Handbag by Chanel, at select Chanel boutiques nationwide. Boots by R13, R13denim.com, collection at barneys.com. PAGE 191: Coat by Tom Ford, at Tom Ford (Beverly Hills). Trousers by Carolina Herrera, at Carolina Herrera (NYC, Dallas, L.A.). Necklaces by Thomas Sabo, thomassabo.com. Rings by Robert Lee Morris Soho, Robert Lee Morris Collection, robertleemorris.com. Rings by Tenthousandthings, tenthousand thingsnyc.com. Backpack by Versace, versace.com. Socks, slides by Vans, vans.com.

CORONATION STREET

PAGE 192–193: Dress, earring by Diane von Furstenberg, at select DVF stores nationwide, collection at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. Prices are approximate. ELLE recommends that merchandise availability be checked with local stores.

ELLE (ISSN 0888-0808) (Volume XXXII, Number 12) (August 2017) is published monthly by Hearst Communications, Inc., 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 U.S.A. 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 Magazines Division: David Carey, President; John A. Rohan, Jr., Senior Vice President, Finance. © 2017 by Hearst Communications, 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 e-mail. 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 707.4.12.5); NONPOSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to ELLE, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037.

197

THE KEY MASTER With his days as one-half of comedy duo Key & Peele gone

For five seasons on Comedy Central’s Key & Peele, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele took on race relations and masculinity with wit and wigs, earning two Emmy Awards, a Peabody, and the admiration of one President Barack Obama. (Key memorably played the president’s “anger translator,” Luther, first opposite Peele’s Obama, and then in 2015 alongside the president himself at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.) But now, the 46-year-old Key—a Detroit native of biracial heritage adopted by a biracial couple—is returning to his roots: drama. He earned an MFA in acting from Penn State in 1996 and calls his comedy career a “lovely 19-year detour”; he’s back this summer with two disparate (and awesome) projects. He plays Horatio, opposite Oscar Isaac’s Hamlet, at New York’s Public Theater—the birthplace, incidentally, of Broadway’s Hamilton. Closer to your sofa, he stars as a philandering novelist trying to end a long-running affair in Netflix’s very dark, very funny series Friends From College, which turns out to be revealing in more ways than one.… ELLE: The first four episodes of Friends From

College open with you having sex.

KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: [Laughs] Yeah, I

know. I know.

ELLE: Did you have any trepidation about

showing your ass?

KMK: I’ve never done it before. There are

riders in your contract—you can’t show butt crack, only side-butt. This is what I pay my lawyer for. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was terrified. But the very first scene I shot was a nude scene. It was almost like, Let’s just get that out of the way. Don’t think about your body parts. ELLE: The show tackles your character’s existential crisis that comes with turning 40 and asks, Is monogamy realistic? What do you think? KMK: I think it’s one of the things that separates us from other animals who aren’t, as the argument goes, sentient. But if a relationship is transforming, sometimes the greatest thing can be if everybody in the relationship doesn’t hold on to the back of the chariot and get dragged. That everybody involved says, “This doesn’t work, and the best way to shed the most light onto the universe is to not be a 198

couple anymore.” ELLE: As you’re watching the current political storm unfurl, do you ever feel like you ended Key & Peele too soon? KMK: Not in any way, shape, or form. All art has been doing recently is imitating life—or parodying life—almost too exactly. The challenge [we faced] was to find humor in the Obama administration. When you’re dealing with a figure [like Trump] who is pure id, it’s a different thing altogether. ELLE: If you could give President Trump one book to read, what would it be? KMK: I’m OK—You’re OK by Thomas what’shis-name. That’s the comic answer. I’m gonna give a little bit of a snarky, nihilistic answer. When you say to somebody, “I’d like to recommend a book to you,” you’re typically talking to a person who is willing to learn, grow, or change. It’s almost an unfair question. He’s so broken from the root. ELLE: Remember when people said we were living in a “postrace” world? KMK: I think millennials thought it was true. Because they’re in their twenties. And hope springs eternal. You ask any African American in their midforties, in a low-income neighborhood anywhere in a major metropolitan area, they’re gonna go, “Postrace? What are you talking about?” I do believe this, though: What we’re seeing in our nation right now are the death throes of an old establishment. It’s literally dying. ELLE: What, if any, lessons will Hollywood learn from the success of your buddy Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out? KMK: Everyone gets all surprised and is like, “That came out of nowhere!” You mean a good story? You mean things that humans

have been doing for 5,000 years? That’s what we do. We tell stories. Jordan Peele’s answer is gonna be, “Well, you know, I dated white girls my whole life. I’ve met a lot of liberal white dads. And what would happen if you took that to the nth degree?” That’s the story of his life, through his particular lens. ELLE: I think of you as a public intellectual. Do you feel a responsibility to educate people? KMK: I do feel a responsibility. If I could just get over my issues of wanting people to like me…. ELLE: You were always working, but success didn’t really come until you were about 40. What might have happened if you’d gotten huge right out of school? KMK: I was raised Catholic, so guilt shackles you from acting like a complete fool all the time. But there would have been a thought deep down inside: I am the most important person. A friend of mine at SNL was talking about a young star—who shall remain nameless—who had a meteoric rise at 13 or 14. If he desires something, it appears. He says, “I want roller skates now,” and 16 adults run out of the room to go get him roller skates. In the first 10 pages of the Bible, that’s what God does. If God is omnipotent, imagine how screwed up a 13-year-old is when he or she says a thing and it happens. I would have been in deep peril. ELLE: Your parents were social workers. Did you learn to argue maturely from a young age? KMK: Very much so. I’d have a conversation with my mother and go, “You know what, Mom? Perhaps I’m projecting right now. But is it possible that subconsciously you’re feeling a little insecure about this loneliness?” These are literally conversations my mother and I have had. “Maybe I’m sublimating behavior at this particular moment in time.” ELLE: How do those conversations end? KMK: It’s always about resolving something. To say, “I think we learned something here.” ELLE: What’s your relaxing, pop-culture guilty pleasure? KMK: I’m a great consumer of kung-fu movies—mid-’70s to late-’80s. Golden Harvest [films]. Master of the Flying Guillotine. I’ll put it another way. If John Wick were on right now, we’re done. I’d hang up the phone and go watch John Wick. My girlfriend and I? That’s one thing we share: overwrought, cheesy action.

Key: William Callan/BAFTA LA/Getty Images; Peele and Bruce Lee: Getty Images

(but certainly not forgotten), Keegan-Michael Key has a new role: our next dramatic leading man. By Mickey Rapkin

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