2020-12-01 elle
TRANSCRIPT
D E C / J AN
THE BEST GIFTS ACROSS AMERICA
SHOULD YOU TRY THE NEW
ZOOMLIFT?
ZENDAYATHE COOLESTGIRL IN HOLLYWOOD MAKES HISTORY
80
0.9
29
.DIO
R (
34
67
) D
IOR
.CO
M
2 . E T E R N A L F L A M E
Countless design eureka moments have been inspired by flea-market finds, but few designers strive for vintage verisi-militude the way jeweler Ted Muehling does. After Muehling fell in love with a vintage Biedermeier candlestick, his attempts to craft his own version stalled, given that they are so challenging to re-create. A decade after Muehling made his prototypes, Rhett Butler, the founder of hardware manufacturer E. R. Butler & Co., suggested that he make them with the same computerized lathes the com-pany uses. The result: a 2020 original that feels like a long-treasured heirloom. Candlesticks, Ted Muehling for E. R. Butler & Co., $540–$900 each, store.erbutler.com.
3 . C H I C A G O M A N U A L O F S T Y L E
What if women ruled the world? That’s the question pathbreaking feminist art-ist Judy Chicago asked on one of the banners that adorned Dior’s spring 2020 couture show, on which she collabo-rated with the house. The relationship didn’t end there, though: For the fifth Lady Art collection, Chicago is among the artists turning the maison’s iconic Lady Dior bag into their canvas. She re-visited her Great Ladies series of spiral and shell paintings for three different designs, which were given a dichroic treatment to create pearlescent, irides-cent, or metallic finishes; each one is inscribed with a caption. Mini Lady Dior bag, Dior, 800-929-DIOR.
1 . C H E F ’ S TA B L E
Met Gala caterer Olivier Cheng has found a way to duplicate his signature culinary experiences in the comfort of your home. This summer, he launched Destination: Hamptons, bringing Long Island summer essentials like hot dogs and homemade pies to doorsteps around the country. For fall, Cheng turns his attention to the holidays, with dinner and cocktail kits that aim to make the season as stress-free (and joyful) as pos-sible. Starting at $1,500 (for eight people, including stationery), plus delivery. Addi-tional services upon request.
Now Trending
Find holiday cheer this season in everything from gallery-worthy bags to personal-ized pearls.
DECKTHE HALLS
1
2
3
OL
IVIE
R C
HE
NG
CA
TE
RIN
G:
AL
LA
N Z
EP
ED
A P
HO
TO
GR
AP
HY;
LE
T I
T A
LL
HA
NG
OU
T (
19
73
) B
Y J
UD
Y C
HIC
AG
O/A
RT
IST
RIG
HT
S S
OC
IET
Y:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E N
EW
OR
LE
AN
S M
US
EU
M O
F A
RT,
PH
OT
OG
RA
PH
ED
BY
DO
NA
LD
WO
OD
MA
N/A
RS
; R
EM
AIN
ING
IM
AG
ES
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
DE
SIG
NE
RS
.
4 . H E Y, M I S T E R
This high-tech Japanese device infuses effervescence into a collagen and elastin face mask laced with pearl extract. From the comfort of your bathroom sink, bask in an instant glow, similar to the one that onsen (hot spring) bathers get from soak-ing in carbonated waters. Just don’t try to re-create it with your SodaStream. ReFa Mist Set, ReFa, $380, refausa.com.
5 . A L P H A B E T C I T Y
Inspired by the beaded initial bracelets of his childhood (and perhaps yours, too?), jeweler and onetime Andy Warhol protégé Wilfredo Rosado decided to put the ultimate high-end spin on a nostalgic favorite for his new contemporary brand W.Rosado. His Pearl ID collection uses pearls hand-carved in Germany and fea-tures diamond-studded letters that can spell out the name of everything from your BFF to your pet to, as seen here, your favorite read. Pearl ID Necklace, W.Rosado, $9,900, justoneeye.com.
6 . R O M A N H O L I D AY
Whether you’re hitting the road or hun-kering down this winter, Fendi’s Roma
Holiday capsule collection has you cov-ered with silky pajamas, tracksuits, knits, and puffers. We love the retro-chic draw-string logo bag for an extra dose of ’90s nostalgia. Jumpsuit, $3,190, handbag, $1,890, Fendi, fendi.com.
7. P O D S Q U A D
Meditation can help manage the symp-toms of depression and anxiety, so why not invest in your mental health this sea-son? This womb-shaped, wood and wool felt meditation chamber blocks out most light and sound, while enveloping users in therapeutic chromatic light as they are led through guided meditations. OpenSeed Meditation Pod, $30,000, openseed.co.
8 . A L L S E T
“Seeing the 24 lipsticks laid out in a line, they suddenly looked just like pia-no keys,” says Jérôme Touron, creative director of Hermès Beauty, who named this irresistible limited-edition gift set. Lucky recipients will find the entire core collection of the house’s lipstick inside a custom iconic orange box. Hermès Beauty 24-ColourPiano Box, $1,608, at select Hermès stores.
Now Trending
4
5
7
8
6
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S.
30 Years of Research Led to One Thing: Results
Award-winning skincare inspired by three decades of research and innovation by a world-leading stem cell specialist and expert in regenerative medicine. Hydrate and soothe your skin while reducing the appearance
SJ�ƪRI�PMRIW��[VMROPIW��VIHRIWW�ERH�L]TIVTMKQIRXEXMSR��+VSYRHFVIEOMRK�WGMIRGI�JSV�LIEPXLMIV�WOMR.
augustinusbader.com #TheCreamThatWorks
FOR A FLAWLESS LONG-LASTING LOOK, FOLLOW THESE PRO-TIPS:• Apply foundation from the center of your face• Always apply in a natural light• Use a setting spray to finish
NIKKIE IS WEARING SHADE 110 PORCELAIN
NikkieTutorials13.5 million subscribers*
*as of August 2020
Model is wearing Super Stay face plus eye & lip makeup.
��Mess-free pump for easy application
� �Water-resistant� �Fade-resistant � �Up to 24 hour wear
Available in 28 full coverage shades.
UP TO 24H
The Super Stay Foundation. This compares to high-end brands, it might kick their a** a little… it stays put all day long, it makes your pores look
tinier, it makes your skin look flawless.
—Nikkie De Jager Makeup Artist / Beauty Guru / Maybelline Partner
Before
After
ADVERTISEMENT
Get to know why & see for yourself!
MAKEUP ARTISTS ARE COMPARING THIS $11.99 FOUNDATION TO $40 FOUNDATIONS.
AVAILABLE AT
24 NOW TRENDING
40 FASHION ROYALTY
Yoox Net-a-Porter joins forces with The Prince’s Foundation for a sustainable new collection. By Véronique Hyland
42 EDITOR’S LETTER
44 NINA’S EDIT
48 NEW ARRIVALS
The accessories with holiday sheen
Front Row
53 RENAISSANCE MEN
Dolce and Gabbana’s love letter to Florence. By Laura Rysman
Accessories
61 PUT ON A HAPPY FACE
A classic Rolex gets a bright new look
62 ACE OF DIAMONDS
Jewelry house Messika finds a perfect partner in Kate Moss. By Naomi Rougeau
64 RAINBOW HIGH
Electric tones fight the winter blues
Shops
67 HOME GROWN
Gifts for every zip code
Beauty
79 THE FUTURE
OF BEAUTY
The year’s most groundbreaking innovations. By Margaux Anbouba
92 MEET THE ZOOM LIFT
The best noninvasive techniques to help you look better on video chat. By Martha McCully
94 HACK YOUR
HAPPINESS
New tech to help boost your mental health. By Sushma Subramanian
96 THE YEAR OF
DRINKING DANGEROUSLY
COVID has many women reaching for the bottle—but at what cost? By Kelley Manley
Culture
99 HOLLYWOOD RISING:
TIFFANY BOONE
Nerisha Penrose on the Little Fires Everywhere star’s big new moves
NO. 422December/January Volume XXXVI Number 4
BRA TOP, $6,050, SKIRT, $4,050, EARRINGS, $575, CHANEL, 800-550-0005P
ET
RA
CO
LL
INS
; F
OR
DE
TA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
31
NO. 422
Mascara in Glossy Black, and Juicy Tubes Ultra Shiny Hydrating Lip Gloss in Simmer. All, Lancôme.
Photographed by Micaiah Carter (styled by Law Roach; hair by Kim Kimble for Kim Kimble Haircare; makeup by Sheika Daley at Six K L.A.; set design by David Browne; produced by Ben Bonnet at Westy Productions).
100 FAMILY BUILDING
Comedian and actress Michelle Buteau on her path to motherhood
104 HOW QANON CAME
FOR SUBURBAN MOMS
Extreme conspiracy theories have become the province of women. By Anne Helen Petersen
108 THE BIG BUSINESS
OF BEING AN ALLY
Does antiracism training work? Carrie Battan reports
December/January Volume XXXVI Number 4
The Well
113 THE COOLEST
GIRL IN HOLLYWOOD
Zendaya reflects on the moment with Timothée Chalamet. Photographed by Micaiah Carter, styled by Law Roach
124 BOSS LADY
Tailored menswear cuts a clean line this season. Photographed by Chris Colls, styled by Alex White
138 ONCE UPON
A TIME...IN L.A.
Véronique Hyland sits down with new Chanel ambassador Margaret Qualley. Photographed by Petra Collins, styled by Kyle Luu
End Notes
146 SHOPPING GUIDE
148 HOROSCOPE
The Cover Look
ZENDAYA wears a dress from Valentino Haute Couture, earrings and a ring from Bulgari, and sneakers from Nike Dunk High x Ambush.
For Zendaya’s makeup look, try Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Foundation, Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil in Chocolate and Light Brown, Lash Idôle
JACKET, $3,500, VEST, $1,400, SHIRT, $1,300, GUCCI, GUCCI.COM
CH
RIS
CO
LL
S;
FO
R D
ETA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
34
FASHION
Senior Market Editor SARAH ZENDEJASCredits Editor CAITLIN MULLEN
Market Editors STEPHANIE SANCHEZ, JADE VALLARIOAssistants ROSIE JARMAN, KEVIN LEBLANC
FEATURES
Senior Fashion Features Editor NAOMI ROUGEAU
BEAUTY
Associate Beauty Editor MARGAUX ANBOUBA
ART AND DESIGN
Deputy Art Director KATELYN BAKERDesigner JULIANNA DANIELSON
International Coordinator MONIQUE BONIOL
HEARST VISUAL GROUP
Senior Visual Researcher MEGAN A. VICTORIA Associate Producer SAMEET SHARMA
COPY AND RESEARCH
Copy Chief TERRI SCHLENGER Research Chief BRENDÁN CUMMINGSAssociate Research Editor LAURA ASMUNDSSON
PRODUCTION
Operations Director CHRIS WENGIEL Operations Account Manager MARIA FERNANDEZPremedia Account Manager ISABELLE RIOS Digital Imaging Specialist REBECCA IOVAN
Editorial Business Director CAROL LUZEditorial Business Manager KATE REMULLA
ELLE.COM
Digital Director KATIE CONNORDeputy Editor JESSICA ROY Senior Culture Editor JULIE KOSIN Beauty Director CHLOE HALL
Features Editor KATHERINE KRUEGER Senior Staff Writer R. ERIC THOMAS News and Strategy Editor ALYSSA BAILEY Social Media Editor ARIANA YAPTANGCO Senior Market and E-Commerce Editor JUSTINE CARREON
Staff Writers MADISON FELLER, ROSE MINUTAGLIO Assistant Editor NERISHA PENROSEDigital Art Director MIA FEITEL Photo Editor YOUSRA ATTIA
Lead Video Producer ANGEL LENISE Senior Video Editor KAMERON KEYAfter Effects Artist ALINA PETRICHYN DP/Editor TOM JEZIK
WORLD’S LEADING FASHION MAGAZINE • 45 INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
Argentina • Australia • België • Belgium • Bulgaria • Canada • China • Croatia • Czech Republic •Denmark • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Holland • Hong Kong • Hungary • India • Indonesia •
Italy • Japan • Kazakhstan • Korea • Malaysia • Mexico • Norway • Oriental • Poland • Portugal •Quebec • Romania • Russia • Serbia • Singapore • Slovenia • South Africa • Spain • Sweden •
Taiwan • Thailand • Turkey • Ukraine • United Kingdom • USA • Vietnam
PUBLISHED BY HEARST
President and Chief Executive Officer STEVEN R. SWARTZChairman WILLIAM R. HEARST III Executive Vice Chairman FRANK A. BENNACK, JR.
Chief Operating Officer MARK E. ALDAMSecretary CATHERINE A. BOSTRON
HEARST MAGAZINE MEDIA, INC.
Acting President, Hearst Magazines Group and Treasurer DEBI CHIRICHELLAChief Content Officer KATE LEWIS
Chief Business Officer KRISTEN M. O’HARA
Publishing Consultants GILBERT C. MAURER, MARK F. MILLERFounding Editor RÉGIS PAGNIEZ
For information on reprints and e-prints, please contact Brian Kolb at Wright’s Reprints, 877-652-5295 or [email protected]. ELLE is published by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All correspondence should be addressed to: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.
The ELLE trademark and logo are owned by Hachette Filipacchi Presse (France), a Lagardère Active Group company. ELLE® is used under license from the trademark owner, Hachette Filipacchi Presse. Copyright © 2020. Printed in the United States of America.
ELLEAROUNDTHEWORLD.COM
NINA GARCIAEditor-in-Chief
KATIE BECKERBeauty and Health Director
MELISSA GIANNINIFeatures Director
VÉRONIQUE HYLANDFashion Features Director
LAURA SAMPEDRODeputy Managing Editor
CARY GEORGESVisual Director
MARTIN HOOPSExecutive Design Director
AMY SYNNOTTExecutive Editor
ERIN HOBDAYExecutive Managing Editor
ALIX CAMPBELLChief Visual Content Director,
Hearst Magazines
KAYLA WEBLEY ADLERDeputy Editor
JENNIFER WEISELEntertainment Director
ALEX WHITEFashion Director
ALEXIS WOLFEFashion Market and Accessories Director
STEPHEN GANCreative Director
F I N DT H E
Motivating yourself to go for a winter run? It’s much easier with gear that’s bright and cozy. FP Movement’s fleece jacket is the rare piece that looks just as good on the street as it does on the trail.
Hit the Slopes Fleece Jackets, FP Movement, $148 each, FPMovement.com.
PRESENTED BY FP MOVEMENT
Conservation
estled amid 2,000 acres of Scottish countryside sits Dumfries House, an eighteenth-century estate complete with a walled garden straight out of an Austen heroine’s dreams. It’s been home to generations of earls, but lately it’s hosted a very dif-ferent set of tenants: students from Italy’s architecture, design, and engineering school Politecnico di Milano. They’ve come
together with British graduate artisans to create the Modern Artisan Project, a fashion collaboration between Prince Charles’s educational charity The Prince’s Foundation and Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP). While it might seem like an un-likely pairing, Yoox founder and YNAP chairman and CEO Federico Marchetti says he and the prince bonded over a shared interest in conservation. Prince Charles “started talking about the effects of plastic in 1969, the year I was born!” Marchetti marvels. “He also has an incredible passion for the world of fashion. It has been inspiring to see these two interests come together, and to watch the students engage with him and present their work in progress.”
The project participants schooled one another on traditional Italian and British tailoring techniques, with a modern emphasis on eco-friendly pro-duction. “We in the fashion industry know how much it needs to change, and COVID has heightened that for most people,” says Jacqueline Farrell, education director for The Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House. The thinking was, “If you make heritage pieces, people won’t throw them away.”
Out now, the collection, as Italian student Francesca Galloni puts it, is sus-tainable on all levels: “environmentally, socially, and economically.” The designs were informed by five years’ worth of customer data—a tactic that reduces waste by ensuring that each item is something the customer actually wants to buy. The minds behind the project also want to sustain the tradition of craftsman-ship in both countries. “Once our artisans have these skills, they have them for life,” Farrell says. She points to the aging workforce in the UK and the decline in craftsmanship training for young people all over the world. For UK artisan Nicole Christie, “it’s about educating our generation, [so] we can then teach the next generation about sustainability.”
And no one has been more supportive than Prince Charles. “Throughout the process, HRH The Prince of Wales and I have shared communications about the project,” Marchetti says. “He has been very curious about the final result of this ‘new form of fashion.’ When we announced the project, many articles said that [he] had ‘gone into fashion’—and he truly has!” —VÉRONIQUE HYLAND
N
Yoox Net-a-Porter joins forces with The Prince’s Foundation for a collection made by
the next generation of sustainable craftspeople.
FASHION ROYALTY
MOODBOARDS FOR THE COLLECTION.
HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AND MARCHETTI WITH THE STUDENTS.
DUMFRIES HOUSE, WHERE
THE COLLECTION WAS MADE.
LEFT: JUMPSUIT, $1,095. BELOW: TRENCH COAT, $1,495, TURTLENECK, $475, CULOTTES, $850, ALL, YOOX NET-A-PORTER FOR THE PRINCE’S FOUNDATION, NET-A-PORTER.COM.
DU
MF
RIE
S H
OU
SE
AN
D T
HE
PR
INC
E O
F W
AL
ES
: M
IKE
WIL
KIN
SO
N;
SK
ET
CH
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
ITA
LIA
N
MO
DE
RN
AR
TIS
AN
S;
MO
DE
L:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
YO
OX
NE
T-A
-PO
RT
ER
GR
OU
P;
MO
OD
BO
AR
DS
: G
. A
. M
OC
CH
ET
TI
.
40
BE
S
TOF BEA
UT
Y
2020
AW
A
RD
W I NN
ER
2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner, OGX Extra Strength Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil Shampoo
endaya made history this fall as the young-est-ever Emmy winner in her category for Euphoria, her must-see HBO show. And she’s about to hit another milestone with her upcom-ing movie Malcolm & Marie—shot, with rigor-ous safety protocols in place, during the height
of the quarantine. Speaking with her Dune costar Timothée Chalamet, the actress, who has been an outspoken advocate for mental health, discussed the struggles that millennials and Gen Zers are facing right now. “It feels like a very hopeless time, spe-cifically in this country,” she says. “I know a lot of my peers feel enraged and exhausted and tired of living and growing up in a system that feels like it wasn’t built for us.” Which is why she is focused on finding silver linings where she can. “Right now,” she says, “we as Black people need to embrace joy and not let it be taken away from us.”
One of the challenges facing all of us right now is an existing mental health crisis that the pandemic has only wors-ened. A new study in JAMA Network Open shows that depression rates have tripled during COVID. And a growing number of women—who’ve dispropor-tionately shouldered many of the bur-dens of the pandemic, from parenting to housework—are consuming alco-hol at increasingly unhealthy rates, as Kelley Manley investigates in “The Year of Drinking Dangerously.” At ELLE, we’ve always been dedicated to bringing you the latest in mental health research and breakthroughs, but we are doubling down on this focus—a commitment you will see through 2021 and beyond.
Another consequence of the pan-demic is that we’re spending a large part of our day online. For some, this increased screen time has helped us connect with one another and edu-cate ourselves on social issues. Carrie Battan’s investigation into the booming cottage industry of allyship notes that much of the ongoing antiracism con-versation is taking place on social media, especially when it comes to influencers. “For so many of these girls,” consultant Chrissy Rutherford says, “it’s the first time they’re really even considering the privilege they have.” The other outcome of all those extra hours on our phones is less rosy—being sucked into online rabbit holes. On page 104, Anne Helen Petersen takes a deep dive into QAnon, the dangerous conspiracy theory that is ensnaring women on the internet.
This is the time of year to go all out, so, fittingly, this issue is packed with fashion. Laura Rysman gives us a front-row seat to Dolce & Gabbana’s exuber-
ant Alta Moda show in Florence; Fashion Features Director Véronique Hyland reports on the latest royal fashion collabo-ration; and actress, dancer, and Chanel ambassador Margaret Qualley stars in a portfolio shot by Petra Collins and styled by Kyle Luu. Our yearly Gift Guide is filled with fashion pleasures large and small to suit your holiday plans, whether you’re build-ing the chicest glamping wardrobe or spending time in the sun.
Finally, for our annual Future of Beauty package, Associate Beauty Editor Margaux Anbouba highlights the year’s best tech-nological innovations, from a makeup “printer” to a custom nail polish app that works like this: You select a color you like from an image you upload to its platform, and it will custom-blend that shade for you. If you’re a technophile like me, you’ll be eager to learn how these innovations can make us all healthier, pret-tier—and, yes, happier. The year 2021 can’t come soon enough.
Generation Z
Editor’s Letter
Z
@NINAGARCIA NINAGARCIA @NINAGARCIAOFFICIAL
DRESS, GIAMBATTISTA VALLI HAUTE COUTURE. EARRINGS, BULGARI.
MIC
AIA
H C
AR
TE
R
42
Nina’s Edit
This holiday season, ELLE’s editor-in-chief embraces New England tradition in Nantucket.
MASS APPEAL
STAY
Steeped in local charm, the White Elephant resort is everything you’d expect, from cedar-shingled facades to tasteful guest rooms. The resort is also the starting point of the annual Nantucket Christmas Stroll (set to return in 2021) and a short walk to the Main Street tree lighting. whiteelephantnantucket.com
Preppy staples with a nautical twist will make you feel right at home.
DINE Located in the Harborside Hotel at the White Elephant, the Brant Point Grill offers the best in seafood from a casual space overlooking the harbor. Should you stop by for brunch, be sure to sample the Signature Lobster Bloody Mary. whiteelephantnantucket
.com/dining/brant-point-grill
SHOP
Why not bring a bit of the island back home with you? Bodega Nantucket offers a curated selection of decorative accents, furniture, and textiles. Among the coastal-inspired objets, you’ll also find unexpected treasures, such as block-printed Indian pillows and leather tassels from Morocco. bodeganantucket.com
LOCAL STANDOUT
In the nineteenth century, men were stationed in boats off the Massachusetts coast to provide light for passing ships. To while away the daylight hours, they took to basket weaving, creating distinctive lightship baskets—which, over time, made their way from domestic essential to must-have accessory. glbrownnantucketbaskets.com
WHAT TO PACK
NECKLACE, MONICA RICH KOSANN,
$1,950, MONICARICH KOSANN.COM
CORDUROY PANTS, VERONICA BEARD, $425, VERONICABEARD.COM
SWEATER, MICHAEL KORS
COLLECTION, $1,390, MICHAELKORS.COM
PEACOAT, RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION, $2,690,
RALPHLAUREN.COM
SOCKS, DOLCE & GABBANA, $575, SELECT DOLCE & GABBANA BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE
SWEATER, PARADIS PERDUS, $495, PARADISPERDUS NYC.COM
BOOT, L.L.BEAN, $159, LLBEAN.COM
SCARF, LOEWE, $270, LOEWE.COM
BASKET BAG, FARNUM, $270, MURRAY’S, NANTUCKET
NA
NT
UC
KE
T H
AR
BO
R:
EM
ILY
EL
ISA
BE
TH
PH
OT
OG
RA
PH
Y/N
AN
TU
CK
ET
CH
AM
BE
R O
F
CO
MM
ER
CE
; TA
BL
E S
ET
TIN
G:
SA
ND
RA
CU
NN
ING
HA
M;
WH
ITE
EL
EP
HA
NT
AN
D B
OD
EG
A
NA
NT
UC
KE
T:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E V
EN
UE
S;
RE
MA
ININ
G I
MA
GE
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S.
Powered by dullness-fighting Neoglucosamine.
Boosts cell turnover by 10x* for instantly brighter skin.
DULL, TIRED SKIN?FLIP THE SWITCH.
MEET NEW BRIGHT BOOST.
*Surfa
ce C
ells
, In L
ab
ora
tory
Stu
die
s ©
J&
JC
I 20
19
Ava i lab le a t
is a
tra
de
ma
rk o
wn
ed
by
HA
CH
ET
TE
FIL
IPA
CC
HI P
RES
SE
, Fra
nc
e.
@ELLEParfums
#ELLEGirlsOnTheGo
FRAGRANCE MISTS
Ava i lab le a t
New Arrivals
Chanel’s classic flap bag gets a sparkling update befitting the holiday season, courtesy of festive green paillettes.
Handbag, Chanel, 800-550-0005.
The BAG
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S.
Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello revisits the heyday of disco with a Studio 54–worthy snakeskin sandal.
Sandal, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $1,095, Saint Laurent, NYC.
The SHOE
49
Victoire de Castellane’s fantastical tie dye–inspired Tie & Dior collection offers the most elevated interpretation of the hippie staple we’ve seen yet.
Earrings, Dior Fine Jewelry, 800-929-DIOR. CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
.
50
PRINCESS COLLECTIONS
robertocoin.com
A LOOK FROM THE DOLCE & GABBANA ALTA MODA COLLECTION, SHOT OUTSIDE FLORENCE’S DUOMO.
Front Row
Dolce and Gabbana take over the city of Florence for a maximalist ode to Italian
craftsmanship. By Laura Rysman
RENAISSANCE MEN
MO
DE
L A
T D
UO
MO
: B
RA
NIS
LA
V Š
IMO
NČ
ÍK/D
OLC
E &
GA
BB
AN
A A
ND
TO
SC
AN
A P
RO
MO
ZIO
NE
TU
RIS
TIC
A.
hen most of the world had long since ceded style to sweatpants and staying home, Dolce & Gabbana’s staunchest enthusiasts packed their suitcases with ball gowns and journeyed to Italy this September in pursuit of beauty. After a bad year for fashion, and for just
about everything else, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana envisioned salvation in the post-lockdown resurrection of their over-the-top Alta Moda runway affair, a multi-day, socially distanced shindig dedicated to the city of Florence—the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.
In the Four Seasons’ Medici chapel, the designers sat on a brocade sofa, surrounded by golden sixteenth-century frescoes. “We know the situation. We know the problem,” Dolce said. “We know everything,” Gabbana added solemnly. “But we want to continue. We want to go on.”
The pair’s destination shows turn their locations—past sites have included Capri, Portofino, Lake Como, and Sicily—into inspiration for their collections and showcases for elaborate Italian artisanship. (“Craftsmanship is not trendy, and it’s not cool. It’s not fashion. It’s forever,” Gabbana said.) Italy’s identity is deeply rooted in both the artisan and the artist—and in their union, which flowered most dazzlingly during the Renaissance, when understatement was not a respectable concept. In other words, perfect terrain for the duo’s effusive inclinations.
“Why do you come to Florence? Not to see something modern,” Dolce said. “This is a country of history.” Fashion is forward-looking by definition, but in a nation so gut-punched by the COVID crisis, and after a long pause without much in the way of catwalks or parties or exuberance, there was a certain redemption in the designers’ elegiac vision of Italy hitting the runway once again. “We are Italian, and we are very proud to be Italian,” Gabbana said. “And through our job, we have discovered a lot of history.” The two often finish each other’s sentences, and Dolce chimed in with a proclamation: “History—true history—and true culture are never old.”
In the stone citadel of Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of power in Florence for over seven centuries, the designers paraphrased the past for their Alta Sartoria runway show, with a Dolce & Gabbana Renaissance revival of more gold sequin pants, gilt-embroidered gloves, and gilded tunics than even the Medicis might have coveted. “A dream made of gold,” one guest sighed. And that was just the men’s collection.
Florence, empty of its customary crowds of tourists, needed a boost—this time, said the designers, with an emphasis on the city’s finely crafted goods to replace its inundation of cheaply produced souvenirs. Thirty-eight Florentine workshops collaborated with the designers, inspiring them to new flights of fancy: a dressing-gown set of Seta Lisio silk depicting Giorgio Vasari’s fifteenth-century grand battle murals; a cuirass with a repoussé sterling silver chest plate by Pampaloni; double silk organza sports jerseys rendered fantastical by Mazzanti Piume’s embroidered overlay of feathers; a tabard emblazoned with a hand-embroidered cross by Fratelli Traversari. At the Alta Sartoria show, as the artisans joined the audience of a few hundred guests to watch their creations on the catwalk, Florence’s mayor, beaming with local pride amid a fanfare of medieval trumpet players in striped pantaloons, dedicated the keys of the city to Dolce & Gabbana muse Monica Bellucci. He expressed hope that a new Florentine Renaissance would rise from this modern—and hopefully brief—Dark Age.
W
Front Row
AT ALTA MODA, A GOWN EMBROIDERED WITH
ORGANZA AND VELVET HAND-PAINTED FLOWERS.
A LOOK FROM THE ALTA MODA SHOW.
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
DO
LC
E &
GA
BB
AN
A.
54
CHANEL.COM
SEPHORA
The afternoon had begun with the Alta Gioielleria presentation, held in the famed Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, where frankincense wafted through the air as waiters in white tunics with black capes and medallion pendants (custom-designed for the high jewelry event) served aperitifs. Amid shelves of old apothecary jars and somber portraits of friars, finely wrought necklaces—gemstone extravaganzas, each one unique—gleamed on satin-covered busts with rubellite and Paraíba tourmalines as big as robin’s eggs and marble-size South Sea pearls. There was even a baroque bib of diamonds worthy of a sovereign, whose matching tall tiara was fitted and photographed on many an eager client’s head. “The high jewelry, it’s…come si dice?…out of control,” Gabbana said with a puckish grin.
But after all the literal fanfare, the pièce de résistance was still in the offing. Alta Moda is the fashion house’s Mediterranean answer to haute couture, with opulent one-of-a-kind garments sold to a select high-wattage clientele for the approximate price of an Italian sports car—each piece requiring hundreds of hours on the part of specialized seamstresses
and craftspeople. (Dolce: “The value is not the hours. It’s the concept. When you start to count how many hours, you kill the creativity.”) The Florence women’s collection was the first to be entirely fabricated in Dolce & Gabbana’s own workshops with a young fleet of artisans—some trained at its own suite of schools, the Botteghe di Mestiere. The schools teach traditional skills at
risk of extinction to a new generation, who produce the kind of exquisite embroidery and precise tailoring required for the brand’s Alta Moda line.
The runway show audience—wearing prior-season Alta Moda looks, a smattering of tiaras, and swaths of diamonds—gathered at the Villa Bardini, in a manicured garden overlooking the valley of Florence’s
historic center. Set to the strains of Nino Rota’s golden-age cinema soundtracks, the presentation, from its first look—a gown hand-painted with Florence’s cityscape—turned the nostalgic, boom-era Cinecittà magnificence of Italy all the way up, in an ode to the 1951 Florence catwalk that launched the alta moda tradition in Italy.
With red lips and coquettish black lace veils, the models glided onto a terrace of roses and descended a stone staircase
HAND-WOVEN RAFFIA LOOKS FROM THE ALTA MODA SHOW.
“The high jewelry, it’s...come si dice?...
out of control.”
lined with fuchsia blooms of bougainvillea, languidly hip-switching past the crowd in clinging jacquard dresses and towering flowered headdresses; in opera capes and sweeping skirts with deftly embroidered fabric mosaics depicting the Duomo and other Florentine landmarks; and in Fellini-esque diva dresses whose bare shoulders and backs revealed black bras and mesh corsets. “Fashion is fantasy,” Gabbana mused as he leaned on the runway’s balustrade after a round of gold-toned fireworks wrapped up the show.
The days following the Alta Moda show were tightly booked with client appointments. Stella Aminova, a longtime devotee wearing the brand’s crochet crop top and matching skirt with high jewelry earrings featuring finger-size enamel eggplants, explained why she wouldn’t miss her chance with Stefano and Domenico’s creations. “It’s real love. It’s real
emotions,” she enthused. “They love life, they love Italy, they love women!”
Yet in a year without celebrations, when tribulations shut down life itself and made us all wonder about the point of getting dressed, wherefore the lavish, effervescent Alta Moda? Is a live show of such decadence an affront in this fraught moment? “When we have a show, you talk with the audience. It’s not just clothes,” Dolce said. “Some people think that if you are positive, you are stupid. No! We have to have the integrity to react, to recount history, to recount the talent of the artisan workshops.” Gabbana started to interrupt him, but Dolce leaned forward to circumvent him. “We need to try to encourage life,” he declared, his voice rising. “For the system, for the Italians, for fashion, for beauty. Beauty is like medicine for the world.” ▪
Front Row
THE OPENING LOOK AT THE ALTA MODA SHOW, FEATURING HAND-PAINTED FLORENTINE SCENES.
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
DO
LC
E &
GA
BB
AN
A.
58 58
AccessoriesPUT ON A HAPPY FACEChannel the resort spirit with Rolex’s updated Oyster Perpetual collection. These sunny new hues are sure to lend a bit of warmth to even the coldest of climes.
WATCHES, ROLEX, $5,600 EACH (AVAILABLE IN FIVE NEW COLORS), ROLEX.COM
DO
N P
EN
NY
Accessories
t’s hard to fathom that Messika, the Paris-based jewelry brand founded in 2005 by the très chic Valérie Messika, could get any cooler. After all, how many jewelers can claim Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber, and Charlize Theron as devoted fans of their timeless yet modern designs? Make no
mistake, these are diamonds with a capital D, but made for ev-eryday wear. So it’s hardly surprising that Kate Moss, that great champion of mixing high and low, would hit it off with Messika after meeting with her in Paris. Or that a collaboration inspired by Moss’s eclectic aesthetic would soon be born from this cre-ative tête-à-tête.
“I brought my jewelry box to our first design meeting so Valérie could see pieces that I love, and get an understanding of my taste,” Moss tells ELLE. The resulting 100-piece collection ranges from a bohemian headpiece to an Art Deco–inspired bracelet, with all diamonds sourced in accordance with the Kimberley Process to ensure an ethical supply chain. Among Moss’s favorite pieces? The convertible tassel chain with fringe, which she says she’d wear “with a caftan for lunch at the beach, or with a shirt for the office—and for evening, [I’d wear it] in reverse with a backless cocktail dress.” As one does.—NAOMI ROUGEAU
I
If anyone’s got an ample supply of je ne sais quoi, it’s Kate Moss. The supermodel lends her magic touch to French fine jewelry house Messika.
ACE OF DIAMONDS
MESSIKA AND MOSS.
EARRINGS, MESSIKA PARIS BY KATE MOSS
HIGH JEWELRY, MESSIKA BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE.
MOSS ON THE SET OF HER MESSIKA
CAMPAIGN, LENSED BY CHRIS COLLS.
MO
SS
WIT
H M
ES
SIK
A A
ND
ON
SE
T:
MA
RIN
LA
BO
RD
E;
EA
RR
ING
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
.
62
Boutiques · Palm Beach & Southampton Jewelers · Saks Fifth Avenue · Marissa Collections · Neiman Marcus
…and the best jewelers in the US www.tamaracomolli.com
Channel the heyday of Technicolor with
pieces in a spectrum of bright,
punchy, winter-defying hues.
R A I N B O W H I G H
Accessories
HANDBAG, CHANEL, $3,300,
800-550-0005
APPLE WATCH HERMÈS SERIES 6, HERMÈS, $1,299, HERMES.COM
BUCKET HAT, ASATA MAISÉ, $150, ASATAMAISE.COM
HANDBAG, LOUIS VUITTON, $3,800, LOUISVUITTON.COM
HANDBAG, VALENTINO GARAVANI, $2,575, SIMILAR STYLES AT VALENTINO BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE
RING, BEA BONGIASCA, $1,500, NET-A-PORTER.COM
NECKLACE, EÉRA, NET-A-PORTER.COM
SANDAL, SAINT LAURENT BY
ANTHONY VACCARELLO, $995,
SAINT LAURENT, NYC
SANDAL, BY FAR, $425,
BYFAR.COM
SANDAL, AMINA MUADDI, $1,035, AMINAMUADDI.COM
SUNGLASSES, BOTTEGA VENETA, $495, BOTTEGAVENETA.COM
HANDBAG, BALENCIAGA, $1,990, BALENCIAGA, BEVERLY HILLS
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S;
FO
R
DE
TA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
64
©2020 Athena Cosmetics, Inc. RevitaLash® Advanced not available in California.
available at revitalash.com
ETERNALLY PINK®– RevitaLash® Cosmetics honors the courage and strength of our Co-Founder, Gayle Brinkenhoff, and that of women everywhere
by supporting breast cancer awareness, research and education initiatives year-round, not just in October. This is our Eternally Pink pledge.
REVITALASH® SCIENCEMORE THAN JUST LUSCIOUS LASHES
The iconic lash conditioner brand brings you proven RevitaLash Science for the brows
and hair, too. Physician formulated, results-driven products feature our proprietary
BioPeptin Complex® to transform hair and enhance your most prized beauty assets.
The results? Beautiful lashes, bold brows, and luxurious locks.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.CROWN ROYAL Blended Canadian Whisky. 40% Alc/Vol. The Crown Royal Company, New York, NY.
No matter how near or far you may venture
this holiday season, these local standouts offer no shortage of
inspiration.
HOME GROWN
ShopsS
EG
UIN
TR
EE
DW
EL
LIN
GS
: K
YL
E F
INN
DE
MP
SE
Y/T
RO
UT
& C
OF
FE
E.
67
Shops
COASTAL CHILLThe snowy Northeast calls for the coziest of accoutrements.
SOCKS, MOTHER, $24, MOTHERDENIM .COM
WINE, GIA COPPOLA WINE, $125 (SET OF FIVE), THEFAMILYCOPPOLA.COM/EN/STORE/
ICAROS HOME VIRTUAL REALITY FITNESS EQUIPMENT, ICAROS, $1,900, ICAROS.COM
DEER DECOR STATUE, BUCCELLATI,
BUCCELLATI.COM; CARDIGAN, MOLLY
GODDARD, $528, DOVER STREET
MARKET NEW YORK
N˚5 EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY, CHANEL, $135, CHANEL.COM
BOOTIES, GUCCI, $930, GUCCI.COM
KANGAROO ARMCHAIR, CASSINA, $4,480, CASSINA.COM
SOOTHING MARINE CREAM, CLARK’S BOTANICALS, $105, CLARKSBOTANICALS.COM
ONE-OF-A-KIND SKI HELMET, KASK, $479, CRANIOLOGIE, VAIL, CO WINTER HAT, BONPOINT,
$150, BONPOINT.COM
MANCALA, EDIE PARKER, $1,295, MODAOPERANDI.COM
EARRINGS, KATKIM, KATKIMFINEJEWELRY.COM
SUNGLASSES, PORT TANGER, $360, SSENSE.COM
VOLKSWAGEN T1 CAMPER VAN, THE LEGO GROUP, $120, LEGO.COM
EARPHONES, LOUIS VUITTON, $1,190,
LOUISVUITTON.COM
CRYSTAL GLASS, BACCARAT X VIRGIL ABLOH, $550, BACCARAT.COM
ALBINO MAMMOTH, BIGSTUFFED, $211, BIGSTUFFED.COM
BATH SALT | SAL DE BANHO, COSTA BRAZIL, $125,
LIVECOSTABRAZIL.COM
MITTENS, TORY SPORT, $98,
TORYSPORT.COM
TOTE BAG, PARAVEL, $165,
TOURPARAVEL.COM
THE FREE-SPIRITED
FRAGRANCE FOR WOMEN
NEW!
HER LONDON DREAM
EAU DE PARFUM
HER
EAU DE PARFUM
HER BLOSSOM
EAU DE TOILETTE
NEW!
LIFT TO EXPERIENCE
HER LONDON DREAM
EAU DE PARFUM
LIFT TO EXPERIENCE
HER EAU DE PARFUM
STAY Guaranteed to bring out the kid in you, the Seguin tree dwellings in Georgetown, Maine, are perched high on a 21-acre wooded hill near Reid State Park, which offers five-plus miles of scenic coastal trails. A stop at the famed Five Islands Lobster Co. nearby is a must. seguinmaine.com
DINE Think Maine cuisine is all lobster rolls? Fore Street in Portland sources the best in local ingredients. What doesn’t come from local farms or waters is often foraged. If you don’t have room for dessert, we highly recommend bringing home a box of the handcrafted choco-lates. forestreet.biz
SEE Few holiday traditions are as festive as cutting down your own Christmas tree. Anderson Hill Tree Farm in Enfield, New Hamp-shire, is one of the most scenic places to do it. While you’re there, consider taking a hike on one of the property’s trails over-looking the nearby mountains. andersonhilltreefarm.com
SHOP With the country’s second-highest per capita student enrollment, Boston is undoubtedly bookish. Founded in 1825, Brattle Book Shop is one of America’s oldest and largest antiquarian bookshops and the perfect place to get lost in on a cold winter day. brattlebookshop.com
CARACAS DESKTOP
MOBILE, MOMA DESIGN STORE,
$168, STORE .MOMA.ORG
STACKABLE RINGS, TAMARA COMOLLI,
$1,760–$4,190 EACH, TAMARACOMOLLI.COM
WATCH, RADO, $2,000, MACYS.COM
DOG CRATE AND SIDE TABLE, FABLE, $395, FABLEPETS.COM
JOGGERS, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, BRUNELLO
CUCINELLI, NYC
STAR POLAROID SX70, SAINT LAURENT RIVE DROITE, $1,230, YSLRIVEDROITE.COM
LED TRI-LIGHT GLASSES, SKIN INC, $175, ILOVESKININC.COM
LEATHER AND BOUCLÉ WOOL
BOOT, MONCLER, $750, MONCLER.COM
ONE-PIECE SNOWSUIT, PERFECT MOMENT, $775,
PERFECTMOMENT.COM
TEN-POUND POWER RING, BALA, $85, SHOPBALA.COM
BLADEONE JET SERVICE BETWEEN WESTCHESTER OR MANHATTAN AND MIAMI, BLADE, GIFT CARDS STARTING AT $2,850, FLYBLADE.COM
WRAP TEDDY COAT, FREE PEOPLE, $148, FREEPEOPLE.COM
LEVANTE TROFEO, MASERATI, MASERATIUSA.COM
MEN’S FREE THINKER SNOWBOARD, BURTON, $600, BURTON.COM
FLAT, MAX MARA, $785, MAXMARA.COM
BOLLARD OIL LAMP, SKAGERAK, $199, GOODEEWORLD.COM
MO
LLY
GO
DD
AR
D C
AR
DIG
AN
AN
D E
DIE
PA
RK
ER
MA
NC
AL
A:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
MO
DA
OP
ER
AN
DI;
SE
GU
IN T
RE
E D
WE
LL
ING
S:
KY
LE
FIN
N
DE
MP
SE
Y/T
RO
UT
& C
OF
FE
E;
FO
RE
ST
RE
ET
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
RE
STA
UR
AN
T;
AN
DE
RS
ON
HIL
L T
RE
E F
AR
M:
TIM
OT
HY
M.
CO
ON
EY;
BR
AT
TL
E B
OO
K S
HO
P:
AL
EX
GA
GN
E;
RE
MA
ININ
G I
MA
GE
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S;
FO
R D
ETA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
MIDDLE GROUNDEmbrace the outdoors in Big Sky Country and the Pacific Northwest.
STAY Glamping experts Collective Retreats at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, offer the ideal way to experience Yellowstone National Park. From fly fishing and horseback riding to an in-tent massage, this is camping to please even the least outdoorsy. Check availabil-ity at collectiveretreats.com.
SIP A winery stop is a must when traveling through Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Set in the picturesque Dundee Hills, Sokol Blosser is among the most scenic in the region, and its Evolution Sauvignon Blanc is not to be missed. sokolblosser.com
SEE The perfect way to unwind after a challenging hike in Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest? Bagby Hot Springs Forest Camp, which features wonderfully deep, naturally spring-fed wooden tubs. Just kick back and enjoy the scent of the surrounding cedar forest. fs.usda.gov
SHOP Looking to stay put and feather your nest? Chica-go’s South Loop Loft offers a plethora of options. The owners scour the globe in search of the most unique pieces, and a portion of the proceeds helps provide health care opportuni-ties to communities worldwide. thesouthlooploft.com
THE DELTA CAMP SET, SEA TO SUMMIT, $30,
SEATOSUMMITUSA.COM
PENOBSCOT 164 CANOE, OLD TOWN, $1,300, OLDTOWNCANOE.COM
TABI EXPEDITION MITT GLOVES, MM6 | THE NORTH FACE, $490, MAISONMARGIELA.COM
ADJUSTABLE ROPE DOG LEASH, FOUND MY ANIMAL, $62, FOUNDMYANIMAL.COM
BRACELET, SHASHI, $40, MAISON-DE-MODE.COM
FISHING POLE, PFLUEGER, $65,
PUREFISHING.COM
GORE-TEX PARKA, HERNO LAMINAR, $855,
HERNO.COM
HYPOALLERGENIC ALPACA THROW BLANKET, ALICIA ADAMS ALPACA, $445, ALICIAADAMSALPACA.COM; BASECAMP 20X TRAVEL TRAILER, AIRSTREAM, AIRSTREAM.COM
NEST AUDIO, GOOGLE ASSISTANT SMART SPEAKER, GOOGLE, $99, STORE.GOOGLE.COM
HEATING AND COOLING WRISTBAND, EMBR LABS, $299, EMBRLABS.COM
INSULATED CAMP CUP, PATAGONIA X MIIR, $25, PATAGONIA.COM
RIVINGTON BACKPACK, COACH, $595, AMAZON.COM
CAMPFIRE S’MORES DARK CHOCOLATE BAR, COMPARTÉS
CHOCOLATIER, $10, COMPARTES.COM
MINI STOVE, KOVEA, $202, AMAZON.COM
SHEARLING BOOTS, AETHER APPAREL, $450, AETHERAPPAREL.COM
WIRELESS EARBUDS, COLLINA STRADA X SKULLCANDY, $80, SKULLCANDY.COM
HEMISPHERE TENT, THE NORTH FACE, $5,500, THENORTHFACE.COM
HAND-PAINTED GLASS, DIOR MAISON, $200, DIOR BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE;
SCARF, ACNE STUDIOS, $290, MODAOPERANDI.COM
PANTS, TOM FORD,
TOMFORD.COM
AC
NE
ST
UD
IOS
SC
AR
F A
ND
TO
M F
OR
D P
AN
TS
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F M
OD
A O
PE
RA
ND
I; C
OL
LE
CT
IVE
RE
TR
EA
TS
AT
MO
ON
LIG
HT
BA
SIN
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
VE
NU
E;
SO
KO
L B
LO
SS
ER
WIN
ER
Y:
PH
ON
G N
GU
YE
N;
BA
GB
Y H
OT
SP
RIN
GS
FO
RE
ST
CA
MP
: D
AV
ID S
ILV
ER
MA
N;
SO
UT
H L
OO
P L
OF
T:
RYA
N M
CD
ON
AL
D;
RE
MA
ININ
G I
MA
GE
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S;
FO
R D
ETA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
THE ORIGINALPLANT-BASED PROTEIN™
The best protein is grown, not bred. With six grams in everyserving, W∂∂nderful Pistachios is a tasty, healthy snack—and
your plant-based protein powerhouse.
© 2
020
Won
der
ful P
ista
chio
s &
Alm
ond
s LL
C. A
ll R
ight
s R
eser
ved
. WO
ND
ER
FUL,
TH
E O
RIG
INA
L PL
AN
T-B
ASE
D P
RO
TEIN
,��
i�>
VV�
�«
>�Þ�
�}
���}
�Ã]
�>�
`�Ì
À>`
i�`
ÀiÃÃ
�>Ài
�ÌÀ>
`i
�>À
��
v�7
��
`i
ÀvÕ
��*�Ã
Ì>V�
���
E�č
���
�`
���
��
À��Ì
�>v
w���>
Ìið
�7*
Óä
ä
Ón
�ä{
Shops
DESERT DREAMSGet lost in the otherworldly landscape of the Southwest.
STAY Nestled among the red rocks of Sedona’s Boynton Canyon, Enchantment Resort offers everything from water-color instruction to mountain biking—though we’d be hard-pressed to peel ourselves away from what might be the most picturesque pool in the area. enchantmentresort.com
DINE Could there be a better name for a Beverly Hills lunch spot than “Look at Me” (Mirame)? Michelin-star chef Joshua Gil and Matthew Egan bring the best of Mexico and California to the table at this newly opened bistro, destined to be a paparazzi magnet. mirame.la
SEE Ever wonder what it would be like to step inside a Georgia O’Keeffe painting? Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden in the Sonoran Desert is a good place to start. The 140-acre preserve offers ample space to take in the natural beauty while social distancing. dbg.org
SHOP No stop in Texas is complete without picking up a pair of cowboy boots. Direct-to-consumer upstart Tecovas makes the process painless and affordable, offering comfy, updated riffs on classic western silhouettes (the better to avoid looking costumey) at unbeatable prices. tecovas.com
AVOCADO VASE, ILEX STUDIO, $45,
STORE.MOMA.ORG
AVIATORS, JACQUES MARIE MAGE, $850, JACQUESMARIEMAGE.COM
MELIORA EAU DE PARFUM, PARFUMS DE MARLY PARIS, $320, US.PARFUMS-DE-MARLY .COM
NECKLACE, JESSIE WESTERN, $435, NET-A-PORTER.COM
TRUFFLE SLICER, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, $620, MATCHESFASHION.COM
COAT, POLO RALPH LAUREN, $1,198, RALPHLAUREN.COM
CHAIR, KELLY WEARSTLER,
KELLYWEARSTLER.COM; TEPHRA TOTEM
SCULPTURE BY JOEL QUINONES, KELLY
WEARSTLER, KELLYWEARSTLER.COM
TUCSON INCENSE, ASTIER DE VILLATTE, $52, ASTIERDEVILLATTE.COM
GOBLETS, MARIE DAAGE, $180 (SET OF TWO), SIMILAR STYLES AT MODAOPERANDI.COM
BLOWN-GLASS SERVING PLATES, FRESCO, $60–$146 EACH (SOLD INDIVIDUALLY), SPARTAN-SHOP.COM
HANDMADE SUMMER BOOT,
LUCCHESE, $895,
LUCCHESE.COM
BAR CART, JOHN RICHARD, $1,723, KATHYKUOHOME.COM
LINEN COASTERS, ATELIER HOURIA TAZI, $135 (SET OF FOUR),
SIMILAR STYLES AT MODAOPERANDI.COM
EARRINGS, PAMELA LOVE, $750, PAMELALOVE.COM
HAT, JANESSA LEONÉ, $287,
JANESSALEONÉ.COM
COCKTAIL PICKS AND HOLDER, AERIN, $225, AERIN.COM
HANDMADE WOODEN SERVING SET, SHIPPEE,
$176, SPARTAN-SHOP.COM
MEZCAL, CASAMIGOS, $70, CASAMIGOS.COM
PORCELAIN VASE, HERMÈS, $1,730, HERMES.COM
AT
EL
IER
HO
UR
IA T
AZ
I C
OA
ST
ER
S,
MA
RIE
DA
AG
E G
OB
LE
TS
, A
ND
PA
ME
LA
LO
VE
EA
RR
ING
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
MO
DA
OP
ER
AN
DI;
E
NC
HA
NT
ME
NT
RE
SO
RT
: LO
NN
A T
UC
KE
R;
MIR
AM
E:
RIC
H M
AR
CH
EW
KA
/S
OU
TH
SID
E P
ICT
UR
ES
; D
ES
ER
T B
OTA
NIC
AL
GA
RD
EN
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y
OF
TH
E V
EN
UE
; T
EC
OV
AS
: R
OB
GR
EE
R;
RE
MA
ININ
G I
MA
GE
S:
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
S;
FO
R D
ETA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
Shops
MERCURY RISINGThe sunny, colorful Southeast offers a respite from winter gloom.
STAY Looking for a destina-tion that feels a world away, no passport required? Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, a short boat ride from Little Torch Key, Florida, is as luxe as it is isolated. That means you won’t find a TV, phone, or alarm clock in your private bungalow. littlepalmisland.com
DINE Things can get pretty steamy down south. Enter The Hyppo gourmet ice pops, which take their inspiration from Mex-ican paletas. Intriguing flavors such as cucumber jalapeño and pineapple hatch chili are the perfect mix of spicy and laid-back, just like the Sunshine State. thehyppo.com
SEE With its Instagram-bait public art installations and scene-y watering holes, the Mi-ami Design District is the place to see and be seen. But with the Institute of Contemporary Art and countless galleries at its heart, it’s guaranteed to kick-start your creativity, too. miamidesigndistrict.net
SHOP The appropriately named Volvér boutique on South Miami’s Sunset Drive will indeed have you wishing to return again and again. Housed in a minimalist, plas-tered interior with the wares to match, the shop focuses on the best of home and fashion. volver.com
JET SKI, SEA-DOO LIFE, SIMILAR STYLES AT ALLOUTCYCLES.COM
CAMALEONDA SOFA SECTIONAL PIECE, MARIO BELLINI, $1,245, ETERNITYMODERN.COM
SANDAL, MIA BECAR, $695, MIABECAR.COM
HANDBAG, LOEWE, $1,350, LOEWE.COM
EARRINGS, BOTTEGA VENETA, $1,250, BOTTEGAVENETA.COM
PAJAMA TOP, CAMPO COLLECTION, $385 (SOLD AS SET), CAMPOCOLLECTION.COM
MIAMI BEACH
BOOK, ASSOULINE, $95, ASSOULINE.COM
HANDCRAFTED GLASSES, $180–$200
PER SET OF TWO, DECANTER, $220,
FFERRONE, FFERRONEDESIGN.COM
PACIFIC WOODEN SHORTBOARD, KELLY WEARSTLER, KELLYWEARSTLER.COM
NECKLACE, BEA BONGIASCA, $1,250, MODAOPERANDI.COM
BIKINI TOP, $155, BOTTOM, $118, ISA BOULDER,
ISABOULDER.COM
GLOBO TRIPOD BOWL, JONATHAN ADLER, $268, JONATHANADLER.COM
CERAMIC SPEAKERS, JOEY
ROTH, $550, MRPORTER.COM
THE LUFT TOY CAR, PLAYFOREVER, $46,
TOYTOISE.COM
SUNGLASSES, MARNI, $325, MARNI BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE
PING-PONG TABLE, THE ART OF PING-
PONG, $1,470, MRPORTER.COM;
BEACH BAT AND BALL SET, FRESCOBOL
CARIOCA, $260, MRPORTER.COM
PORCELAIN COASTERS BY LUKE EDWARD HALL, GINORI 1735, $195, GINORI1735.COM
JASMIN AU SOLEIL EAU DE PARFUM, ATELIER VERSACE, $330, VERSACE.COM
RING, SUPER SMALLS, $27 (FOR SET INCLUDING CLIP-ON EARRINGS), SUPERSMALLS.COM
LIT
TL
E P
AL
M I
SL
AN
D R
ES
OR
T:
SA
MM
Y T
OD
D D
YE
SS
; T
HE
HY
PP
O G
OU
RM
ET
IC
E P
OP
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
BR
AN
D;
FLY
’S
EY
E D
OM
E B
Y B
UC
KM
INS
TE
R F
UL
LE
R (
19
79
), P
AL
M C
OU
RT/M
IAM
I D
ES
IGN
DIS
TR
ICT
: W
ER
NE
R B
AY
ER
; V
OLV
ÉR
: G
AB
RIE
L
GU
TIE
RR
EZ
; R
EM
AIN
ING
IM
AG
ES
: C
OU
RT
ES
Y O
F T
HE
DE
SIG
NE
RS
; F
OR
DE
TA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
Give the gift of beautiful natural lashes & brows. See longer looking
lashes in 4-6 weeks & fuller looking brows in 6-8 weeks when used 1X daily.
O
NLY AT SEPHO
RA
LIMITED HOLIDAY EDITION:
GOLDIE LUXEBY GRANDE COSMETICS
•JU
ST
$68 | $124 VALU
E•
*Based on consumer studies. Results will vary.Available only at
91% Saw longer
looking lashes*
Before
After*
100% Saw fuller
looking brows*
Before
After*
BeautyFUTURE OF
BEAUTYWINNER2020
T H E F U T U R E O F B E A U T Y
W e a l w a y s t h o u g h t 2 0 2 0 w o u l d b r i n g f l y i n g c a r s , r o b o t b u t l e r s ,
a n d , i f y o u ’ r e l i ke u s , b e a u t y p r o d u c t s t h a t d o a l m o s t a l l t h e w o r k f o r
y o u . I t t u r n s o u t w e ’ r e i n p r e t t y e x c e l l e n t s h a p e o n t h e l a s t o n e .
H e r e , t h e b e s t b e a u t y b r e a k t h r o u g h s o f t h e y e a r. B y M a r g a u x A n b o u b a
DISAPPEARING FACE MASK
Artís Phantom Silks Skincare Primer with Hyaluronic Acid ($15)At first glance, this appears to be just a dry sheet mask. But the moment you spritz it with water, the sheets—made of pure low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid and dissolving nanofibres—instantly melt into a hydrating super serum. “The hyaluronic acid stays stable longer because it’s dry,” says Caroline Robinson, MD, of the preservation technology, which is also used in the medical industry for wound care.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RITUAL OF ME.
CUSTOM-PRINTED MAKEUP
Opte ($599) The world’s first handheld ink jet printer dispenses...makeup. A sensor detects discoloration on the skin and deposits a serum spiked with niacinamide (a skin brightener), propylene glycol (a humectant), and two mineral pigments in microdrops, dispensed through nozzles the size of a hair. Ultimately, Opte uses 97 percent less product than you’d typically apply with foundation. The three shade choices are designed to camouflage spots, rather than color-match skin.
Doniella Davy, Emmy Award–winning makeup artist behind Euphoria’s iconic looks.Bridget Brager, red-carpet hair whiz who has perfected beachy waves.Caroline Robinson, MD, Chicago-based dermatologist and founder of Tone Dermatology.Nai’vasha Johnson, celebrity and editorial hairstylist renowned for her breathtaking work with curls.Melanie Grant, international celebrity facialist obsessed with high-tech treatments.Nyma Tang, beauty blogger known for her review series “The Darkest Shade.”Shereene Idriss, MD, New York–based dermatologist and host of Instagram show #Pillowtalkderm.
T h e n u m b e r o f n e w
p r o d u c t s v e t t e d
b y E L L E e d i t o r s
a n d j u d g e s b e f o r e
c h o o s i n g t h e s e
t o p b r e a k t h r o u g h s .647
FUTURE OF
BEAUTYWINNER2020
HOT PACKETS
Pattern Jojoba Oil Hair Serum Self-Heating Packs ($15 for two)Once you peel the activation seal from the sachet, this mask quickly heats the blend of jojoba, safflower, lavender, rosa canina seed, and olive oils to 122°F using oxygen-triggered technology similar to that found in skiing hand warmers. The higher temperature opens the hair cuticle for a more intense treatment. “Oil performs differently when it’s warm,” says Nai’vasha Johnson. “It goes deeper and leaves less residue.” Used on wet or dry hair, it bestows a smooth, healthy sheen.
COOL HOT TOOL
T3 Lucea ID ($235)When T3 asked nearly 5,000 women if a hotter hair straightener meant smoother hair, 90 percent said yes. Reality check: The only thing guaranteed by maximum-temp plates is fried strands. Instead, the Lucea ID straightener calculates the best temperature (between 260 and 410°F) for your hair type and condition, based on three stats you enter on the device: texture, length, and color treatment. “This tool is genius,” says Bridget Brager. “The rounded body creates curls and waves, too.”
MEET OUR
JUDGES
80
HEALING PHAGE
Ellis Day Skin Science Wild Resilience Active Phage Serum ($85)Breakouts, redness, or irritation might indicate that your skin’s microbiome—aka your unique mix of good and bad bacteria—is off balance. This serum contains billions of bacteriophages, Jason Bourne–like microbes specifically trained to target and eliminate blemish-causing bacteria and help heal irritated patches. “Phages keep our microorganism population balanced,” Robinson says. “This is a promising, exciting technology.”
PIT STOP
Kosas Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant ($15)The pandemic made switching to a natural deodorant a low-stakes affair, since you could experiment at home (sorry, houseplants). This formula uses a blend of three alpha hydroxy acids, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and peptides to lower the pH of your armpit, making it difficult for odor-causing bacteria to survive—and easier for your monstera plant to breathe.
FUTURE OF
BEAUTYWINNER2020
BEAUTY’S BIG GROUNDBREAKER
Sharon Chuter @pullupforchangeIn June, Chuter, founder of Uoma Beauty, launched an Instagram account urging businesses that released Black Lives Matter statements to disclose the number of Black employees within their ranks. More than 300 brands rose to the #PullUpOrShutUp challenge, including Rent the Runway, Toms, and Warby Parker. “A lot of companies didn’t have the diversity in their leadership, but were willing to have a painful moment of self-reflection,” Chuter says. “The past is what it is. Let’s look to the future.”
POLISH GENIE
Orly Color Labs Custom Nail Lacquer ($20)No shade of nail polish is unattainable with this mobile tool, which orders up precise colors that you pinpoint within your own uploaded photos. Perfectionists can even schedule a Zoom call to guarantee their hue is mixed just right. Next, give your custom color a name, and it’s shipped straight to your door. Frustrated by her inability to find flattering nude nail polish for deeper skin tones, Tang used Orly Color Labs to create her own—naming it “Nyma,” naturally.
HOT SHOT
Qwo (Doctors estimate about $1,000 per session.)The FDA-approved Qwo is the first injectable for cellulite. It’s currently approved for the butt area, and results can last up to four years. “The injection breaks down the fibrous band that pulls on the skin and creates the dimpling,” says Shereene Idriss, MD. Because dark (but painless) bruising is a common temporary side effect and multiple sessions are usually needed, she suggests starting Qwo in the late fall.
TRIPLE THREAT
Urban Decay Lash Freak Mascara ($25)It took a year and a half to design the three-way brush for this mascara, which—depending on how you hold it—can also be used as a lash lifter or comb. It may seem a little intimidating at first glance, but it’s worth getting used to, as one quick swipe delivers 23.6 times thicker lashes (really!). “I got coverage all the way down to my lash roots,” says Doniella Davy. Nyma Tang adds: “The ball brush at the end is nice for bottom lashes.”
N u m b e r o f
e m a i l s o u r
w r i t e r s e n t o r
r e c e i v e d
r e l a t e d t o t h i s
s t o r y… a s o f
p r e s s t i m e .
2,50982
VE
RS
AC
EP
AR
FU
MS
.CO
M
BELK DILLARD’S MACY’S
LIFT HERE TO EXPERIENCE
VERSACE YELLOW DIAMOND
LIFT HERE TO EXPERIENCE
VERSACE CRYSTAL NOIR
LIFT HERE TO EXPERIENCE
VERSACE BRIGHT CRYSTAL
Available on Kohls.com
STEADY LINER
Guide Beauty Eyeliner Duo: Guide Wand and Guide Line Luxe, Long-Wear Eyeliner ($50)After makeup artist Terri Bryant was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she called upon designers and ergonomic industrial engineers to help her create an eyeliner applicator for shaky hands. The Wand’s tip is both wide (for more surface contact) and curved (to mimic the shape of the eyelid), making it easier to draw the cream liner. The faceted handle and finger rest also make it more secure to wield.
SHADE SHIFTER
Pat McGrath Labs VR Sextraterrestrial eyeshadow ($125; found in Mothership VIII: Divine Rose II palette)This shadow first caught our attention at Prada’s fall 2020 show. Surely, we thought, McGrath’s adept hand had created this futuristic cyber-princess eye with three individual shadows. Silly us. The single shadow uses a trichromatic pearl that gives the effect of fuchsia, copper, and olive green almost simultaneously as light moves across the reflective particles, much like an oil slick. The formula is so creamy you can apply it with your fingers.
FUTURE OF
BEAUTYWINNER2020
EXPRESS ACNE FIX
Neutrogena Stubborn Acne: AM Treatment and Stubborn Marks PM Treatment ($10 and $18, respectively) This aptly named duo helps tackle everything from maskne to hormonal cysts. The morning cream targets acne-causing bacteria with a formula of 2.5 percent micronized benzoyl peroxide, and the night lotion with retinol exfoliates skin and speeds up cell turnover. Clinical studies show the size and redness of pimples can be reduced in just four hours.
MELANIN MASTERMINDS
Melē co-creators Mona Gohara, MD, and Laura Scott, MDMelē is the first mass-retail skin care line co-created by derms of color for melanin-rich skin. “My brown and Black patients typically talk about three things: even skin tone, sun protection, and pore size,” Gohara says. Melē’s gentle ingredients treat those concerns without irritation, and each product is under $25. Gohara's favorite: a sunscreen that also protects against blue light.
POWER-PACKED ANTIAGER
U Beauty The Super Smart Hydrator ($168)How can one cream firm, refine, brighten, clarify, and hydrate all at once? By using a delivery system similar to microscopic Mary Poppins bags: Large moisturizing molecules are dehydrated and placed inside a small, patent-pending capsule, remaining inert until the presence of free radicals causes them to unfurl and release hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. “This means there is a higher rate of efficacy with a lower chance of sensitivity,” says Melanie Grant.
PEAK VOLUMIZER
RevitaLash Cosmetics Volume Enhancing Foam ($150)In 2019, more than two million people sought treatment for thinning hair or hair loss—and with current stressors, experts say that number is likely to surge. This volumizing foam, now reformulated with responsibly sourced palm oil, thickens strands with a blend of lipids, biotin, and panthenol. In a third-party consumer study, 94 percent of participants with thinning hair reported thicker-looking hair after four weeks.
E s t i m a t e d c u m u l a t i v e y e a r s
o f d e v e l o p m e n t i t t o o k
t o c r e a t e t h e s e w i n n e r s .
4086
VS.
If you have never tried an Oatgurt before,
you may feel like you need to compare it
to something similar, like say regular
yogurt, in order to help you decide if you
would like to try it.
The problem with that approach is that
Oatgurt is not yogurt, because yogurt is
made with dairy and has no oats, while
Oatgurt is made with oats and has no dairy.
So unfortunately you are out of luck by
subjecting Oatgurt to a traditional com-
parison model. However, once you’ve tried
it and realize it’s pretty hard to tell the
difference from regular yogurt, then you
have all kinds of options to compare our
Oatgurt to each other. For example, black
cherry is my personal favorite.
LIFT. Align your camera at eye level by placing a stack of books under your laptop. This angles your chin so your neck doesn’t bulge, but isn’t craned either. (If needed, a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and mouse are less than $100 each.)
LIGHT. Ideally, your desk should look out a window so your face gets natural light. If not, small clip-on or suction lights can be affixed to your monitor or circle the camera—most with adjustable brightness (average price: $10 to $70).
Beauty S K I N T R E A T M E N T S
MEET THE ZOOM LIFTMillennials are driving a boom in chin, jaw,
and neck procedures that optimize their appearance on video calls.
WHEN LEAH,* a 35-year-old nurse in New York, found her days filled with video chats during the pandemic, she became fixated on the soft swell of fat under her chin. “I’ve had this since I was a teenager, but now I see it all the time,” she says. At her tipping point, she found Melissa Doft, MD, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan who, a few weeks later, made two small needle punctures in the crease under Leah’s chin and removed excess fat with liposuction. It took about 45 minutes, $4,000, and one Valium. “It was relative-ly easy,” Leah says. “If I had known, I would have done it sooner.”
A friend of mine put her concern less politely: “I fucking hate the way I look on Zoom.” Apparently, so do a lot of people. Videoconferencing has led to a surge in procedures to minimize fixations like turkey neck, saggy jowls and skin, big ears, and, especially, double chins. Certainly, many woes are a result of relatively insignificant (and easily corrected) issues like camera angle, lighting, and simply witnessing expressions we normally never see ourselves make. Nevertheless, it has driven some to take medical action. Doft says that before the pandemic, sub-mental liposuction (performed on the jowl, neck, or under the chin) was usually a second-priority add-on to rhinoplasty or a facelift. Now she can get multiple requests a day for the procedure alone. “This is a really different trend,” she says.
“The most unflattering angle in the world is the one we’re all using on Zoom,” says Chaneve Jeanniton, MD, an oculofacial plastic surgeon in Brooklyn who’s seen an uptick in complaints about “Zoom face.” This year created the perfect conditions for a spike in demand, she says: Not only are noninvasive treatments more effective now, but “we’re [also] staring at our screens all day with all this downtime at home, and quite frankly, we just want to feel good.” Jeanniton’s go-to trick is injecting fillers like Restylane Lyft and Radiesse at the back corners of the jaw and the tip of the chin to elongate the jawline.
Surprisingly, many patients are millennials. “This is more like a proactive optimization to look as good as you can, rather than trying to turn back aging,” says Dara Liotta, MD, a Park Avenue plastic surgeon. Liotta uses a combination of techniques, includ-ing submental liposuction, fat-dissolving Kybella, chin implants, a new Juvéderm Voluma XC filler (FDA-approved for the chin in June), and Botox in the jaw muscles. This can start at $3,000 for a single treatment and $11,500 for multiple procedures.
New York dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD, often tightens skin on the neck and jawline with energy- based devices that require little or no downtime. The Lutronic Genius, for example, delivers radio frequency to the dermis through 49 microneedles. After numbing, it takes only 15 minutes, at a cost of $1,500 per treatment (she recom-mends three sessions, then yearly treatments if needed). Another op-tion is the NuEra Tight by Lumenis, which delivers radio frequency via a flat handpiece. “It feels like a hot stone massage,” says Engelman, who charges $1,000 per treatment (she recommends six altogether).
The buzziest new procedure is MyEllevate, aka a percutaneous suture suspension—meaning sur-gical sutures are inserted with a lighted needle underneath the skin and across the neck to tighten. The treatment is performed under local anesthesia, and the eight needle- puncture sites—behind the ears and under the jawline—are the
only wounds. The cost can range from $3,500 (in New Jersey) to $7,000 (in Beverly Hills), with a six- to seven-day recovery.
Of course, one solution to consider before making any per-manent decisions: simply adjusting your computer screen. As Engelman puts it, “The right angle and lighting can take off 15 pounds and 10 years.” See below for simple ways to treat Zoom face—without going anywhere near a scalpel or syringe. —MARTHA McCULLY
Quick tricks so you can focus on the conversation, not your face.
LENGTHEN. Sit about an arm’s length away from your device. Built-in cameras in smartphones and computers have a slight wide-angle-lens effect, so the closer you are, the more distorted your proportions may seem.
OR OPT OUT. Some programs allow you to hide your own video, so you’re less likely to be distracted. On Zoom, for example, “Hide Self View” is an option under the three-dot icon in the upper right corner of your square.
READY CAMERA ONE
*Name has been changed.
MIC
AIA
H C
AR
TE
R
Give a gift of beauty with the world’s #1 dry shampoo. Award-winning Batiste refreshes like no other, so day-two hair looks clean and smells fresh. In over 25 ahhhmazing gift-ready fragrances, there’s a Batiste for everyone on your list.
GORGEOUS HAIRIS ON EVERYONE’S LIST
#LIVEBATISTE / @BATISTE_US
eveloping emotional re-silience can be an essen-tial tool in coping with or preventing depression—and, with current chal-lenges, this is a critical
year to do so. A recent survey published in JAMA Network Open showed a three-fold increase in symptoms of depression since the onset of COVID-19. Those al-ready experiencing stressors, such as fewer economic and social resources, are at particular risk, the study says, but many of us face mounting challenges, such as
Beauty M E N T A L H E A L T H
HACK YOUR HAPPINESSIn a season (and year) when joy may seem elusive,
new apps and tech can help lift the load and build your resilience.
D
SELECT PHYSICIANS have begun recommending ketamine (a popular club drug first used as an anesthetic in the ’70s) as an off-label therapy for patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression. Now new clinics like Field Trip Health, with locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto, aim to make ketamine treatments (combined with talk therapy) more accessible. While the substance received scrutiny for its use by law enforcement, some research on people with major depressive mood disorders shows that controlled use can be fast-acting and effective, and may increase the brain’s receptivity to talk therapy (large-scale human trials have not yet been published). “For certain patients with depression, esketamine [a derivative of ketamine] is truly lifesaving,” says Gerard Sanacora, PhD, MD, director of Yale Depression Research Program. But he warns that there are risks involved. “It’s not a medication for everybody, so it has to be used with caution.”
GET GRANULAR WITH YOUR FEELINGS. Youper is an AI therapy app that helps you pre-cisely identify emotions and triggers (plans start at $45 per year). This taps into “emotional granularity” (aka artic-ulating feelings with specificity) and has been shown to improve coping abilities. Youper also includes mindfulness exer-cises and an interactive chatbot.
CORRAL YOUR ANXIETY. If your mind wan-ders while you meditate (whose doesn’t?), the Muse 2 ($250) headband—which measures brain waves—can detect when thoughts wander into anxious territo-ry. When tipped off, Muse plays sounds to guide you back into a relaxed state. Meditation has been shown in brain scans to have positive effects on areas of the brain associated with depression.
THINK BEYOND YOURSELF. Double up on activities that release mood-boosting dopamine and serotonin with the free Charity Miles app, which allows you to donate by being physically active. “Whether you’re making masks for front-line workers or [decorating] a letter for someone living alone,” helping others gives a sense of purpose, Ramo says.
ENGAGE IN TALK THERAPY. Never felt you had time for therapy? With the growth in teletherapy—which studies show can be as beneficial as meeting face-to-face—there are fewer boundaries to tap into your inner world. Talkspace and Teladoc are two apps that can connect you to a live counselor. Rates vary, but the pandemic has caused many insurance companies to offer better telemedicine coverage.
FIND EMERGENCY HELP. If you need to talk immediately, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-TALK) or text the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).—SUSHMA SUBRAMANIAN
health issues, layoffs, home schooling, and the return of the winter blues, that can tip the scales as well. “There is the literal trauma of loss and grief, as well as fear and anxiety around catching COVID,” says Danielle Ramo, PhD, an adjunct associate professor in the de-partment of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. “The good news is there are a lot of technology and social-media-facilitated inventions that support our mental health.” Here, the latest ways people are finding help using new digital tools.
You’ll Be Hearing More About...
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
COLLAGE BY FELIPE POSADA @THE_INVISIBLE_REALM.
94
*vs Always Infi nity Size 1; 3x faster conducted by U by Kotex Bench Test, 5/16/19
Absorbs
faster than Always®*
ubykotex.com
Up to 9 hours Xpress-DRI® protection and
dermatologist tested to be gentle on skin,
keep up with you. No matt er what.
Period or not,
A growing number of women are boozing more than ever during COVID—but what we’re seeking in alcohol may
never be found at the bottom of a glass. By Kelley Manley
The Year of Drinking Dangerously
COLLAGE BY FELIPE POSADA @THE_INVISIBLE_REALM.
96
E L L E N E S S Beautyne evening in late August, I was discussing pan-demic parenting and school opening plans with another mom from a safe distance at a pool
in Denver. As we chatted, I thought to myself that she seemed like the kind of mother who had it all together—cheery, beautiful, chic in her Tory Burch one-piece, and seemingly unfazed by whin-ing toddlers or the uncertainty of living and mothering in the time of COVID-19. As she turned to leave, she reached for the items she’d nearly left behind: “Can’t forget the two most important things during the pandemic: wine and a mask,” she said with a laugh.
Now more and more women seem to agree. Wine has long been a staple in many moms’ parenting tool kits, but women are leaning on it more than ever this year. “All of a sudden, we’re full-time housekeepers, teachers, and short-order cooks as well as parents. And we’re also the constant bearers of bad news to our kids: First, spring break is canceled; then
school, then playdates,” says a 40-year-old mom in Denver. “At a time when there’s not much to look forward to, wine is [a light] at the end of the day.”
Isolation, uncertainty, overwhelm-ing domestic duties, health concerns, and financial worries have created the perfect storm for a mental health crisis. By late June, 40 percent of American adults reported struggling with men-tal health or substance use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Women have been disproportionately impacted, taking on a greater share of parenting, teaching, and household duties, and leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men. (In September alone, 865,000 women dropped out of the workforce, compared to 216,000 men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Thirty-six percent of women experience anxiety, and women are also twice as likely as men to experience severe stress and ma-jor depression.
No wonder, then, that we are turn-ing to alcohol to cope. A study published in JAMA Network Open in September found that from 2019 to 2020, report-ed episodes of heavy drinking among
Owomen (at least four drinks in one day) increased by 41 percent. Women may also be more likely than men to deal with COVID-related stress by drinking, says a study published in November 2020 in Addictive Behaviors. “Alcohol is a quick decompression tool, and it’s self-medi-cation for depression, anxiety, overwork,” says Ann Dowsett Johnston, the author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol. “Women today are overwhelmed, and it’s all about coping.”
But COVID is just the tip of the ice-berg. Over the past 20 years, American women have been drinking—and dying from it—more than ever before. Between 2002 and 2013, the number of women who have four or more drinks within a day on a weekly basis rose nearly 58 percent. A January 2020 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that alcohol- related deaths among women in the U.S. rose 85 percent between 1999 and 2017, with the largest increase among non- Hispanic white women.
Despite these worrisome realities,
moms are bombarded by messages that booze—a more than $252-billion-dollar industry in the U.S.—is indispensable to our survival as parents. Trader Joe’s stores have been known to market wine as a back-to-school supply. Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager sipped vino most mornings on the fourth hour of Today. “You see alcohol as this ubiqui-tous thing that is no big deal, right?” says Laura McKowen, an author and sober influencer. “It looks like what bonding is, what fun is, what connection looks like—and that’s what we all want.” I get it; the messaging was alluring to me, too. In 2017, I had a baby and was plunged into the alcohol-obsessed world of mother-hood—wineglasses with “Mommy Juice” emblazoned on them; playdates with moms discreetly sipping cocktails in to-go cups. Once, while nursing my col-icky three-month-old, a woman offered up the advice that seemed to be scream-ing at me everywhere: “Wine makes motherhood much easier.”
We cling to the idea that a glass or two of wine a day is harmless, even though new research suggests otherwise. “There is no benefit for alcohol ever in wom-en,” says David Nutt, MD, PhD, author
“At a time when there’s not much to look forward to, wine is [a light] at the end of the day.”
of Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health, out in December. Just one to two drinks a day has been linked to a 25 to 50 percent increased risk of breast cancer; in June 2020, the American Cancer Society released a new recom-mendation to simply avoid alcohol. Excessive drinking increases one’s risk for anxiety, depression, suicide, seven dif-ferent types of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Further, using alcohol to cope may make you dependent. “As soon as you start drinking to relieve the stress of your marriage or adjusting to mother-hood, it becomes more addictive neuro-chemically,” says author and alcohol-free influencer Annie Grace.
In the end, booze might sabotage the very thing we’re chasing—relaxation. While alcohol calms us initially by ac-tivating GABA (a neurotransmitter that helps the body relax), dopamine, and en-dorphins in the brain, as the blood alco-hol level starts to decline, it triggers the body’s stress response system—prompt-ing an emotional hangover that can last hours to several days, and making us
potentially more anxious than we were before that glass of wine. In addition, ex-cessive drinking over time can damage the body’s natural production of GABA and dopamine, which may increase your baseline level of anxiety; it may also spur a general state of malaise and impact your ability to enjoy life. New research indicates that women may be more sus-ceptible to alcohol’s anxiety-provoking effects than men, says George Koob, PhD, director of the NIAAA. “[The feel-ing you get from alcohol] is artificial; it’s chemical, so what’s not happening is au-thentic conversation, real connection,” McKowen says. True connection, she adds, is being seen, known, and accepted for who we truly are, without a crutch.
As a society, we’re fast to reach for quick fixes, and often unwilling to dothe hard work of meeting life—and its discomforts—head on. But it’s time we faced the truth: “Mommy wine culture is a lie and it’s killing us and making us more miserable. More anxious. More depressed. More isolated,” McKowen wrote in a September Instagram post. “You don’t need the wine, mama. You need connection. Support. Tools. Laughter. Love.” ▪
Hollywood Rising | C U L T U R E
“I CRIED ALL DAY TODAY,” says Tiffany Boone, calling from Australia, where she’s shoot-ing her newest project, Nine Perfect Strangers, a limited series based on Liane Moriarty’s 2018 novel of the same name. “I texted another Black woman who works on set and told her, ‘Look, I’m a mess and I might start crying during hair and makeup. There’s no escaping it.’�” The “it” she’s referring to is the same “it” that’s been affecting all of us—the global pandemic, the intermina-ble cycle of social and political unrest, and the general uncertainty about, well, everything. The Baltimore-born actress might be half a world away, in a country whose lockdown efforts have been successful enough that she can take anxi-ety-free trips to a nearby
TIFFANY BOONEThe Little Fires Everywhere breakout adds two star-studded projects to her résumé.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 100BO
ON
E:
IRV
IN R
IVE
RA
/C
ON
TO
UR
RA
BY
GE
TT
Y I
MA
GE
S.
beach—“I’m the only person who wears amask in town, and people look at me like I’m insane,” she says with a nervous laugh—but it’s hard to escape the news from back home. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit of guilt because I’m not there go-ing through it, but I still feel all the sorrow and confusion and anger.”
Back in February, when the 33-year-old was filming The Midnight Sky—a postapocalyp-tic space film directed by and starring George Clooney that debuts December 23 on Netflix—all seemed right with the world. She auditioned for the project a few days after wrapping the Amazon series Hunters, having memorized the lines on a plane from New York to L.A. She found out she landed the role of Maya, the astronaut respon-sible for keeping a spaceship functioning on its return trip to a nearly destroyed Earth, on the second day of filming Little Fires Everywhere for Hulu. “The moment she started talking, I knew she was right,” Clooney says. “She has such an el-egant quality as an actress, and a vulnerability that breaks your heart. She’s someone I’ll be watching as time goes by to take this business by storm.”
Considering her current trajectory, it’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, Boone was wor-ried she might be blacklisted in Hollywood. After experiencing inappropriate behavior on a set, she quit a gig that was close to her heart. “I was in an unhealthy work environment, and I thought if I said something, it was possible I could never work again,” Boone says. “But I did it anyway, because my mental health is more important. It took a long time for me to forgive myself for not leaving sooner.”
Raised by a single mother (her father died when she was three), Boone grew up the old-est of three sisters. She recalls with fondness a childhood of riding bikes with cousins and cook-outs featuring her mom’s famous macaroni and cheese. “On the weekends, my mother would be in a robe, cooking and cleaning and playing Frankie Beverly and Maze or Anita Baker,” she says. But Boone knew early on that Baltimore was only a pit stop. She left the nest at 18 to study acting at California Institute of the Arts.
After a few years honing her skills, Boone became a series regular on Fox’s crime thriller The Following in 2014. A later role in Little Fires Everywhere, in which she played the younger version of Kerry Washington’s Mia, proved to be her breakout. “It pushed me in ways I hadn’t been pushed before, and it opened up a lot of great opportunities for me,” she says—including the Hulu series she’s filming now in Australia. In Nine Perfect Strangers, Boone plays Delilah, an employee of a wellness retreat. Nicole Kidman plays her boss. “We did a scene yesterday where she really moved me,” Kidman says of Boone. “I was humbled by her openness and willingness to explore all aspects of the scene.” Boone says her character is “very zen, but she has this little fire in her.” —NERISHA PENROSE
ONE YEAR, MY MOTHER got me health insurance for Christmas. Then two months later, I found out I had a benign brain tumor. I told her not to ever get me another present again. I first knew something was wrong when I wasn’t getting my period, and I knew I wasn’t pregnant.
It’s amazing how much we don’t know about our bodies until something goes wrong and we have to fix it. When you have a mass on your pituitary gland like I do, it makes your body think it’s pregnant. Fun, right? All the negatives but with no registry at Babies R Us. And apparently, you’ll know it’s getting worse if your peripheral vision gets blurry and you start lactating. Milk. Out. Of. Yo. Breasts. Periods. Shown. For. Effect. Congratulations, Michelle! It is a tumor!!! (In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice.)
A couple of years go by, and I’ve got my levels down to normal. The tumor hasn’t grown, which is great. So the question I’m faced with now is, if your body thinks it’s already pregnant, why not actually get pregnant? My husband and I were ready to have a baby, ’cause let’s face it, we’re too cute to stop here. Plus when you’re in an interracial relationship, the first thing anyone ever says is, “Awww, your kids are going to be so cute.”
Husband and I tried and tried, but no baby. I went to an infertility doctor almost as a joke. Being Jamaican and Haitian, I knew girls personally who got pregnant while salsa dancing to Marc Anthony or twerking to Beenie Man. The doctor explained that in vitro fertilization, IVF, would be my only option. I
FAMILY BUILDINGComedian and actress Michelle Buteau reflects on her up-and-down journey to motherhood.By Michelle Buteau
C U L T U R E | Books
BUTEAU WITH THE TWINS SHE AND HER HUSBAND WELCOMED VIA SURROGATE IN 2019.
learned how misogynistic health care is when we had to pay $20,000 out of pocket, even though I have to do it because of a preexisting condition. By the way, that preexisting condition is called “be-ing a woman.” I’m a tough and strong Caribbean woman and thought it would be easy to have a baby. All of a sudden, I’m a science project.
To say IVF is a rigorous process is beyond an understatement. Everything with IVF is about timing. You’ve got to take your progesterone shots in the morning. Progesterone is a steroid hor-mone that you absolutely need in order to stay pregnant. Doctors mix it with olive oil so you can inject it in your arms, thighs, or upper booty. The needle is huge and thick, and it’s more painful than watching people find love on 90 Day Fiancé with someone 27 years younger than them. You have to follow this shot with a blood thinner in-jected in your tummy. When your blood is thin, you bruise easily, so your stomach ends up look-ing like Apollo Creed’s face at the end of Rocky II.
Turns out I got pregnant! I thought, yeah, of course I’m knocked up! I’m Caribbean! I was about nine weeks. And I was very excited! Finally it was all falling into place. I was working on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central. Water had just been discovered on Mars, and Bill Nye The Science Guy was the guest. The producers’ angle for me was “Why wasn’t this trending?” And they handed me a couple of terrible lines. One of them was, “If the water on Mars was Caitlyn Jenner’s tears, perhaps people would be more interested.” Because Caitlyn had just come out, the whole thing blew up and I got bullied for the whole week.
Internet bullying is really the worst. You feel helpless, and people say the worst, most vile shit. I received death threats, was labeled “fat,” “not funny,” “anti-American,” “anti-science,” and, my favorite, that I would be lucky to be raped by Bill Cosby. When you receive a certain amount of death and rape threats, Viacom security steps in and starts investigating. I had stand-up shows booked and wasn’t sure if people would come after me. I feared for my safety. I went in for my weekly sonogram and lost the baby. I’m very sure it was stress. So a big shout-out to the trolls who bully people—I hope it’s worth it.
There’s never a convenient time to get bad news. Especially when it pertains to your body when you’ve gotta make money moves like Cardi B’s first record deal out the strip clerb. My doc-tor said I had to schedule a D&C, and he wanted me to have it on a Wednesday because that’s the “only day they do them.” And while the procedure takes a toll on your body, it’s really good for the hospital’s billing. My head was all over the place. I didn’t know I could be so sad over someone I’d never met, but I was. Even though I was crushed, I decided this would not be my ending.
I dove right back into IVF. I went the holistic route this time and got pregnant again. I did ev-erything I was supposed to. As I was out to dinner
with Husband’s Dutch friends I felt a weird pain in my stomach. And I knew it couldn’t have been the overpriced shrimp ceviche. I went to the bath-room and had my second miscarriage.
I was pretty worn out. But I didn’t care how beat-up I was, as long as I was hitting the finish line. I went right back into IVF. I was like, Ticktock bitches, ’cause now I’m 39. I know I look good ’cause Blackish Don’t Crackish ABC Family Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m., but let’s go and get this done. This baby we ain’t even had yet has already cost us over $40,000, so they better be like a video ho or pro ath-lete right out the gate.
I got pregnant. Again. Even though I was sad about the other miscarriages, I thought I had a chance. But this one ended in miscarriage too.
My husband and I thought about selling our Brooklyn brownstone, buying a house a bit up north, and using the extra funds for surrogacy or adoption. My doctor persuaded me not to give up our slice of Brooklyn, as he was sure we could stay pregnant. Six months later, we dropped an-other $10,000. I did another transfer, and you guessed it: I was pregnant. But I never imagined I’d hear “You’re pregnant” and feel so sad about it. I couldn’t enjoy it at all. I couldn’t swim, ride a bike, or have a drink, sushi, or fun overpriced French cheese. Nothing about this brought me joy.
At our seven-week sonogram, there wasn’t a heartbeat. My doctor was speechless. And for the first time through this whole thing, my husband wasn’t. He spoke up for me and said, “Enough. She’s done enough. She’s tired and she needs to be happy again.” Feeling deflated and beyond depressed and wondering why in life I was back there again, I finally FaceTimed my mother. I wept as I told her what happened and told her I’m officially done trying. That Gijs and I are going to refinance our house. She was crying as well and said, “I was waiting for this phone call. Stop do-ing this to your body. Your father and I have taken money out of our retirement; don’t refinance your house or anything. We’ll pay for a surrogate. Find an agency and let’s make our dreams come true.” I’ll never forget those words. I felt free, sad, tired, relieved, happy, and finally comforted by the one woman whose love meant more to me than any-one’s. Then she asked, “The baby will look like us, right?”Aaaaaand here we go. ▪
COPYRIGHT © 2020 BY MICHELLE BUTEAU. FROM THE FORTHCOMING BOOK SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST BY MICHELLE BUTEAU, TO BE PUBLISHED BY GALLERY BOOKS, A DIVISION OF SIMON & SCHUSTER, INC. PRINTED BY PERMISSION.
WOMEN WE LOVE
A new slate of books celebrate
leaders we can all learn from.
B O O K S
“I never imagined I’d hear ‘You’re pregnant’ and feel so sad about it.”
Arianna Davis, digital director for O, The
Oprah Magazine, looks beyond Frida Kahlo’s
art to encourage readers to embody
her passion, strength, and fearlessness in
their own lives.
Before becoming a face of the resistance, Maxine Waters spent decades in Congress. Helena Andrews-Dyer
and ELLE’s R. Eric Thomas render her
life in beautiful detail.
BU
TE
AU
: G
IJS
VA
N D
ER
MO
ST.
101
DOUBLE DUTY
Meet your wardrobe workhorse:
This classic blazer with military-inspired hardware
can be dressed down with dark denim or go
boardroom-ready with tailored slacks.
SHOP IT AT ANNEKLEIN.COM
CLEAN, DELICIOUS,
NOURISHING FOOD
Hungry, but no time to cook? Let Daily Harvest
stock your home with clean, delicious food built on
real fruits and vegetables. They off er 75-plus nourishing
bowls, fl atbreads, smoothies, snacks, and desserts
for every mood and any palate. Daily Harvest knows
how busy you are, so their food is delivered right
to your door and ready in minutes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT,
DAILYHARVEST.COM
V I S I T E L L E E XT R A .C O M F O R PA RT I E S , P E O P L E , A N D P RO D U C TS W E ’ R E O B S E S S E D W I T H T H I S M O N T H .
PROMOTION
ELLE MERCHANDISING EDITOR AND BLOGGER
COREY GOLDEN OF @SEEGOLDENSTYLE SHARES
HER CHOICE SCENT OF THE SEASON.
“The new Gucci Bloom Profumo di Fiori will
transport you into a fl oral garden, even in the coldest
winter months. With a unique combination of
rich fl orals, it’s my must-have winter accessory.”
SHOP NOW AT MACYS.COM
COREY ’S MUST-HAVE
D E C E M B E R | JA N UA RY
arjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican nominee for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, is like a lot of white women you might encounter in the suburbs. She has long blonde hair and does CrossFit. She wears cute dangly earrings, tasteful blouses, and sheathdresses you could get off the rack at Ann Taylor. She was born in 1974, and received
a business degree from the University of Georgia; she and her husband purchased a construction company in an Atlanta suburb in 2002. And like an increasing number of suburban women, Greene has publicly sup-ported QAnon, both in videos on Facebook and Q-related articles she wrote for a now-defunct far-right website called American Truth Seekers. A common thread among many of the QAnon theories is that there exists a group of “elites”—George Soros, the Clintons, and other enemies of Donald Trump—who are responsible for horrible deeds, and the president is working covertly to stop them. Perhaps the most extreme example (which Greene has not herself espoused) is that those elites are kidnapping children and drinking their blood. During COVID, Q has expanded to include false theories about the virus (it isn’t real, masks don’t work, the vaccine is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs) and George Floyd (a crisis actor). Just to be absolute-ly clear, there is no evidence that any of these preposterous notions is true.
The source of these conspiracy theories is supposedly a government “insider,” with a high-level “Q” security clearance, hence the name. A user known as Q posts theories, often in cryptic, rambling prose, to the extremist message board 8kun (formerly 8chan). Each post, known as a “Q drop” or “breadcrumb,” is picked up by close followers, who study, interpret, and ex-trapolate from it the way a biblical scholar would with scripture, communing with followers on Q-related social media pages. At least that’s how it used to work—and the forum through which Greene, whose Q-related posts on Hillary Clinton’s “kill list” and Satanist pedophiles date back to 2017 and 2018, might have first accessed such ideas. (Greene has since attempted to distance herself from QAnon, and did not respond to requests for an interview.) Back then, QAnon was still percolating at the fringes of society. It was bizarre and extremist, in addition to being unrooted in reality or facts. QAnon is still, at its heart, all those things. But Q, like all conspiracy theories, isn’t just an idea. It’s an organism, readily capable of adapting. Most recently, it’s set down roots in the social media feeds of middle- and upper-class women who would never deign to affiliate with something as crass or trashy as an online conspiracy theory.
How did this happen? The most straightforward answer is that QAnon got sanitized and packaged in a way that attracted a whole lot of suburban ladies. It started back in 2013, pre-Q, when, according to Harvard senior re-searcher Brian Friedberg, #SavetheChildren first became a rallying cry among conspiracy theorists attempting to root out a deep state pedophile ring. After Trump’s election, it collided with QAnon and #pizzagate (the false idea that Democrats were using a Washington, DC, pizza restaurant for sex traffick-ing) and, this past spring, the theory that the overflow hospital tents set up in Central Park were actually being used to smuggle children out of the coun-try. It wasn’t until July 30—in posts drawing attention to the UN’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons—that the hashtag, which shares its name with an actual, long-standing anti-trafficking organization, exploded. The next day, a Child Lives Matter rally was held in Hollywood by a self-described “inde-pendent news show” that circulates conspiracy theories. It attracted some 200 QAnon supporters, toting signs like “Child sex trafficking is the real pandem-ic.” One marcher vandalized the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of Tom Hanks, who is believed by some Q followers to be a part of the larger pedophile cabal.
That is all very extreme, but online, softer, less alienating iterations of the anti-child-trafficking messages are also spreading, far removed from QAnon extremists. Some of it is purposeful; when Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram began banning accounts that posted QAnon content and hashtags, followers co-opted others. Doing so inadvertently created a new radicalization pipeline around #SavetheChildren, which circulated freely in the aesthetically pleas-ing, female-dominated corners of the internet, appealing to moms who, amid the upheaval of the pandemic, just wanted something to believe in.
Depending on how many influencers, yoga teachers, wellness gurus, and
P E R S P E C T I V E S | QAnon
How QAnon Came for Suburban MomsThe deranged conspiracy theory that speaks of Democrats drinking the blood of trafficked children has been sanitized and repackaged to appeal to women who just want to believe.
By Anne Helen Petersen
M
GR
EE
NE
: E
LIJ
AH
NO
UV
EL
AG
E/T
HE
AT
LA
NTA
JO
UR
NA
L-C
ON
ST
ITU
TIO
N/A
LA
MY.
104
COLLAGE BY LIZZIE GILL.
P E R S P E C T I V E S | QAnon
life coaches you follow, you might have seen a Q meme in your feed and not even noticed it. New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose was scrolling through his Instagram Stories one day, and happened upon a U.S. map marked with red dots: “This is not a map of Covid. It is a map of human trafficking. #SavetheChildren.” The person who posted wasn’t a Q follower. She just, well, cared about saving children.
Posts often blend in with the rest of the care-fully edited, perfectly lit, pastel vibe of the page. They just say things like “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS.” (posted by an influencer with 126,000 followers) and demand readers “think about chil-dren loaded up into the back of trucks like cargo to be bought and sold like property, for their tiny bodies to be used and abused.”
You can see how easy it would be to get on board with this message and even repost it. There’s no mention of QAnon, no red flags. Just advocating against child exploitation. But if you want to dig a little deeper, there’s a labyrinth of
darker conspiracies, connecting the dots between Jeffrey Epstein and George Floyd and COVID, for you to explore. Recently, a college-educated, mid-dle-class, liberal acquaintance of mine admitted that after the Epstein revelations, she found her-self obsessively reading about the case. That led to speculation about others in his circle, which led her down a dark rabbit hole filled with Q-related theories. It was immersive and addictive. It only lasted a day, but she had to shake herself out of it.
That’s the thing about QAnon: The entryway is beautiful, like the waiting room at a spa, only the spa itself is a fearsome dungeon. Canadian researcher Marc-André Argentino has been tracking Q-related social media accounts since before the pandemic. He found that followers of “anti-trafficking” pages, almost all affiliated with QAnon in some way, have risen over 3,000 percent since July. As of October 5, he was mon-itoring more than 109 Q-related mom accounts, with a combined 3.9 million followers. Some of that growth is easily explained. Instead of going to yoga or driving kids to soccer practice, people are spending more time on their phones. And con-spiracies have always flourished during times of societal and social insecurity, because they make a
chaotic world make some sort of sense, even if that sense is not rooted in fact. You might be wondering, What’s so wrong with fighting child exploitation?
Isn’t it good to have a bunch of moms dedicated to the cause? The problem is, Q-inspired advocacy not only misrepresents and exaggerates trafficking statistics, it misdirects attention to what it sees as the cause: a cabal of sin-ister Hollywood stars and high-ranking Democrats. (Neither Greene nor the influencer identified above have shared posts blaming the Democrats or Hollywood for child exploitation.) It also distracts from nonprofits, like the real Save the Children, that have been doing this work for years, diverting re-sources that could be used to actually protect vulnerable children.
It might seem harmless to post a meme. But that can escalate to real-world actions like calling in every white van you see in every parking lot, or ramming your car into a stranger you believe to be a pedophile intent on selling a girl into sex trafficking, as may have been the case for one Waco, Texas, woman.
In her mug shot, that woman, Cecilia Fulbright, has long, slightly wavy hair and a soft smile. She doesn’t look like a conspiracy theorist. But according to her arrest affidavit, when officers arrived on the scene, Fulbright, who was charged with aggravated assault and has pleaded not guilty, was “crying hyster-ically…yelling that the [driver of the] van was a pedophile and had kidnapped a girl for human trafficking.” An officer noted it was “quickly apparent that Ms. Fulbright’s story was delusional” and, during the investigation, her “behavior was erratic, including screaming about pedophiles and thrashing around in the back seat” of the patrol car. Fulbright added that she rammed the other car to “sav[e] a child” from a pedophile—but of course none of that matched “the timeline or any of the facts or evidence,” the affidavit states. Although the affidavit says nothing about QAnon, the bizarre conduct it recounts is consis-tent with someone deep into the conspiracy theory.
You might not think that you, or your close friends, would ever act this way. But conspiracy theories don’t follow established behavior patterns. They cre-ate new ones, and they’re incredibly comforting. Even those who might sneer at an uncle who believes the moon landing was staged are desperate for some-thing like moral order in their lives—a moral order offered, albeit in perverse form, in QAnon. “You can almost understand the allure of succumbing to what I think of as a normalcy fetish, a dogma that insists things are actually fine, no matter what the media says,” staff writer Lili Loofbourow wrote in Slate.
Some of QAnon’s recent adherents are women who’ve been “asking ques-tions” for years of doctors, the pharmaceutical industry, and teachers. You could call these people “untraditional” or “hippies” or, as the influencer who posted “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS.” put it in her Instagram bio, “non-con-formist.” Many are vaccine “skeptical”; others are into raw milk or hawk essen-tial oils via multilevel marketing schemes. They span the political spectrum, but share a distrust of large institutions and a desire to arrive at their own un-derstanding of what works for them and their families. They place a premium on “doing their own research,” which is exactly what Q invites followers to do.
One 45-year-old alternative health care provider in Brooklyn, whom we’ll call “Andrea,” got interested in QAnon 18 months ago when she first heard the term, and started following what she calls “the information thread.” She found it interesting, fun even. “There’s a piece of this that feels like a game, and a piece that feels like entertainment,” Andrea says. “I can see what the appeal is to the human need for both of those things.” She thinks of herself as an outside ob-server and isn’t sure how deeply she believes some theories. But she doesn’t trust mainstream media—one of the reasons she didn’t want to publish her real name—and feels drawn to the way Q questions accepted narratives. “It makes people break from the belief that our news sources and our authorities are the ones that we trust to tell us what’s going on in the world,” she says.
Explanations like Andrea’s account for anti-vaxxers, libertarians, and “natural mamas.” But they don’t quite explain the middle- and upper-class moms who consider themselves “apolitical” who have been reposting Save the Children memes. The sorts of moms who, when confronted about the spe-cifics of QAnon, would likely balk. Q seems to offer these women something that’s been missing from their lives for months. They want to belong to some-thing, believe in something. Maybe, before the pandemic, that was the church, or the PTA, or the Junior League. Whatever it was, it’s
That’s the thing about QAnon: The entryway is beautiful, like the waiting room at a spa, only the spa itself is a fearsome dungeon.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 147
106
1 TREEPLANTED
FOR EVERYCANDLE
PURCHASED!
A P P L Y O N
Y O U O R
S O M E O N E
E L S E
by
invi
tati
on
|
tip
sntr
end
s, in
c |
323
-525
-170
0
n May 29, Chrissy Rutherford set up her phone in her bed-room and pressed Record. A beauty and fashion expert with over 145,000 Instagram followers and a decade-long career working in fashion media, she was accustomed to using so-cial media to express herself. But this time was different. “I don’t know George Floyd and the many that came before
him,” she said to the camera. “But understanding that someone has been mur-dered for having the same skin color I have, it’s a lot to deal with. And the last 36 hours, I’ve just felt so overwhelmed trying to process what’s happening.”
Rutherford, 34, described the physical toll the news was taking on her: stressed body, stiff neck, lack of sleep. She went on to explain the differences between covert and overt racism and stressed the importance of speaking out on social media, rather than letting the news cycle pass. “It’s not enough anymore to just be like, ‘I have good intentions. I’m not racist.’ You need to actually take the time to educate yourselves to be antiracist. And that’s where white people are falling short right now,” she told her followers. “Antiracism is the name of the game right now. And that’s it.”
As the video racked up millions of views, Rutherford began to receive a flood of DMs, texts, and calls from non-Black friends and acquaintances in the fashion world, most of whom were unsure of how to proceed on social media during such a critical moment. They needed guidance on continuing to live life online in a way that was both tactful and impactful. And many of their peers had made missteps they wanted to avoid. “A lot of influencers I’m friends with—and these are top girls—were all blowing up my phone, wanting to get my advice,” Rutherford tells me. “�‘Should I post? What should I say?’�”
Her close friend Danielle Prescod—a 32-year-old Black woman with a large following and a long career in fashion and beauty—was in a similar position. The two had spent years trying to advocate for Black representation in fash-ion and beauty, often struggling to make their voices heard. But during this summer’s Black Lives Matter uprising, there was a widespread social media reckoning that pressured many, from giant corporations to small brands, from influencers to civilians, to finally publicly grapple with racism in themselves, in their companies, and in society as a whole. Overnight, everyone needed to “do the work”—a call for antiracist education and action that became so wide-spread it felt like a cliché within weeks. But the reality was that most couldn’t do the work alone—they needed help trying to figure things out.
“Danielle and I were DMing each other, commiserating over how everyone was coming to us and it was overwhelming,” Rutherford says. They wanted to help disseminate antiracist messaging, but they couldn’t exactly spend all their waking hours giving friends free advice—reviewing statements, offering up antiracist resources, gut-checking content. She and Prescod had a mutual epiphany: “We need to teach them—and charge them.”
The ideals of equality and social justice, along with bursts of activism in the wake of police brutality, are not new. But after the murder of George Floyd, something shifted dramatically. With tens of millions of people unemployed, and much of the country sitting at home in quarantine with little to do besides check social media and read the news—and with a presidential election rap-idly approaching—there was an unprecedented collective opportunity. And it was not just police brutality that drew attention; the downstream effects had implications across every professional and social dynamic. Criminal jus-tice reform, workplace discrimination, the pay gap, and hiring practices that systemically disadvantage Black Americans, to start. There were also more abstract issues to consider: representation of Black people in advertising and pop culture; tokenization in media; and more covert expressions of racism, like microaggressions, tone policing, and spiritual bypassing.
If you looked, there was more and more evidence of underhanded or overt racism to be found—and people were keeping track. Spreadsheets began to circulate, tracking how major brands or businesses had responded to George Floyd’s death. For some, there was a deafening silence. Others drew ire by making statements so vague as to be meaningless. Predominantly white in-dustries and non-Black individuals were compelled not just to coast on the assumption that they couldn’t possibly be racist, but to provide proof that they
P E R S P E C T I V E S | Race
The Big Business of Being an AllyThe antiracism industry is booming. Will it actually make us antiracist?
By Carrie Battan
O
SIT
TIN
GS
ED
ITO
R:
SA
RA
H Z
EN
DE
JA
S;
FO
R D
ETA
ILS
, S
EE
SH
OP
PIN
G G
UID
E.
108
CHRISSY RUTHERFORD (LEFT) AND DANIELLE PRESCOD, PHOTOGRAPHED IN BROOKLYN IN OCTOBER.PHOTOGRAPHED BY MAKEDA SANDFORD.
ON RUTHERFORD: BELTED DRESS, THEBE MAGUGU, $1,020. SANDALS, BROTHER VELLIES, $495. HER OWN BYCHARI HOOP EARRINGS.ON PRESCOD: SWEATER, $375, SKIRT, $425, VICTOR GLEMAUD. EARRINGS, MATEO, $725. RINGS, ALMASIKA, $1,250 EACH. BOOTS, BROTHER VELLIES, $795.
were proactively investing in an antiracist society. And to do so, they needed professional assistance.
America’s economy is crumbling, but the busi-ness of allyship is booming. Antiracism, once just a passive stance, has become both an aspiration and an outlet for ambition—for some, it is yet an-other realm in which to prove one can excel in a self-improvement-driven culture. “I don’t think there’s ever been this kind of outpouring from millions of people in this country to acknowledge, ‘Hey, I really don’t know enough about racism.’ I don’t think there’s ever been millions of people within a compressed amount of time saying ‘Yes, I am willing to do some of this work,’�” says Crystal Marie Fleming, PhD, a professor of sociology and Africana studies at SUNY Stony Brook and the author of How to Be Less Stupid About Race. In June, she saw her book sales soar and received an influx of media and public speaking requests—an exciting turn of events that also felt overwhelm-ing, given the emotional turbulence she was expe-riencing as a result of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others.
Fleming was not alone in the increased spot-light she gained as Black Lives Matter activity ramped up. Publications began producing lists of Black-owned businesses to patronize. By late June, the New York Times best-seller list was dominated by titles about race. Print editions of How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (who is a white woman) were sold out, with readers eager to post photos of their new reading materials on social media. If they wanted to get more serious, they could pay for an elective training program. The antiracist educator Monique Melton, for example, offers an antiracism 101 course ($97 for five au-dio lessons), a 12-week interactive online course ($3,500), and a four-day in-person antiracism intensive. Her Instagram following jumped from 17,000 to 220,000 in a single week. “I would re-fresh, and it would be another thousand every couple of minutes. It was overwhelming,” Melton says. The prominent antiracist educator Rachel Cargle offers a sliding-scale model for access to The Great Unlearn, her program dedicated to deconstructing historical narratives and relearn-ing them through the eyes of educators of color.
For those with less time or a limited budget, there were hundreds of free spreadsheets and documents filled with antiracist resources being passed around on social media. More inventive
initiatives began to sprout up, too, like a new program from the text message–based platform The Nudge. For $5, participants could sign up for something called The Ally Nudge, a monthlong antiracism education program devel-oped in collaboration with longtime diversity and inclusion consultant Akilah Cadet. During its first month, over 10,000 people signed up for The Ally Nudge in 1,700 cities. Even Black people who previously hadn’t been positioned as formal educators were suddenly receiving an influx of attention: “Chrissy and I both got this surge of followers in June,” Prescod says. “Because people realized they weren’t following anyone Black.” As Patia Borja, who compiled a popular antiracist resource guide, said in a podcast interview, social media suddenly began to feel like “America’s Next Top Ally.”
Cadet says she has spent the last five years advising leaders at major corpo-rations on how to make their workforce more “diverse” and “inclusive.” Before May, those were the kinds of neutered, corporate-friendly terms she needed to use. To many white higher-ups at the companies she worked with, concepts like antiracism and dismantling white supremacy were too confrontational. Cadet says she even struggled to suggest that workplaces should foster a sense of belonging for all their employees. Then, everything changed. “On May 27, there was an influx of requests, saying ‘What can we do?’�” Cadet says. “What you saw, which was really fascinating, was a lot of big brands and companies saying ‘Dismantle white supremacy.’ Or ‘Being part of the problem, we need to change our leadership. Black lives matter.’�” Cadet quickly made some revisions to the language she uses. “I was able to put ‘antiracism’ on my website,” she
says. And now “when people are interested in engaging and putting together a contract, I’m bringing up white supremacy and antiracism.”
Not only did brands understand there were new standards of accountabil-ity on social media, Cadet says, but “a lot of these companies are recognizing the importance of the Black dollar, the $1.3 trillion that Black people spend.” Emily Heyward, a cofounder and chief brand officer of the branding and busi-ness development company Red Antler—responsible for the brand identities of Casper and Allbirds—says that antiracism must be part of the DNA of any new brand or company. “Every human, every business in America is playing a role in social justice,” Heyward says. “I would put antiracism more in the cat-egory of something like sustainability. Part of launching a modern business is caring about sustainability, and it is also looking at your own hiring processes.”
Within a week of Rutherford posting her viral antiracism video, she and Prescod had their first brand clients. Soon they launched a weekly antiracism seminar, geared toward fashion and beauty influencers. For $300—a third of which is donated to a Black charity—an influencer could participate in a two-hour Zoom call that was part race studies class, part consciousness-raising course, part career coaching session. “It is very much tailored to the influ-encer space, [essentially showing] them how they have benefited from and upheld the standards of white supremacy,” Rutherford says.
Each session is divided into two parts. First, there’s an hour-long presen-tation about race and antiracism. “We give tips for navigating conversations around race, and tips on how to hold brands accountable. We talk about how to be a good ally,” Rutherford explains. The second hour is a Q&A during which participants are invited to ask everything from broad theoretical concerns about race to tactical, targeted queries about social media. “We’ll get questions like, ‘How do I apologize without making it about myself? How do I navigate this, balance my normal content with my activist content?’�” Rutherford says.
P E R S P E C T I V E S | Race
As Patia Borja, who compiled a popular antiracist resource guide, said in a podcast interview, social media suddenly
began to feel like “America’s Next Top Ally.”
made mandatory, or overhauled).Yet these initiatives did not result in mean-
ingful change in boardroom representation. A landmark study in 2016 in the Harvard Business Review by Frank Dobbin, PhD, professor of sociol-ogy at Harvard University, and Alexandra Kalev, PhD, associate professor of sociology at Tel Aviv University, found exactly the opposite. “It turns out that while people are easily taught to respond correctly to a questionnaire about bias, they soon forget the right answers,” they noted. “The posi-tive effects of diversity training rarely last beyond a day or two.”
This year, a few months removed from the surge in antiracism, some educators have already noticed deflated levels of commitment. “People are on to talking about blueberry muffins,” Melton says. “It was an eight-week time span of demand. And now it’s like, ‘Oh, we’ve checked that box.’�”
According to Dobbin and Kalev’s research, companies that institute diversity training to avoid lawsuits found that “force feeding” employ-ees could actually activate bias, thwarting prog-ress. What does show lasting impact are programs that spark engagement, increase contact among different groups, and draw upon people’s desire to look good to others. Voluntary behavior—like the elective reading so many have sought out since June—may also impact attitudes long term. “We tend to respond more favorably when we believe we have agency,” Fleming says. “When we feel we have an opportunity to learn, but we’re not being forced to view the world in a particular way.”
Prescod and Rutherford note that once their influencer clients have acknowledged the social justice movement publicly, many have asked, “How do I go back to my regular content?” “Even for girls who’ve taken our course, it resonates with them in the immediate moment, but it doesn’t really have the long tail we’d hoped it would,” Prescod says. “It isn’t like there’s an expi-ration date on this,” Rutherford adds. “Sure, they don’t need to be posting 10 slides on antiracism for the rest of eternity. But you know, make sure you’re doing the right things. Build relationships with Black creators.”
But some newer elective programming that offers a starting point for a more sustained mind-set might be more effective than stodgy corporate versions. By July, Prescod and Rutherford had re-ceived so much interest that they formalized their antiracism training, launching a new business called 2BG (Two Black Girls) Consulting. Even if the changes spurred by the post–George Floyd activist movement do not prove to be long-lasting, at least Black educators are being paid for their work. Three months after they began, Prescod and Rutherford are still conducting Zoom anti-racism seminars. They now also offer a version for noninfluencers at a discounted rate of $75.
One Friday in August, Prescod and Rutherford hold their first noninfluencer seminar. They begin the class by addressing 21
Katie Sturino, a body acceptance advocate and founder of the cult skin care brand Megababe, had known Rutherford and Prescod personally for years. When she saw that they were doing seminars, she quickly enrolled. “My main goals in attending were to listen and learn on behalf of both myself and my business,” she tells me. “I read all of my comments and DMs, and I receive a lot of feedback. But you have to be careful about how you value, interpret, and act upon that feedback. Chrissy and Danielle talked about what voices to listen to, and that resonated with me.”
There was even interest from outside the U.S., from influencers who wanted to get a better grasp of what was happening in America. “Since I don’t live in the U.S., hearing what is going on firsthand was very important for me,” says Xenia Adonts, the founder of Paris-based clothing brand Attire The Studio, who has 1.5 million followers. “Of course, Europe is not very different; we have similar challenges with racism and the systemic disadvantages faced by minorities. As a white, privileged girl, it’s easy to overlook those issues.”
Of course, participating in an antiracism sem-inar may give influencers a line of defense against their worst fears: cancellation and public shame. “Shame is a powerful motivator,” Prescod admits. In the early Zoom seminars, when dozens of ma-jor brands and influencers were being publicly called out, anxiety levels were high. “Most influ-encers and brands are pretty paranoid about the potential that they might get canceled,” Prescod says. “This is the largest anxiety we see: how to avoid cancellation, what to do if you get called out, how to respond, and how to apologize.”
“For a lot of these girls,” Rutherford says, “it’s the first time they’re really even considering the privilege they have.” Paying $300 for tutelage was certainly a start. The bigger question was whether they—along with all the businesses and individ-uals newly awakened—could continue to absorb the lessons beyond the Instagrammable mo-ment. “These seminars give us a formal place to ask questions, listen, and learn in a way that is far from casual conversations,” Sturino says. “[But] I know the burden is on me to continue learning.”
People have been listening and learning for decades in a way that hasn’t always led to mean-ingful change. The business of diversity, allyship, anti-bias—whatever you want to call it—has cy-cled through many waves as corporate America has woken up, fallen back asleep, and reawak-ened. Bias and diversity training took promi-nence in the late 1990s and 2000s, after a spate of discrimination lawsuits required major financial firms to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars. (In 2013, Bank of America Merrill Lynch alone paid out $160 million to settle a race discrimi-nation suit.) Shaken by the idea of such massive payouts, companies began to expand diversity initiatives. Anti-bias training became de rigueur at seemingly every corporation in America (training that, this summer, many corporations refreshed, CONTINUED ON PAGE 147
WORDS TO LIVE BY
Prescod and Rutherford break down key terms.
G L O S S A R Y
MICROAGGRESSIONS
When internal bias reveals itself in subtle
ways—like when someone of color is complimented for speaking perfect
English—that make the recipient feel uncomfortable
or insulted.
SPIRITUAL
BYPASSING
Using notions like “We’re all one human race!” to
avoid doing the real work of dismantling
systemic racism.
TONE POLICING
Criticizing or invalidating arguments
if they are not delivered in the “right”
gentle tone rather than addressing the substance.
WHITE SAVIOR
COMPLEX
A white person who provides help to
nonwhite people in a self-serving manner. For example: when white people on vacation
post photos on social media posing with
impoverished orphans of different races.
PERFORMATIVE
ALLYSHIP
Taking action to up your own social capital
rather than a cause, from posting a black
box on Instagram without doing further antiracism work to using Black people as virtue-signaling props in photos.
111
The holidays are here, which means it’s time to treat yourself to a festive fragrance. Meet your new
signature scent: Pegasus Exclusif by Parfums de Marly. The woody winter release is the epitome
of easy elegance. Featuring rare essences and sophisticated extractions, Pegasus Exclusif is an
exquisite evolution of the original Pegasus scent. With opening notes of pink pepper and bergamot,
and a deep base of guaiac wood and natural oud, it’s the scent of the season.
theHOLIDAY SHOP
PRESENTED BY PARFUMS DE MARLY
PARFUMS DE MARLY
PEGASUS EXCLUSIF, $375,
PARFUMS-DE-MARLY.COM
IMA
GE
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E B
RA
ND
.
Dress, Giambattista Valli Haute Couture. Earrings, rings, $5,950–$7,800 each, Bulgari.
Z E N D A Y AD E C / J A N
Dress, Valentino Haute Couture. Earrings, necklace, ring, $5,950, Bulgari. Sneakers, Nike Dunk High x Ambush, $180.
The Coolest Girl
in Hollywood
Cape, netted beanie, Armani Privé. Necklace, rings, $4,300–$7,800 each, Bulgari.
BEAUTY TIP
Veil lashes in a lightweight black mascara, like Lancôme Lash Idôle mascara ($26).
When Zendaya’s name rang out as the winner of the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her performance in HBO’s Euphoria during the Emmy Awards broadcast this past September, audiences were treated to Zoom-like reaction shots from her fellow nominees before the screen landed on the 24-year-old actress, the youngest recipient of that award in Emmys history. “This is pretty crazy—I don’t really cry,” the Lancôme ambassador said then, brushing aside the bangs of her expertly tousled updo and dabbing a smoky black-lined eye. Behind her sat her family and team, screaming joyfully. Zendaya recalls the moment fondly when her friend Timothée Chalamet calls from France for an exclusive interview with ELLE—al-though she laughingly admits she worried her family’s long celebration might cue the dreaded awards-show cutoff music.
Zendaya and Chalamet became close on the set of Dune, a feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel about a feudal intergalactic empire of the distant future. (The movie, which was originally slated to be released this month, was bumped to 2021 due to COVID-19.) In the film, Zendaya’s character, Chani, a warrior from the planet Arrakis, is initially wary of Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, the heir to an aristocratic family who’s been tasked with taking over her home planet, but the two eventually form a tight bond. Even though the book was published in 1965 and the film shot in pre-pandemic 2019, audiences may notice parallels to our current reality—Arrakis’s harsh climate and giant sandworms, perhaps, versus our own smoke-clogged orange skies and “murder hornets.” Zendaya can’t predict what viewers will take away from the film, or even what the world will look like tomorrow, but she remains opti-mistic. She closed out her Emmy acceptance speech acknowl-edging that while Euphoria, with its gritty depictions of teen sex, drugs, and trauma, might not always be a shining example, “there is hope in the young people.”
Read more about what makes Zendaya hopeful—and the wild dance parties she hosted in her room for the cast of Dune—in her conversation with Chalamet.
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET: We haven’t talked since you won your Emmy. Congrats!ZENDAYA: Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Pretty nuts. It was a crazy moment. TC: Since the show was virtual, how did it work? Did you know in advance that you were going to win?Z: No.TC: You didn’t. So how did they get the award there so quickly?Z: There were these people in hazmat suits that went around to all the nominees’ houses with awards. So basically if you won, you’d grab it quickly from them and have it. If you didn’t win, they’d just take it with them and leave.TC: Oh, shit [laughs]. So you got to keep yours!Z: Yeah. Yeah. I got to keep mine. [My assistant] Darnell [Appling] was actually the one who handed it to me. TC: Oh, so that’s it. Well, I’m so happy for you. I was screaming over here when I saw it! When you had just gotten the nom-ination, I remember us talking about what it was going to be like in this environment, not having an in-person ceremony. But you killed it!Z: Thanks, man. I was nervous about the possibility of having to get up and speak. So I was like, “Okay, let me just write down a few little bullet points.” Usually I would just go up there and say what’s in my heart, but everybody was like, “No, I think you should definitely write something down.” But then I worried maybe that’s bad luck to have something prepared, because it’s like, I don’t know….TC: You didn’t want to jinx it.Z: Yeah, exactly. So the day of, I just wrote a little thing down to
Zendaya opens up to her friend Timothée Chalamet
about her historic Emmy win, what it was like
making Malcolm & Marie in quarantine, and where
she finds joy in the current moment.
Styled by Law Roach. Photographed by Micaiah Carter.
118
have just in case. And that was very helpful. I was very nervous, but I’m glad my family was there.TC: It looked like a sweet moment, full of love.Z: It absolutely was. Everybody was there and screaming, as my family does! We are a very loud family, and I was worried that they were going to be screaming for too long. And the little clock would start ticking, and I’d be like, “Ah, thank you.” And then it would be over.TC: And the guy in the hazmat suit would come in and take it away.Z: Exactly.TC: What was it like to get all glammed up and then not leave the house?Z: That was all right with me. I got to feel all fancy and put on this beautiful custom [Armani Privé] gown and do my hair and makeup and then just be with my family in the living room, which was actually quite nice.TC: Very wholesome.Z: Yeah, it was great. And we got to take pictures in the house, so I knew I would be happy with them.TC: You got photo approval.Z: Yeah, there was none of the usual “Ah, I hate that picture” that is suddenly circulating everywhere. So it wasn’t bad. It actually worked really smoothly the way they virtually tran-sitioned people over to different media outlets. They really had it all figured out.
TC: Maybe we’ll end up having Zoom ceremonies forever.Z: Yeah. I mean, it’s a new world.TC: In your speech, you said that there’s hope in the young people, and it seemed as if hope was a big part of the message you were trying to get across. What in the past year has given you hope? And what does hope mean to you?Z: Well, my intention there was really just to be honest, be-cause it feels like a very hopeless time, specifically in this country. I know a lot of my peers feel enraged and exhausted and tired of living and growing up in a system that feels like it wasn’t built for us. At this moment in time, it is hard to find joy and beauty in things, and I really think that is important. Right now, we as Black people need to embrace joy and not let it be taken away from us. TC: How do you embrace joy in your own life? Z: I experience moments of joy when I’m able to create art and be involved in projects that I connect to deeply, whether it be Euphoria or Malcolm & Marie, the movie I shot during quar-antine with [Euphoria creator] Sam Levinson. Another thing that gives me joy is seeing people’s responses to my work. With Euphoria, it’s been incredibly moving to see how people con-nected to what Sam has written. I’ve heard so many beautiful stories about addiction and recovery, and that brings me hope. TC: What else brings you hope these days? Z: I find hope in my peers, the people who are out there on the streets doing the work—people I admire and I go to for advice and information on what’s happening, so that I can make sure I’m using my platform in the most strategic way I can to help.
BEAUTY TIP
Prep for stunning long braids with
Kim Kimble Shine Spray ($25).
Dress, Dior Haute Couture. Earrings, rings, $4,300–$7,800
each, Bulgari. Sneakers, New
Balance for Jaden Smith Vision Racer, $150.
“Right now, we as Black people
need to embrace joy and not let it
be taken away from us.”
120
There is so much hope in young people, and when I say young people, I do mean myself—people my own age—but I also mean younger. These really young kids are so smart and have such a clear understanding and plan for how they want this world to change. Even my little nieces! They are so aware, and I mean, I can take credit for some of that, because I’ve been schooling them. But they also have their own point of view. We have dis-cussions about [the world]. They know what’s up, and they want to be part of that change. TC: Over the course of your career, you’ve given a lot of people hope and joy. I saw some montages on Instagram of all the work you have done over the last decade, and it was really moving. Rue, the character you play on Euphoria, has connected with so many people. And we’ve talked a lot about engagement, putting that voice forward. Speaking of which, you spoke to Michelle Obama yesterday, didn’t you? Z: Yeah. TC: And you’ve been all over trying to get people registered to vote. Z: Yeah, yeah. Shit, I mean, all you can do is encourage people and help share information.TC: Absolutely. So in Dune, our characters are up against hor-rible odds in a cruel sci-fi world set in the distant future. What was shooting this film like for you?
Z: Oh, man. I had a great fricking time. I felt like such a badass, just wearing that suit and walking around on these beautiful rock formations. It felt cool and so exciting to be part of the magic. TC: What was your favorite thing we did on break from shooting? Z: I guess it was the dance parties that I hosted in my room.TC: There was a super legit fucking wrap party at the end there. We were with some of the cast, and then Javier [Bardem] came in and we were all dancing.Z: Javier popped in, yeah. TC: You have Polaroids of that moment, right? That was a full-on dance party. Okay, so we’re going to do a hard right, serious transition here. Tell me about shooting Malcolm & Marie in quarantine with Sam Levinson. To my understanding, before anybody was really shooting anything in quarantine, you guys did it very safely. You obviously have an amazing creative rela-tionship with him.Z: Sam is like family to me. I talk to him almost every day and night, every other day. Sometimes we talk about Euphoria, and sometimes we just talk about life or current events or what-ever. So we got this idea that we could do a movie in quaran-tine safely with a very small number of people. We used some crew members from Euphoria who obviously didn’t have a job because filming had stopped. I was fascinated with this idea of shooting a film with just two characters [John David Washington and Zendaya play the titular roles]. It was like a play. It was challenging for all of us, because it was shot in just one space. Being quarantined together was great in some ways,
because it allowed us to workshop and really dig into the ma-terial while we were there. TC: Yeah, I know when I was talking to you in that period, I could hear how full of creative inspiration you were in that controlled environment. I can imagine, from an acting perspec-tive, that it was really fulfilling. There are a lot of big movies out there, but these kinds of very intimate acting opportunities can be harder to come by. Z: It was an actor’s dream. But it was also a little nerve- racking. When you have an idea, and you’re putting your own money into it—I mean, I was literally using my own clothes on set and doing my own hair and makeup—it’s hard not to get a little bit insecure. Like, “Oh my gosh, am I really doing this?” It was one of the first times I just went for something, and I’m so grateful and proud of it. Working with Sam, obviously, and Marcell [Rév, Euphoria’s cinematographer] was really special, but then John David Washington is just so brilliant and such a wonderful person. I can’t wait for you guys to meet. I don’t know if you have already.TC: I’ve crossed paths with him a couple of times. Man, that guy is so talented. I’m so inspired by what he’s done in BlacKkKlansman and Tenet. His acting, but also just his phys-icality in Tenet, the way he moves across the space. And now, even the bits you showed me with Malcolm & Marie. He’s really
one of the great actors of our time. So ex-citing that you guys were able to do that. And your relationship with Sam—man, it’s something special. Z: Yeah, he’s cool. Like I said, I’m lucky I’ve been able to work with cool people such as yourself. I’m grateful that you’ve all ended up being really wonderful people who be-came my friends.TC: The shooting for season two of Euphoria may not start until early 2021, but I know you guys shot a bridge episode in that safe environment. But that second season is happening, right? And can you say anything about the second season, or
where Rue is heading, without giving too much away?Z: I can’t really say too much about the in-between episodes, but I’m excited for people to see them. We’re doing a little Christmas special to check in with everybody on Euphoria, until we can get back to [the full production], which proba-bly won’t happen until after I get back from filming the next Spider-Man movie, which is pretty soon. TC: Well, it sounds like you’re staying busy, but what are you most looking forward to when things get back to normal? What’s the one thing you haven’t been able to do in the past six months that’s number one on your to-do list once it’s deemed safe?Z: I don’t know—I think that things are going to stay different for quite a long time. We’re probably going to have a new nor-mal to keep people safe and healthy, which I’m totally down for. I mean, I love traveling. I don’t feel super-safe traveling all over the place quite yet, but I can’t wait to get back to it. I love being able to visit different places. I think that’s one of the beautiful parts of our job. Anytime I go on either a press tour or travel for work, which is really the main reason why I travel, I try to find as many museums and educational tours as I can. Some people think it’s boring, but I absolutely love it. You get all this infor-mation, and you go home and you start telling people random things like, “Did you know that this was built and....” I just love having random facts. So, yeah, I miss traveling for sure. Luckily I’ve been able to work, so I’m grateful for that, being able to work safely. I do miss being able to actually go to the movies. But you know what? All of that can wait. ▪ H
AIR
BY
KIM
KIM
BL
E F
OR
KIM
KIM
BL
E H
AIR
CA
RE
; M
AK
EU
P B
Y S
HE
IKA
DA
LE
Y A
T S
IXK
.LA
; S
ET
DE
SIG
N B
Y D
AV
ID B
RO
WN
E;
PR
OD
UC
ED
BY
BE
N B
ON
NE
T A
T W
ES
TY
PR
OD
UC
TIO
NS
.
“When you have an idea, and
you’re putting your own
money into it—it’s hard not to
get a little bit insecure.”
Dress, Chanel Haute Couture.
Sneakers, Nike x Sacai
Vaporwaffle, $180.
BEAUTY TIP
Outline eyes with Lancôme
Artliner Precision Felt-Tip Liquid
Eyeliner in Black Vinyl ($31).
Top, skirt, Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture. Earrings, rings, $4,300–$7,800 each, Bulgari. Sneakers, Nike x Sacai Vaporwaffle, $180. For details, see Shopping Guide.
Jacket, Salvatore Ferragamo, $1,890. Corset, Orseund Iris, $825. Tights, Wolford, $61. Slingbacks,
Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $825.
B O S S
P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y C H R I S C O L L S . S T Y L E D B Y A L E X W H I T E .
H O W T O G E T A S A R T O R I A L L E G U P T H I S S E A S O N ? T A K E A
C U E F R O M O U R M O D E R N F E M M E F A T A L E : E M B R A C E T H E S E A S O N ’ S
M E N S W E A R - I N S P I R E D T A I L O R I N G F O R A M O D E R N , L I N E A R L O O K .
L A D Y
Jacket, Chloé, $2,695. Bodysuit, LaQuan Smith, $700.
Jacket, Gucci, $3,500. Duffel bag, Celine by Hedi Slimane, $2,150. Pumps, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $795.
Right: Dress, $4,900, belt, $2,450, Valentino. Pumps, Versace.
Above: Jacket, Celine by Hedi Slimane, $2,600. Tank, Intimissimi, $15. Tights, Mugler. Watch, Cartier.
BEAUTY TIP: Show your arches who’s in charge by filling, shaping, and setting with GrandeBrow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel ($20).
Handbag, Celine by Hedi Slimane, $2,950.
Jacket, $4,000, bustier, $4,000, blouse, $1,200, Dior. Brief, Skims, $28. Ring, Harry Winston. Pumps, Y/Project, $760.
BEAUTY TIP: Healthy, hydrated skin is always a smooth move, no matter what you are—or aren’t—wearing. Try Epionce Enriched Body Cream ($41).
133
Below: Jacket, Louis Vuitton. Bodysuit, Stella McCartney, $300. Tights, Falke, $42. Pumps, Gianvito Rossi, $695.
Left: Bralette, Araks, $115. Skirt, Prada, $1,560. Necklace, bracelet, Harry Winston.
BEAUTY TIP: Turn up the shine factor with Nuele The Serum for Hair Manageability ($34).
Above: Blazer, $2,990, bodysuit, $3,790, shorts, $2,790, belt, $795, slingbacks, $825, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Tights, Wolford, $61. Bracelets, Van Cleef & Arpels, from $6,050.
Right: Jacket, $1,690, corset, $1,120, earrings, $600, handbag, $2,490, Burberry. Brief, Skims, $28.
Pumps, handbag, $995, Versace. HA
IR B
Y S
HA
Y A
SH
UA
L A
T A
RT
PA
RT
NE
R;
MA
KE
UP
BY
FR
AN
K B
AN
D M
AN
ICU
RE
BY
MA
KI
SA
KA
MO
TO
, B
OT
H
AT
TH
E W
ALL G
RO
UP
; M
OD
EL:
RO
ZA
NN
E V
ER
DU
IN A
T
ELIT
E;
SE
T D
ES
IGN
BY
ST
EFA
N B
EC
KM
AN
AT
EX
PO
SU
RE
; P
RO
DU
CE
D B
Y C
AR
LY
LO
UIS
ON
AT
SE
RLIN
AS
SO
CIA
TE
S.
Jacket, Max Mara, $1,690. Corset, $76, bodysuit, $68, Skims. Tights, Falke, $32. Bracelet watch, Van Cleef & Arpels. Slingbacks, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $825. For details, see Shopping Guide.
P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y P E T R A C O L L I N S . S T Y L E D B Y K Y L E L U U .
A C T R E S S , D A N C E R , A N D C H A N E L A M B A S S A D O R M A R G A R E T Q U A L L E Y
T A K E S O N A B O L D — A N D T I M E L Y — N E W R O L E . B Y V É R O N I Q U E H Y L A N D
O N C E U P O N
A T I M E . . . I N L . A .
Swimsuit, $750, belts, $900–$2,900 each,
hoop earrings, $875, gloves, $775,
sandals, $1,325, Chanel. Stylist’s
own tights, worn throughout.
140
argaret Qualley is among the vanishingly few people in Hollywood who can credibly wield the word “gosh.” Jimmy Stewart’s favorite interjection resounds through her sentenc-es like a slingshot, going hand in hand with her soft North Carolina twang and sweet manner. She is one of an even small-er number of actresses who could take the prompt “You’re having an argument with your hand” and make it make sense. That was just one of the things Spike Jonze asked Qualley to do when she auditioned for a Kenzo perfume campaign he was directing. The clip subverts your typical fragrance ad: A glam-orous woman in a green gown walks the halls of an architec-tural landmark. Then there’s a glitch in the Matrix. She starts going manic, flailing like a velociraptor, shooting laser beams from her hands like a sci-fi heroine racing into intergalactic battle and, yes, fighting with her own extremities.
Even though it was less than four minutes long, that perfor-mance proved to the world that Qualley was incredibly game, without the usual starlet brand of hesitancy. (It’s an example of
what she calls her “puppy energy.”) The moves were courtesy of her ballet training, while the spontaneity came from her next passion after ballet, improv. “I like to play, like a little kid,” she says. “All different kinds of play are fun to me.” As a ballerina, though, she got used to restrictions. “I think we all create our own rules for ourselves so that we can play in a certain way, but there’s a balance. You’ve got to have structure so that you can dance.” Maybe that balance is why her characters never feel trapped in the amber of a “type,” whether she’s playing a nun-in-training in Novitiate, Justin Theroux’s troubled daughter in The Leftovers, a strung-out Manson girl in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, or Broadway legend Ann Reinking in Fosse/Verdon, for which she received an Emmy nomination.
Qualley has been acting since she turned 16, when she quit ballet and moved to New York City by herself, an experience she describes as “jarring, but also the greatest thing ever. I think I like ‘jarring,’�” she says. “I like jumping in. It’s easier to dive into freezing-cold water than to wade your way in.” So she wasn’t intimidated to be sparring with Brad Pitt or Michelle Williams as her scene partner? “Oh, just because I like to jump into the water doesn’t mean I’m not scared,” she clarifies. “I’m terrified every single time. I’m terrified right now,” she adds, with her first day on a new project coming up. “But I want that. I think that’s the point. Anything that matters is scary. Falling in love is scary.”
When she arrived on set for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, she admits, “nerves were in play in a
huge way.” But she quickly adjusted. “I think of Quentin like the ultimate jazz musician. His script has a rhythm, his set has a rhythm, his person has a rhythm.” She spent the first few days “trying to calm down enough to be able to hear his rhythm and the rhythm of the set and not clash with it.” She also clicked immediately with her costars—albeit in a very New Age way. When she first met Lena Dunham, who played a fellow Manson girl, “she gave me a cranial massage, in her trailer, right upon meeting her, and we did a meditation together and I fell in love with her right away. That helped me out.”
It seems that Qualley has a gift for making herself at home anywhere. She recently became a house ambassador for Chanel, and says, “I really admire the way they operate there. It feels like a family, and that’s my favorite feeling.” She often rolls up to their events with her siblings in tow, and describes the atmosphere as a warm one: “Sofia Coppola asking my brother about his girl situation, and [Chanel artistic director] Virginie Viard coming over and giving you her coat when you’re cold. It’s a really sweet group of women. That’s my fa-vorite thing, to work with kind people.”
Next, Qualley will play a literary agent’s assistant in My Salinger Year and an American journalist in 1980s Nicaragua in Claire Denis’s The Stars at Noon, opposite Robert Pattinson. When we speak, she’s in Vancouver, preparing for yet another part: the lead in Netflix’s adaptation of Stephanie Land’s mem-oir Maid, a story that has only taken on more resonance at a time when domestic workers are facing extreme hardship and, in some cases, risking their lives to do their jobs. The series is co–executive produced by Margot Robbie, her Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood costar, whom Qualley calls a “real angel.” After
Robbie saw the finished Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, “I got a phone call from her that meant a lot to me, and one of her voicemails I definitely saved,” Qualley says. “She’s smart, she’s running things, and she’s lifting people up. I’m really lucky.”
Qualley describes her Maid character as “a young mother who’s struggling to survive. She definitely has a low income and some blurred lines of domestic abuse, and she’s trying to operate in a system that is working against her, not for her. The thing that resonated with me the most from her story was her love for her daughter.” Qualley spent the early days of the production bonding with the actress who plays her child. “I’m just hanging out with her and falling in love with a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, which is kind of a dream job.”
Though she grew up in Montana and North Carolina, Qualley is a daughter of Hollywood. (Her mom is Andie MacDowell, who’ll also play her mother in Maid.) And she is keenly aware of the advantages she’s had. That awareness is part of what drew her to Land’s story. “I’m doing this job and I’m super grateful, but it’s not my voice that needs to be heard right now,” she says. “I come from a really privileged back-ground, a really privileged life. I’m fine. I’m sitting pretty right now, so hopefully I’m able to bring Stephanie Land’s voice into the forefront.” I ask her why she feels this is a particularly im-portant story to tell right now. “Because the system’s broken and we are in a divided country,” she says, “and this is through the lens of love.” ▪
“ I T H I N K I L I K E ‘ J A R R I N G . ’ I L I K E J U M P I N G I N .
I T ’ S E A S I E R T O D I V E I N T O F R E E Z I N G - C O L D W A T E R
T H A N T O W A D E Y O U R W A Y I N . ”
HA
IR B
Y M
AR
A R
OS
ZA
K A
T A
-FR
AM
E A
GE
NC
Y;
MA
KE
UP
BY
KA
RA
YO
SH
IMO
TO
BU
A F
OR
C
HA
NE
L B
EA
UT
Y;
PR
OD
UC
ED
BY
ME
GH
AN
GA
LL
AG
HE
R A
T C
ON
NE
CT
TH
E D
OT
S.
Top, $3,150, skirt, $3,800, hoop earrings,
$875, Chanel.
BEAUTY TIP
Hydrate skin deeply with Chanel Hydra
Beauty Camellia Water Cream ($55).
Handbag, $3,300, earrings, $725, sandals, $1,325, Chanel. Rings, Chanel Fine Jewelry, from $1,200.
Jacket, $5,900, pants, $1,650, earrings, $725,
belts, $2,300-$2,900 each, flats, $800, Chanel.
Top, $2,150, pants, $3,200, belt,
$1,475, bracelet, $1,675, Chanel.
Her own earrings. For details, see
Shopping Guide.
BEAUTY TIP
Get lips close-up ready with a sensual wash of color from Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Lip
Balm in Deep ($25).
ELLE (ISSN 0888-0808) (Volume XXXVI, Number 4) (December/January 2021) is published monthly by Hearst, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 USA. Steven R. Swartz, President and Chief Executive Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.: Debi Chirichella, Acting President, Hearst Magazines Group and Treasurer; Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer. © 2020 by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ELLE® is used under license from the trademark owner, Hachette Filipacchi Presse. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement No. 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. Subscription Prices: United States and possessions: $15 for one year. Canada: $48 for one year. Other international locations: $87 for one year. Subscription Services: ELLE will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, undertake fulfillment of that order so as to provide the first copy for delivery by the Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. For customer service, changes of address, and subscription orders, log on to service.elle.com or write to Customer Service Dept., ELLE, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies that sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers via postal mail, please send your current mailing label or an exact copy to: ELLE, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. You can also visit preferences.hearstmags.com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by email. To assure quicker service, enclose your mailing label when writing to us or renewing your subscription. Renewal orders must be received at least eight weeks prior to expiration to assure continued service. Manuscripts, drawings, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. ELLE cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. Printed in USA. Canadian registration number 126018209RT0001. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NONPOSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to ELLE, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037.
COVER
ZENDAYA Dress by Valentino Haute Couture. Necklace, rings by Bulgari, 800-BVLGARI. Sneakers by Nike Dunk High x Ambush, snkrs.com.
NEW ARRIVALS
PAGE 50: Earrings by Dior Fine Jewelry, for special order, 800-929-DIOR.
ACCESSORIES
PAGE 64: Necklace by Eéra, $8,019, thewebster.us.
SHOPS
PAGE 68: Earrings by KatKim, $7,200, katkimfinejewelry.com. PAGE 71: Levante Trofeo by Maserati, $152,690, maserati.com. PAGE 72: Basecamp 20x Travel Trailer by Airstream, $45,900, airstream.com. PAGE 74: Fairfax Chair, $8,550, Tephra Totem Sculpture by Joel Quinones, $9,995, by Kelly Wearstler, kellywearstler.com. PAGE 76: Pacific Wooden Shortboard, $9,990, by Kelly Wearstler, kellywearstler.com.
THE BIG BUSINESS OF
BEING AN ALLY
PAGE 109: Dress by Thebe Magugu, matchesfashion.com. Sandals, boots by Brother Vellies, brothervellies.com. Sweater, skirt by Victor Glemaud, glemaud.com. Earrings by Mateo, mateonewyork.com. Rings by Almasika, ETC (Aspen, CO).
THE COOLEST GIRL
IN HOLLYWOOD
PAGES 113–123: Jewelry throughout, Bulgari, 800-BVLGARI. PAGE 113: Dress by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, giambattistavalli.com. PAGES 114–115: Dress by Valentino Haute Couture. Sneakers, Nike Dunk High x Ambush, snkrs.com. PAGE 116: Cape, netted beanie by Armani Privé, Giorgio Armani New York. PAGES 118–119: Dress by Dior Haute Couture, for special order, 800-929-DIOR. Sneakers by New Balance for Jaden Smith Vision Racer, newbalance.com. PAGE 121: Dress by Chanel Haute Couture, 800-550-0005. Sneakers by Nike x Sacai Vaporwaffle, snkrs.com. PAGES 122–123: Top, skirt by Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture.
BOSS LADY
PAGE 124: Jacket by Salvatore Ferragamo, ferragamo.com. Corset by Orseund Iris, orseundiris.com. Tights by Wolford, wolford.com. Slingbacks by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent (NYC). PAGE 125: Jacket by Chloé, Chloé (NYC). Bodysuit by LaQuan Smith, FWRD by Elyse Walker (L.A.). PAGES 126–127: Jacket by Gucci, gucci.com. Duffel bag by Celine by Hedi Slimane, celine.com. Pumps by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent (NYC). PAGE 128: Jacket by Celine by Hedi Slimane, celine.com. Tank by Intimissimi, intimissimi.com. Tights by Mugler, mugler.com. Watch by Cartier, $25,100, cartier.com. PAGE 129: Dress, belt by Valentino, Valentino boutiques nationwide. Pumps by Versace, versace.com. PAGE 130: Handbag by Celine by Hedi Slimane, celine.com. PAGE 131: Jacket, bustier, blouse by Dior, Dior boutiques nationwide. Brief by Skims, skims.com. Ring by Harry Winston, harrywinston.com. PAGE 132: Bralette by Araks, araks.com. Skirt by Prada, prada.com. Necklace, bracelet by Harry Winston, harrywinston.com. PAGE 133: Jacket by Louis Vuitton, louisvuitton.com. Bodysuit by Stella McCartney, stellamccartney.com. Tights by Falke, falke.com. Pumps by Gianvito Rossi, gianvitorossi.com. PAGE 134: Blazer, bodysuit, shorts, belt, slingbacks by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent (NYC). Bracelets by Van Cleef & Arpels, vancleefarpels.com. PAGE 135: Jacket, corset, hoop earrings, handbag by Burberry, burberry.com. PAGE 136: Pumps, handbag by Versace, select Versace boutiques nationwide. PAGE 137: Jacket by Max Mara, maxmara.com. Corset, bodysuit by Skims, skims.com. Bracelet watch by Van Cleef & Arpels, $39,900, 877-VAN-CLEEF.
ONCE UPON A TIME…IN L.A.
PAGES 138–145: Chanel and Chanel Fine Jewelry, 800-550-0005.
Prices are approximate. ELLE recommends that merchandise availability be checked with local stores.
Shopping Guide
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION
1 Publication Title: ELLE2 Publication Number: 0762-07003 Filing Date: October 1, 20204 Issue Frequency: Monthly: Except Combined June/July/August5 Number of Issues Published Annually: 106 Annual Subscription Price: $15.007 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication:
300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 100198 Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business
Office of Publisher: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 100199 Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher,
Editor, and Executive Managing Editor: Publisher: Carol Smith, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019; Editor: Nina Garcia, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019; Executive Managing Editor: Erin Hobday, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
10 Owner: Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Complete Mailing Address: 300 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019 Stockholders of Hearst Communications, Inc. are: Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Complete Mailing Address: 300 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019
11 Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None
12 Tax Status: Not Applicable13 Publication Title: ELLE14 Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 202015 Extent and Nature of Circulation:
17 Publication of Statement of Ownership: If the publication is a general publication, publication of this statement is required. Will be printed in the December 2020 issue of this publication.
18 Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Carol Smith I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprison-ment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).
a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)b. (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid
Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)
(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)
(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®
(4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail)
c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4))
d. (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541
(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541
(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail)
(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means)
e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4))
f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)g. Copies Not Distributedh. Total (Sum of 15f and g)i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100)
16 a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copiesb. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies
and Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 15c)
c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) and Requested/Paid Electronic Copies
d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print and Electronic Copies)
1,062,727856,968
n/a
25,306
n/a
882,274
97,339
n/a
n/a
12,270
109,609
991,88370,8441,062,72788.95%81,365963,639
1,073,248
89.79%
1,019,900817,289
n/a
26,600
n/a
843,889
92,472
n/a
n/a
10,500
102,972
946,86173,0391,019,90089.12%103,300947,189
1,050,161
90.19%
Average No. Copies Each Issue During
Preceding 12 Months
No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date
women on camera. They share a slick PowerPoint primer on racism and anti-racism: They discuss the terms and offer a set of dos and don’ts for social media and beyond, folding in personal anec-dotes. Crucially, they also give examples of brands and influencers who’ve gotten it right, and wrong.
After about an hour, it’s time to pass the mic to the students. Most questions are not about these attendees’ own rac-ism. Many need help navigating racist cir-cumstances at work, or they want to help guide colleagues or family members. One woman says her company decided to fea-ture a number of Black creators on their social media in June, only to receive back-lash from non-Black clients. “Is it best to just ignore them, and write them off as racist?” she asks. Prescod advises her to respond to these clients openly, explain-ing why they were taking the initiatives
C O N T I N U E D F RO M PAG E 1 1 1
T H E B I G B U S I N E S S O F B E I N G A N A L LY
and saying “We hope you’ll join us.”Many women preface their inquiries
by apologizing for asking “a really dumb question.” “Nothing is too dumb. This is a safe space,” Rutherford assures them. Then Prescod chimes in: “We literally had someone ask why it’s not okay to say All Lives Matter.” The group laughs, com-fortable in their collective understanding of why this was actually a dumb question.
After one query about dealing with racist colleagues, Prescod gives the group—a collection of obviously ear-nest, well-meaning women—a disclaim-er. “I would not encourage anyone to do something that is going to put your job in danger,” she says. “It’s almost not worth it. One day you might have the power to hire whomever you want. But it doesn’t sound right now like they’re receptive to noticing where they have blind spots.
“Some of the antiracism work has
to be recognizing the limitations you have,” she continues. The relief among the group is palpable, as if they’ve been told they can relax for a moment, and that the future of racial justice in America does not lie squarely on their shoulders.
As the class winds down, one woman asks a tricky question. She’s in charge of a campaign at work featuring creators of color, and feels it’s necessary to get feed-back from a colleague of color on anoth-er team. In other words, she wants to ask the lone Black person to do extra unpaid work. “When is it appropriate to ask a per-son of color their opinion on something?” she asks. Prescod and Rutherford take a long pause. After all, doing the work of antiracism doesn’t mean shifting more work onto Black people. Unless you’re paying them, that is. “It sounds like your company should hire us,” Rutherford says. “Because that’s what we do.” ▪
gone now, or at least is far less satisfying. “Save the Children” offers them a cause, a group, a forum to direct fear and energy.
Of course, there was an obvious place these women could have directed that en-ergy: the Black Lives Matter movement. But many of them disagree with its goals, like defunding the police, or don’t think of themselves as “political,” a word that’s often used as a placeholder for “someone who talks about race.” They’re faced with few options: put up “Blue Lives Matter” or “All Lives Matter” yard signs, which still doesn’t feel like a movement, or re-main silent. And that silence, especially for white women used to having their voices heard and respected—used to be-ing included—can feel like suffocation.
Kathryn Jezer-Morton, whose doc-toral research focuses on online moth-erhood, recently checked in on one of her research subjects: a wealthy white woman from the South. This blogger, who has more than 125,000 followers on Instagram, had been troubled by the BLM movement. She felt that even though she had never posted anything political, there was an expectation that she make some sort of statement.
But she didn’t want to make a state-ment. She didn’t want to be “political,” even though a refusal to make a state-ment is, in itself, political. She knew she’d lose followers by not posting, but she’d
C O N T I N U E D F RO M PAG E 1 0 6
H O W QA N O N C A M E F O R S U B U R B A N M O M S
lose more if she posted what she actu-ally believed. So she posted something practically apolitical, still lost follow-ers, and resented it. This woman, Jezer-Morton adds, would likely never dabble in QAnon. It’s too far afield. But you can see how “Save the Children” would be appealing: It feeds on a mother’s desire to protect children, and it’s also a way to re-claim the real estate of the public square that has been ceded over the last four years to progressive women. To put it differently, it’s a way to be political while rejecting the “political” label and not be called a racist while doing it.
And then there’s the work you can do at home—seeking out pedophiles and their protectors, or sending tips to hot- lines—which has a participatory as-pect, picking up on what one research-er calls the “mama bear” instinct. You get to feel like a detective on a massive online hunt, with the thrill of the chase. The result is a sense of achievement— even if no actual pedophiles are caught— that, for many women, particularly con-servatives, has been hard to come by. “For moms with a big following, to overtly talk about Trump is risky,” Jezer-Morton says. “They’re worried liberal women are go-ing to unfollow them. So they want to do as low of a dog whistle as possible, and Save the Children is one way to do that. Who’s going to argue with you?”
When QAnon first gained visibility, it was dismissed as a fringe movement, the domain of the worst and weirdest people online. Researchers and journal-ists practiced caution. There was a fear that reporting on it, even to highlight its unfounded beliefs, would make it more accessible. But QAnon isn’t an easily con-tained story. It’s slippery, and incredibly adaptable. When 8chan went offline, it found a new home; when its hashtags were banned, it softened and adapted its focus. It was once dominated by men, but is increasingly the province of women. Its aesthetics were brutal and alienating; now they’re palatable and inviting.
Three years ago, the only person I’d met in real life who believed in Q was screaming incomprehensible things at a Trump rally. Now someone who’s dab-bled in Q is poised to become a member of Congress. It’s a classic case of the fringe becoming mainstream. Not through any massive shift or societal change, but a gradual incorporation into the everyday lives and beliefs of the middle and up-per class. It seems the most fertile soil for conspiracy theory, the place where it can grow and incite damage, isn’t the weird, abrasive corners of the internet. It’s not with Alex Jones, or on talk radio. It’s in the well-tilled, beautifully maintained lawns—and perfectly curated social me-dia accounts—of the American suburbs. ▪
147
SAGITTARIUSNOV 22–DEC 21
An exciting opportunity comes with the Sun in your sign until December 21. A solar eclipse in Sagittarius sets a dream into motion near December 14, but to move ahead, you’ll have to shed an emotional attachment. In January, you’ll have the juice you’ve needed to get your message out into the world.
CAPRICORNDEC 22–JAN 19
Keep hustling toward that dream this December—even if you have to take naps. Power planets Jupiter and Saturn are wrapping up long tours through Capricorn on December 19, and with evolutionary Pluto also in your sign, this is your month to bring it! Mars warms your winter love forecast after January 6, if you take the lead.
AQUARIUSJAN 20–FEB 18
With your eleventh house of social justice ignited, causes—from charity fundraisers to activist campaigns—will keep you busy. Leave room for personal magic heading your way on December 21, when Jupiter and Saturn stage a rare meet-up in your sign. Partner up for the win under the Leo full moon on January 28.
PISCESFEB 19–MAR 20
December offers opportunities to make your mark—and maybe score a bonus. On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn meet in Aquarius and your spiritual twelfth house, opening up a fantasy-fueled chapter that lasts for all of 2021. Surrendering control may be necessary after January 21.
ARIESMAR 21–APR 19
Go-getter Mars in Aries revs up your trailblazing first house until January 6, making you a restless adventurer. With Jupiter and Saturn wrapping up extended tours of your ambitious tenth house, a hard-won career opportunity could arrive. Collaborations will be profitable this January, especially near the new moon on the 13th.
TAURUSAPR 20–MAY 20
Casting for a new mate? The solar eclipse on December 14 will beam your searchlight in a sultry new direction. The grand conjunction of expansive Jupiter and expert Saturn in your career zone on December 21 sets up a year of high achieving. With ambitious Mars entering Taurus for two months on January 6, focused initiative gets fast results.
GEMINIMAY 21–JUNE 21
You can balance the flow in your closest partnerships and get things fair and square by December 21. Expansion plans may be underway after the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius on December 21. In January, roll out something big, like a cross-country move, starting a business, or enrolling in training.
CANCERJUNE 22–JULY 22
When doors open near the solar eclipse on December 14, be ready to run through. An evolving relationship could hit a milestone near the solstice, as supersizer Jupiter and stabilizing Saturn converge in Aquarius. But if it’s time to break up, say goodbye like an adult after January 6. Enticing partnership opportunities pop up near the new moon on January 13.
LEOJULY 23–AUG 22
Single Leos could be swept into a passionate affair near the solar eclipse on the 14th, while coupled Leos could have a milestone to announce. On December 21, the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius kicks off a partnership-focused year. Your independent efforts draw acclaim near the Leo full moon on January 28.
VIRGOAUG 23–SEPT 22
Family drama? A healing chapter may open near the new moon solar eclipse on December 14. Jupiter and Saturn wrap extended tours through your fame and romance zone, which could bring public recognition before December 17. Cross-cultural connections sizzle in January, thanks to daring Mars.
LIBRASEPT 23–OCT 22
Whom do you value? Make sure your holiday gift list reflects this. If 2020 taught you anything, it was the power of a close-knit inner circle. Before December 17, acknowledge (and shop for!) the people closest to you. Expansive Jupiter and structured Saturn join forces in Aquarius and your fifth house of fame and romance for a year, beginning on December 21. You could become recognizable, especially after January 19!
SCORPIOOCT 23–NOV 21
Chemistry and stability are an intoxicating cocktail with seductive Venus in your sign until December 15. On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn, newly situated in Aquarius, conjoin in your domestic zone, putting family matters front and center. Home life could shift significantly after January 19.
Horoscope
By the AstroTwins, Tali and Ophira Edut
“Zodiac themes in jewelry are timeless. These pendants are an everyday reminder of the power of symbolism.”—Nico Landrigan, president of Verdura
CAPRICORN AND SAGITTARIUS CONSTELLATION PENDANT
NECKLACES, VERDURA, $7,950 EACH, VERDURA.COM
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
TH
E D
ES
IGN
ER
.
148
