Few people have evolved under the microscopic lens that is the public eye quite like Paris Hilton. We first met her in the early 2000s as a budding celebutante ever present at any given high-profile red carpet event or coveted nightclub opening. She was cool but bubbly, owned the party scene of the times, and unfailingly flaunted a pair of low-rise jeans, a trucker hat, or a midriff-baring top. When quoted, it was usually with a phrase that’s since become inseparable from the now-43-year-old mogul: “That’s hot.” The original influencer cemented her mark on the enigmatic industry before it ev ..read more

It’s not even noon in Los Angeles, and Nava Mau has already completed a series of back-to-back interviews. “The last ones were in Spanish; I’ve been having to find some vocab deep in the pocket,” Mau says with a laugh. Still in the trenches of a media blitz following the April debut of the acclaimed and much-discussed Netflix series Baby Reindeer, the actress is understandably a bit tired. Despite the exhaustion, Mau gives grounded and thoughtful answers. She laughs freely and often, mostly to herself, as she mentally edits the first things that come to mind when I ask a question. I am certa ..read more

Amanda de Cadenet recently kicked off the Chelsea Hotel's creative residency program, staying at the legendary property for a two-week stint during which she recorded interviews for her podcast, The Conversation, created a portrait series of featured guests and friends, and took time to write. Below, she invites us into her world of creativity and collaboration with the easy intimacy she's made her trademark, and shares a playlist inspired by her stay. I've been staying at the Chelsea Hotel since it went into the hands of Shawn McPherson. It wasn't even really done when I started staying t ..read more

Jeauni Cassanova is perched on top of a marble mantel, mesh-gloved hands adjusting the bustled train of a Vivienne Westwood dress. “I love the built-in titty,” Cassanova says, gesturing downwards to the padded bustier. “That, and it's meant to have a whale's tail so you can show your ass crack.” The gown is one of the most impressive scores in a collection brimming with rare designer archival pieces and idiosyncratic vintage treasures, marked down from something like $8,000 retail to $1,500 at the sample sale to under $500 thanks to a friendship Cassanova struck up with one of the regular em ..read more

“I’m so sad—my drug dealer is moving,” my friend complained to me one evening. I live in San Francisco with a lot of friends in tech, who have a ton of disposable income and stress to blow off, so there’s always someone on retainer for events like Burning Man and Coachella. “Aw, why?” I sympathized. “Well, he’s been laundering his profits through crypto all these years, and turns out he’s a millionaire.” I didn’t need to ask where he was moving after I heard this. My friend confirmed that, yes, his crypto millionaire drug dealer was leaving San Francisco for Austin, Texas. There’s a definite ..read more

I was first introduced to The L Word at age 13 when I stumbled across a fan edit of some bedroom scene on YouTube. One minute into the video, I quickly shut my laptop and said to myself, “We are going to deal with that later.” Years later, in college, I finally underwent that particular reckoning and found that Judith Butler wasn’t giving me much actionable dating advice. After summoning the courage to re-visit The L Word, I felt like I’d discovered the Rosetta Stone of lesbian culture: short nails, nipple confidence, lesbian vampires, U-Hauling, how to look “very Shane today,” talking, laug ..read more

Every June for the past nine years, I dread the 27th—the day my mom died. In a death-phobic culture that lacks mourning rituals for honoring those we’ve lost, I never know what to do with myself. Since a death anniversary is something only the bereaved experience, it can be incredibly lonely. My usual response is to hibernate and just get through it. But last year, in the weeks leading up to the big day, I was scrolling through photos of friends’ engagement parties, destination weddings, and birthday trips on Instagram and thought, ‘Why don’t we give death anniversaries the same consideratio ..read more

It's here, everything - Everything anyone ever Dreamed of, and more. But love is lost: The only sacrifice To live in this heaven, This Disneyland Where people are the games. Thus begins Goodnight Sweet Thing, the sophomore poetry collection by multimedia artist Cristine Brache. The epigraph—a poem by Dorothy Stratten, a writer and Playboy Playmate who was tragically killed—is the perfect way to introduce the themes of fame, fantasy, and objectification that underscore the book. Throughout her oeuvre, which includes paintings and films as well as written work, Brache has zeroed in on women wh ..read more

On the song “Echo” off The Marías’s recently-released album Submarine, María Zardoya sings, “Miss the warmth of your neck / when I knew you best / I’m yours, I’m yours,” and later, “Your cry is an echo / and I will let go of your love.” The song captures the central tension of the album: the heartbreaking push and pull of parting ways with someone you still love. It represented a turning point for Zardoya and Josh Conway—co-writer, drummer, and producer of the band—as they wrote the album in the wake of their breakup and the release of their Grammy-nominated LP Cinema (2021). The two founded ..read more

As I sign onto Zoom, I realize I’ve just committed a cardinal meeting error: taking a massive mouthful of my drink right before it’s time to speak. Gavin Turek—a disco dance-funk singer known for her exuberant live performances—signs in looking casual yet fresh, just in time to see me try to talk and instead choke. “I’m so sorry,” I splutter, “I’m just having my sad-girl lunch.” “Your what?” she asks. I show her my protein shake, and she laughs, “That’s not so sad!” She then shows me the protein bar she’s eating. We discuss the beauty of “girl dinner” and spend the rest of our conversation c ..read more