Fashion
Critic’s Notebook
The Mute Spectacle of Bianca Censori
Kanye West’s wife and muse has become known for going out in very—very—little clothing. What does her nudity reveal, and what does it hide?
By Naomi Fry
The Weekend Essay
The Knotty Death of the Necktie
The pandemic may have brought an end to a flourishing history.
By Adam Gopnik
Cover Story
R. Kikuo Johnson’s “Genuine Style”
The artist depicts all the luxuries the city has to offer.
By Françoise Mouly
Cover Story
Klaas Verplancke’s “On the Grid”
The artist blends the preferred pastimes and stylish attire of New York’s commuters.
By Françoise Mouly
Postscript
Iris Apfel Wore Fame Well
Apfel pursued the driving creative project of her life—getting dressed, dazzlingly—for eight decades without any promise of greater glory. How could she ever have seen it coming?
By Rachel Syme
Photo Booth
How Andrew Dosunmu Makes the Street His Studio
The artist delicately explores the idea of the Black diaspora, evident in the unexpected unification of stuff.
By Doreen St. Félix
Cover Story
Diana Ejaita’s “Lines of Beauty”
The artist discusses dynamism and immersing oneself in the world.
By Françoise Mouly
Photo Booth
Fashion and Politics in Barkley L. Hendricks’s Pictures
An artist of wide-ranging interests, he captured urban street style, American symbols, and musical greats—all with a unique passion.
By Chris Wiley
Photo Booth
Fashion Photography with a Pistol and a Pulse
Steven Klein’s images teetered between the seductive and the sadistic. For most publications today, they are history too rude to be repeated.
By Vince Aletti
On and Off the Avenue
The Met Gala’s Reverential, Cat-Forward Karl Lagerfeld Looks
This year’s event featured plenty of gemstones, puffy fabrics, feathers, black leather, evening gloves, and homages to the late fashion designer’s feline friend.
By Rachel Syme
Infinite Scroll
A.I. Pop Culture Is Already Here
We’re living in a world in which every style, every idea, and every possible remix can be generated as fast and frictionlessly as possible.
By Kyle Chayka
Postscript
Michael Roberts’s Joyous Collage of a Life
The New Yorker’s first fashion director and frequent illustrator travelled everywhere with his pair of scissors, which he used to tweak the fashion world.
By Susan Morrison
Annals of Appearances
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Trial Is Her Best Role in Years
In Utah civil court, the actress has unabashedly leaned into every stereotype that has ever been used to label her, in a performance that rises to the level of Ryan Murphy-esque high camp.
By Naomi Fry
Books
J. Crew and the Paradoxes of Prep
By mass-marketing social aspiration, the brand toed the line between exclusivity and accessibility—and established prep as America’s visual vernacular.
By Hua Hsu
Profiles
The Button-Pushing Impresario of Balenciaga
How Demna engineered the rise—and near-fall—of the luxury fashion house.
By Lauren Collins
Cover Story
Sarula Bao’s “Fresh Gear”
The artist discusses design as a playground for self-expression and connection.
By Françoise Mouly
Cultural Comment
What the Red Carpet Used to Be
On Instagram, step-and-repeat hobbyists have collected archival photos—a throwback to a time, before the ascent of the celebrity stylist, when fashion was refreshingly loose and every red-carpet moment wasn’t a co-branding opportunity.
By Naomi Fry
Art
Timberlands and Bucket Hats, at F.I.T.
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology presents “Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip-Hop Style,” celebrating the culture’s half-century mark.
Shouts & Murmurs
Fanny Packs Over the Years: These Are Our Stories
Sometimes being a fanny pack can feel like being a fanny hack.
By Julia Edelman and Caroline Rose Giuliani
Astral Plane Dept.
What Susan Miller Would Have Told Louis Vuitton’s Mother
The cult stargazer behind Astrology Zone gave a talk in the old Barneys basement, amid two hundred customized L.V. trunks. One of her predictions involved Barron Trump.
By Doreen St. Félix