Friday, December 28, 2018
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Do Holiday Date Night In Style
It’s only been a few weeks since Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas tied the knot in Jodphur, India. And for the holiday season, the well-dressed couple are continuing the united style front that they so expectedly mastered before getting married. Stepping out together for a double dinner date with Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner in London this week, Chopra and Jonas relied on polished, quietly luxurious pieces to kick off their Christmas festivities.
On Chopra, winter white was the key theme: she wore an elegant silk dress that was wrap-tied at the waist, and threw on a cozy white coat overtop. To keep the monochromatic color palette going, she then accessorized with stretch ankle boots in a slightly off-white hue. As for Jonas, he kept things dapper in a gingham single-breasted topcoat in black and grey, styling it with a classic black turtleneck, black jeans, and sleek ankle boots. (He, too, going for one all-over color.) Though some celebrity couples have gone full-on matchy matchy for their Christmas celebrations (please refer to J-Rod’s coordinating flannels) it’s no surprise “Nickyanka” have chosen to sync up in a much more fashion-minded way.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Angelina Jolie Wears a Classic Winter Combo: Long Coat, Long Dress
In winter, finding that right balance of practicality and style can be a serious challenge. But at Fall 2018 shows by labels designed by women for women—such as Tibi, Victoria Beckham, and Chloé—the fashion memo was that long coats and equally long dresses can be worn together, and in a way that’s super modern and youthful, too.
Spotted this weekend in London, Angelina Jolie cemented that message by wearing a long, black below-the-knee trench coat with the belt cinched at the waist for a more defined shape. The actress paired it with an elegant white dress that had a strategic slit, as well as a plunging V-neck silhouette that was worn with a pretty lace trim underlay. It made for an ensemble that was unquestionably chic—but not too demure, either. Meanwhile, pointed metallic pumps meant she could easily transition the outfit into evening.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Dakota Johnson Is the First to Wear Celine by Hedi Slimane on the Red Carpet
Hedi Slimane’s debut collection for Celine might have polarized the fashion community, but that isn't stopping actress Dakota Johnson from planting a flag on the red carpet in support of the newly appointed designer. After Lady Gaga and CL teased Slimane’s new handbags on Instagram, Johnson became the first celebrity to wear Slimane’s Celine on the red carpet yesterday night, choosing a red sequined minidress from his first collection for the Los Angeles premiere of Suspiria. This isn't the first time Johnson has gravitated towards Slimane's designs. She was a fan back when he was at the helm of Saint Laurent. For the London premiere of Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015, Johnson took the plunge in one of Saint Laurent’s popular slip dresses—she wore a red version to the Oscars just two weeks later.
The bell sleeve dress is in keeping with Slimane’s design signatures: short, shimmering, with a plunging v-neck and a vixenish ruffle for an extra oomph of ‘80s glamour. What makes Johnson’s dress stand out—at least within Slimane’s work—is its color. Amid Slimane’s parade of mostly black minis and suits, there were just six colorful dresses, and only one in red. It's also fitting that the star chose the bold hue as it also happens to be a leitmotif in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film. The actress kept her accessories simple, choosing romantic Sophie Buhai drop earrings and Giuseppe Zanotti sandals.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Cardi B Takes Peacocking to New Extremes at Paris Fashion Week
Cardi B’s not exactly known for her subtle sense of style (or personality, for that matter). Just take the outfits that she’s worn in the past week alone: She’s gone all out channeling Fran Drescher in clashing animal prints (and furry glasses!) at Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, and just days later in Paris she stepped out in a Michael Costello gown and matching over-the-top hat, both of which were printed with peacock feathers. The joke here doesn’t seem to be lost on Cardi; she captioned her Instagram post with the proclamation: “I’m Mrs. OMG that bitch is shameless.”
If Cardi was riffing on the concept of peacocking before, she’s now taken it to new extremes. Cardi performed at the French lingerie brand Etam’s runway show yesterday in a lavender Christian Cowan suit that had massive purple feathers running diagonally down the jacket’s side. Cardi seems to be taking what some might hurl as an insult and defiantly making it the centerpiece of her outfit. Even though they were technically ostrich feathers, the look was still one of Cardi’s loudest statements yet—that is, until she steps out in something even more over-the-top tomorrow.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Up Your Sustainable Style Game the Scandi Way in Envelope1976, the New Brand by Influencer Celine Aagaard
Rumor has it that during the shows in Stockholm next week, we’ll be seeing more street style stars in Envelope1976, a new, super-chic and sustainable brand that made a sort of stealth debut during Oslo Fashion Week. The line, which arrives in stores in October, is designed by Celine Aagaard. Best known as an influencer, the lithe 41-year-old Norwegian has been working in fashion and media for 20 years. (Her life as a social media sensation actually began when she was stopped in the street in Paris while on assignment to interview Justin Timberlake.) Now, with help from her partners at Eco.Logic, the photojournalist, editor, author, stylist, consultant, and agency owner is adding designer to her résumé.
There’s no doubt that Aagaard, who hand-knit clothes for her dolls and broke her mother’s needles customizing her ’90s denim, has a well-educated eye. Nature, travel, art, and family photos inspire her as much as fashion does. She grew up enchanted by her father’s stories of going to Studio 54 with Andy Warhol and meeting Salvador Dalí. The latter remains an unexpected but constant source of inspiration to Aagaard, who is partial to a tomboy twist. This is but one element of her personal wardrobe that has carried over to Envelope1976, in the form of loose-fitting, tailored “grandpa” jackets.
Aagaard is a fan of what Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen do at The Row. Envelope1976 has a minimal, high-end aesthetic, though it is by design rather attainable: Dresses are priced around $400, the better to share the message of sustainability. “We really wanted to do something that can help change the industry when it comes to the whole production part,” says Pia Nordskaug, cofounder of the brand, who has traveled around the globe with Aagaard to find suppliers and producers who meet their standards for quality. The line’s draped and reversible dresses, comfy sweaters, and tailored pieces are made of materials like natural cupro and recycled alpaca wool and are designed so that they can be worn and styled in different ways. The vegan dyeing process has determined the natural palette.
Nature, of course, informs the Norwegian dress sense, almost as much as aesthetics—it gets really cold up north. “During the fall and winter, we are wrapped like burritos in oversize wool sweaters, big scarves, coats, and boots,” jokes Aagaard, who has thought about how the pieces in her collection can be layered. She slipped a soft sweater over an ivory button-front dress in the showroom. Inclusivity is also built into the clothes; a variety of fit models (including relatives) are used to insure the pieces fit women of different body shapes and sizes.
There’s no one way to wear Envelope1976, and that’s the point; the brand’s name is an invitation, to express yourself through mindful, responsible fashion.
There’s no doubt that Aagaard, who hand-knit clothes for her dolls and broke her mother’s needles customizing her ’90s denim, has a well-educated eye. Nature, travel, art, and family photos inspire her as much as fashion does. She grew up enchanted by her father’s stories of going to Studio 54 with Andy Warhol and meeting Salvador Dalí. The latter remains an unexpected but constant source of inspiration to Aagaard, who is partial to a tomboy twist. This is but one element of her personal wardrobe that has carried over to Envelope1976, in the form of loose-fitting, tailored “grandpa” jackets.
Aagaard is a fan of what Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen do at The Row. Envelope1976 has a minimal, high-end aesthetic, though it is by design rather attainable: Dresses are priced around $400, the better to share the message of sustainability. “We really wanted to do something that can help change the industry when it comes to the whole production part,” says Pia Nordskaug, cofounder of the brand, who has traveled around the globe with Aagaard to find suppliers and producers who meet their standards for quality. The line’s draped and reversible dresses, comfy sweaters, and tailored pieces are made of materials like natural cupro and recycled alpaca wool and are designed so that they can be worn and styled in different ways. The vegan dyeing process has determined the natural palette.
Nature, of course, informs the Norwegian dress sense, almost as much as aesthetics—it gets really cold up north. “During the fall and winter, we are wrapped like burritos in oversize wool sweaters, big scarves, coats, and boots,” jokes Aagaard, who has thought about how the pieces in her collection can be layered. She slipped a soft sweater over an ivory button-front dress in the showroom. Inclusivity is also built into the clothes; a variety of fit models (including relatives) are used to insure the pieces fit women of different body shapes and sizes.
There’s no one way to wear Envelope1976, and that’s the point; the brand’s name is an invitation, to express yourself through mindful, responsible fashion.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Is the Only Good Thing This Summer Has Given Us
It’s been a rough summer. The things that we usually look forward to the most about the hottest months have a slightly sickly, dystopian sheen, like something isn’t quite right about this place (Earth) anymore. America’s brightest young things are getting engaged left and right, but are they okay? Drake delivered his perennial album’s worth of sweating-in-the-club-ready R&B bops, except this year they discuss his secret love child with an adult film actress he claims to have only met a handful of times. Announcers at the World Cup were racist; a guy on The Bachelorette was racist. Bikinis all have sleeves now. What gives, America?
This is why you must, must go see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this weekend. I simply urge you to jump into its cool cerulean waters and indulge in this slightly sloppily prepared, refreshing cinematic Greek salad of equal parts song and dance and irrepressible cheese. It’s the only pure good thing out there right now that knows exactly what the world outside is: filth, so why resemble anything like it?
I could sell you on the cast alone, probably. Mamma Mia’s reprise sees a full return from the cast of the original musical turned movie, including Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, and Meryl Streep, as a ghost (this isn’t a spoiler—it’s not my fault if you haven’t been paying attention to the MM2 discourse). This time, we have the addition of Lily James, who plays a young Donna in a series of flashbacks that serve as backstory. We learn just how she got herself into the original film’s conundrum, in which her daughter, Sophie, had three possible fathers, and it’s a pretty simple explanation: She had a bunch of one-to-a-few-nights stands, sans diaphragm. Back in the present, Sophie is carrying on her mother’s legacy (again, Streep’s character is dead) by reopening the hotel she first crashed in on her Greek island home as a young pregnant unwed mother—here is where I assert that Mamma Mia is also feminist for this reason. Andy Garcia is the penultimate casting addition, all but extending his role as hot older distinguished gentleman in this summer’s only other good thing, Book Club, to play hot older distinguished hispanic gentleman. There are a few deeper cuts of the ABBA catalog to keep the songs fresh, but all the hits, of course, make their way back.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’s fantasy world of bright seaside colors against those quintessential white clay Greek hillside homes, its Anthropologie-inspired interpretation of ’70s clothing, its inconsistent attempts at historical accuracy (none of the suitcases have wheels but the microphones are cordless), its bald-faced shoehorning of ABBA’s confectionary hits into caftan-thin plotlines—the whole experience caresses like a warm breeze, spiked by one meaningless thunderstorm and a few incredible one-liners delivered by Donna’s friend Tanya (the honorable Baranski in the present, Jessica Keenan Wynn in the past). Back in the ’70s, Donna meets her suitors and goes home with them unafraid of the decade’s abundant serial killers; in 2018, a nod to a bunch of listless Greek fishermen sitting around with no money or jobs, which you might call its shoutout to the global recession, is solved by—what else—a bunch of ABBA songs. Everyone has the exact same hairstyle and distinctive personality traits over the span of several decades. At one point, the characters literally find a pearl in an oyster, that’s how good the citizens of Mamma Mia have it. Is it possible to change your country of origin to a movie sequel?
I can’t tell you about the ending of Mamma Mia 2 without actually spoiling it, but I can tell you that we finally do see Cher, as Sophie’s grandma/Donna’s mom, and that she is decked out in silver with platinum hair like a tall chrome Dolly Parton, and that she sings, her beautiful moonlit face wholly unmoving except for her mouth. And that there is a subsequent scene that brought me to tears even as I thought to myself, This is so incredibly absurd. And that the film’s curtain call is one of the finest showstopping musical numbers and general feel-good fan pandering since goddamn Grease. If I sound passionate, it’s because I’m not used to feeling anything anymore. I await Mamma Mias 3 through 10.
This is why you must, must go see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this weekend. I simply urge you to jump into its cool cerulean waters and indulge in this slightly sloppily prepared, refreshing cinematic Greek salad of equal parts song and dance and irrepressible cheese. It’s the only pure good thing out there right now that knows exactly what the world outside is: filth, so why resemble anything like it?
I could sell you on the cast alone, probably. Mamma Mia’s reprise sees a full return from the cast of the original musical turned movie, including Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, and Meryl Streep, as a ghost (this isn’t a spoiler—it’s not my fault if you haven’t been paying attention to the MM2 discourse). This time, we have the addition of Lily James, who plays a young Donna in a series of flashbacks that serve as backstory. We learn just how she got herself into the original film’s conundrum, in which her daughter, Sophie, had three possible fathers, and it’s a pretty simple explanation: She had a bunch of one-to-a-few-nights stands, sans diaphragm. Back in the present, Sophie is carrying on her mother’s legacy (again, Streep’s character is dead) by reopening the hotel she first crashed in on her Greek island home as a young pregnant unwed mother—here is where I assert that Mamma Mia is also feminist for this reason. Andy Garcia is the penultimate casting addition, all but extending his role as hot older distinguished gentleman in this summer’s only other good thing, Book Club, to play hot older distinguished hispanic gentleman. There are a few deeper cuts of the ABBA catalog to keep the songs fresh, but all the hits, of course, make their way back.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’s fantasy world of bright seaside colors against those quintessential white clay Greek hillside homes, its Anthropologie-inspired interpretation of ’70s clothing, its inconsistent attempts at historical accuracy (none of the suitcases have wheels but the microphones are cordless), its bald-faced shoehorning of ABBA’s confectionary hits into caftan-thin plotlines—the whole experience caresses like a warm breeze, spiked by one meaningless thunderstorm and a few incredible one-liners delivered by Donna’s friend Tanya (the honorable Baranski in the present, Jessica Keenan Wynn in the past). Back in the ’70s, Donna meets her suitors and goes home with them unafraid of the decade’s abundant serial killers; in 2018, a nod to a bunch of listless Greek fishermen sitting around with no money or jobs, which you might call its shoutout to the global recession, is solved by—what else—a bunch of ABBA songs. Everyone has the exact same hairstyle and distinctive personality traits over the span of several decades. At one point, the characters literally find a pearl in an oyster, that’s how good the citizens of Mamma Mia have it. Is it possible to change your country of origin to a movie sequel?
I can’t tell you about the ending of Mamma Mia 2 without actually spoiling it, but I can tell you that we finally do see Cher, as Sophie’s grandma/Donna’s mom, and that she is decked out in silver with platinum hair like a tall chrome Dolly Parton, and that she sings, her beautiful moonlit face wholly unmoving except for her mouth. And that there is a subsequent scene that brought me to tears even as I thought to myself, This is so incredibly absurd. And that the film’s curtain call is one of the finest showstopping musical numbers and general feel-good fan pandering since goddamn Grease. If I sound passionate, it’s because I’m not used to feeling anything anymore. I await Mamma Mias 3 through 10.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Victoria Beckham Has a Dressy Date Night with Brooklyn
Victoria Beckham has been out and about with her boys lately. In London on Monday night, Beckham hosted an intimate fête alongside her husband David to celebrate her curation of Sotheby’s upcoming Old Masters sale, and she then crossed the Channel to take in Kim Jones’s debut effort for Dior Homme with son Brooklyn.
Tonight, Beckham again stepped out with her eldest son to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Beckham selected a streamlined frock from her spring collection which featured a plunging neckline and nary an embellishment. The sheer back alluded to skin while retaining a hint of modesty, while the slit down the spine was a natty touch.
Minimal jewelry—Beckham’s OTT engagement sparkler being an exception—provided subtle shine for the finishing touch.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, took a cue from his dapper dad David and gussied up in a complementary navy suit. The combination with his mother’s look made for a fashion knockout—and we’d expect nothing less from the Beckham brood.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Joshua Henry on Starring in the Broadway Revival of Carousel
There are many reasons why Jack O’Brien’s revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s dark 1945 musical Carousel, now in previews at the Imperial Theatre, should be at the top of your theatergoing list—from the beguiling score, which features such classics as “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” sung here by the likes of Jessie Mueller (Beautiful; Waitress) and Renée Fleming, to the choreography, by New York City Ballet wunderkind Justin Peck. But for me, the main reason to ride this Carousel is Joshua Henry as the magnetic but good-for-nothing ruffian Billy Bigelow. After Tony-nominated performances in The Scottsboro Boys and Violet, among others, the ridiculously handsome, charismatic, and golden-voiced Henry, who acts as beautifully as he sings, is poised to take his place as a Broadway leading man for a new generation. “This is one of the great musical-theater roles—a man who has a poetic soul but is extremely limited and takes some very wrong turns,” Henry says. “And I get to sing some of the most gorgeous music you’ll ever hear. It’s pretty much a dream.”
Set on the coast of Maine in the late nineteenth century, Carousel tells the story of a young mill worker named Julie Jordan (Mueller), who falls for and marries the brash carousel barker Billy (Henry), who physically abuses her and is about to leave her when he learns that she’s pregnant, leading to his involvement in a botched robbery, his violent death, and his ultimate salvation in the afterlife. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he grew up in Miami and planned on being an accountant when he grew up (it didn’t pan out), Henry comes to the role fresh from the national tour of Hamilton, in which he played Aaron Burr, another flawed man undone by poor life choices. “I’m attracted to playing complex human beings like Billy,” he says. “He’s the hero and the villain of the story.” Many of the musicals in which Henry has starred, from Scottsboro Boys and Shuffle Along to Hamilton, have contended with the barbed issue of race in our country’s history. But don’t expect a revisionist Carousel. “When I asked Scott Rudin why he wanted to cast me, he said, ‘Because I think you’re the best actor to play this role’—which was very flattering,” Henry recalls. “At the same time, I’m a black man, and I’m going to bring who I am to the part, and that’s going to add nuances of meaning to certain moments.”
As someone who grew up in a deeply religious household and discovered his gift for performing by singing and playing guitar in church, Henry says that he is drawn to the show’s theme of redemption. “I’m moved by the idea of ‘Can we do something terrible and get a second chance?’ ” he says. Playing a man whose life is changed when he discovers that he’s about to be a father has a particular resonance for Henry at this moment: He and his wife, Cathryn, are expecting their first child this month. It has given, Henry says, new meaning to the lyrics of “Soliloquy,” the almost operatic act-one finale, in which Billy grapples with the emotions of what it will be like to raise a son or daughter. “In that first line, he asks, ‘I wonder what he’ll think of me’ and then he goes on to wonder what he’ll be like, and that’s exactly what I’m thinking right now, like, Who is this guy going to be?” Henry says. “I’m getting to be a leading man, playing this iconic role, and at the same time preparing to take on the most important role of my life. From my own spiritual perspective, the whole thing almost feels orchestrated.”
Set on the coast of Maine in the late nineteenth century, Carousel tells the story of a young mill worker named Julie Jordan (Mueller), who falls for and marries the brash carousel barker Billy (Henry), who physically abuses her and is about to leave her when he learns that she’s pregnant, leading to his involvement in a botched robbery, his violent death, and his ultimate salvation in the afterlife. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he grew up in Miami and planned on being an accountant when he grew up (it didn’t pan out), Henry comes to the role fresh from the national tour of Hamilton, in which he played Aaron Burr, another flawed man undone by poor life choices. “I’m attracted to playing complex human beings like Billy,” he says. “He’s the hero and the villain of the story.” Many of the musicals in which Henry has starred, from Scottsboro Boys and Shuffle Along to Hamilton, have contended with the barbed issue of race in our country’s history. But don’t expect a revisionist Carousel. “When I asked Scott Rudin why he wanted to cast me, he said, ‘Because I think you’re the best actor to play this role’—which was very flattering,” Henry recalls. “At the same time, I’m a black man, and I’m going to bring who I am to the part, and that’s going to add nuances of meaning to certain moments.”
As someone who grew up in a deeply religious household and discovered his gift for performing by singing and playing guitar in church, Henry says that he is drawn to the show’s theme of redemption. “I’m moved by the idea of ‘Can we do something terrible and get a second chance?’ ” he says. Playing a man whose life is changed when he discovers that he’s about to be a father has a particular resonance for Henry at this moment: He and his wife, Cathryn, are expecting their first child this month. It has given, Henry says, new meaning to the lyrics of “Soliloquy,” the almost operatic act-one finale, in which Billy grapples with the emotions of what it will be like to raise a son or daughter. “In that first line, he asks, ‘I wonder what he’ll think of me’ and then he goes on to wonder what he’ll be like, and that’s exactly what I’m thinking right now, like, Who is this guy going to be?” Henry says. “I’m getting to be a leading man, playing this iconic role, and at the same time preparing to take on the most important role of my life. From my own spiritual perspective, the whole thing almost feels orchestrated.”
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Victoria Beckham Gets a Jump on Head-to-Toe White for Spring
Victoria Beckham is still in L.A. after last week’s pre-launch celebration for her forthcoming Reebok capsule collection. Today saw the designer wear an all cream ensemble from her own Pre-Fall collection to celebrate her friend Eva Longoria Baston’s Walk of Fame ceremony.
Beckham’s tailored top took its roots from menswear, but the more open collar treatment hinted at its wearer’s décolletage. A coordinating skirt with exposed stitching was an elegant complement and mimicked the style sported by Queen Rania of Jordan yesterday. Beckham finished her look with her signature shades of the moment, the Céline Thin Shadow, and the lilac Dorothy pump.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Nell Scovell’s Just the Funny Parts Is the New Bossypants Meets Lean In
Tina Fey’s Bossypants has been my go-to, crowd-pleasing book recommendation ever since I read it, in a day flat, on my honeymoon in 2011. For me, it stood alone in the canon of celebrity memoirs—until now. Nell Scovell, a pioneer among women writers in Hollywood, who has worked on The Simpsons, Late Night With David Letterman, and Murphy Brown, as well as created Sabrina the Teenage Witch, sets a new standard with Just the Funny Parts...and a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club (Dey Street Books). It is at once a hilarious showbiz memoir peppered with Scovell’s celebrity run-ins and a compelling #MeToo story about the sexism and hostile environments she experienced as the lone woman in many a television writer’s room (including a tense time in Letterman’s: After he admitted to sleeping with female staffers in 2009, Scovell wrote a story for Vanity Fair about the sexually charged atmosphere at the show).
Now, almost three decades into her career, Scovell writes that Hollywood still has a long way to go: “Sexual harassment is so embedded in show business, the industry even has a cutesy name for it—the casting couch,” she writes, “which does sound a lot nicer than the ‘rape sofa.’” But even in her detailed excavation of her past (Scovell includes script excerpts, magazine reviews, and all manner of fascinating primary sources), she doesn’t spare herself, making for at least one remarkable moment (I gasped; you’ll know it when you get there). Just the Funny Parts is an ideal read for right now: humor with an eye toward gender diversity. It helps that Scovell has the bona fides. She cowrote Lean In with Sheryl Sandberg, who has now penned the foreword of Scovell’s book.
Vogue spoke with Scovell by phone about making sexism funny (“Am I corporeal?” she recalls asking a rare female coworker on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, “You can see and hear me, right?”), confronting Letterman, and the power of women in high places helping each other.
You’ve been a private person, so it’s pretty new for you to put your personal stories out there. What possessed you to write this book now?
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. I feel lucky that we’re in this time where people are paying attention to female narratives, and my life has been filled with some bizarre moments, from making Homer Simpson eat blowfish and thinking he was going to die to having Sabrina the Teenage Witch turn a cheerleader into a pineapple. So, I wanted to get the fun stories down. I’m also aware that it’s unusual that a female writer got to be in a lot of these rooms. There are so many times I felt like I was both an insider and an outsider at the same time.
You strike a perfect balance between writing very honestly about sexism in Hollywood and also being so funny about your experiences. How did you pull that off?
There’s a great old play and a movie called A Thousand Clowns by [Herb] Gardner, and in it, he says, “If life isn’t funny, then it’s just what it is, and it’s just a long dental appointment.” I’ve always had that approach to life.
Having been in Hollywood for so long, as you have…
I am very old.
No! But what does it feel like to go from being the only woman in the Letterman writers’ room to now seeing Frances McDormand on the Oscars declaring “inclusion rider”? You’ve probably been thinking about this stuff for decades, and now it’s going mainstream.
Oh, completely. And I don’t want to get too optimistic because for 30 years, I’ve been told, “It’s getting better, right?” And that’s always anecdotal. You can cherry-pick your data, but until we have sustained, statistical proof that things have gotten better for women, then I will remain wary. I do think women in their 20s are smarter about this than I was when I was at the same age. They grew up in a post–Anita Hill world, and that’s huge. When I went through my experience at Letterman, I had no vocabulary for that. I just thought it was fucked up. That was the technical term. And then, years later, Anita Hill comes along, and I’m watching her on television and a senator says to her, “Well, you know, if the workplace was so unhappy, why did you stay?” And she said, “I loved my job.” And I burst into tears in my bedroom because I had loved my job at Letterman, but I really didn’t see a way to stay in this atmosphere where I knew I was not going to thrive.
When Letterman’s scandal broke in 2009, you wrote a Vanity Fair story about the sexist culture, the hostile environment, and the lack of female writers on the show. Some of the response from readers was: “Shut up” and “You’re a fame whore.” You remind us in the book that there was sympathy for Letterman. Did it feel like a risk to be telling your story?
Writing that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s the only time I’ve really felt a compulsion to speak out. I couldn’t not write it. I tried to. I didn’t really want to. I was scared. My husband and I actually had a phone call with my accountant to say, “If Nell never works again, are we gonna be okay?” But it really went from being something I thought would be a terrible thing to one of the best things I’ve ever done in my whole life. There’s all this talk about being authentic, and I really felt like I was true to myself in that moment.
Years later, you had this heart-to-heart—as much as that’s possible—with Letterman, in which you asked him about sexism in late-night and he said, “I don’t worry about that stuff.” But then, in subsequent years, you write that he started to actually be more vocal and suggest a woman might replace him…
I’d like to note that his new Netflix show has five executive producers, and they are all male.
I was going to ask if you think you had a role in bringing him a little more awareness of gender issues.
He doesn’t worry about that stuff. When someone reveals themselves, believe them.
No spoilers, but one of the best parts of the book is when you tell the story of working with a “novelty singer” turned writer named Jim Stafford at The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. You write that Stafford had a “dim” view of women, boxed you out of creative decisions, and once crudely suggested you fellate the guitar great Chet Atkins. Why did you decide to go there, so to speak, about Stafford? It just occurred to me: Is he dead?
Well, he lives Branson, Missouri, so, pretty close. One of the reasons I told this story about myself was, there’s a tendency when we see someone who’s been successful to think they’ve sailed through and nothing bad ever happened to them. So I wanted to reveal that you can succeed, not because it’s all good, but because even when bad stuff happens, you keep going.
You tweet often about the Trumps and the current political circus. You wrote jokes for President Obama for multiple White House Correspondents’ dinners. If Stephen Miller called you and said, “Hey, Nell, can you write some jokes for President Trump?” What would you say?
I might say yes, and then send only jokes about how venal and hideous and corrupt he is. Like: “I tried to block Stormy Daniels from appearing on 60 Minutes, which means I imposed more sanctions on a porn actress than on Russia.” Or, “My first wife wrote in a book that I raped her. That hurt, but I learned from the experience. Now I make my wives sign NDAs.” Then I’d be like, “What? He didn’t use any of my jokes?”
Before I forget: What do you think about the Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot?
I’m excited to watch it. You know, Sabrina and Buffy both came on at the same time, and I was a huge Buffy fan, so if this is sort of a combo thing, I think that sounds like fun. They’re rebooting three shows I’ve worked on: Murphy Brown, Charmed, and Sabrina. If it brings in a whole new generation, then that’s kind of interesting.
I was shocked that you could write about having a career drought in later years, after all the success you’ve had. Do you attribute that to the usual cycle of a Hollywood writer’s career, or to sexism and ageism?
I turned 40 and things started to go south. One of the things I learned by writing the memoir was how often female executives came through for me, from Nina Tassler to Susanne Daniels and Chris Sanagustin. They continued to call to see if I was available for work, and I always was. So, this is another reason we need women in leadership positions—too many men in Hollywood appreciate the potential of young women more than they appreciate the experience of middle-aged women.
When you hear people say, “Women don’t have each other’s backs,” how does that strike you?
One of the greatest benefits to come out of Lean In was convincing women to help and support other women, not out of this sense of duty and that you’d be condemned to hell forever if you didn’t, but because it will make all your lives better. The way Gloria Steinem puts it is that “we are linked, not ranked,” which I’ve always loved. In Just the Funny Parts, I quote the line about how women who don’t help other women have a special place in hell, but I add that women who do help women should have a special cloud in heaven.
Now, almost three decades into her career, Scovell writes that Hollywood still has a long way to go: “Sexual harassment is so embedded in show business, the industry even has a cutesy name for it—the casting couch,” she writes, “which does sound a lot nicer than the ‘rape sofa.’” But even in her detailed excavation of her past (Scovell includes script excerpts, magazine reviews, and all manner of fascinating primary sources), she doesn’t spare herself, making for at least one remarkable moment (I gasped; you’ll know it when you get there). Just the Funny Parts is an ideal read for right now: humor with an eye toward gender diversity. It helps that Scovell has the bona fides. She cowrote Lean In with Sheryl Sandberg, who has now penned the foreword of Scovell’s book.
Vogue spoke with Scovell by phone about making sexism funny (“Am I corporeal?” she recalls asking a rare female coworker on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, “You can see and hear me, right?”), confronting Letterman, and the power of women in high places helping each other.
You’ve been a private person, so it’s pretty new for you to put your personal stories out there. What possessed you to write this book now?
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. I feel lucky that we’re in this time where people are paying attention to female narratives, and my life has been filled with some bizarre moments, from making Homer Simpson eat blowfish and thinking he was going to die to having Sabrina the Teenage Witch turn a cheerleader into a pineapple. So, I wanted to get the fun stories down. I’m also aware that it’s unusual that a female writer got to be in a lot of these rooms. There are so many times I felt like I was both an insider and an outsider at the same time.
You strike a perfect balance between writing very honestly about sexism in Hollywood and also being so funny about your experiences. How did you pull that off?
There’s a great old play and a movie called A Thousand Clowns by [Herb] Gardner, and in it, he says, “If life isn’t funny, then it’s just what it is, and it’s just a long dental appointment.” I’ve always had that approach to life.
Having been in Hollywood for so long, as you have…
I am very old.
No! But what does it feel like to go from being the only woman in the Letterman writers’ room to now seeing Frances McDormand on the Oscars declaring “inclusion rider”? You’ve probably been thinking about this stuff for decades, and now it’s going mainstream.
Oh, completely. And I don’t want to get too optimistic because for 30 years, I’ve been told, “It’s getting better, right?” And that’s always anecdotal. You can cherry-pick your data, but until we have sustained, statistical proof that things have gotten better for women, then I will remain wary. I do think women in their 20s are smarter about this than I was when I was at the same age. They grew up in a post–Anita Hill world, and that’s huge. When I went through my experience at Letterman, I had no vocabulary for that. I just thought it was fucked up. That was the technical term. And then, years later, Anita Hill comes along, and I’m watching her on television and a senator says to her, “Well, you know, if the workplace was so unhappy, why did you stay?” And she said, “I loved my job.” And I burst into tears in my bedroom because I had loved my job at Letterman, but I really didn’t see a way to stay in this atmosphere where I knew I was not going to thrive.
When Letterman’s scandal broke in 2009, you wrote a Vanity Fair story about the sexist culture, the hostile environment, and the lack of female writers on the show. Some of the response from readers was: “Shut up” and “You’re a fame whore.” You remind us in the book that there was sympathy for Letterman. Did it feel like a risk to be telling your story?
Writing that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s the only time I’ve really felt a compulsion to speak out. I couldn’t not write it. I tried to. I didn’t really want to. I was scared. My husband and I actually had a phone call with my accountant to say, “If Nell never works again, are we gonna be okay?” But it really went from being something I thought would be a terrible thing to one of the best things I’ve ever done in my whole life. There’s all this talk about being authentic, and I really felt like I was true to myself in that moment.
Years later, you had this heart-to-heart—as much as that’s possible—with Letterman, in which you asked him about sexism in late-night and he said, “I don’t worry about that stuff.” But then, in subsequent years, you write that he started to actually be more vocal and suggest a woman might replace him…
I’d like to note that his new Netflix show has five executive producers, and they are all male.
I was going to ask if you think you had a role in bringing him a little more awareness of gender issues.
He doesn’t worry about that stuff. When someone reveals themselves, believe them.
No spoilers, but one of the best parts of the book is when you tell the story of working with a “novelty singer” turned writer named Jim Stafford at The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. You write that Stafford had a “dim” view of women, boxed you out of creative decisions, and once crudely suggested you fellate the guitar great Chet Atkins. Why did you decide to go there, so to speak, about Stafford? It just occurred to me: Is he dead?
Well, he lives Branson, Missouri, so, pretty close. One of the reasons I told this story about myself was, there’s a tendency when we see someone who’s been successful to think they’ve sailed through and nothing bad ever happened to them. So I wanted to reveal that you can succeed, not because it’s all good, but because even when bad stuff happens, you keep going.
You tweet often about the Trumps and the current political circus. You wrote jokes for President Obama for multiple White House Correspondents’ dinners. If Stephen Miller called you and said, “Hey, Nell, can you write some jokes for President Trump?” What would you say?
I might say yes, and then send only jokes about how venal and hideous and corrupt he is. Like: “I tried to block Stormy Daniels from appearing on 60 Minutes, which means I imposed more sanctions on a porn actress than on Russia.” Or, “My first wife wrote in a book that I raped her. That hurt, but I learned from the experience. Now I make my wives sign NDAs.” Then I’d be like, “What? He didn’t use any of my jokes?”
Before I forget: What do you think about the Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot?
I’m excited to watch it. You know, Sabrina and Buffy both came on at the same time, and I was a huge Buffy fan, so if this is sort of a combo thing, I think that sounds like fun. They’re rebooting three shows I’ve worked on: Murphy Brown, Charmed, and Sabrina. If it brings in a whole new generation, then that’s kind of interesting.
I was shocked that you could write about having a career drought in later years, after all the success you’ve had. Do you attribute that to the usual cycle of a Hollywood writer’s career, or to sexism and ageism?
I turned 40 and things started to go south. One of the things I learned by writing the memoir was how often female executives came through for me, from Nina Tassler to Susanne Daniels and Chris Sanagustin. They continued to call to see if I was available for work, and I always was. So, this is another reason we need women in leadership positions—too many men in Hollywood appreciate the potential of young women more than they appreciate the experience of middle-aged women.
When you hear people say, “Women don’t have each other’s backs,” how does that strike you?
One of the greatest benefits to come out of Lean In was convincing women to help and support other women, not out of this sense of duty and that you’d be condemned to hell forever if you didn’t, but because it will make all your lives better. The way Gloria Steinem puts it is that “we are linked, not ranked,” which I’ve always loved. In Just the Funny Parts, I quote the line about how women who don’t help other women have a special place in hell, but I add that women who do help women should have a special cloud in heaven.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Yara Shahidi Wins the SAG Awards Red Carpet With a Striking Beauty Look
Needless to say, all eyes are on Yara Shahidi. Despite wearing many hats at the age of 17—actress, academic, and activist among them—the Grown-ish star looks nothing short of poised and polished at virtually all times. And tonight’s 2018 SAG Awards ceremony was no exception.
Shahidi stepped out in a custom Ralph Lauren jumpsuit with a sleek, strapless silhouette and sculptural train, complementing her directional fashion look with a dose of fresh beauty that underscored her ever more confident red carpet ethos. With her natural curls worn in a cloud of buoyant ringlets worthy of Diana Ross, she simmered with disco-worthy drama.
And letting her luminous skin show through, she opted for healthy swirls of bright blush on the cheeks and subtle flicks of liner along her almond-shaped gaze. Always one to inject her look with a punch of color, she saturated her lips with a bold burgundy pigment that was softened around the edges. But while Shahidi makes a compelling case for a scene-stealing statement mouth, this wunderkind’s defining characteristic will always be her contagious charisma.
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