December 3, 2022 – Air Mail

Model Behavior

From the catwalk, Michael Gross tells how Kate Moss went from bad-girl supermodel to the head of her own talent agency, with a roll call of superstar spawn that includes Keith Richards’s granddaughter …

Parental Misguidance

From the courtroom, David Kaufman reports on the claims that former N.B.A. star Dwyane Wade is pressuring his trans daughter to undergo gender-affirming surgery to increase her corporate endorsements …

Eating Their Words

From New York, a restaurant maître d’ serves up the tricks he used to sweeten the city’s toughest critics …

More War than Peace

From the director’s chair, Errol Morris untangles Fred Wiseman’s new film about the thorny marriage of Sofia and Leo Tolstoy, including her reaction to his novella about a wife killer …

Inspector Gadget

From the AIR MAIL test lab, our tech-and-gear expert, Jonathan Margolis, basks in the sumptuous sounds of a $500,000 hi-fi setup—and reveals the cheaper, better alternative to Apple’s AirPods …

Decryption Device

From the crypto world, Nicholas Clairmont details how a hobbyist with a Substack sounded the alarm on Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX blowup that’s drawing comparisons to Enron …

But, Wait, There’s More!

Emmanuel Macron’s alma mater is a hothouse of rape and incest … John le Carré’s larkish and loving letters … the seamy side of Sesame Street … Jan Morris, the “Flaubert of the jet age” … the glamorous art detective tracking Nazi-stolen works … the perfect baby gift is absolutely free … Marie Kondo gives up! …

Issue No. 177

The View from Here Why a legal fight over Dwyane Wade’s trans daughter could have Roe v. Wade–size repercussions

By David Christopher Kaufman

Read On

The Amateur’s Hour With reporters and regulators in thrall to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, it took a hobbyist newsletter writer to notice the “crypto emperor” had no clothes

By Nicholas Clairmont

Read On

Business Model How Kate Moss turned the attention from her decades of scandals—and the kids of the friends who shared them—into a successful talent agency

By Michael Gross

Read On

Money Can’t Buy the Perfect Baby Gift Your parent friends will thank you later

By Juli Weiner

Read On

Gifts for Kids of Every Age

From baby blankets and colorful crafts to a pen-pal kit that may even earn you a handwritten thank-you, this AIR SUPPLY gift guide has been carefully curated to win over the pickiest tots and teens alike

Shop

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp./Photofest (The Sound of Music)

My Favorite Things Michael Bargo, the interior designer sought out by New York’s most discerning aesthetes, shares the pieces with which he’d never part, from a mother-of-pearl caviar set to Art Deco–inspired champagne tumblers

By Michael Bargo

Shop

Photo: Francois Dischinger (Bargo)

Cloudy Days Sex, drugs, and sing-alongs: an oral history reveals the shady side of Sesame Street

By Teddy Wayne

Read On

Mobile, Agile, and Worthwhile The best-designed wireless earbuds! Speakers that cost more than most houses! A phone that will make you long for the old days! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

Read On

“When you tell your father how you’re dropping out of college to be a Renaissance Faire entertainer, the least you could do is break character.”

A Night Celebrating Jim McMullan Louise Grunwald, Ed Sorel, and André Bishop gathered at the Waverly Inn to celebrate the illustrator’s new book

By Clara Molot

Photographs by Daniel Paik

12

Jim McMullan signs a copy of his new book, *Hello World: The Body Speaks in the Drawings of Men.*

From left, André Bishop, Robert Gerber, Louise Grunwald, and McMullan.

Edward Sorel talks to Jane Lahr, while Anna Carter and Graydon Carter chat with Bishop.

For the illustrations in *Hello World,* McMullan painted men using gouache and a bristle brush.

From left, McMullan, JP Wickert, and Jeffrey Westby.

David Campbell flips through McMullan’s book.

From left, Ken Carbone, McMullan, and Stephen Gaffney.

McMullan shows Lucas Hunt one of his illustrations.

Read On

“Peanuts! Working for peanuts and without proper benefits here!”

Immoral Campus France’s best-known university, responsible for educating countless world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, is a hotbed of sexism, misogyny, drink spiking, and all-around scandal

By Adam Sage

Read On

A Man of Parts John le Carré was always obsessed with controlling his narrative. Following the publication of a tell-all by one of his mistresses, the spy novelist is once again seeking to set the record straight—this time, from the grave

By Pico Iyer

Read On

Read Study: Volume Two Christopher Niquet launched Study, a magazine that devotes entire issues to one subject, in July. The first one focused on photography…

Smell Ffern Owen Mears and Emily Cameron grew up in the English countryside, where they took for granted the mood-elevating scents provided…

Set Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren’s love of watches from the 1920s and 1930s has been well documented. Just in time for the gift-giving season…

Sleep Sea Me I was a latecomer to the surprising softness and extremely unsexy-sounding thermoregulating benefits of linen bedding, but now…

Listen Philosophy Bites The podcast Philosophy Bites will bring you back to your college lecture hall, but in the best possible way. (There will be no essays…

Watch Evanston Salt Costs Climbing In the theater world, playwright Will Arbery has been a name to watch for some time now. It’s not just…

Read Study: Volume Two Christopher Niquet launched Study, a magazine that devotes entire issues to one subject, in July. The first one focused on photography…

Smell Ffern Owen Mears and Emily Cameron grew up in the English countryside, where they took for granted the mood-elevating scents provided…

Set Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren’s love of watches from the 1920s and 1930s has been well documented. Just in time for the gift-giving season…

Sleep Sea Me I was a latecomer to the surprising softness and extremely unsexy-sounding thermoregulating benefits of linen bedding, but now…

Listen Philosophy Bites The podcast Philosophy Bites will bring you back to your college lecture hall, but in the best possible way. (There will be no essays…

Watch Evanston Salt Costs Climbing In the theater world, playwright Will Arbery has been a name to watch for some time now. It’s not just…

It’s Complicated A new film re-examines Tolstoy’s marriage—a subject that has inspired more than a century of commentary, from dueling novellas to literary mock trials

By Errol Morris

Read On

Le Coucou Confidential From a New York City maître d’, an inside look into what critics mean for restaurants—and how owners steel themselves for the dreaded reviews

By Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

Read On

The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli

A new book, accompanying an exhibition in Paris, explores the sensational creations of the Italian designer

Read On

The Week in Review Marie Kondo’s a mess, the French have lost their sex drive, and more …

Read On

Anna Bottinelli The president of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation hunts down invaluable works of art that went missing during World War II

By Louise Roe

Read On

Spies and Models! In this week’s podcast, Pico Iyer discusses John le Carré, and Michael Gross reports on Kate Moss

Read On

From 1961, Barbara Hepworth with her sculpture Figure (Archaean) in her home garden, in St. Ives, Cornwall.

Barbara Hepworth’s Natural Habitat

Imagine seeing Claude Monet’s water-lily paintings not in the Musée de l’Orangerie but at his home at Giverny, in Normandy, where they were painted and whose lush grounds and elaborate landscaping form their subject. You would not only see—indeed, inhabit—the views that had inspired him, but by toggling between the artwork and its source in nature you would more deeply understand the workings of the creative imagination. An aesthetic experience of that order is now available at Tate St. Ives, in Cornwall, England, which has just opened “Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life,” on view through May 1, 2023. READ ON

From 1961, Barbara Hepworth with her sculpture Figure (Archaean) in her home garden, in St. Ives, Cornwall. Read On

Discover

Tobias Grey On

Young Bloomsbury: The Generation That Redefined Love, Freedom, and Self-Expression in 1920s England

by Nino Strachey

Read On

Michael Hainey On

Jan Morris: Life from Both Sides

by Paul Clements

Read On

Animal Instinct A new film by the Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski offers a prescient look at mankind today, through the eyes of a sympathetic, non-human protagonist

By Graham Fuller

Read On

Let Them Eat Pudding! Until recently, only the friends and family of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire could experience their Yorkshire estate. Now just about anyone can come

By Ashley Baker

Read On

Remo Ruffini

The chairman and C.E.O. of Moncler answers 39 of life’s most pressing questions

Read On

People get ready, there’s a train a-coming.

Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Design Director

Angela Panichi

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editor

Elena Clavarino

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Jensen Davis Carolina de Armas Clara Molot Paulina Prosnitz Elinor Schneider

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

London Editor

Bridget Arsenault

Columnists

Cazzie David Emma Freud Lisa Henricksson
Walter Isaacson Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson
John Lahr Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells
James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Pip Johnson Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Communications Director

Monika Camara Batista

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Photo Editor

Emine Gozde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff Sade Singleton

Interns

Kendra Huber Gasper Tringale-White

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Shop General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Advertising Director

Michael Pescuma

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Integrated Marketing Producer

Alex Dickerson

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Account Manager

Dillon Freeman

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

AIR SUPPLY

Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Editor

Zoe Ruffner

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

E-Commerce Associates

Coco Paul-Henriot Roxy Solis

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley

The View from Here Why a legal fight over Dwyane Wade’s trans daughter could have Roe v. Wade–size repercussions

The Amateur’s Hour With reporters and regulators in thrall to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, it took a hobbyist newsletter writer to notice the “crypto emperor” had no clothes

Business Model How Kate Moss turned the attention from her decades of scandals—and the kids of the friends who shared them—into a successful talent agency

Money Can’t Buy the Perfect Baby Gift Your parent friends will thank you later

From baby blankets and colorful crafts to a pen-pal kit that may even earn you a handwritten thank-you, this AIR SUPPLY gift guide has been carefully curated to win over the pickiest tots and teens alike

My Favorite Things Michael Bargo, the interior designer sought out by New York’s most discerning aesthetes, shares the pieces with which he’d never part, from a mother-of-pearl caviar set to Art Deco–inspired champagne tumblers

Cloudy Days Sex, drugs, and sing-alongs: an oral history reveals the shady side of Sesame Street

Mobile, Agile, and Worthwhile The best-designed wireless earbuds! Speakers that cost more than most houses! A phone that will make you long for the old days! And more …

A Night Celebrating Jim McMullan Louise Grunwald, Ed Sorel, and André Bishop gathered at the Waverly Inn to celebrate the illustrator’s new book

Immoral Campus France’s best-known university, responsible for educating countless world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, is a hotbed of sexism, misogyny, drink spiking, and all-around scandal

A Man of Parts John le Carré was always obsessed with controlling his narrative. Following the publication of a tell-all by one of his mistresses, the spy novelist is once again seeking to set the record straight—this time, from the grave

It’s Complicated A new film re-examines Tolstoy’s marriage—a subject that has inspired more than a century of commentary, from dueling novellas to literary mock trials

Le Coucou Confidential From a New York City maître d’, an inside look into what critics mean for restaurants—and how owners steel themselves for the dreaded reviews

A new book, accompanying an exhibition in Paris, explores the sensational creations of the Italian designer

The Week in Review Marie Kondo’s a mess, the French have lost their sex drive, and more …

Anna Bottinelli The president of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation hunts down invaluable works of art that went missing during World War II

Spies and Models! In this week’s podcast, Pico Iyer discusses John le Carré, and Michael Gross reports on Kate Moss

Bremen

Los Angeles

New York

Montreal

Online

Animal Instinct A new film by the Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski offers a prescient look at mankind today, through the eyes of a sympathetic, non-human protagonist

Let Them Eat Pudding! Until recently, only the friends and family of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire could experience their Yorkshire estate. Now just about anyone can come

The chairman and C.E.O. of Moncler answers 39 of life’s most pressing questions

Is Edited By

Deputy Editors

Design Director

Chief Technology Officer

Books Editor

Arts Intel Report Editor

Senior Editor

Editor at Large

Photo Director

Copy Editor

Research & Legal Editor

Production Editor

Associate Editors

Art Director

International Editor

London Editor

Columnists

Writers at Large

Contributing Artists

Contributing Photographers

Architectural Consultant

Communications Director

Head of Audience Development

Social Media Manager

Cartoon Editor

Music Supervisor

Photo Editor

Designer

Technology

Interns

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Shop General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Advertising Director

European Sales Director

Integrated Marketing Producer

Financial & Business Operations

Account Manager

Chief Strategy Adviser

Merchant

Editor

E-Commerce Manager

E-Commerce Associates

In Memoriam