June 24, 2023 – Air Mail

PARKS AND INCARCERATION

From New York, Jeffrey Toobin observes that Linda Fairstein, the trailblazing female prosecutor who sent the Central Park Five to prison, has been exiled from polite society, while one of the Five is now running for City Council …

DOUBLING DOWN

From Las Vegas, Michaela Seward reveals the story of Sara King, a beautiful, gambling-addicted fraudster who thought she’d mastered the Las Vegas slot machines, until she started losing—big …

VULGAR ON THE VOLGA

From Moscow, Tom Parfitt reports on the bling-filled, oligarch-funded compound Vladimir Putin has created for his ex-wife and daughters, complete with a $72,000 gold-plated chandelier …

PHARAOH OF THE FITTING ROOM

From the Garment District, Scott Asen weaves the tale of Morty Sills, the greatest suit-maker the city has ever seen, and tailor of choice to Gordon Gekko …

INSPECTOR GADGET

From the AIR MAIL test lab, our tech-and-gear columnist, Jonathan Margolis, likes the look of the new Leica, and a speaker that’s perfect for picnics …

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE! …

The Kennedys on the Cape … the “SoHo of Marrakech” is attracting the beau monde … an ode to Françoise Gilot, Picasso’s muse and an artist in her own right … a chef’s unlikely path from war-torn Saigon to Michelin stardom … the new Indian gin outselling Bombay Sapphire … Cast your vote now in our Attention-Whore Index Poll!

Issue No. 206

The View from Here Bob Dylan’s masterly new album offers a ghostly narrative for our post-pandemic world

By S. P. Murphy

Read On

Changing Places Linda Fairstein put Yusef Salaam in prison for the attack on the Central Park jogger. He was exonerated and is running for office; she is excoriated and living as a pariah

By Jeffrey Toobin

Read On

The House Always Wins Sara King, the self-proclaimed “slot whisperer” of Las Vegas, used other people’s money to bet big. Then her luck ran out

By Michaela Seward

Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop

Read On

Talent Pool

Whether seaside, dockside, poolside, or even inside, you will want to dive headlong into the warm-weather season with these tastefully refreshing finds

Shop

Photo: Frederic Meylan/Sygma/Getty Images (Princess Stéphanie)

My Favorite Things Clare Richardson, the exacting stylist behind the resale site Reluxe, shares her favorite finds for her wardrobe, medicine cabinet, and beyond

By Clare Richardson

Shop

Photo: Dan Martensen (Richardson)

The Attention-Whore Index Joe Biden makes a novel play for your attention. But can he beat such grizzled showboaters as Harry and Meghan, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump?

Read On

Bling Empire Vladimir Putin relocates his ex-wife and two daughters to “tsar’s village,” the “Versailles of the North,” an elite district surrounding his official residence west of Moscow

By Tom Parfitt

Read On

Brew Variety Coffee Forget about Starbucks and Dunkin’. Say good-bye to Blank Street Coffee. Amicably part ways with your local hipster java shop…

WATCH Party Girl Parker Posey’s iteration of the New York It Girl in Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s 1995 indie darling delivers on all fronts: which is to say her…

Stay Villa Munch If a jam-packed, expensive beach holiday on Long Island really doesn’t appeal this summer, or you just can’t face the usual crowds on Lake…

READ Scrounging Much like Scrounging’s cover—a Wonder Bread sandwich filled with Cap’n Crunch and dusted with Pixy Stix powder…

Shop Hermès Landed safely in Aspen but forgot to pack a hostess gift? No need to stress. Hermès has arrived in the Rocky Mountains just in time…

Carry Louis Vuitton Aficionados of Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines bags have plenty of reasons to make some extra space in their closets. From June 28…

Brew Variety Coffee Forget about Starbucks and Dunkin’. Say good-bye to Blank Street Coffee. Amicably part ways with your local hipster java shop…

WATCH Party Girl Parker Posey’s iteration of the New York It Girl in Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s 1995 indie darling delivers on all fronts: which is to say her…

Stay Villa Munch If a jam-packed, expensive beach holiday on Long Island really doesn’t appeal this summer, or you just can’t face the usual crowds on Lake…

READ Scrounging Much like Scrounging’s cover—a Wonder Bread sandwich filled with Cap’n Crunch and dusted with Pixy Stix powder…

Shop Hermès Landed safely in Aspen but forgot to pack a hostess gift? No need to stress. Hermès has arrived in the Rocky Mountains just in time…

Carry Louis Vuitton Aficionados of Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines bags have plenty of reasons to make some extra space in their closets. From June 28…

The Peacock Orthodoxy At the men’s-wear trade show Pitti Uomo, in Florence, fanatics have been turning out in their finest kit since 1972. Can their traditionalist leanings endure the tides of fashion? Well, they already have

By Eugene Rabkin

Read On

Shake, Rattle, and Roll The finest point-and-shoot Leica available gets an upgrade! A Bang & Olufsen speaker that will move you to your core! See through the earbud marketing gimmicks—grab yourself a transparent pair! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

Read On

The Morty the Merrier New York’s finest bespoke tailor didn’t just craft suits—he stitched together a whole community

By Scott Asen

Read On

Safe Haven Outside of Washington and Manhattan, John F. Kennedy Jr. had a rich, little-explored life on Cape Cod, his sanctuary from childhood up until his death

By Kate Storey

Read On

History Boys A patrician cavalier and an Eeyorish football fan: the unlikely duo behind one of the world’s most successful podcasts

By Josh Glancy

Read On

“This Is Pretty Historic” Peter Cuong Franklin’s journey from Saigon refugee to the first Michelin-starred chef in Ho Chi Minh City is the stuff of a Hollywood epic

By Lloyd Grove

Read On

Industrial Revolution Bored by the well-known treasures Marrakech offers, wealthy tourists are now heading to the city’s up-and-coming SoHo-like district

By Sheila Yasmin Marikar

Read On

“He’s not talking yet, but sometimes we give him peanut butter to make it look like he is.”

A Crime That Haunts New York—and Ignited Trump’s Political Ambitions On this week’s podcast: Jeffrey Toobin discusses the Central Park jogger attack, a crime that defines a dangerous era in New York City

Read On

Life of the Party In celebration of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s 75th birthday, the legendary dancer’s arts center is hosting a day-long concert in upstate New York

By Apollinaire Scherr

Read On

Viva Venini! A dazzling new coffee-table book offers a survey of the unparalleled lighting designs of Venini, the Italian glass firm that elevated Murano to new heights

12

Venini lighting adorns Germany’s Schweinfurt Theater, shown here in 1967.

Madrid’s Cafeteria Morrison, photographed circa 1968.

A sketch for a series of 1930s-era Venini hanging lamps.

Venice’s Hotel Excelsior, photographed circa 1960.

*Top,* the Sala Venini at the sixth Triennale di Milano, in 1936; *above,* the Cassa di Risparmio bank in Cento, Italy, photographed in 1970.

Carlo Scarpa’s Venini light installation at the 1961 Turin Expo.

Lamp designs by Scarpa for Venini, circa 1930s.

Laura De Santillana’s *Flying Carpet* Venini light installation at the Centre Pompidou, in Paris, in 1985.

*Top,* Turin’s Albergo Principi di Piemonte, photographed in 1937; *above,* Venice’s Palazzo Grassi, 1951.

Napoleone Martinuzzi’s rendering for the fourth Esposizione Triennale Internazionale delle Arti Decorative ed Industriali Moderne, in Monza, Italy, in 1930.

A 1930s sketch for a Venini hanging lamp.

A Venini chandelier in the Italian Pavilion at the 1958 Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles.

Read On

“Now who’s a chump for retiring while he’s still young enough to enjoy it?”

Sam Kashner On

Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth

by Ian Garner

Read On

Arm Candy From her family’s historic leather-goods studio, in Buenos Aires, Clara Aynié is designing bags for the next generation

By Michael Rips

Read On

Anand Virmani After working as a bartender in Delhi, the young entrepreneur created his own gin brands. Now they’re outselling Bombay Sapphire

By Elena Clavarino

Read On

Homecoming King After finding success in London, chef Nuno Mendes has returned to Portugal with Cozinha das Flores, a winning new restaurant

By Jay Cheshes

Read On

Françoise Gilot Picasso’s muse and lover who left him after 10 abusive years continued a successful career as an artist and memoirist in her own right

Read On

Christopher John Rogers

The fashion designer answers 31 of life’s most pressing questions

Read On

Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editor

Elena Clavarino

Junior Editor

Jensen Davis

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Clara Molot Paulina Prosnitz

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

London Editor

Bridget Arsenault

Communications Director

Harrison Vail

Columnists

Cazzie David 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 Daphne Merkin

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

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Photo Editor

Emine Gözde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff Sade Singleton

Interns

Eleanor Barzun Nyla Gilstrap Michael Melinger Gasper Tringale-White

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Advertising Director

Michael Pescuma

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Account Manager

Dillon Freeman

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

AIR SUPPLY

Chief Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Shop 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 Bob Dylan’s masterly new album offers a ghostly narrative for our post-pandemic world

Changing Places Linda Fairstein put Yusef Salaam in prison for the attack on the Central Park jogger. He was exonerated and is running for office; she is excoriated and living as a pariah

The House Always Wins Sara King, the self-proclaimed “slot whisperer” of Las Vegas, used other people’s money to bet big. Then her luck ran out

Whether seaside, dockside, poolside, or even inside, you will want to dive headlong into the warm-weather season with these tastefully refreshing finds

My Favorite Things Clare Richardson, the exacting stylist behind the resale site Reluxe, shares her favorite finds for her wardrobe, medicine cabinet, and beyond

The Attention-Whore Index Joe Biden makes a novel play for your attention. But can he beat such grizzled showboaters as Harry and Meghan, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump?

Bling Empire Vladimir Putin relocates his ex-wife and two daughters to “tsar’s village,” the “Versailles of the North,” an elite district surrounding his official residence west of Moscow

The Peacock Orthodoxy At the men’s-wear trade show Pitti Uomo, in Florence, fanatics have been turning out in their finest kit since 1972. Can their traditionalist leanings endure the tides of fashion? Well, they already have

Shake, Rattle, and Roll The finest point-and-shoot Leica available gets an upgrade! A Bang & Olufsen speaker that will move you to your core! See through the earbud marketing gimmicks—grab yourself a transparent pair! And more …

The Morty the Merrier New York’s finest bespoke tailor didn’t just craft suits—he stitched together a whole community

Safe Haven Outside of Washington and Manhattan, John F. Kennedy Jr. had a rich, little-explored life on Cape Cod, his sanctuary from childhood up until his death

History Boys A patrician cavalier and an Eeyorish football fan: the unlikely duo behind one of the world’s most successful podcasts

“This Is Pretty Historic” Peter Cuong Franklin’s journey from Saigon refugee to the first Michelin-starred chef in Ho Chi Minh City is the stuff of a Hollywood epic

Industrial Revolution Bored by the well-known treasures Marrakech offers, wealthy tourists are now heading to the city’s up-and-coming SoHo-like district

A Crime That Haunts New York—and Ignited Trump’s Political Ambitions On this week’s podcast: Jeffrey Toobin discusses the Central Park jogger attack, a crime that defines a dangerous era in New York City

Life of the Party In celebration of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s 75th birthday, the legendary dancer’s arts center is hosting a day-long concert in upstate New York

Orange County

San Francisco

London

Chicago

Mexico City

Viva Venini! A dazzling new coffee-table book offers a survey of the unparalleled lighting designs of Venini, the Italian glass firm that elevated Murano to new heights

Arm Candy From her family’s historic leather-goods studio, in Buenos Aires, Clara Aynié is designing bags for the next generation

Anand Virmani After working as a bartender in Delhi, the young entrepreneur created his own gin brands. Now they’re outselling Bombay Sapphire

Homecoming King After finding success in London, chef Nuno Mendes has returned to Portugal with Cozinha das Flores, a winning new restaurant

Françoise Gilot Picasso’s muse and lover who left him after 10 abusive years continued a successful career as an artist and memoirist in her own right

The fashion designer answers 31 of life’s most pressing questions

Is Edited By

Creative Director

Deputy Editors

Chief Technology Officer

Editor at Large

Books Editor

Arts Intel Report Editor

Senior Editor

Junior Editor

Photo Director

Copy Editor

Research & Legal Editor

Production Editor

Associate Editors

Art Director

International Editor

London Editor

Communications Director

Columnists

Writers at Large

Contributing Artists

Contributing Photographers

Architectural Consultant

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

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Advertising Director

European Sales Director

Financial & Business Operations

Account Manager

Chief Strategy Adviser

Chief Merchant

Shop Editor

E-Commerce Manager

E-Commerce Associates

In Memoriam