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February 17, 2024
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No. 240
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In This Week’s Issue
ODE TO THE REVOLUTIONARY

Alexei Navalny knew the dangers of returning to Russia. He did so anyway, and died as the martyr he may have predicted he would become, writes Alessandra Stanley …

BLOOD SPORT

It took thousands of miles, gallons of gumption, and the grisly suicide of J. Paul Getty’s son to turn the idea of ESPN into a revolutionary, multi-billion-dollar reality, reports Bill Keenan …

LAST SWAN STANDING

After skewering his closest friends, Truman Capote was exiled from the socialite circles he adored. Yet unlike his victims, the Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham remained unscathed …

FRESH PRINCE OF DEAD AIR

With few new projects and an exodus of employees, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s production company—and their American Dream—faces an uncertain future …

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

The secret ingredient in Elon Musk’s disastrous Twitter acquisition? Jack Dorsey’s undying support of—and behind-the-scenes advocating for—the madcap Tesla founder …

LOSER TAKES ALL

In an interview with Jim Kelly, Michiko Kakutani reveals how today’s technology and politics are shaping a new and fractured society—and how Donald Trump is the ultimate benefactor …

THE ABOMINABLE SNOW MAN

From behind his long white beard, Saint-Moritz’s Adolf Haeberli harasses town officials, steals newspapers from local hotels, and sleds down the Cresta Run covered in fireworks. Is he a madman, a millionaire, or both?

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

When the Rolling Stones played to a crowd of 1.5 million on Copacabana Beach … Christian influencers are so over chastity … Peter Bogdanovich’s posthumous podcast revives Hollywood greats … The New Look’s stellar cast delivers on fashion drama … the double agent behind Pearl Harbor … Sloane Crosley’s travel tips … one cuckoo clock to rule them all … Who is this week’s biggest Attention Whore?

But First …
Issue No. 240

The View from Here Navalny could be more of a threat to Putin dead than alive

By Alessandra Stanley
Read On
Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook
Chronicles of Disruption

A Whole New Ball Game How a father and son created ESPN, sports programming’s North Star, on a wing, a prayer, and a chunk of Getty cash—and walked out with almost nothing

By Bill Keenan
Read On
Elements of Style

Breaking the Mode A new series tells the story of Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and the momentous couture collection that rose from the ashes of W.W. II, changing fashion forever

By Laura Jacobs
Read On
Megxit Follies

Sweet Smell of Sussex Harry and Meghan’s production company, Archewell, is leaking employees. Their development deal with Netflix is a bust. Can they redeem their Hollywood dream?

By Stuart Heritage
Read On
Polite Society

The Swan Who Was Spared The real reason Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, Truman Capote’s guest of honor at the Black and White Ball, was the only “swan” he didn’t betray

By Joseph Rodota
Read On
Air Supply

Detox No More

After hibernating for the start of winter—and perhaps even partaking in Dry January—prepare to socialize again with the help of AIR SUPPLY. So pour a glass of wine, treat yourself to mind-sharpening chocolates, and trade out your cashmere sweats for elegant (but nevertheless effortless) ensembles
Shop
Photo: CBS/Photofest (Mills)
Small Talk
Guest Edit

My Favorite Things Ahead of Milan Fashion Week, the Florence-based designer shares her signatures, from Apulian ceramics and all-weather boots to the only makeup product she reaches for

By Barbara Casasola
Shop
Photo: Cecilie Jegsen (Casasola)
Landing Gear

Hands of Fate Cuckoo clocks straight out of a Disney film! Get a handle (and a leg up) on old age! A charging station within a charging station! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis
Read On
Small-Town Squabbles

The Curious Case of the Saint-Moritz Curmudgeon Adolf Haeberli lives like a squatter in the ritzy ski town—and has become a minor celebrity in the process

By Elena Clavarino
Read On
T.G.I.S.

The Attention-Whore Index Trump, Markle, Kennedy—a sluggers’ row of grandstanding egotists up for your consideration!

Read On
Best
Light Green Wolf Studio Nothing goes with a good party quite like a portable lamp that emits subtle and flattering light. (Does anything kill the festivities… Sparkle The Row x Lisa Eisner I borrowed Lisa Eisner’s chunky black jade bracelet one night—smooth circles the size of a drink… Read A Paper Orchestra Emmy-nominated TV writer Michael Jamin has worked on sitcoms for decades (his credits include King of the Hill,… Watch The Death of Richie At first glance, 1977’s The Death of Richie might appear to be nothing more than a made-for-TV, proto-D.A.R.E. public-service… Listen WQXR If you weren’t raised listening to classical music, it can be tough to crack into. Our ears have been sanded down by the menacing… Smell Hermès Imagine accepting a plum job at Hermès and harboring a secret fear of horses. Now imagine confronting that fear on the clock by dreaming… Light Green Wolf Studio Nothing goes with a good party quite like a portable lamp that emits subtle and flattering light. (Does anything kill the festivities… Sparkle The Row x Lisa Eisner I borrowed Lisa Eisner’s chunky black jade bracelet one night—smooth circles the size of a drink… Read A Paper Orchestra Emmy-nominated TV writer Michael Jamin has worked on sitcoms for decades (his credits include King of the Hill,… Watch The Death of Richie At first glance, 1977’s The Death of Richie might appear to be nothing more than a made-for-TV, proto-D.A.R.E. public-service… Listen WQXR If you weren’t raised listening to classical music, it can be tough to crack into. Our ears have been sanded down by the menacing… Smell Hermès Imagine accepting a plum job at Hermès and harboring a secret fear of horses. Now imagine confronting that fear on the clock by dreaming…
Inside Story

Romancing the Twitter Bro The untold story of the lengths to which Twitter founder Jack Dorsey went to sway his company’s acquisition in Elon Musk’s favor

By Kurt Wagner
Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop
Read On
Books
Celia McGee On

Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

by Philip Gefter
Read On
Howard Blum On

Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor

by Ronald Drabkin
Read On
Small Talk
“Because vulnerable to kryptonite sounds cooler than lactose intolerant.”
“Because vulnerable to kryptonite sounds cooler than lactose intolerant.”
Eight Questions

Weathering the Storm The Pulitzer Prize–winning author and critic Michiko Kakutani discusses disruptive politics, the technology of the future, and her new book, The Great Wave

By Jim Kelly
Read On
Television

Mob-Wife Style Sofía Vergara becomes Miami’s biggest drug lord in the new Netflix series Griselda, and leaves audiences with one burning question: Who is writing this nonsense?

By Camilla Long
Read On
Frisky Business

For Heaven’s Sake Christian influencers who previously touted purity culture have pivoted to discussing sex. Whether it’s sincere or clickbait is between them and God

By Kathryn Lindsay
Read On
Swinging Londoners

Party of Five The Last Dinner Party, a new rock band out of London, is shaking up the city’s music and style scenes

By Alexandra Shulman
Read On
Hollywood Lives

A Cinematic Séance Peter Bogdanovich interviewed all the greats, from Hitchcock to Tarantino. Now you can hear the top filmmakers of the 21st century commune with the giants of Old Hollywood

By Sam Kashner
Read On
After Hours

A Night Celebrating Sloane Crosley Salman Rushdie, Griffin Dunne, Naomi Fry, Gary Shteyngart, and others gathered at the Waverly Inn in celebration of the writer’s new memoir

By Jack Sullivan
Photographs by Daniel Paik
11
Top, Sean McDonald, Sloane Crosley, and Griffin Dunne; above, Salman Rushdie and Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
George Hahn and Lili Anolik
Top, Elisa Lipsky-Karasz, Alexandra Wolfe, and Drew Schiff; above, Sarah Cristobal.
Top, Crosley, Mitzi Angel, and McDonald; above, Leanne Shapton.
Top, Sara Vilkomerson; above, Kaitlin Phillips.
Top, Graydon Carter and Crosley; above, Susan Minot and Dunne.
Top, Patrick Hoffman and Reyhan Harmanci; above, Michael Grynbaum.
Top, Shawn McCreesh and Carl Swanson; above, Thessaly La Force.
Top, Crosley and Aimée Bell; above, Will O’Connor, David Haskell, and Harrison Vail.
Top, Sandi Mendelson and Karah Preiss; above, Audrey Gelman.
Top, Christopher Bollen and O’Connor; above, Crosley and Alex Edelman.
Read On
Small Talk
Standing Room Only

Stones on the Beach Eighteen years ago in Rio, the Rolling Stones played to the largest audience ever assembled for a rock concert. Their creative director recalls the madness

By Patrick Woodroffe
Read On
Hot Wheels

The 24-Karat Trailer With $350,000 aluminum trailers that make Airstreams look like the poor relations, a Wharton graduate’s R.V. company, Bowlus, wants to restore road-tripping to its extravagant, retro glory

By Jonathan Margolis
Read On
Listen

The Story of the Swan Capote Spared On this week’s podcast, Joseph Rodota reveals the limits of the writer’s duplicity

Read On
Close-up

Clio Peppiatt The London-based designer’s embroidered clothes and beaded bags have been snatched up by Julia Fox and Taylor Swift

By Hope Coke
Read On
Highlight
Dorothy C., circa 1938 (left), and Forever Free, 1933, both by Sargent Claude Johnson.

Carving Beauty

When was it born—Sargent Claude Johnson’s acute sensitivity to the portrayal of Black Americans? It may have been when he learned that an uncle had narrowly avoided being lynched for a perceived threat to a white woman. Or when his white father and Black mother had to flee the Jim Crow South. Or when two of his siblings decided to pass permanently as white. Or when he had to work as a dining-car waiter to make his way West to the Bay Area, where he was eventually recognized as one of the foremost artists of the Black Renaissance. READ ON

Read On
Small Talk
“He was a sea rescue.”
“He was a sea rescue.”
The Seasoned Traveler

Sloane Crosley The essayist, novelist, and memoirist reveals her travel routine

Read On
Josh Gosfield’s Sketchbook
Good luck, power, success—all could be yours during the fiery Year of the Dragon. Happy Chinese New Year!
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 Editors

Elena Clavarino Jensen Davis

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

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Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

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H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Lucy Horowitz Clara Molot Paulina Prosnitz Jack Sullivan

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Columnists

Dana Brown 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 Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Pip Carter Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks 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

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff Sade Singleton

Intern

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

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European Sales Director

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Financial & Business Operations

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Chief Strategy Adviser

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Chief Merchant

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Shop Editor

Zoe Ruffner

E-Commerce Manager

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E-commerce Associate

Lilly Schoenbaum

In Memoriam

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

Issue No. 240
February 17, 2024
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Issue No. 240
February 17, 2024
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