V161: FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V MAGAZINE I S S U E 1 6 1

SOONER OR SLAYYYTER PHOTOGRAPHED BY INEZ & VINOODH STYLED BY HUNTER CLEM INTERVIEWED BY MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG

F A L L PREVIEW 2 0 2 6

THE MAKING OF HOLLYWOOD‘S NEXT LEADING LADY

SUDDENLY SARAH SA RA H P ID GE O N PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY ARUT ARUSTAMYAN INTERVIEWED BY MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG

EL L A MCCU TCHEO N PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

BHAVITH A MAN DAVA PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

LIBBY TAV ERN ER PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

LI U WE N PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

RU T H DE NG PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

L IN A ZHAN G PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

JACQUI HO OPER PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

MICA ARGAÑ ARAZ PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

ANNE V PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

SASCHA RAJASALU PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

K RI ST E N M C M E N A M Y PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

AMEL IA G RAY PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

N O OR KHAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS! V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

CAN D ICE SWAN EPO EL PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

FALL HEAD OVER HEELS!

V TIP OUR HATS TO THE MODELS & MAKERS OF THE MOMENT

N ATASHA PO LY PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUIGI & IANGO STYLED BY B. ÅKERLUND

Diana Silvers Musician, Actor

Sabrina Fuentes Musician

Masthead

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director Stephen Gan GEN V Editor-in-Chief / Digital Director Mathias Rosenzweig V Magazine Editor Kev Ponce Managing Director Jared Sinclair Feig Associate Editor Elyssa Goodman Entertainment Editor Greg Krelenstein (GK-LD) Contributing Editor-at-Large Derek Blasberg VMAN Editor-at-Large Charlie Kolbrener Weibo and Chinese Editor Meng Ji

PHOTO/ART Art Director Clément Condat Photo & Bookings Director Jeffrey Pearson Associate Art Director Erin Black Contributing Bookings Director Goran Macura Director of Motion & Editorial Film Mynxii White

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Editor’s Letter

For V161, V are reminded that everything begins with a gamble. The biggest stars, the boldest ideas, and the most unforgettable moments all start with someone willing to take the chance before the world catches on. Like legendary fashion illustrator René Gruau, whose iconic strokes transformed beauty into fantasy, fashion and pop culture are shaped by the right girl, the right look, and the right attitude. With a megawatt lineup of cover stars—including Kristen McMenamy, Amelia Gray, Candice Swanepoel, Natasha Poly,

Mica Argañaraz, Liu Wen, Bhavitha Mandava, Anne V, Jacqui Hooper, Noor Khan, Libby Taverner, Lina Zhang, Ruth Deng, Sascha Rajasalu, and Ella McCutcheon—alongside pop disruptor Slayyyter, acting breakout Sarah Pidgeon, art and couture darling Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, and the rising talents of our V Girls portfolio including Anna Van Patten, Hayes Warner, Julia Cumming, and Violet Grohl, V celebrate the dreamers, risk-takers, and future icons proving that when the leap is worth it, everything else has a way of falling into place. MS. V

Photography KEITH GREENBAUM Bag and bag charm Knit messenger bag and icon bag charm DIOR ($4,500 and $950, available at DIOR boutiques nationwide)

V Magazine is a registered trademark of V Magazine LLC. Copyright ©2026 V Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.K. V Magazine is published bimonthly by V Magazine LLC. All correspondence addressed to: 161 Water St (Suite 1907), New York, NY 10038 For inquiries about foreign editions or special projects, please contact jared@vmagazine.com

Table of Contents

Cover 1 Bhavitha Mandava wears dress, necklaces (one worn on head), bracelet, earrings CHANEL Feather leaf mask LYNN PAIK Duchess short bow gloves LAEL OSNESS Cover 2 Jacqui Hooper wears woven double-layered, long hooded poncho and LV hat LOUIS VUITTON

IN THIS ISSUE: 18. HEROES 20. V NEWS 21. TOUR DE FORCE 22. V GIRLS 26. THE PEOPLE’S PRINCESS OF POP 36. HAUTE FUTURE 42. HATS OFF 94. RED, WHITE & COOL 100. BEJEWELED, BEWITCHED & BRILLIANT 106. THE ART OF BECOMING SARAH PIDGEON 1112. WHAT V WANT

Cover 3 Lina Zhang wears patch pocket tailored coat, bow leather top, midi trouser skirt, silk satin T-shirt hat, sculpt leather earrings, belt, gloves, shark pinch over the knee boots GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton Cover 4 Anne V wears logo printed leather rain hat with visor TOM FORD Vintage raincoat BURBERRY ℅ CLOAK WARDROBE OMEGA De Ville Mini Trésor watch OMEGA Pumps SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello Cover 5 Amelia Gray wears viscose crepe jersey evening gown GUCCI Arpeggia five line diamond earrings and classic oval-cut diamond line bracelet set DE BEERS LONDON Clea hat LORO PIANA Cover 6 Noor Khan wears capelet PRADA

Cover 7 Ruth Deng wears pinstripe woven silk blazer, jersey turtleneck shirt, pinstripe woven silk pant GUCCI Carter leather beret EUGENIA KIM Quatre classique edition pendant earrings, quatre classique edition large ring, quatre radiant edition ring BOUCHERON Cover 8 Sascha Rajasalu wears bar jacket and mini skirt with train DIOR Leather aviator hat BINATA MILLINERY Cover 9 Natasha Poly wears scarf coat and long gloves in haircalf and leather ALAIA Liquid lucite large clip hoop earring and lucite bangles (black) ALEXIS BITTAR Bangles (red) DINOSAUR DESIGNS Cover 10 Candice Swanepoel wears shearling coat and lace bodysuits VALENTINO Panthère de Cartier earrings and Clash de Cartier ring CARTIER Cover 11 Libby Taverner wears vinyl coat, leather dress, brass thistle earrings SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello Cover 12 Ella McCutcheon wears doublebreasted jacket, cotton shirt, wool trousers, flat cap, satin tie DOLCE&GABBANA

Cover 13 Liu Wen wears Alistaire doublebreasted jacket, shirt, trousers, Daphne hat, silk scarf LORO PIANA Bamboo earrings and rings (left middle finger and right ring finger) DAVID WEBB Vintage 1965 YG Diamond Dome Caged Ring (left pointer finger) SAIDIAN VINTAGE JEWELRY Cover 14 Mica Argañaraz wears coat GIORGIO ARMANI Velour felt hat GIGI BURRIS MILLINERY Clash de Cartier necklace, bracelet, ring CARTIER Cover 15 Kristen McMenamy wears jacket, trousers, earrings SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello Hat SADIE JAMES HAT CO. Cover 16 Sarah Pidgeon wears Russel hat and Malda shirt LORO PIANA Plume de Chanel ring CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Cover 17 Slayyyter wears embroidered long dress DIOR Wired bunny headpiece BINATA MILLINERY All makeup M·A·C COSMETICS

Set Design Lucas Godlewski & Lana Boy (Art Department) Fashion Market Editor Copelyn Bengel

Bag GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton Antigona vanity with chain ($2,500, givenchy.com)

© René Gruau

Text ELYSSA GOODMAN

In fact, it’s Gruau’s work that inspires our “Hats Off!” series this issue, featuring a coterie of magnificent models whose lines and curves appear as if crafted by the artist’s own hand. Gruau was born into aristocracy as an Italian count, Conte Renato Zavagli-Ricciardelli delle Caminate. After his parents split, his mother Maria Gruau de la Chesnaie, also an aristocrat, took him on her stylish adventures across the globe–he saw art and fashion that would change his outlook and artistic style forever. His first drawings appeared

in the Italian fashion magazine Lidel when he was just a teenager. Leaving fascist Italy for Paris in his early twenties, he took on his mother’s maiden name and altered his own to match her French heritage. Gruau’s illustrative contributions to fashion only grew from there. He became a vital addition to Paris’s fashion voice, a necessary illustrator of the couture presented by illustrious fashion houses of the 1930s, including but not limited to Chanel, Balenciaga, and Schiaparelli. In the process, he met a young designer named Christian Dior, who would become a lifelong friend. Gruau’s work eventually appeared in Vogue, L’Officiel, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, and many others. When Dior had been working for a host of other designers and was approached in the 1940s with funding to start his own label, Gruau convinced Dior to move forward. Paris, once considered the center of the fashion world, was seeking to regain its footing after World War II. France’s fashion revival came with Dior’s first eponymous collection, and Gruau became Dior’s chief illustrator; indeed, one of his illustrations became the face of Dior’s “New Look.” The designer made Gruau the artistic director of Dior advertising, according to the Society of Illustrators. This work

With taste and talent, V tip our hats to the forces who have crafted a life of unmatched style © René Gruau

RENÉ GRUAU The legendary fashion illustrator is still teaching us about timeless beauty In a flash of red, a slash of black, a René Gruau illustration not only comes alive, but preserves decades of fashion history. As chronicled in the 2022 book René Gruau: Master of Fashion Illustration, the artist was among the most influential fashion illustrators. Gruau interpreted the styles of the day, but he’s also part of why they existed in the first place. For Gruau, a single line told a whole story rendered in ink, charcoal, or brush as it became a gown, a leg, a lip. All at once, his work was understated, chic, and glamorous. 18

extended into Dior’s perfume universe, including fragrances like Diorissimo, Miss Dior, and many others. Anywhere Dior was, Gruau was there, too; there became no way to discuss fashion without them. And Dior was not the only career Gruau would influence. In the late 1940s, he was also able to connect another young designer named Hubert de Givenchy to the House of Schiaparelli. Once there, Givenchy later became the artistic director before launching his own label. Hollywood took notice of Gruau. He was even invited to produce costumes for MGM in two years’ time, though he ultimately declined. Gruau also declined the Dior design mantle offered to him

© René Gruau

upon the designer’s sudden passing from a heart attack in 1957. He simply wanted the freedom of his own office. When color photography became the more ubiquitous chronicler of fashion in magazines, Gruau turned his tasteful eye toward advertising. His clients included the likes of Elizabeth Arden and even the great director Federico Fellini– Gruau crafted the legendary poster for the director’s classic 1960 film La Dolce Vita. Gruau passed away in 2004, remaining an active illustrator throughout his life, helping to craft the look of the day in the process. Even today, his work is timeless.

© René Gruau

Gruau at his drawing table, Avenue Foch, Paris; photograph for Maisons & Jardins, December 1960. Image from the private collection of Joëlle Chariau.

© René Gruau

(Left) Photography Matthew Placek (Right) Photography Mick Rock (2001), © Estate Of Mick Rock

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL As Hedwig and the Angry Inch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the lauded performer, writer, and director is still teaching us “The Origin of Love” Something magical happens when people hear John Cameron Mitchell’s name. Without pause, it conjures stories of his works, most often his films: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus were revolutionary for me as a young gay in college, figuring out queerness and sex and art!” one person says. “I would say [watching Hedwig and the Angry Inch] helped change the trajectory of my life. It was hands-down an experience that would eventually lead me to pursuing a career in art. I later used the GI Bill to go to School of Visual Arts and had a 15 year career working in fashion photography as a result,” said another. And then there are the tattoos: the face split in two– depicting, as Hedwig sings in the film, “The Origin of Love”—one half on elbows, feet, wrists matches another somewhere else that’s seeking, or has found, its mate. Sometimes it’s just Hedwig herself. Blonde and bewigged with a smear of her signature blue eyeshadow, she wails into a microphone, a permanent celebration of her story as a misfit who makes art to transcend the challenging circumstances of her life and ultimately wins. The memories are an incantation Mitchell knows well, especially as his now-classic film Hedwig and the Angry Inch celebrates its 25th anniversary on the heels of the theatrical version, which debuted three years prior. Throughout the summer and into the fall, Mitchell will be touring with the film across the country, doing stoned director’s cut commentary (“I don’t want to do that sober. I’ve seen it 10,000 times. That keeps it interesting,” he laughs), performing some songs acoustically (occasionally with friends), and taking audience Q&A, doing meet-and-greets–it will vary from city to city depending on the setups and technology available. And what a gift to those formed by Hedwig as young people that the film they love so dearly wasn’t a story of dancing princesses or big green ogres. Instead, the star was a gender nonconforming émigré from the wrong side of the tracks who sought freedom in rock and roll. It was a story to take with you through any phase of life, to remember, as Mitchell says, what it means to be punk: to make art for yourself outside of a system, to promote creativity and collaboration, “to make something useful for people, useful for their lives that isn’t just about selling.” He remembers making Hedwig in a time when people were trying to survive the AIDS crisis, not just scrolling through social media. “AIDS activism was a kind of applied punk, so a lot of what I do lately is encourage people to think about their own punk,” he says. Incidentally, this is in part how Hedwig itself began. Mitchell had started in New York as a traditional Broadway actor–Big River, Six Degrees of

Separation, and The Secret Garden were some of his earliest roles. But it was in seeing the off-Broadway work of Charles Busch and Charles Ludlam, the films of Todd Haynes, Wong Kar-Wai, and Gus Van Sant, that Mitchell saw what was possible beyond tradition. Hedwig was a similar exercise in what could happen outside of the mainstream. Its success was unexpected. “It was something we made for our friends,” Mitchell says. “It was something that could never be on Broadway at the time. It could never be up for an Oscar. It was too strange–the punk, the drag, the queerness seemed very specific in what the kids call ‘niche’ today.” And he hates the word “niche.” “I’m like, what does niche have to do with you? What do you like? As opposed to, what are you supposed to like,” he says. Mitchell has built a career answering to his own desires and interests, following his own curiosity. In the process, he established himself as a singular voice, whether as a director, a writer, a singer, an actor, or even an interior designer. He’s currently at work on a play called LSM about the artists and lovers Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore–LSM are the initials they used to sign letters to each other. His memoir-in-progress, A Heart Held Outside the Body, will arrive on bookshelves within the next two years. Hedwig recently began a stage production in China. He just finished a run as Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s ongoing hit Oh, Mary! Mitchell worships at the altar of creativity, of passion, of theatre. It was something he learned to do after transmuting the Catholic devotion with which he was raised, he says, choosing instead to make theatre his church. He took with him what he actually enjoyed from the experience–joy, community, mutual aid, collaboration, and “story making without the rigidity of the guilt, and ‘you have to do this, you have to do that,’” he says. “In some ways, I like it when theater and art become collaborative and communitybased and do help people.” In that way, Mitchell sees himself as more of a populist than an elitist, he says. “I can be a snob about quality–like ‘that could be funnier,’ and ‘that could be better to me,’...but to me, anyone can use their imagination, anyone can be an artist, and it’s in that zone, that flow of imagination, even if it’s crafting your sweater or whatever it is, that we find a meditative peace.” He remains excited for new challenges–what if he performed one of his plays in France in French, he wonders. What if he wrote fiction, what if, what if…and the list goes on. And all along, he’s remained an original. “I definitely feel more myself than I ever have. I think continuous artistic explorations settle you into yourself.”

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V News

From Milan to Los Angeles, fashion’s most compelling legacies are taking center stage through immersive exhibitions, visionary collaborations, and stories that refuse to fade with time Text AILBHE KILLALEA THE ART OF GRÈS ARRIVES IN BERLIN WITH A COUTURE DREAM AT KUNSTGEWERBEMUSEUM

A defining figure of haute couture, Germaine Émilie Krebs, known first as Mademoiselle Alix and then as Madame Grès, was a pioneer in design. Grès was famously private, but believed her scissors were the most essential facet of her design work. She was known for her pleating and draping in particular, a style beloved by film stars of classic Hollywood like Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, and Marlene Dietrich. Along with 25

ensembles crafted by Grès’s own hands, the exhibition will also feature the work of Students at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, who developed their own, contemporary interpretations of her work. By following the example of layering and pleating, the students created a voluminous collection, further actualizing Grès’ impact.

Madame Grès observes le défilé at Maison Grès, Paris, 1960. Unknown photographer. Provided by Anne Graire

Mademoiselle Alix at work, Paris, ca. 1934. Unknown Photographer. Provided by Anne Graire

Working sketches by Madame Grès, Paris, ca. 1944. Paper, pencil. Provided by Anne Graire

SILK, STYLE, AND POWER: LACMA EXPLORES THE EVOLUTION OF CHINESE FASHION WITH JASON WU

THE GRACIOUS VISIONARY DOCUMENTARY PEELS BACK THE WORLD OF BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

THE LUXURY COLLECTION CELEBRATES 120 YEARS BY COLLABORATING WITH MARGHERITA MACCAPANI MISSONI AT CASA BRERA

Courtesy of Stefano Schirato

Dress (Qipao) (detail), China, Shanghai, c. 1930, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Costume Council Fund, mannequin head © Jason Wu, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

For over 45 years, artist Chere Lai Mah formed, preserved, and researched a collection of Chinese women’s clothing from the 19th and 20th century. This became the foundation for the newly opened Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibit titled Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity. Presenting more than 70 looks, the exhibition becomes a timeline of changing identities and shifting cultural landscapes. To present the ensembles, fashion designer Jason Wu created 3D-printed mannequins, each face and hairstyle purposefully crafted. The exhibition is paired with a publication brimming with archival images and a preface by Jason Wu. 20

In his new documentary film Brunello: The Gracious Visionary, director Giuseppe Tornatore documents the life and legacy of designer Brunello Cucinelli and his eponymous fashion house. Making a documentary had long been a dream of Cucinelli’s, having begun his brand in 1978. The designer built his billion-dollar brand despite humble beginnings. The film also spotlights Cucinelli’s ethical practices and desire to maintain an alignment with his personal values despite the demands of the fashion industry.

Courtesy of The Luxury Collection

Casa Brera, a luxury hotel in Milan known for its blend of art and design, is home to the newly released Maccapani Edits, a collection of bespoke objects and accessories created by Margherita Maccapani Missoni. The collaboration emphasizes the heritage of Italian craftsmanship through a contemporary lens. Missoni’s collection features items she designed, like the Maccapani Moto T-Shirt depicting a Horse of Saint Mark, an exclusive Casa Brera Milan tote, and a series of embroidered patches, as well as curated pieces from Italian artisans.

Slug Tour Diary

(L-R) Zach Abels, Mikey Margott, Jesse Rutherford, Brandon Fried, Jeremy Freedman

What does a “Wourld Tour” with The Neighbourhood look like? V roamed the globe with the alt-rock band as they promoted their first album in five years Photography FEDERICA BURELLI Text ELYSSA GOODMAN After five years of inspiration from “break-ups, addictions, sobriety, illness, grief, shame, fame, money, aging, etc.,” as their lead s i n g e r Je s s e R u t h e r fo rd w rote to u s , The Neighbourhood released their album (((((ultraSOUND))))) and embarked on their new “Wourld Tour.” In the midst of their globe-trotting, they shared with us some exclusive photographs of life behind the scenes, shot by Federica Burelli in Krakow, Milan, Prague, and Zurich. At the same time, Rutherford wrote to us about returning to life in the studio and on the road, the comfort of ping pong, and what it means to enjoy each night on stage. What were your goals as artists with this new album? How did you want to move forward as a band creatively and personally? Our goal was to get the ball rolling again. After taking a few years off we just wanted to be back on the road to reconnect with our fans and each other. There’s nothing like making a record and traveling around the world to make bonds stronger than ever. We’ve always looked out for one another. We’ve known each other for most of our lives and played in this band for the past 13

years. Trusting the process has been a big lesson. Everything has leveled up. Naturally there are expectations or pressures along with that, but once we started playing shows it was apparent that as long as we have each other, our songs, and our incredibly loving, die-hard fans, everything was going to be okay. It all feels brand new, like a second chance. We’re grateful for every second of the experience. It’s what we always hoped it would be.

(Left to right) Mikey Margott, Zach Abels, Jesse Rutherford

Jesse Rutherford

How do you stay grounded while you’re on tour? What do you need to do to make sure you’re comfortable and ready to play on each stop? We love hanging out with each other and making things feel as regular and comfortable as possible. We have our trainer on the road, so getting in the gym in different cities is a nice way to find consistency. We also brought along some of our close friends to help us and it feels like having family on the road. Other than that, just going to bomb restaurants and watching movies on the bus. And playing ping pong. We have a table set up at every venue. It’s pretty sweet, haha.

What did you miss about being in each other’s company as a band? The time away made us appreciate the fact we get to do this a lot more. Not only are we all more stable as individuals, it doesn’t hurt that the band got so much more popular during our hiatus. Everything is more comfortable now. Travel, hotels, venues, food. It really does make a huge difference. How has this tour felt different than those in the past? For me personally, I’m way less in my head. I was depressed for many years and touring was really challenging for me. It felt so wrong not being able to just enjoy it, but now I really can and do. Every night I leave the stage with a giant smile on my face. I used to fight through the set for multiple reasons–technical sound issues, mental issues, and general inexperience. Now I feel like I could stay up there for another two hours! Haha. Maybe that’s what this set will be by the end of this tour.

(Left to right) Mikey Margott, Jesse Rutherford 21

Four of the industry’s in-demand ingenues are the savvy new generation of entertainment royalty Photography DENNIS LEUPOLD Fashion CHRISTOPHER CAMPBELL

ANNA VAN PATTEN THE RISING ACTOR BLAZING FEARLESSLY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT WITH HER MOST DARING ROLE YET It’s fitting that Anna Van Patten grew up not in a classroom but on sets — trailing her father, Emmy-winning director Timothy Van Patten, through the worlds of The Sopranos, Game of Thrones and Rome. “It taught me that stories aren’t only told with words,” she says. “There is so much in the unspoken. Anything is possible — maybe it also taught me to dream big.” Now 27, Van Patten takes on the role of Kitty in Euphoria’s long-awaited third season. She prepared for it with characteristic thoroughness, taking pole dancing lessons before she even had the part. “It became a way into her for me,” she explains. “It made me more comfortable in my body, gave me permission to take up space. It forced me to lean into my femininity and embrace the playful tension I tried to convey throughout Kitty’s scenes.” The role itself came fast, booked just a week before filming. But by then, Van Patten was ready. “I tend to overthink everything. It allowed me to stay present with her and focus on her truth in each moment.” Just before Euphoria, Anna was in Budapest shooting The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, flying back and forth to LA when the call came in. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be playing a stripper on Euphoria,” she says. “It’s a reminder that anything is possible.” Between roles, she stays in motion by design: “I’d rather stay curious, keep making things, and experience life as fully as possible,” she says, guided by a constellation of women who embody exactly that spirit. Her inspirations read like the most interesting dinner party guest list imaginable: Dr. Jane Goodall, Anaïs Nin, Lee Miller, Gena Rowlands, Nina Simone. “I’m drawn to emotional honesty,” she says. “Women who can be playful yet vulnerable, deeply uncompromising, and who use their art as a way of revealing their authentic selves.” She journals daily—“it’s how I make sense of the world,” she says—annotates everything she reads, and returns, again and again, to a playlist her father made that she says feels like being inside a cathedral. “It grounds me and reminds me that everything will be okay,” she adds. For someone whose career is moving this fast, that kind of stillness can be a blessing. DRU RYDER 22

From top to bottom Anna wears top, patent leather pencil skirt, mini clutch FERRAGAMO (Pre Fall ‘26) Seamaster Aqua Terra watch OMEGA Quartz dew drop tennis necklace MAE + LANG Padparadscha power necklace ROSEARK JEWELRY Vintage ruby eye horse charm and oval locket charm ROSEARK VINTAGE Cropped high shoulder belted jacket and full length skirt 7 FOR ALL MANKIND (Fall ‘26) Scarf FERRAGAMO For a luscious, rose-colored pout, try NARS Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipstick in #888 Dolce Vita

V Girls

HAYES WARNER THE BUDDING STARLET GOING FROM THE STAGE TO THE SCREEN AS MUSIC’S NEXT ACTOR-TO-WATCH Both an online fixation and pop-rock breakthrough, Hayes Warner brings a selfawareness that feels increasingly rare in modern pop. Although her music has all the angst of an early-twenty-something raised online, Warner sings of womanhood and heartbreak in a voice so diaristic it still feels intimate. Tracks like “Breadcrumbs” and “Oh!” play less like polished studio recordings and more like live emotional confessions. That instinct for performance naturally extends beyond music. Raised in New York, educated in Chicago, and now based in LA, Warner is an entertainer at heart. A graduate of Northwestern University’s musical theater program, music and acting have always appealed to her fascination with modes of feeling. This summer, she’ll make her TV debut in FX’s upcoming series The Shards, playing the role of Debbie Schaffer, alongside Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, and Graham Campbell. Based on a Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, the series will be helmed by Glee and American Horror Story director Ryan Murphy. “She just felt like one of those characters I really understood and wanted to bring to life, so I connected with Debbie Schaffer right away,” Warner said. “She has this quiet emotional depth, like there’s always more going on underneath what she lets people see. That balance of control and vulnerability felt really familiar to me.” If acting for Warner is a way to explore her emotional curiosity through the perspective of another, songwriting is a way to unpack her own experiences. Rooted in empathetic, analytical processes, Warner’s artistic presence thrives in the uncomfortable, and perhaps no song represents this better than “Predator.” “Sonically, it’s built around gritty, distorted guitars, punchy drums, and a dark, cinematic atmosphere that keeps building tension and release,” she said. “I’ve always been drawn to music that feels almost uncomfortably honest, like it’s a little exposing to put out into the world. That’s what makes this one feel so true to me.” With a television show and new music on the horizon, now is the time to step deep into her sharp-edged, booming landscape. GEORGE PIPER

From top to bottom Hayes wars sequin slit maxi dress AMIRI (Spring ‘26) Juste un Clou ear cuff, LOVE earrings, Panthère de Cartier bracelet (on left) CARTIER Antique gold 1900s braided wedding cuff (on right) ROSEARK VINTAGE Knitwear top and skirt GUCCI (Pre Fall ‘26) Juste un Clou earrings CARTIER Form tall panel ring and lea ring AMY GREGG For a subtle glow to the cheek, try GUCCI BEAUTY Gucci Illuminateur de Beauté Multi-use Highlighter 23

JULIA CUMMING

From top to bottom Julia wears sequin mesh dress TORY BURCH (Pre Fall ‘26) Juste un clou earrings CARTIER Aquamarine statement necklace ROSEARK JEWELRY Tights HIGH HEEL JUNGLE by Kathryn Eisman Leather flatform sandals JIMMY CHOO Stylist’s own bracelet Lovelorn leather racer jacket COACH (Pre Fall ‘26) Juste un clou earrings CARTIER Watch LONGINES Stylist’s own gloves Talent’s own stud earrings For a bold fall-hued lip, try LISA ELDRIDGE True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Jazz 24

Makeup Pablo Macias (OPUS Beauty) Hair Davontae’ Washington (OPUS Beauty) Casting Kev Ponce Cinematographer Lukas Chmiel Photo Assistants Ben Chant, Winston Kingstro Makeup Assistant Katherine Moncada Hair Assistant Taylor Thorton Production Preslee Adams

With nothing to hide and everything to say, Julia Cumming is claiming center stage on her own terms—living, performing, and creating exactly as she declares in her hit single “My Life”: “My life is mine.” Making space to love hard, learn, and grow, all while making her name as a solo act, Cumming found her footing through Sunflower Bean, the band where she first made her name in music. Now, the artist has rediscovered her voice while creating her eponymous solo album. “I get to learn and create myself again as a performer! It’s both very familiar and entirely new,” she explains. The moment she decided to go solo, she says “was as soon as I wrote ‘My Life.’ I knew immediately that there was a new voice coming through, one that I needed to develop and discover.” The experience has been liberating, but one that Cumming approaches with gratitude. “Having the freedom to explore topics and ideas without wondering if they are speaking for a whole group” is the gift her solo album has given her, she explains. The entire process was lengthy, taking a total of three years from first imagining to finally completing the album. Her in-depth creative process is one that doesn’t shy away from discomfort. “I had to spend a lot of time in some tough places in my mind,” she explains. This internal contemplation informs her writing, a process that shows in her music. “I really had to look hard into my subconscious and find out what was going on in there. That could be a painful and strange process. Sometimes feelings came out that were surprising or scary, or heartbreaking,” she says. With inspirations for the album stemming from Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Judee Sill, all with the aesthetics of LA’s Laurel Canyon in the 1970s, Cumming sought to create an active listening experience rather than a passive one, transporting the listener and asking them to recognize themselves within her vision. But music isn’t the only act in Cumming’s new one-woman show. She’s made a name for herself in fashion, modeling for brands like Anna Sui, Diesel, and Schiaparelli, as well as film, making acting debut in director Edgar Wright’s 2025 film The Running Man. Solo shows, acting projects, and new music: there’s a lot in store for Julia Cumming. “It’s been a long time coming,” she notes, “and it’s just the beginning.” AILBHE KILLALEA

Location AGP West

THE INDIE ROCK DARLING STEPPING INTO THE SOLO SPOTLIGHT

From top to bottom Violet wears cotton and silk satin blazer BRUNELLO CUCINELLI (Spring ‘26) Feather stripe long sleeve shirt AMIRI (Spring ‘26) Panthère de Cartier necklace CARTIER Tulle dress GUESS USA Juste un Clou ring CARTIER Stingray diamond earrings ELIZABETH BELL Double-hex marquise tennis bracelet ROSESARK JEWELRY For a nineties inspired pout, try CHARLOTTE TILBURY Lip Cheat in Bad Romance

VIOLET GROHL THE BOLD AND BROODING ROCK CHANTEUSE BLAZING HER OWN TRAIL Violet Grohl has spent her whole life around music—on tour buses, sitting at breakfast tables, in the back of cars—and yet Be Sweet To Me, her debut album, feels like something conjured entirely from within. Recorded at music producer Justin Raisen’s Los Angeles home studio, it is the work of someone who has been patiently sharpening her instincts for years, waiting for the right moment to let them loose. That moment required a complete change of direction mid-recording. “The vibe I had originally intended no longer felt authentic to how I was feeling,” she says over the phone from Los Angeles. “I wanted to lean into the sludge and the shoegaze elements. I was in the perfect environment to experiment in that way and let myself go in that direction.” The result is a record that moves between fuzzy alt-rock and hazy shoegaze with the ease of someone who has spent a lifetime obsessively consuming music. She is currently in the middle of a Kate Bush rediscovery, for example. “I don’t think I understood it as deeply as I do now,” she says. “The way she builds these sonic landscapes and paints pictures with her music — it’s so inspiring.” New finds matter just as much: a TikTok algorithm recently served her a music video from an underground Australian punk group, xiao xiao, and she has been evangelical about them ever since. Like her music, Grohl’s personal style also maintains a quiet self-possession. Her aesthetic gravitates toward the nostalgic: vintage pieces from the 1920s through ‘40s, a prized Victorian dress or two, and an unwavering commitment to the blazer regardless of the Los Angeles heat. “I have my summer blazers, I have my winter blazers,” she says. Style icons run from Exene Cervenka — whose poster hangs in her office — to Lydia Lunch and Sinead O’Connor: women who dressed entirely for themselves. Grohl is finding the same freedom in her own wardrobe, choosing clothes not to signal cool but to feel more unmistakably herself. It is the same quality that defines her music and the person she is becoming. With a Reading Festival slot ahead and the recent completion of her first headlining show, Grohl feels she is just getting started. “I’m looking forward to learning, to growing, meeting new people and having those experiences.” On the evidence of Be Sweet To Me, those experiences are worth watching. DR 25

Music’s wild child spent a decade turning trash into treasure. Now, Slayyyter is ready to be crowned punk-pop royalty Photography INEZ & VINOODH Fashion HUNTER CLEM Interview MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG 26

Slayyyter wears aviator jacket in upcycled leather COACH (Fall ‘26) Fully steel-boned, made of tea-dyed cotton coutil and bobbinette corset ANDREW CURWEN Vintage Mom denim shorts GUESS Talent’s own hat On lips M·A·C COSMETICS Lip Pencil in Stripdown, M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy, Lipglass in Clear 27

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From left to right Embroidered long dress DIOR (Fall ‘26) Wired bunny headpiece BINATA MILLINERY Pumps 7 FOR ALL MANKIND (Fall ‘26) Fully steel-boned, made of tea-dyed cotton coutil and bobbinette corset ANDREW CURWEN Vintage Mom denim shorts GUESS Talent’s own hat, bra (worn over corset), boots Stylist’s own archive Chanel skateboard On skin M·A·C COSMETICS Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Primer, Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation, Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer, Studio Fix Pro Set + Blur Weightless Loose Powder, Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Face Powder in Give Me Sun!, Sculpting Powder in Sculpt, Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray

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omparing Slayyyter to Princess Diana is ludicrous. One is a seasoned, 29-yearold pop star—and an unconventional one at that—who raps about how she gets “so gay off that tequila” and has a song called “Throatzillaaa,” whereas the other was an aristocrat-turned-British-royal whose married life and tragic passing were the undeniable epicenter of ‘90s pop culture. But when journalist Julie Burchill first coined the term “The People’s Princess” for Diana Spencer, later popularized the morning after her passing (she died on August 31st, 1997, less than a year after Slayyyter was born) by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, she was referring to the 36-year-old’s ability to relate with her fellow Englishmen: her emotional accessibility, the way she did not put herself above the common people, her willingness to discuss personal matters like bulimia and infidelity. She was “real,” unapologetically revealing the royal family’s blemishes. There was even a democratic undertone: the English do not elect their royals, but if they did, Diana would have been the clear winner. The world loved her as if they knew her deeply—which of course, they did not. Slayyyter, too, is no nepo-baby born into pop royalty (Diana was an aristocrat, but not royal). In fact, the artist born Catherine Grace Garner has spent the last ten years cycling between thriving and struggling as a “lower-middle-class” singer. Fighting the turbulence of life on the pop periphery, she collected a highly devoted but relatively niche following compared to where she is now. As a kid from Kirkwood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, she was estranged from her father (something she references in her track “Gas Station”), and grew up with her devout Christian mother, attending Catholic school on a full scholarship because her family could not afford tuition. Later, she dropped out of college and began making music in the closet of her mother’s house. Inspired by artists like Charli XCX and Kesha—both of whom she’s now toured and worked with—she started uploading songs to SoundCloud while working at a hair salon, sweeping hair and answering phones. Early songs like “Mine” found unlikely success on Stan Twitter, eventually allowing her to quit her job entirely. Her self-titled mixtape reached No. 4 on the iTunes Pop chart in 2019, and music from this period has since enjoyed a resurgence: her 2019 track “Daddy AF” appeared in the A24 horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and then Sean Baker’s Anora (2024), which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars. While these successes looked good on paper, they were also part of a then-decade-long career that still hadn’t spawned any mainstream hits. It was survivable, but logistically and financially difficult. On our call in May, a freshly 30

showered Slayyyter in a white bathrobe and long curly hair joked about how she’d never even entered the “Khia Asylum”—a new term for one-hit wonders. “When people talk about that, they’re talking about people who have had major chart success and then kind of dipped off after. I didn’t even have that. I never got my foot in the door. I was always kind of this underground floater.” As such, Slayyyter spent nearly a decade inhabiting a strange middle ground: too famous to be unknown, but more of a cult it-girl than a mainstream celebrity. Making music from a modest apartment in Beverly Hills, she often found herself surrounded by the rich and famous without quite belonging to that world herself. That vantage point became the foundation for her 2023 album Starfucker, a record fascinated by both Hollywood’s glamour and its dark underbelly. “I’m so not a celebrity-type person,” she says with a smile, as if the concept itself is silly. “I feel like there are people who do the celebrity song and dance very well. But even if things get bigger and bigger and bigger, I don’t ever feel like a famous person. That’s so ridiculous to me…I don’t ever want to carry myself in that way because I don’t think I’m any different from the people who listen to my music.” It is, strangely, the same quality that made Princess Diana so radical. She was not admired because she seemed above ordinary people, but because she seemed determined to remain one of them. In fact, Slayyyter sees her equity with her fans as part of her purpose. She is much more likely to take shots with fans—which she’s done after performances—than surreptitiously slink away to a deluxe tour bus or private jet to escape them. Instead, she believes relatability is key. “I think people who listen to my music, or even people who are new to my project, can tell that I’m not a fluffed-up celebrity figure. I am not a fancy person. I’m a real person. I’m from St. Louis. And it’s not really a big city. It’s not a very remarkable place. Suburbs of the Midwest don’t feel very remarkable when you’re visiting. But I think a lot of people really adore the romanticization of those unremarkable cities and towns and places, and it makes you feel kind of proud to be from a random suburb of Iowa or Kentucky or Missouri or whatever.” Despite all the online love, Slayyyter found it difficult that even after building a devoted audience, touring internationally, releasing acclaimed projects, and even getting the attention of bigwigs like Lady Gaga (whom Slayyyter idolizes), she was still fighting to make an artistic life work economically. Last year’s Club Valentine Tour and merchandise rollout proved particularly challenging, despite drawing some of her largest crowds to date. “I’ve been doing so much myself for so long,” she says. “I just remember being

really depressed after the last tour, even though it was a great tour. I don’t want any fans to hear that and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, were we not good crowds?’ There were great crowds. Some of the shows at that time were the biggest shows I had done, like in London, for example. But it went from being my debut mixtape, a very small tour, but things sell out, and you feel like you’re kind of getting ahead, or things are kind of happening, and then just these long stalls. Every project I would make, I would have these hopes that maybe this one will break through and I can really do this,” she says, “but it always felt like I would take a step forward and then get knocked two steps backwards, whether it was some kind of random unforeseen problem or financial issues.” From the outside, Slayyyter’s career appeared to be steadily ascending. Behind the scenes, she was beginning to wonder how much longer she could sustain it. The idea of moving back to Missouri loomed over her like a taunting cloud. Much of what fans loved about Slayyyter— the earlier, larger-than-life visuals, the costumes, the hyper-pop fantasy she built, and her similarities to the people who love her—required constant reinvestment. Long before major-label resources arrived, she was funding that world herself. She made her own costumes, shot music videos with friends (she once mentioned to me shooting two music videos in one day due to budget restrictions), and carried around her own merch on tour. “I feel like I’m really bad with money, but I genuinely spent so much back into this project,” she says. “I would spend a ton of money that I didn’t have on costumes and rhinestones and wardrobe for stage looks and all this stuff, and then it just felt like I was putting so much into it without a lot. It wasn’t becoming feasible to keep doing things.” (Even Princess Diana said: “They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?”) Still, giving up on music itself was never really the question. What she was beginning to doubt was whether she could continue building a life around a career in music. “I would create no matter what. Even if this album didn’t hit off, and this was technically my last attempt at a rollout and trying to do this the proper way, I would still probably have made music more as a hobby, more like how I started,” she says, speaking of her breakthrough album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA. “But it’s just been so many years of being in that middle-class, or honestly lower-middle-class, range of artistry where I don’t have any previous mega hits to my belt.”

HEAD TO VMAGAZINE.COM FOR THE FULL STORY

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Long sleeve varsity tee COACH (Fall ‘26) Clash de Cartier long necklace CARTIER On eyes & brows M·A·C COSMETICS Kajal Excess Longwear Smokey Eye Liner in Pitch, Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Groundwork, Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Embedded in Burgundy, Dazzleshadow Extreme in Discotheque, M·A·C Stack Volumizing Mascara, M·A·C Lash in #80 Romantic, Pro Brow Definer Pencil in Lingering, Mac Pro Locked Brow Gel

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“I think people who listen to my music, or even people who are new to my project, can tell that I’m not a fluffed-up celebrity figure. I am not a fancy person. I’m a real person.” —SLAYYYTER

From left to right Aviator jacket in upcycled leather COACH (Fall ‘26) Vintage denim shorts GUESS Talent’s own hat Long sleeve varsity tee COACH (Fall ‘26) Vintage denim shorts GUESS Clash de Cartier long necklace CARTIER On cheeks M·A·C COSMETICS Powder Blush in Melba, Extra Dimension Blush in Cheeky Bits 33

Embroidered long dress DIOR (Fall ‘26) Wired bunny headpiece BINATA MILLINERY Pumps 7 FOR ALL MANKIND (Fall ‘26) 34

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Makeup Lilly Keys (A-Frame Agency) using MAC Cosmetics Hair Ricky Fraser (A-Frame Agency) Manicure Natalie Pavloski (BRIDGE Artists) Casting Greg Krelenstein (GK-LD) Fashion Market Editors Arut Arustamyan, Copelyn Bengel Lighting Direction Jodokus Driessen Digital Technician Brian Anderson Photo Assistant Fyodor Shiryaev Styling Assistant Thomas Jay Makeup Assistant Maya Lozada Hair Assistant Donovan Blyden Production John Nadhazi, Michael Gleeson (VLM Productions) Production Assistant Emma Skakel, Andy Martinez Location Spring Studios Special Thanks Nicola Formichetti / MAC Cosmetics

Corset ANDREW CURWEN Little Edie skirt KIMBERLY CORDAY Wired bunny ears BINATA MILLINERY Idyllia necklaces SWAROVSKI 35

As both the creator and the canvas, Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo dreams at the threshold of art, fashion, and technology Photography NICK KNIGHT Text MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo possesses a rare capacity to inhabit entirely different worlds. She was, among other things, a classical pianist. So when it came time to envision and orchestrate her Met Gala dress, it felt only natural that one key element would be piano string—more than 43 yards of steel boning and piano wire threaded through the gown’s elaborate origami folds to hold them in ethereal suspension. That gown, a custom Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture masterpiece, required more than 900 hours in the atelier and incorporated 142 yards of cotton poplin pleated and custom-developed in an origami technique by Chanel’s Les Ateliers Lognon. It is what Kuo wore to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2026 Met Gala, where the dress code was “Fashion Is Art.” And in one of the rare instances in Met Gala history, the woman in the dress had not only worn the piece but designed it herself, collaborating intimately with the fashion house and artisans behind it and erasing the usual dissonance between the body in the couture and the minds that created it. The tech world has never been short of visionaries, but it has seldom produced someone who moves as fluidly through technology, creativity, and artistry—including the hard-toplease world of high fashion—as Kuo. While her peers are celebrated predominantly for disruption and feats of engineering (she has had no shortage of her own, having also become one of the most important names in frontier tech and new media art), Kuo brings something the industry doesn’t often prioritize: aesthetic taste, an increasingly scarce and powerful resource in a world where AI can generate nearly anything, and a deeply intrinsic understanding of the creative sphere. The dress is just one example of her finding beauty in many places. “I’ve spent a lot of my life up in the clouds thinking about the pure beauty of philosophy, in unexpected places like number theory and pure math,” says Kuo, who comes from a long line of academics and entrepreneurs in Taiwan. “Fashion and art bring me down to earth to find beauty in embodied things. It grounds me and orients me as a human.” Deeply inspired by John Galliano’s Madame Butterfly collection since she was a young student, Kuo sought advice from the legendary designer to learn more about the craft of making origami-inspired haute couture. “He remembered details from 20 years ago about draping rigid origami to allow for graceful movement like it was yesterday,” she notes. That tension between rigidity and grace found its ultimate anchor in the Winged Victory of Samothrace—the ancient Greek goddess of triumph chosen to sit at the dress’s sculptural heart. “I specifically picked Winged Victory because it is a symbol 36

of feminine strength that also guards the Louvre,” Kuo explains. “As the Costume Institute debuted its first permanent galleries inside the Met this year, I wanted to honor that moment on opening night. It’s about the importance of presenting fashion as art and preserving it within these institutions.” What makes the collaboration singular is not just the dress but the relationships behind it. Kuo speaks of the Jean Paul Gaultier atelier with the affection of a family member rather than a client, describing the team as “an extraordinarily talented team that blends top craftsmanship with a high standard of efficiency, all the while never taking themselves too seriously. They are fun. They are irreverent, and they are deeply joyful.” Shot for a creative collaboration between Kuo and legendary photographer Nick Knight, these images mark the closing of a circle that began when Kuo first encountered his work in the early 2000s. “Nick was creating the world’s first examples of digital fashion, long before there were machines capable of dreaming it,” she says. “He invented the category that the best generative AI and digital-native artists are reaching for in fashion imagery today—and he’s still, by far, the best.” The experience of seeing his work for the first time left an impression she has never forgotten. For the shoot, she stood in a corset and 20cm heels for ten hours without moving. “Because I understood his style and the flavor of his vision based on his decades of image-making,” she explains, “I felt like I was stepping into a world that was deeply familiar to me.” Knight, for his part, saw the shoot as more than just a portrait session. “This series of images felt both important and exhilarating to create. Yu-Chi has the sensitivity, culture, intellect and courage to dare to offer a new vision for the 21st century. “We cannot keep looking backwards with rose-tinted glasses and revisiting the ideas that formed the last century,” he continues. “This is a new era, and we need to take joy in the conviction that we will create a brilliant future. We need to be brave.” The dress he photographed has, in its way, a chronology that mirrors what happened to the Winged Victory herself—unearthed in fragments on a remote Greek island in 1863, seen first only by the few hands that pulled her from the earth before Paris reassembled her wings and gave her to the public. The dress had its own version of that moment: known first only to Kuo as a dream, then the atelier, the artisans, Knight’s lens—and then, under the flash of hundreds of red carpet cameras, the world.

HEAD TO VMAGAZINE.COM FOR THE FULL STORY

Worn throughout Design YU-CHI LYRA KUO Dress JEAN PAUL GAULTIER Sculpture MIODRAG GUBERINIC Earrings and rings JAR PARIS Hair pins BOUCHERON

Makeup Petros Petrohilos (Streeters) Hair Franco Gobbi (Streeters) Nails Adam Slee (Streeters) Set Design Andrew Tomlinson (Streeters) Photo Assistants Lara Sugar Hughes, Gil Warner, Jed Barnes Photo Intern Oldnightkid Wang Digital Operator Joe Colley Retouching Epilogue Production Liberte Productions Special thanks John Galliano, Mouna Ayoub, Casey Curran, Franck Duquenne (Haute Couture Director, Jean Paul Gaultier)

As autumn breezes in and fabulous fall fashion takes center stage, V are turning over a new leaf—celebrating growth, change, and the world’s most exciting models of the moment, whose fearless style inspires us to fall head over heels for the season ahead Photography LUIGI & IANGO Fashion B. ÅKERLUND

Once one of the foremost fashion illustrators of his time, René Gruau’s women were unrelentingly chic, with splashes and brushstrokes of color and curves. His hats, in fabulous flashes of texture, tell us now about a time gone by, the way a model always has. Together, the combination today becomes at once nostalgic and contemporary, moving us not only toward fall, but toward possibility. What hat will I wear? Who will I be today? The latter is often a question any woman might have to answer herself. With the cyclical nature of fashion, hats come and go. But here, with a multigenerational coterie of dazzling women, we’re reminded that true beauty never fades, and the importance of the model is not to be underestimated. ELYSSA GOODMAN 42

Jacqui wears wool dress and square silk scarf CELINE Bracelets THE ARCHIVE X YANA Gloves LAEL OSNESS

Woven double layered long-hooded poncho, LV hat, luna pumps LOUIS VUITTON (Fall ‘26) For the ultimate siren look, try LA BEAUTÉ LOUIS VUITTON LV Rouge Satin Lipstick in #501 Rouge Empreinte

JAW-DROPPING JACQUI JACQUI HOOPER Southampton, United Kingdom Discovered at a music festival—waiting to witness the magic of fellow V cover star Lana Del Rey at England’s Reading Festival—the model has been walking to her own beat ever since as one of London’s most exciting faces. Channeling muses of the 1960s and 1970s like Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, and Nico, Jacqui brings a free spirit to every runway.

Wool satin jacket and wool cotton trousers FENDI Daphne hat LORO PIANA Gloves LAEL OSNESS

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? Whenever you see me walk on the runway, there’s a good chance I’m not actually wearing my real shoe size! I think people assume everything arrives perfectly fitted, but a huge part of modeling is adapting quickly behind the scenes with samples, fittings, and last-minute changes. It always amazes me how the teams pull everything together and make it look so effortless on the runway.

BOLD BHAVITHA

BHAVITHA MANDAVA Hyderabad, India While a Master’s student at NYU, a chance encounter on the subway led to Mandava’s modeling world debut. Not only has she since graduated, she continues making strides for Indian models on the runway and on magazine covers worldwide. The world better buckle up for a force that’s just been awakened.

How do you think modeling will change moving forward? I think the industry is becoming more inclusive and representative, which is exciting. We’re seeing greater recognition of different body types, ages, backgrounds, and personal stories. Technology is also changing the industry through digital campaigns, social media, virtual fashion experiences, and AI-generated content. As things evolve, I think authenticity and individuality will become even more valuable because people connect with real personalities, not just images.

Bhavita wears cagoule in double organza embroidered with tridimensional elements DOLCE&GABBANA ALTA MODA For a sultry look to the eye, try DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY Ever Icon Eye Palette 10H Multi-Finish Day To Night Eyeshadows in #01 Amber Venus

Dress, necklace, bracelet, earrings CHANEL Feather leaf mask LYNN PAIK

High neck slashed knitted dress, silk satin T-shirt hat, sculpted gem silvery wood earrings GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton

AMAZING AMELIA

AMELIA GRAY Los Angeles, California, United States From Beverly Hills to global runways, there’s no one more fierce and fearless than Amelia. Lighting catwalks on fire around the world, she’s defining her own new-gen ravenesque signature look with each new show, campaign, and cover she graces.

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? Modeling is a form of acting. It is a collaboration between the model, a designer, a photographer, and a glam team. Everyone works together to create the perfect character. It’s just the best feeling in the world to create with others.

Amelia wears leather jacket FERRAGAMO Headpiece J.R. MALPERE Earrings and bracelets ALEXIS BITTAR Gloves LAEL OSNESS

Dress, veil, gloves OLIVER WARD Panthère de Cartier earrings, bracelet, ring CARTIER

Faux fur coat and tights SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello For a plump lip effect, try YSL BEAUTY Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss in #01 Thunder Stealer

Sascha wears mini off shoulder dress and rainbow drop asymmetric earrings GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton Hat J.R. MALPERE Stylist’s own gloves

SCINTILLATING SASCHA SASCHA RAJASALU Nynäshamn, Sweden Since her debut just four years ago, Sascha has become one of the busiest models in fashion. Statuesque and steely, the Swedish sweetheart can be counted on to bring elegance and edge to every camera and catwalk.

How do you think modeling will change moving forward? I think that personality and social media presence will play a bigger role for models.

Bar jacket, mini skirt with train, romance pumps DIOR Leather aviator hat with grosgrain ties BINATA MILLINERY A good glow starts with your base. For a radiant look, try DIOR BEAUTY Dior Forever Skin Glow

Coat RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION Odette hat EUGENIA KIM

NO ONE LIKE NOOR NOOR KHAN Karachi, Pakistan The Swedish and Pakistani beauty, who has charmed designers with her signature androgyny, started as an in-demand exclusive. Since then, her runway and editorial credits have only skyrocketed, making her one of the industry’s brightest new stars.

How do you think modeling will change moving forward? Though I don’t know exactly how things will progress, I hope that going forward, the industry continues to invest in the character of models. I think it transforms our role from exclusively being physical vessels for art to having more of an impact on the energy of the image.

Noor wears faux fur and nylon coat, earrings, tights SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M watch OMEGA

Selma romper and Clea hat LORO PIANA Classic oval-cut diamond line bracelet DE BEERS LONDON

Wool cashmere mohair turtleneck, cocktail slip dress with lace, business-stripe silk shirt, skirt, TF monogram tights, embossed leather pumps TOM FORD Cap J.R. MALPERE For a nineties-inspired plum look to the lip, try TOM FORD BEAUTY Slim Lip Color Shine in #157 Go-See

LIMITLESS LIU LIU WEN Yongzhou, Hunan Province, China From her beginnings in 2006, Liu Wen became a trailblazer, widely recognized as China’s first supermodel. Her career has been defined by a series of firsts: the first East Asian model to front a global beauty campaign, appearances on the covers of major international fashion publications, and walking landmark runway shows. Today, she remains one of the most enduring forces in modeling—still setting the pace for a new generation on the world stage.

Liu wears wool felt hat MOSCHINO Bracelets THE ARCHIVE X YANA Gloves C’EST JEANNE Stylist’s own top Talent’s own earring

Alistaire double-breasted jacket, shirt, trousers, Daphne hat, silk scarf LORO PIANA Bamboo earrings and rings (left middle finger and right ring finger) DAVID WEBB Vintage 1965 YG Diamond Dome Caged Ring (left pointer finger) SAIDIAN VINTAGE JEWELRY Tights VICTORIA’S SECRET Heels VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? In truth, what the public sees is the beautiful, glamorous world of modeling, but few understand that behind the scenes, we invest a lot of energy and time into ourselves, as well as the persistence needed for this job. Modeling is not acting as a mere “clothing hanger” but a responsibility that requires so much professionalism and tenacity. For each job, you have to understand the narrative that the brand, designer, or photographer wishes to present, and collaborate with them seamlessly day-to-day to tell all of those stories. To do this well, you must utilize all your discipline, focus, and passion towards the creative process, and sincerely engage with the art of selfexpression. This is the true substance of our profession behind the lights.

Top, skirt, bag, socks, shoes PRADA Bracelets THE ARCHIVE X YANA Knotted turban PIERS ATKINSON Stylist’s own gloves For a classic cat eye look, try PRADA BEAUTY Pradalines Durable Gliding Eye Pencil in #01 Nero

Mara long shirt, Jenia skirt, Gardenia hat LORO PIANA Vintage Alexis Bittar bangles (top on left, middle on right) and Roberto Cavalli rings THE ARCHIVE X YANA Bangles and ring (left hand pointer finger) ALEXIS BITTAR Vintage 1965 YG diamond ring (left hand middle finger) SAIDIAN VINTAGE JEWELRY Ring (right hand pointer finger) DAVID WEBB Ring (right hand middle finger) CAMILLA DIETZ BERGERON

AWE-INSPIRING ANNE

ANNE V Nizhny Novgorod, Russia Anne’s signature aughts blonde bombshell aesthetic has made her a steady, unmatched presence in fashion. Although her focus has grown to take on larger initiatives, including activism and charitable work for organizations such as (RED), Mothers 2 Mothers, and Model Alliance, among others— while also being a certified yoga instructor—there’s no denying that fashion will always embrace her.

What has modeling taught you personally? Modeling has taught me surrender and trust. Over a 25-year career, there have been incredible highs and also difficult moments. I’ve learned that models are chosen — or not chosen — for countless reasons, many of which are completely out of your control. Over time, those peaks and valleys taught me gratitude. They taught me not to force things, but to trust timing and trust the path unfolding in front of me. I’ve come to believe that the universe has a plan for each of us, and that the opportunities, magic, and experiences meant for us arrive exactly when we are ready to receive them.

Anne wears logo printed leather rain hat with visor TOM FORD Vintage raincoat BURBERRY ℅ CLOAK WARDROBE OMEGA De Ville Mini Trésor watch OMEGA Ring THE ARCHIVE X YANA Pumps SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello

Dress RICHARD QUINN Kilimanjaro visor in velvet and moiré STEPHEN JONES MILLINERY Earrings THE ARCHIVE X YANA

Oversized long silk coat GIORGIO ARMANI Satin hat PHILIP TREACY Gloves LAEL OSNESS Leather pumps JIMMY CHOO For a luminous effect to the skin, try ARMANI BEAUTY Luminous Silk Natural Glow Blurring Foundation

Libby wears illusion tulle, plumetis and mesh corset dress embroidered with macramé lace elements, velvet and crystals DOLCE&GABBANA ALTA MODA Veil HOUSE OF GILLES Gloves GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton For a hint of mystique to your eye look, try two coats of DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY Everfull XL Mascara 36H Extreme Volume & Lift

LOVELY LIBBY LIBBY TAVERNER Perth, Australia Labeled a top newcomer, the rising Aussie beauty first made her fashion debut only a year ago. Soon after, she became the one to watch (and photograph). With her bold ‘90s brow and brunette waves, Libby showed she can channel anything from grunge to goddess. When she’s not in front of the lens, she also advocates for mental health awareness.

Draped cape BALENCIAGA Short leather hat LANVIN Tights FALKE Pumps GUCCI

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? I want people to know and understand that the modeling industry isn’t as glamorous as it may seem. Many models are having to travel great distances from their homes, friends, and family to foreign countries that they’ve never been to before. This can be quite daunting and challenging to navigate as young individuals. I think that people should also know that the industry isn’t filled with malicious models trying to sabotage one another, in my experience. Though I can’t speak on the behalf of everyone, I have had the most special interactions with other models amongst the industry.

LUSTROUS LINA

LINA ZHANG Fengyang, Anhui Province, China While often described as a work of art, Lina is so much more–a modeling industry veteran, a partner, and a mom, all while crafting a magnetic presence on the cover of magazines and campaigns. Beloved by some of the world’s largest fashion houses, she has developed a powerful stature as a mainstay in a constantly changing industry.

How do you think modeling will change moving forward? Modeling has always been about change. The industry is constantly looking for something new, something specific, something that reflects the identity of a brand or a moment in time. What people are drawn to keeps evolving, and I think that’s always going to be part of fashion. To be honest, the industry is becoming much faster and more driven by immediacy, partly because of social media. People seem to pay more attention to visibility and attention around a model, rather than depth. At the same time, I still think there’s space for people who have a real point of view and a genuine presence.

Lina wears long striped dress and satin belt VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE Duchess cuffed gloves LAEL OSNESS For a vinyl finish to the lips, try VALENTINO BEAUTY Puffer Gloss in #520R Moonlight Crush

Pirate hat ANDREAS KRONTHALER FOR VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Corset and tights XI SCORPII Gloves LILLIAN SHALOM Hennie bow ballerinas LORO PIANA

Double-breasted wool coat and poplin shirt DOLCE&GABBANA Sinamay straw hat PHILIP TREACY Gloves PAULA ROWAN

Ruth wears dress, necklace, bracelets, bracelet (worn on head) JEAN PAUL GAULTIER Boots STELLA MCCARTNEY A good smoky eye will never let you down. Try PRADA BEAUTY Prada Dimensions Eyeshadow in #02 Profusion

RADIANT RUTH RUTH DENG Dallas, Texas, United States A rare and refined beauty, Ruth Deng is fresh from her runway debut this past spring: the modeling newcomer is already making a name for herself at just 18 years old. With an artistic soul, paired with a passion for drawing and nail art design, the world will soon learn why she’s on the rise.

Lace and taffeta gown VALENTINO Earrings VALENTINO GARAVANI Gabrielle hat LORO PIANA Plume de Paon ring BOUCHERON

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? I want people to know it’s harder than it looks. I came in thinking I would just show up and take pictures, but no—it’s more than just taking pictures. It’s the confidence you bring into the room, your drive, and your ambition that make the pictures.

KRISTEN KNOCKS IT OUT KRISTEN MCMENAMY Easton, Pennsylvania, United States From Pennsylvania to the UK and everywhere in between, Kristen’s name has become synonymous with modeling stardom. Mentored by legends ranging from Karl Lagerfeld to Peter Lindbergh, the longtime muse has been setting the standard for fashion storytelling since she first arrived on the runway in the ‘80s to the present day.

Kristen wears Chanel Spring 1996 CC micro-bikini, Chanel Fall 2018 earrings, Chanel Cruise 2021 lip ring (worn on nose) PECHUGA VINTAGE

Dress MIU MIU Rings (on pinky fingers) SOPHIE BILLE BRAHE Ring (right hand ring finger) STEFERE Ring (right hand pointer finger) FERNANDO JORGE Ring (left hand pointer finger) NIKOS KOULIS

What does growth mean to you as a person and as a model? Growth as a model is about wisdom and experience. Also, keeping the passion alive. Growth as a human being is tricky because you have to shake the praise and vanity and keep the honesty and spirituality. Two opposing worlds.

Ivory embroidered silk crepe dressing gown and organza bra with floral sequin embroidery VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE Feather headpiece DAWID TOMASZEWSKI X MICHELLE KEARNS DESIGNS Ring STEFERE Dial up the drama to your eyes with a bold graphic liner. Try VALENTINO BEAUTY Colorgraph Eyeliner in Rockstud Noir

Gloves GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton Hat SARAH SOKOL Tights WOLFORD

NEXT LEVEL NATASHA

NATASHA POLY Perm, Russia Nobody walks like Natasha Poly, nobody looks like Natasha Poly, nobody is Natasha Poly. Known for her angular features and powerful command of the catwalk since her debut in the early 2000s, Poly has become, and maintained her status as, an undisputable modeling icon.

How do you think modeling will change moving forward? I think the industry is becoming more human, which is a beautiful thing. There’s more individuality now, more personality, more openness to different ages, backgrounds, and stories. People connect with authenticity much more than perfection. Technology and digital fashion will also continue to change the industry in a big way—AI, virtual production, digital campaigns—but I still believe emotion and presence can never be replaced. Fashion is about energy, and human connection will always matter. I also think models today have more of a voice. In the past, models were expected to simply show up and look beautiful. Now they can be collaborators, entrepreneurs, mothers, creatives, and women with opinions and identities beyond the image.

Natasha wears bow leather top, slashed midi skirt, belt, large bonbon gloves GIVENCHY by Sarah Burton Stylist’s own hat For a shiny effect to the lip, try GIVENCHY BEAUTY Rose Perfecto Shine Serum Lipstick in #306 Luminous Red

High collar bomber BALENCIAGA Patent snake textured leather military cap HEATHER HUEY Elsa Peretti split cuff (left wrist) TIFFANY & CO. Sixteen stone bracelet (right wrist) TIFFANY & CO.

Embro one-shoulder top, relaxed curve trousers, BB belt, long gloves BALENCIAGA Juste un Clou bracelets and Clash de Cartier rings CARTIER Hat SARAH SOKOL Earrings ALEXIS BITTAR

ELLA ENCHANTED ELLA MCCUTCHEON Perth, Australia Fresh-faced and fabulous, the fierce Aussie has become a force to be reckoned with on and off the runway. Ella became a model while studying for her high school finals. The budding muse, hair flowing and pout perfect, then closed the book on her former life and hasn’t looked back since.

Ella wears shirt, top, shorts (double-layered under skirt), skirt, socks, shoes PRADA Leather bandana THE CAST Swap out the classic red for a bold plum lip color this fall. Try PRADA BEAUTY Monochrome Hyper Matte Refillable Lipstick in #P57 Ultraviolet

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? Modeling, as a job, is a unique blend of quiet downtime and fast-paced chaos. You experience some months of nonstop fashion. You will also have large amounts of downtime in the ‘off-season.’ You have to learn to maintain routines in both realms, which is definitely a learning experience. One of my favorite hobbies to pick up in my downtime is wood whittling, the craft of shaping a piece of wood into a design using a handheld knife. It’s really relaxing and it’s easy to do anywhere while requiring very little equipment. I typically make spoons and other kitchen utensils but when I have larger material I make trays for home décor.

Jacket, shirt, skirt, earrings, mules CHANEL Pastore hat LORO PIANA Brooch pin (worn on hat) ALEXIS BITTAR

CAPTIVATING CANDICE

CANDICE SWANEPOEL Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Discovered as a teenager, Swanepoel became known as a sprightly blonde siren, a megawatt model, and an undeniable powerhouse in fashion. And it’s not just for her appearances on runways and in campaigns, it’s also as the designer of her own swimwear line, Tropic of C.

What do you want people to know about modeling that you don’t think they do? People often see the finished image and assume modeling is mostly about beauty, but what they don’t see is how much of the job is about endurance, adaptability, and trust. You’re constantly stepping into different worlds, collaborating with your own team, photographers, stylists, designers, and creatives to bring a vision to life. It’s a profession that asks you to be both a canvas and a storyteller. There’s a lot of discipline behind the scenes…early mornings, long travel days, taking care of your body and mind, and learning how to handle rejection without letting it define you. The most successful models aren’t necessarily the most beautiful; they’re often the ones who are professional, resilient, and able to evolve while staying true to themselves. At its best, modeling isn’t about being looked at; it’s about helping people feel something.

Credit TKTK

Candice wears jumper dress LOUIS VUITTON

Dress MIU MIU Patent snake textured leather bucket hat HEATHER HUEY

Cheetah print long coat and printed jersey bikini GUCCI Short leather hat LANVIN Juste un Clou ring CARTIER A feline look to the eye will never go out of style. Try GUCCI BEAUTY Stylo Définition L’Obscur Ink Liner across the top lashline

MAGNIFICENT MICA

MICA ARGAÑARAZ Beccar, Buenos Aires, Argentina With vibrant curls and dark eyes, you’ll find the Argentinian model and muse on covers, catwalks, and campaigns galore. She’s also an accomplished artist with a penchant for Bob Dylan.

What does growth mean to you as a person and as a model? Growth has a lot to do with becoming more comfortable with my own voice and more sure of myself. I started working at a young age, so in many ways I grew up inside this industry. This job makes you know yourself deeply, and knowing yourself better is already growth. Being far from my family, becoming independent, finding my voice, learning how to communicate better and set boundaries, all of that changed me a lot. I also doubt myself less now. With time, I learned how to separate the version of me people see online or on a billboard from the person I am at home when nobody is watching. That balance took a while to build, but now I have found ways to toggle between the job and my private life.

Mica wears aviator jacket in upcycled leather COACH Cotton jersey T-shirt and knit briefs FENDI Puffy lucite bangles ALEXIS BITTAR Tights FALKE The vamp look is for fall is here to stay. To embody this, try M·A·C COSMETICS M·A·CXIMAL Sleek Satin Lipstick in Cyber

Models Jacqui Hooper (NEXT), Bhavitha Mandava (28Models), Amelia Gray (The Lions), Sascha Rajasalu (NEXT), Noor Khan (NEXT), Liu Wen (The Society), Anne V (The Lions), Libby Taverner (The Society), Lina Zhang (The Society), Ruth Deng (The Society), Kristen McMenamy (The Lions), Natasha Poly (The Lions), Ella McCutcheon (DNA), Candice Swanepoel (The Lions), Mica Argañaraz (DNA) Casting Maxime Valentini (2b Management) Makeup (Anne, Bhavita, Jacqui, Libby, Lina, Liu) Georgi Sandev (Forward Artists) Makeup (Ella, Mica, Amelia, Ruth, Sasha) Tayler Treadwell (Streeters) Makeup (Kristen) Kennedy (Streeters) using Dior Addict Glass Lipstick Hair (Anne, Bhavita, Jacqui, Libby, Lina, Liu, Amelia) Lauren Berrones (Home Agency) Hair (Kristen) Teddy Charles (Nevermind Agency) Hair (Ella, Mica, Amelia, Ruth, Sasha) Mari Watase (87 Artists) using Oribe Manicure (Anne, Bhavita, Jacqui, Libby, Lina, Liu, Ella, Ruth, Sasha) Leanne Woodley (See Management) using CND Manicure (Mica, Amelia) Jazz Style (See Management) using CHANEL LE VERNIS Manicure (Kristen) Rachel Sun (OPUS Beauty) using Dior Le Baume Fashion Market Editor Copelyn Bengel Styling Support Elanur Erdoğan (Forward Artists) Producer Louis Guillemain (2b Management) Cinematographer (Anne, Bhavita, Jacqui, Libby, Lina, Liu, Ella, Mica, Amelia, Ruth, Sasha) Santiago Montes Cinematographer (Kristen) Bell Soto Photo Assistant Francisco Betancourt Makeup Assistants Chloe Yang, Jack Titcomb Fashion Assistant (Bhavita, Anne, Liu, Jacqui, Lina, Libby) Evan James Fashion Coordinator (Kristen) Stacia Muse Digital Technician (Kristen) Amanda Yanez Lighting Director (Kristen) Tutu Lee Production Coordinator (Kristen) Ashton Wilson Hair Assistant (Kristen) Selina Boon Executive Producer (Kristen) Alexey Galetskiy (AGP NYC) Production Assistants Juliet Lloyd, Angelina Aliano, Maksim Doraev

Wool cashmere cape style coat FERRAGAMO HardWear graduated link necklace and HardWear medium link bracelets TIFFANY & CO. Pumps SAINT LAURENT by Anthony Vaccarello

2019

Tianna wears Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya stripe ribbed bodysuit and leather platform strappy sandals TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Mini tote bag and leather buckle belt TOMMY HILFIGER

2020

Mumin wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection red, white, and blue stars and stripes reversible coat, Tommy Hilfiger Collection blue, green, red, and white colorblock long sleeve rugby shirt, Tommy Hilfiger Collection pinstripe shorts, Tommy Hilfiger Collection crest chunkie boat shoe TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Papertouch fun classic fit shirt TOMMY HILFIGER

Fashion’s all-American hero Tommy Hilfiger has transformed classic American style into a global movement through the convergence of pop culture and fearless design. Here, V celebrates over four decades of the timeless cool only he can deliver Photography PETROS KOUIOURIS Fashion FANI POLYCHRONIOU

2019

Kristin wears Tommy Jeans Archive Collection acid wash denim trucker jacket TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE 94

2026

Yuyang wears Breton flag cable crew sweater, cotton classic boxer, quarter-top socks, classic leather loafers TOMMY HILFIGER

2021

Mayowa wears Tommy Hilfiger x Indya Moore cotton racerback sports bra and Tommy Hilfiger x Indya Moore cotton brief style underwear TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

1999

Max wears Tommy Jeans red, white, and blue relaxed fit colorblock jeans TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Embroidered Tommy logo T-shirt and classic leather sneakers TOMMY HILFIGER

2000

Beauty wears Tommy Hilfiger navy triangle bikini top TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2020

Tommy Hilfiger oversized scarf TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

1995

Samuel wears Tommy Hilfiger mid-rise straight leg jeans TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

Hilfiger stripe beach towel TOMMY HILFIGER

2017

Mayowa wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection American flag glitter sleeveless blouse and Tommy Hilfiger Collection knit sleeveless mini-dress with fringe hem TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

“I pay attention to how people are mixing things, how culture is shifting, and what feels new and exciting. I’ve always believed you have to connect to the zeitgeist if you want to stay relevant.” —Tommy Hilfiger

2026

Yuyang wears cotton jacket, cotton briefs, pants, leather sneakers TOMMY HILFIGER

1995

Mumin wears Tommy Hilfiger red, white, and blue colorblock long sleeve rugby polo TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Stripe linen blend trousers and TH monogram scarf TOMMY HILFIGER

2006

Kristin wears Tommy Hilfiger string halter bikini top TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Relaxed straight jeans TOMMY HILFIGER

2026

Samuel wears athleisure cricket cardigan and hat TOMMY HILFIGER

2022

Tianna wears Tommy Jeans jersey strapless tie back bandeau TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

1999

Tommy Jeans red, white, and blue colorblock jeans with oversized "Tommy" and "Jeans" down either leg TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

Hilfiger stripe beach towel TOMMY HILFIGER

2026

Max wears linen pants, briefs, 43MM silicone strap sport watch, 43MM sport watch TOMMY HILFIGER

2014

2000

Tianna wears Tommy Hilfiger long sleeve snap down Western inspired suede shirt TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

Samuel wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection long sleeve mother-of-pearl snap shirt with Western inspired applique, high waist jeans with flare leg and beaded fringe down side seam, cowboy boots TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2005

Tommy Hilfiger white briefs with red, white and blue trim TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2017

Max wears Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid red, white, and blue long sleeve sweater TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Pleated chino shorts TOMMY HILFIGER

Models Kristin Drab (IMG), Tianna St. Louis (Elite), Beauty Thet Thinn (Elite), Mayowa Nicholas (Elite), Yuyang Cai (Heroes), Mumin Jangani (Heroes), Max Tate (Heroes), Samuel Watson (NEXT), Sacha Bilal (Soul Artist Management) Makeup Kevin Cheah (OPUS Beauty) using Armani Beauty Hair Rachel Polycarpe (Forward Artists) using Pureology Executive Producer Kevin Warner (WAK Creative) Casting Goran Macura Lighting Director Vasilios Smaragdas Cinematographer David Barron Lighting Technician Pablo Espinoza Movement Director Marly Phillips Nicol Prop Stylist Claire Vitto Photo Assistants Beka Maglakelidze, Michael Alexander Fashion Assistants Adlet Bermukhamedov, Julizza Vivas, Irene Crespo Makeup Assistants Chloe Yang, Jack Titcomb Hair Assistant Simone Bailey Prop Assistants Noah Duarte, Ana Kalvo Production Assistants Ailbhe Killalea, Juliet Lloyd, Tianyun Lan Production Coordinator Drew Bosset Location The Dominick

2000

Kristin wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection leather bustier, Tommy Hilfiger Collection flare pants, Tommy Hilfiger Collection leather cowboy boots with flame pattern TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2023

Yuyang wears Tommy Hilfiger x Harlem Fashion Row mesh tank top TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

1995

Tommy Hilfiger mid-rise straight leg jeans TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Vulcanized canvas sneaker TOMMY HILFIGER

2000

Beauty wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection white snakeskin micro mini skirt with white beaded fringe trim TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Relaxed denim shirt and Tommy Jeans leather cowboy boots TOMMY HILFIGER

1998

Mumin wears Tommy Hilfiger American flag long-sleeve woven shirt TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2000

Tommy Hilfiger Collection leather cowboy boots TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

2026

Cotton stretch trunks TOMMY HILFIGER

2017

Mayowa wears Tommy Hilfiger Collection red, white, and blue print bodysuit TOMMY HILFIGER ARCHIVE

“I love that fashion is cyclical. In some ways, it’s reassuring. It means the pieces that matter don’t disappear; they come back interpreted through a different cultural lens.” —Tommy Hilfiger Hilfiger stripe beach towels TOMMY HILFIGER

With Chanel’s latest “Signes & Symboles” High Jewelry collection, the house transforms its most iconic motifs—the camellia, lion, sun, and star—into a dazzling universe where precious gemstones and iconography collide in radiant splendor Photography MATHIEU RAINAUD Fashion LAETITIA PAUL 100

Opposite page Valerie wears lion rayonnant earrings in white gold and diamonds CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY This page Lion rayonnant ring in white gold and diamonds (right hand) and Talisman Gabrielle ring in white gold, diamonds and chrysoprase (left hand) CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Denim trousers CHANEL Tank top RE/DONE

From top to bottom Symbole saphir earrings in white gold, diamonds, sapphires, turquoise and onyx and symbole emblématique ring in white gold, diamonds, sapphires, turquoise, carnelian and onyx CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Lion emblématique brooch in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, diamonds, yellow diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and turquoise CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY

Talisman de symboles necklace in white gold, diamonds, white ceramic CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY

From left to right Lion rubis ring in rose gold, diamonds and ruby CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Lion rayonnant bracelet in white gold and diamonds CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Top and denim trouser CHANEL

Lion rayonnant earrings in white gold and diamonds CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Jacket and denim trousers CHANEL Model Valerie Scherzinger (Supreme) Makeup Sayuri Yamashita (Interlude Project) Manicure Anaïs Cordevant (Agence Saint Germain) Hair Ryo Narushima (Total World) using Bumble and Bumble Photo Assistant Chloé May Styling Assistant Caroline Martin Casting Nicholas Bianciotto (IKKI Casting) Production Sara Murru (Interlude Project) Location Daguerre Studio

Symbole saphir earrings in white gold, diamonds, sapphires, turquoise and onyx CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY T-shirt UNIQLO

106

Sarah wears Tabitha hat LORO PIANA (Fall ‘26) Graphic line asymmetrical earrings and signature white tie necklace CHANEL HIGH JEWELRY Vintage gloves ℅ CLOAK WARDROBE

The actor’s career has launched her into the public eye—the very thing her breakout role in the hit series Love Story explored & scrutinized Photography LUIGI & IANGO Fashion ARUT ARUSTAMYAN Interview MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG

Shirt, vest, pants, belt, gloves, boots RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION (Fall ‘26)

W

hen Sarah Pidgeon joins our call, her head is already spinning with all the packing and unpacking ahead of her. She’s somewhere in Australia, doing her best to stay grounded while crisscrossing the globe for work— whether that means attending the Met Gala, appearing on late-night television, or slipping into a clandestine Hollywood meeting about whatever comes next. Before starring in Ryan Murphy’s culturally inescapable Love Story, Pidgeon was already an acclaimed actress, with television roles, films, and even a Tony Award nomination to her name. But her portrayal of beloved ’90s icon Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy has propelled her into a new realm of visibility. It’s a particularly intriguing turn, given that Bessette-Kennedy spent much of her final years trying to protect her privacy from the relentless media attention surrounding both herself and her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr., one of the most famous men in the world. As she steps into a new chapter of her career, Pidgeon reflects on navigating the transition, being photographed—and critiqued—while filming in New York City, and why a career in Hollywood can often feel like one gamble after another.

MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG: You’ve already had a successful career on Broadway and in theater, but this show has taken your visibility to a completely different level. Beyond acting itself, there are suddenly magazine covers, brand partnerships, interviews, and a much busier schedule. What has it been like adjusting to that new level of attention and opportunity? SARAH PIDGEON: The belief I had before entering the industry, trying to access it while I was studying in school, has remained the same, but it’s become more nuanced: if I do good work with good people, then I’ll be happy, and my career will

inevitably lead to the next thing. Now, as you said, there are so many parts at play. With the good fortune of being in a resonant project a lot of people have seen, there is more opportunity, and I am so grateful for that. It’s only been a couple of months. I certainly still feel like I have to fight for jobs. MR: It remains a gamble. From the outside, people tend to think there’s a formula: you have a hit, then you get the big movie, then the next thing happens. But when you actually look at people’s careers, it’s rarely that straightforward. SP: The itchiness I feel is from asking myself more and more, what type of artist do I want to be? What avenue of character acting do I want to explore? You don’t always have the answers. I know I have certain tastes and things I gravitate towards that I can’t even put into words. So, asking myself this unanswerable question, what do I want to do and what do I want to be, feels very ephemeral to me. It’s like trying to define where I’m at now, while also not having any perspective on what this moment is, or this turning point in my life. MR: Carolyn Bessette was someone who thought deeply about privacy, visibility, and how she was perceived. As your own profile has grown through this role, have you found yourself relating to those concerns anew? SP: That was top of mind the entire production because it was a big theme we were exploring. Especially in the latter half of our series, understanding or attempting to understand Carolyn as a person before and after this event of suddenly becoming this public figure. We were shooting some of these moments in the series on the streets of New York, so there was a lot of public interest, whether or not people knew what we were shooting. It was a feeling of being looked at, plus paparazzi. There were articles written about what we were making before we even finished.

MR: And to the point where things were changed because of these articles coming out before the show was even finished— SP: Yeah, it was a whirlwind of a summer for so many reasons. Life and art sort of folded in on each other. I felt in many moments like, well, my life is so different from Carolyn’s, and portraying someone on TV is very different from having a lived experience of existing in New York. There were a lot of moments where I felt my central nervous system firing in a way that I would imagine hers did as well, despite the scenarios being different. I think in terms of reckoning with a sense of public perception, it is a strange thing for any of us to feel like we’re being perceived, and I don’t even particularly enjoy watching what I’ve done. MR: Of course! It’s like listening to your own voice on a voicemail. SP: It’s tiny ego deaths, and I think this would stay true performing a character…This was true before I played Carolyn, and even more so afterwards. Privacy is something that’s very... I guess sacred sounds really loaded, but I think it is something that’s sacred, and it should be protected. I would like to protect it, at least. But we live in an age where everyone has a phone, and anyone can... hell, I took a picture of some really cute old ladies walking together today in the park. I’m guilty of that as well. We exist in a world where we can be frozen in these moments, or there can be a discussion about you from people that I don’t know personally, but have a sort of parasocial relationship with you. It’s a funny stone to turn over in your head. I’m grateful that I’ve done something that’s resonated with people, that has stuck with people, and that they’re invested in what I do next. But at the same time, I don’t always like being watched.

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Makeup Georgi Sandev (Forward Artists) Hair Mari Watase (87 Artists) using Oribe Manicure Leanne Woodley (See Management) using CND Casting Greg Krelenstein (GK-LD) Fashion Market Editor Copelyn Bengel Styling Assistant Gabby Buchan Photo Assistant Francisco Betancourt Production Louis Guillemain (2b Management) Cinematographer Santiago Montes

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