'When No One Is Watching' by Palma Llopis and Lotte Thor for Schön! Magazine Online

'When No One Is Watching' by Palma Llopis and Lotte Thor for Schön! Magazine Online AOC Fashion

Model Amra Novak appears in ‘When No One Is Watching’, an online editorial for Schön! Magazine December 2021, lensed by photographers duo Palma Llopis [IG] and Lotte Thor [IG]. Olive Duran styles Novak in Balenciaga, Kenzo, Tom Ford and more./ Hair and make up by Naomzz

Schön! asks a question that AOC struggles with: What do we do when no one sees us? Do we allow ourselves to satisfy our darkest and most unspeakable desires? What if someone turns on the light and catches us? We all have a strictly private and intimate dark side, so there’s no shame in that..

Tish Weinstock and Tom Guinness at Home for Matches Magazine December 2021

Tish Weinstock and Tom Guinness at Home for Matches Magazine December 2021 AOC Fashion

James Webb Travels A Million Miles Into Deep Space, Fired Up by Jean Baptiste-Mondino for Numero

Models Lydia Kloos and Dija Kallon turned their February 2021 fashion eyes into the FUTUR, anticipating the 10-months away, Christmas Day 2021 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Praying that she flies through the universe at epic speed as planned, Lydia and Dija were styled by Babeth Dijan in graphic, bold-colors loves from Europe’s biggest fashion houses for ‘Galactic’.

As we review our photographer archives for missing stories that AOC didn’t post in 2021 [Yes, AOC does do that], we couldn’t resist ‘Galactic’, lensed by Jean Baptiste-Mondino.

FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE REQUIRED

The fashion and beauty industries have an obsession with fixing women by making us flawless Buttons can be reattached, a broken-open seam re-stitched; a pimple zapped into inert skin rubble in an hour.

Not so for the James Webb where NOTHING — not the smallest issue that would require a human intervention like fixes on the international space station require all the time — can go wrong.

Having accidentally fallen in love with this year-old Numero editorial, we take this old-news fashion moment to share the great now news that James Webb left Earth on Christmas Day, flying atop an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from a spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Led by the Americans, the James Webb is an international collective effort of many nations to understand our origins. AOC is obsessed forever about the origin of our universe and the rise of humanity out of Africa and across our vast and endangered planet Earth.

NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED

NASA’s long-delayed $10 billion flying machine is now on its way, carrying the hopes and dreams of countless astronomers, astrophysicists, planetary scientists and ordinary people like Anne Enke into the final frontier.

Now we have our first fabulous good news about James Webb. On Sunday, while millions of humans were napping away Saturday’s Christmas Dinner, she successfully deployed a critical antenna in her first post-launch must-do.

The space telescope unfolded what scientists call a “gimbaled antenna assembly” that carries the high-rate data dish responsible for beaming Webb's observations of the early universe back to Earth.

"This antenna will be used to send at least 28.6 Gbytes of science data down from the observatory, twice a day," NASA officials wrote in a mission update. "The team has now released and tested the motion of the antenna assembly — the entire process took about one hour."

The James Webb is traveling back in time, set to broadcast information about “the universe's first stars and galaxies, sniff the atmospheres of nearby alien planets and perform a variety of other high-profile, high-impact work over the next five to 10 years, if all goes according to plan. “

FLAWLESS FOR REAL

Webb cannot get a pimple on her gorgeous face. Not a hair can fly out of place — or the entire mission collapses.

Unlike Kim K’s beloved SKIMS or Estee Lauder’s ‘Night Repair’, James Webb cannot be fixed with manual human intervention. She has been created by humans and a whole lot of technology — but now James Webb must fly and function flawlessly on her own, until she dies.

I beg you fashion and beauty people. Could we please stop trying to make women flawless and reserve the word ‘flawless’ for human achievements like the James Web Space Telescope? Not EVERY ultimate human achievement word needs to be on a bottle or buried in Spandex. [No offense intended, Kim. I love your SKIMS and don’t think you use that word ‘Flaws’, but I will check.]

Goddess speed, James Webb. AOC truly hopes that you succeed in telling us unimaginable scientific facts about our universe. Half the American people will say you are fake news, but we will broadcast every divine detail about your discoveries.

Sending love to an incredible flying machine carrying decades of human hopes onboard and total awe over what you might teach us about ourselves. Buckle up everyone. This could be the most amazing ride ever on planet Earth. And SHE needs a lot of help right now. ~ Anne

Related: Learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope

Arca Releases 'KICK', Lensed by Tim Walker for Vogue Mexico December 2021

Arca Releases 'KICK', Lensed by Tim Walker for Vogue Mexico December 2021 AOC Body

Alejandra Ghersi Rodriguez, known professionally as Arca, [IG] is a Venezuelan musician, singer, composer, record producer, and DJ. Timed with the release of the artist’s latest project ‘KICK’, Arca covers the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Vogue Mexico and Latin America.

Ai Kamoshita styles Arca in provocative sensual fashion pieces lensed by Tim Walker as ‘Arca la Diva Experimental.’

Citing her years as a club kid, and interviewing Arca from her home in Barcelona, the New York Times wrote:

“Dance floors are where I found freedom . . . When I moved to New York at age 17, I was very repressed. There were a lot of colors that I was muting internally.”

Arca does not come quietly into the night. Rather she arrives boldly and in a commanding presence. NYT continues

She has produced for FKA twigs, Björk and Kanye West, modeled in campaigns for Bottega Veneta and Calvin Klein, and composed a constantly transforming soundtrack for the Museum of Modern Art’s lobby using artificial intelligence. This year, she was up for her first Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw by Victor Demarchelier for Tatler UK February 2022

Gugu Mbatha-Raw by Victor Demarchelier for Tatler UK February 2022 AOC Fashion

Actor Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of ‘The Girl Before’, is styled by Tracy Taylor in Alexander McQueen, Dior, Prada, Vivienne Westwood and pieces from Torso Vintages. Photographer Victor Demarchelier [IG] is behind the lens, capturing Mbatha-Raw in a fashion story based on “the new era of elegance” for Tatler UK’s February 2022 issue./ Hair by Victor Jones-Moore; makeup by Zabrina Matiru

Naomi Osaka Set to Warmup in Melbourne Summer Set, Play Australian Open

Naomi Osaka via personal IG for Tag Heurer.

Naomi Osaka, currently ranked No. 13 in WTA rankings, is on track to return to playing professional tennis. The four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka returned to the practice court in early November, after leaving the US Open with the announcement that she needed to step away from the game. Osaka also took a two-month mental health break before the Open.

As of Christmas, Naomi Osaka is scheduled to return to professional tennis at the Melbourne Summer Set, the first week of 2022. Melbourne is a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, playing January 17-30. Osaka defeated Jennifer Brady in the 2021 Open — her second Melbourne trophy — and is a narrow favorite to win in January 2022, with Brady ranked No. 2.

Emma Raducanu, bringing momentum from her shocking US Open victory in September, is ranked third to win in Australia. Tennis great Serena Williams has confirmed that she will not be playing in Australia.

"While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete," Williams said in confirming her not playing the Open. "Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level."

The Australian Open 2021 was delayed due to COVID and eventually took place February 8 to 21. Omicron has exploded in Australia in recent days — although Delta continues to hospitalize more Aussies. Almost 20 percent of Christmas Eve flights were cancelled today, writes Reuters.

Jeano Edwards at Monkey Island Estate for WSJ Magazine November Stellar Market Report

Jeano Edwards at Monkey Island Estate for WSJ Magazine November Stellar Market Report AOC Fashion

Brooklyn and London-based photographer Jeano Edwards [IG] and stylist Chloe Grace Press raise the bar on what defines a market report, packing up models Ajayi Temitope and Baba Chogwu and heading for the gardens of the Monkey Island Estate hotel. WSJ Magazine’s November 2021 issue is not playing at fashion dress-up — not even in a standard market report. A little muscle-flexing, perhaps?

Situated on a private island in England’s River Thames. the recently-restored Monkey Island Estate hotel is located in Bray, a mere spec on the map village beloved of international gourmands for its four Michelin-starred restaurants.

Marisa Tomei, aka Spider-Man's Aunt May, by Michael Schwartz in Vogue Greece December 2021

Actor Marisa Tomei is styled by Nicholas Georgiou and Ryan Young in the pages of Vogue Greece December 2021. Photographer Michael Schwartz [IG] captures Tomei — who plays Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson, aka Aunt May, in Marvel Comics Spider-Man series — timed with the release of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' in global theaters.

Finally, a Movie Blockbuster

‘No Way Home’ clocked the third-highest preview result on the Hollywood history books last week at $50 million , behind “Avengers: Endgame” ($60 million) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($57 million).

In a world that needs a winner right now, ‘No Way Home’ lit up the skies over the weekend, remaining in third place in movie releases box office history. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Even More Amazing With $601M Global Debut For 3rd Biggest WW Bow Ever; $341M Snared Overseas – International Box Office.

Stars Zendaya and Tom Holland are flying high with these box office results. ‘Spider-Man’ producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal talked to the New York Times on the Future of ‘Spider-Man’ and the M.C.U.[Marvel Comics Universe].

“No Way Home,” directed by Jon Watts, marks the end of a trilogy starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Zendaya as MJ, his plucky romantic counterpart. But the $200 million sequel also represents the culmination of nearly 20 years of Spider-Man movies — eight in total — because it draws in characters unseen since “Spider-Man 3” in 2007 and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” in 2014.

Maine and Oregon Make Business Pay Cost of Packaging Waste | EPR Is Center Stage

Maine and Oregon Make Business Pay Cost of Packaging Waste | EPR Is Center Stage AOC Sustainability

Most consumers don’t pay much attention to the packaging that their purchases come in, unless it’s hard to open or the item is really over-wrapped. But packaging accounts for about 28% of U.S. municipal solid waste. Only some 53% of it ends up in recycling bins, and even less is actually recycled: According to trade associations, at least 25% of materials collected for recycling in the U.S. are rejected and incinerated or sent to landfills instead.

Local governments across the U.S. handle waste management, funding it through taxes and user fees. Until 2018 the U.S. exported huge quantities of recyclable materials, primarily to China. Then China banned most foreign scrap imports. Other recipient countries like Vietnam followed suit, triggering waste disposal crises in wealthy nations.

Some U.S. states have laws that make manufacturers responsible for particularly hard-to-manage products, such as electronic waste, car batteries, mattresses and tires, when those goods reach the end of their useful lives.

Now, Maine and Oregon have enacted the first state laws making companies that create consumer packaging, such as cardboard cartons, plastic wrap and food containers, responsible for the recycling and disposal of those products, too. Maine’s law takes effect in mid-2024, and Oregon’s follows in mid-2025.

These measures shift waste management costs from customers and local municipalities to producers. As researchers who study waste and ways to reduce it, we are excited to see states moving to engage stakeholders, shift responsibility, spur innovation and challenge existing extractive practices.

Rumor Mill: Is Hedi Slimane at Celine Taking on Anna Wintour Over Emmanuelle Alt?

When asked about Vogue Runway’s failure to cover French luxury brand Celine’s spring 2022 virtual show, a Vogue source said “It was not our decision to not cover spring 2022, but we look forward to covering the brand’s next show,” writes WWD.

The problem, according to WWD, is Celine’s artistic, creative and image director Hedi Slimane’s immense frustration and displeasure with the departure of Emmanuelle Alt from her position as EIC of Vogue Paris, now renamed Vogue France.

Slimane has banned people from his shows before — the entire fashion staff at New York Magazine and Cathy Horn, writing for the New York Times, were banned from the Saint Laurent show in October 2012. Horn’s ban was for writing in 2004 [paraphrased by Horn to New York Magazine] “without Mr. [Raf] Simons’s template of slim tailoring and street casting, there would not have been a Hedi Slimane — just as there would never have been a Raf Simons without Helmut Lang. Fashion develops a bit like a genetic line.”

What could have upset Slimane? The Vogue-related changes began in December 2020, with the announcement that Anna Wintour would assume greater responsibilities as Vogue global director and Condé Nast chief content officer, while continuing to oversee Vogue U.S.

Simultaneously, the widely-praised and celebrated top editor at British Vogue, Edward Enninful, was promoted to European editorial director of Vogue for the markets owned and operated by Condé Nast. Those markets — which include the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain — saw the departures of EICs at those Vogue titles.

Eugénie Trochu was named as Alt’s successor in France, but with the title of head of editorial content. She announced in October that Vogue Paris would become Vogue France immediately. The assumption is that Enninful will play a significantly larger role in European content creation and sharing, including greater synergies between American Vogue and European titles.

A spokeswoman for Celine dismissed the rumor that Celine had pulled both show invites and advertising from Condé Nast — and/or Vogue Runway — over Slimane’s displeasure with Alt’s departure.

AOC notes that: “WWD also understands from sources that Slimane has expressed his frustration to Vogue global director and Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour and hit the brakes on some advertising with the Vogue brand.”

For her part, Emmanuelle Alt styled an excellent fashion story featuring Rianne Van Rompaey for a late November issue of M le Magazin du Monde. AOC admits to being impressed with the freshness — and we were not alone. Sometimes, change is good for all parties involved.

Kim Kardashian Covers i-D Magazine No 366 Winter 2021, Lensed by Mario Sorrenti

Kim Kardashian Covers i-D Magazine No 366 Winter 2021, Lensed by Mario Sorrenti AOC Fashion

Kim Kardashian [West] appears under her married name in i-D’s unplanned ‘Out of the Blue’ issue, no. 366 Winter 2021, special thanks to Tiffany & Co.

Alastair McKimm styles Kardashian in bling by Tiffany & Co. and dramatic Balenciaga. Photographer Mario Sorrenti captures Kim Kardashian, with the interview by playwright Jeremy O. Harris and Douglas Greenwood./ Hair by Chris Appleton; makeup by Mario Dedivanovic

Read Kim Kardashian West: "People might not get that we're in on the joke" at i-D Magazine.

Olivia Wilde Covers Vogue US December 2021, Lensed by Annie Leibovitz

Olivia Wilde Covers Vogue US December 2021, Lensed by Annie Leibovitz AOC Fashion

Actor Olivia Wilde is living her best life, styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson in cinematic images by Annie Leibovitz [IG] for the January 2021 issue of American Vogue. The star wears Balenciaga Couture, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors Collection, Rodarte and more. Alexandra Schwartz conducts the interview. / Hair by Edward Lampley; makeup by Grace Ahn

Wilde appears with Matthew Libatique, the Filipino-American cinematographer behind Taylor Swift’s new music video ‘I Bet You Think About Me’. Libatique received two Oscar nominations for Black Swan in 2010 and then ‘A Star Is Born’ eight years later. He’s the cinematographer on Wilde’s second directing venture ‘Don’t Worry Darling’.

Wilde is camped out in Los Angeles with her two children Otis, seven, and Daisy, five, whom she shares with her ex-fiancé, Jason Sudeikis. On the day Vogue drops into her life, her new love Harry Styles is circling the globe on his Love On Tour concerts.

Variety reports that the tour has grossed “just shy of $95 million” and raised over $1 million for his non-profit partners. Attendance records were broken all over America, with strict COVID controls and no reports of any post-concert medical outbreaks.

Olivia Wilde has just finished shooting ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, “a psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Styles as Alice and Jack, a young couple who join a utopian community in the 1950s California desert.”

Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Metal Magazine No. 45 Lensed by Shikeith

Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Metal Magazine No. 45 Lensed by Shikeith AOC Fashion

Metal Magazine No. 45 moves from its focus on Pyer Moss Creative Director Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Fall 2021 couture collection, to the designer himself. Romina Herrera Malatesta [IG] — who also styled the couture shoot — styles Jean-Raymond, learning that they share an interest in James Baldwin.

The Brooklyn creative whiz is reading ‘The Price of the Ticket’, a collection of Baldwin’s writings published in 1985. A fav quote of the stylist is: ““It goes without saying, I believe, that if we understood ourselves better, we would damage ourselves less.”

Interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker Shikeith [IG] photographs the designer and push-the-envelope-intellectual for Metal Magazine.

Metal Magazine Highlights Pyer Moss' Kerby Jean-Raymond's 'Wat U Iz' FW 2021 Couture Show

Metal Magazine Highlights Pyer Moss' Kerby Jean-Raymond's 'Wat U Iz' FW 2021 Couture Show AOC Fashion

Models Adeng Nyamam, Raven Wallace and Symone Lu bring grace the pages of Metal Magazine, styled by Romina Herrera Malatesta in the buzziest couture fashions of the fall 2021 season. NYC photographer Andy Jackson [IG] captures the trio wearing much-discussed highlights from Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Fall 21 Couture Collection./ Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi; makeup by Ayaka Nihei

'Source' Says Kanye Is Headed to LV Men's; Ye Worked with Donald Trump to Overturn GA Election; Kanye Tells Kim K to 'Run Right Back to Me, Baby' Pt.1

'Source' Says Kanye Is Headed to LV Men's; Ye Worked with Donald Trump to Overturn GA Election; Kanye Tells Kim K to 'Run Right Back to Me, Baby' Pt.1 AOC Fashion

In 24 hrs. starting Thursday evening December 9, 2021 to Friday morning December 10, 2021

• Rumors are that Kanye West is headed to Louis Vuitton because he and creative mastermind Virgil Abloh made an agreement that West would take over after Abloh’s death.

• Kanye West joined Drake in a LA-benefit concert for Larry Hoover, currently serving a 150 - 200 years sentence at a high security prison in Colorado. At that concert, Kanye went off script and sang ‘Runaway’, dedicating the song to his estranged wife Kim Kardashian, asking her to 'Run Right Back to Me,Baby'.

• This morning Reuters broke the story that Kanye West’s publicist became very involved in trying to overturn the Georgia election results by giving total credence to Donald Trump’s accusations against Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter.

Anne of Carversville does not presume to know what makes Kanye West tick. For all we know, he’s headed towards another mental health episode, which we wouldn’t wish on anybody — even Kanye’s best buddy Donald Trump.

Since Kanye jumped on Donald Trump’s bandwagon and declared that God came to him in the shower, telling him to shut down Planned Parenthood, we have little time for Kanye West. A decade ago, we were big Kanye fans.

However, everywhere I’ve turned since 11pm last night, Kanye West is in my face.

Kanye fancies himself — like Trump — a great manipulator of simple minds like ours. After all, God speaks to him in the shower, so he’s a VIP on planet earth, knighted by God to do men’s work of keeping women subordinate to male rule.

To me he’s just another misogynist in the long-line of so-called men of God running roughshod over women’s bodies, but I’m sure Kanye knows best. After all, he has a direct line, and I have none — being a scarlet woman.

I’m about to do a brain dump on Kanye West and will divide it into two parts. We start with my Thursday night reading and pleas of “No, no, no . . . don’t do it.”

1) Kanye at Louis Vuitton Mens

AOC is still reeling from Virgil Abloh’s death, and last night Kanye West rumors broke that he’s headed to Louis Vuitton Men’s. In quotes from ‘The Sun’ that troubled me deeply, an unnamed source said: “Kanye is devastated about Virgil’s death because they had been friends for years and worked together a lot. They shared a similar vision and now Kanye feels he owes it to Virgil to continue his work at Louis Vuitton.”

Besides expected sources like Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, then the Daily Mail, Yahoo and scads of syndicated local publications by Friday morning, CR Fashionbook just picked up the Kanye West to Louis Vuitton Men’s story.

Kanye West Was Jealous of Virgil Abloh

AOC has a long memory and we recall distinctly Kanye West’s assertion that HE — and not Virgil Abloh — deserved the LV Men’s position. West expressed jealousy to DJ Zane Lowe during a 2015 interview for Beats 1 saying, "I felt like it was supposed to be me. I was the Louis Vuitton Don. People still called me the Louis Vuitton Don on the street."

None of us have forgotten this story, and it’s one that keeps getting resurrected.

In October, 2019 W Magazine wrote Kanye West Thinks He Should Have Virgil Abloh’s Job at Louis Vuitton.

When Kanye West sat down for an interview with DJ Zane Lowe in 2015, he proclaimed himself “the greatest living rock star on the planet.” In his latest interview with Zane, released today, West has upped himself to “unquestionably, undoubtedly the greatest human artist of all time.” His greatness, apparently, now transcends both mediums and eras. Leonardo Da Vinci, who?

“It’s just a fact,” he added for emphasis.

Let me say for the 27th time — Kanye West has a God complex, just like his good friend Donald Trump. If Kanye is unquestionably the greatest human artist of all time, Bernard Arnault would have hired him, because Bernard Arnault is one of the world’s most brilliant business executives.

Of course, there are many additional skills required to be a successful creative director and not seeing yourself as the center of the universe from sunrise to sundown is typically one of them. Temperment is an issue today, as we were recently reminded with the departure of the most talented designer Daniel Lee from Bottega Veneta.

Bernard Arnault doesn’t need Kanye West in his face now and probably ever.

Louis Vuitton is the biggest, most successful luxury brand in the world. Seriously, Kanye West called for a boycott of Louis Vuitton almost a decade ago. West is a loose cannon; and now he is tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection against the US government, as Trump’s man in Georgia.

Bernard Arnault Does NOT Need Kanye West

Arnault can have a trusting relationship with Rihanna and Jay-Z, and with Jay-Z comes his uber-talented wife Ms. Beyonce-Knowles — for advice on what to do in this matter.

They roll just fine with Mr. Arnault and his kids and are excellent sounding boards, who don’t belong to the “I am God” club. They are talented businesspeople-creatives, and they are genuine activists and philanthropists capable of looking at life from perspectives not their own.

This fine team of advisers is far from being alone on the LVMH roster.

Virgil Abloh was very tight with the new design director at Kenzo Nigo of A Bathing Ape fame. In reading about Nigo a few nights back, of course my man Pharrell Williams popped into the picture.

While Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna and Pharrell Williams are running around town trying to create positive change in the Black communities of America and beyond — while they are giving of themselves for humanity and practicing some real Ubuntu Nelson Mandela style in their businesses and personal lives — Kanye West was trying to overturn the 2020 US presidential election.