Walter Isaacson and Lex Fridman Discuss the Often Alleged Cruelty of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
This video exchange between Walter Isaacson and Lex Fridman on Steve Jobs and Elon Musk came from AOC’s search question: “Is Elon Musk innately cruel?”
Isaacson's journey as a biographer is marked by a singular focus on capturing the human essence behind public personas, offering an exploration of the complex interplay between personal and professional spheres.
The author has earned the trust of some of America’s most prominent men — which says a lot about Isaacson’s own character and intentions.
In this video, Isaacson and MIT researcher Lex Fridman discuss cruelty — or beyond abrasive behavior — often expressed by both Jobs and Musk towards staff and other business associates.
RIMOWA delivers again in this cooly-beautiful collaboration with historic German brand GEWA — first founded in 1925 in Adorf, and today a leading designer and manufacturer of world-class musical instruments.
The limited-edition piece represents more than just functional luxury. The result is a masterfully-crafted case that protects not only the instruments it carries, but also the artistry of its musicians.
Humanist Brand Values
AOC has long complimented RIMOWA for its embrace of cultural creatives values. We’re changing our vocab going forward, to speak more simply.
Today, we compliment RIMOWA as a brand with humanist values. AOC speaks separately to the Oaxaca women horn players film timed with this collab.
Megalomania in politics often manifests through a relentless pursuit of power and control, with actions driven by an exaggerated sense of self-importance and an unyielding belief in personal superiority.
Politicians with megalomaniac tendencies are likely to prioritize their personal ambitions over the collective good, often employing manipulative tactics to consolidate power.
Top models Anok Yai, Awar Odhiang and Mona Tougaard surely had a deeply emotional experience, working with stylist Camilla Nickerson in this ancient roots fashion story for Vogue, shot by Tyler Mitchell [IG] in Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Key Points About Jekyll Island
1] the human and ecological history of Jekyll Island, which now dates back to 2500 BC and the indigenous Native American tribes, predominantly the Guale people who lived there; 2] the arrival of the Europeans and slavery on the island; 3] the rise on Jekyll Island of an aristocratic cafe society getaway culture in the 1920s that parallels the same rise in Europe
New Burberry CEO Josh Schulman is much more focused on the heritage DNA of the Burberry brand, and less so on the runway. Burberry also needs a storyteller, in AOC’s opinion.
Anne had a Eureka moment a few weeks back, weaving Kim Jones’ departure from Dior Men into a new reality: “The future for Kim Jones will include his work with Charleston Trust, where the designer became a vice president in fall 2024.”
Let’s talk British Heritage, Burberry
When Kim Jones made his couture debut at Fendi, he packed up Kate Moss to create ‘Kate Moss at Charleston, Wearing Kim Jones Fendi Couture.’
Olivia Singer interviewed Kim Jones in East Sussex, where he bought a holiday home. Their convo went deep into the synergy between the Bloomsbury artists and the Italians.
The enormous success of Brunello Cucinelli is rooted in the principles of humanism and AOC has been influenced by his thinking in very significant ways.
American brand Tory Burch releases her Spring Summer 2025 campaign, a collection of images infused with an elegant athleticism starring Ida Heiner, Irina Shayk and Mona Tougaard. Photographer Jamie Hawkesworth [IG] captures the trio in Paris posing in a track and field gymnastics facility.
Ida Heiner wears the new Tory Burch Destiny trainer, as further evidence of the growing influence of sport for the brand.
Tory Burch Destiny Trainer
Described as a “retro running sneaker inspired by the spirit of a good challenge”, Tory Burch’s Destiny Trainer is well-named in the spirit of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Led by Louis Vuitton — a key sponsor of the summer games — the symbolism of the Olympics, and the extraordinary journeys that athletes take to reach them, closely align with the values at the heart of the French luxury fashion house, its chairman Bernard Arnault and CEO Pietro Beccari.
Reality is that LVMH, including Louis Vuitton, and Tory Burch are sort of ‘kissing cousins’.
Kering’s Gucci sales for the three months ending Dec. 31 decreased 24%. Of course Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault assures financial industry professionals that Gucci is poised for a rebound.
AOC has a one-word response: Why?
Bernstein’s global luxury goods analyst Luca Solca believes he knows how to fix the problem, declaring recently that Gucci:
“needs a new, heavyweight creative director, and it needs it now. The task is to add an original and compelling fashion twist on the cleansed Gucci image Sabato De Sarno has contributed to create: more elegant, more qualitative, but dull.
A heavyweight designer [say Hedi Slimane — the most likely candidate in our view — or John Galliano or Maria Grazia Chiuri, for example] could restart the buzz around the brand, and help it to regain center stage.”
Penelope Cruz Life Timeline 2012: Babies Leo & Luna | Film 'The Counselor'
Penélope Cruz, the renowned Spanish actor, has graced the pages of Anne of Carversville for almost 20 years. AOC recently renewed Penelope Cruz’s Vogue Espana November 2012 fashion story ‘Sangre Caliente’, lensed by Tom Munro.
Penelope Cruz has always enjoyed Yummy Mummy status, and 2012 was an important year in that journey.
“I was in Chicago shooting ‘The Bear’,” Ayo Edebiri tells Lynn Hirschberg, writing for W Magazine’s March 2025 cover story. “Luca and I met over Zoom and ended up talking for two hours about the script and life and films.”
The script in question is ‘After the Hunt’, directed by Luca Guadagnino, who also photographs Edebiri for W Magazine, as they pay homage to his favorite actors from the ’60s. “I especially love Sophia Loren,” he said. “And, of course, Ingrid Bergman.”
Edebiri has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for outstanding supporting actress and best female actor, respectively, for her work on ‘The Bear’.
Guadagnino has released two highly praised films in the last year: ‘Challengers’, a ménage à trois power struggle set in the world of tennis, and ‘Queer’, an adaptation of the famous William S. Burroughs novel, set in Mexico City in the ’50s.
Hours ago, ‘After the Hunt’ landed a limited theatrical release date of Oct. 10 from Amazon MGM Studios, with theaters nationwide Oct. 17.
In spring 2024, the growing cult brand Jacquemus opened stores in Dubai, Capri, and Saint-Tropez, followed by New York and London last fall.
Jacquemus annual revenue estimates had climbed to $250 million, largely self-funded from the brand’s business operations.
Sharing the Jacquemus Holiday 2024 campaign, AOC reported that the brand had maxed out its growth opportunities until it obtained a minority investor.
On January 28, Jacquemus announced that it has tapped Celine North America president Sarah Benady as its next chief executive officer. There was no doubt that an announcement was coming soon in this perfectly-orchestrated business PR blitz based on business fundamentals and not marketing word salads.
The announcement came today, February 7, that L’Oréal Group has made a minority investment in Jacquemus to fund the house’s ongoing retail growth and expansion into the beauty sector.
Scottish-born beauty and top model Jean Campbell previews lingerie-inspired lace and leather mixes, accessorized with big gold jewelry in true 1980s spirit, lensed by Ekua King [IG] for the March 2025 issue of British ELLE.
Clementina Jackson chats with Lady Campbell, revisiting the topic of pain in her life and the podcast ‘I’m Fine’ she created to talk about it.
In her podcast, Jean Campbell talks to people about their own experiences with pain management, while sharing information about new research and test results in the field. Following her lead, AOC takes a look at the latest breakthroughs in learning to embrace chronic pain while not letting it define us.
The Patient Assumes New Powers in Non-Opioid Pain Management
In recent years, the focus on non-opioid pain management alternatives has gained significant attention as healthcare providers strive to mitigate the risks associated with opioid use, such as addiction and overdose. This shift has led to the exploration and adoption of various innovative strategies and treatments aimed at effectively managing pain without the reliance on opioid medications. One of the most promising alternatives includes the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], which are commonly prescribed to reduce inflammation and relieve pain without the addictive properties of opioids.
On February 4, 2025, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke about the U.S Food and Drug Administration [FDA] approval of Journavx, or suzetrigine, oral tablets. “These pain medications, suzetrigine, Journavx as it’s called, work . . . more at the location of the pain, . . . trying to block the signals coming from the source of pain, going to the brain. As a result, you shouldn’t get euphoria,” Dr. Gupta explained. And, what is so critical about this breakthrough, is its lack of addictive ingredients.
Gucci creative director Sabato de Sarno is leaving Gucci after two years. Gucci’s Feb. 25 runway show will be designed by its design studio, the brand said Thursday, Feb.6.
Gucci’s Problems Are Bigger than de Sarno’s Tepid Designs
AOC does not believe that Gucci’s revenue plunge of 26% in the third quarter of 2024, a scary reflection of the brand’s current status, was solely the result of de Sarno’s tepid approach to design.
We note that his ‘marching orders’ came from Kering head and Gucci’s billionaire owner François-Henri Pinault.
You cannot cut the heart out of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci success and expect those same customers to now buy a quiet Gucci, with marketing campaigns that prompted AOC to write that the models look like they’re making a case for lobotomies for women.
Luxury house Louis Vuitton doesn’t need to use three banned in America initials i-e-d when reinforcing the 21st century DNA of the world’s largest luxury brand.
There’s no luxury house that AOC watches more closely than Louis Vuitton in understanding their ‘take’ on where we’re heading culturally. I should clarify that it’s Louis Vuitton Men — more than women’s — that clarifies the brand’s vision in the public sphere.
AOC didn’t understand just how tight former Christian Dior Men’s creative director Kim Jones was with Virgil Abloh, when Jones was at the helm of Louis Vuitton Men’s from 2011-2018 and passed the baton to Abloh as his mentor.
With Pharrell Williams succeeding Abloh [RIP] — we’re looking at a continuous cultural vision for LV that’s about 15 years old across three creative directors who formed their own modern-day rat pack.
Vogue Philippines takes us to ‘Baguio and Beyond: Fresh Fashion Framed by Cordillera Cool’, the cover story for its February 2025 issue. Manila-based photographer Borgy Angeles [IG] captures the vibrancy of Baguio — if not its history and America’s role in creating it [literally].
We meet at the Cordilleras, where “craft, community, and indigenous wisdom reverberate through the land. Models Lake Cabrias, who the team scouted from its Manila casting call, and Fofai, who hails from the Kalinga region, hold handwoven lampshades on their hips and wear Filipino designers’ works inspired by the crafts that come out of these unique, divine-inspired lands.
America’s Colonial Ties to the Philippines
The American colonization of the Philippines happened through the Treaty of Paris at the close of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Months later, the Philippine-American War broke out in 1899, as Filipino revolutionaries sought genuine autonomy after years of Spanish dominance.
The war, which lasted until 1902, was marked by brutal combat and significant casualties, ultimately resulting in the establishment of American sovereignty over the islands.
It makes sense now that AOC has struggled to discuss the gorgeous Zimmermann 2025 Ad Campaign, featuring model Abeny Nhial as inspired by the ‘70s cult surfing film ‘Morning of the Earth’. Not until Anne queried ‘desert surfing’ was AOC in sync with Benny Horne’s exquisite Zimmermann campaign images shot in Morocco.
Conceptually, desert dunes have long captured the human imagination with their striking landscapes and haunting beauty. In the Arab world, these natural formations hold significant physical and cultural importance.
Keep in mind that these magnificent images of Abeny Nhial, wearing Zimmermann’s Illuminate Macramé Gown, capture the very contradictions expressed in the 21st century reality of desert surfing.
Properly-lined for a more modest audience than Hollywood, the Illuminate’s DNA is in perfect sync with new fashion waves being created in the ‘foreign lands’ of Zimmermann’s most successful store.
Family Style magazine’s approach to content is the cultivation of a quarterly dinner party involving voices and creative personalities in food, fashion and culture.
Designer Ralph Lauren has long been at the center of this still escalating trend of branded dinner parties. Polo Bar, Ralph Lauren’s first New York City restaurant, opened a few steps east of his company’s flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street a decade ago.
In late December 2024, AOC noted that Moncler’s Italian billionaire CEO Remo Ruffini expressed great admiration for all that Ralph Lauren has achieved with graciousness and style. Ruffini called out Ralph's Coffee, the café attached to the flagship on the corner of Old Bond Street and Burlington Gardens.
Polo Ralph Lauren’s FW 2024 Campaign celebrated ‘Ralph’s New York’ in an emotional and heartfelt way. The campaign featured items from the growing Ralph Lauren Vintage Collection.
Today, these Ralph Lauren Vintage Collection pieces have made their way to Family Style Magazine 004 Winter 2024/2025.
New York-born stylist and storyteller Edward Bowleg III collaborates with photographer Bob Jugger [IG] in ‘Always and Forever’, presenting the Ralph Lauren Vintage Collection