Is Kanye West Headed to Russia, Inviting Putin to His Church Service? For Real?

Is Kanye West Headed to Russia, Inviting Putin to His Church Service? For Real? AOC The Wokes

Ye [formerly Kanye West] made headlines every day this week. Nothing new about that fact, but Billboard’s January 11, 2022 story that the entertainer intends to grow his business in Russia with billionaire developer Aras Agalarov and Agalarov's musician son, EMIN was picked up by Forbes and Business Insider giving it credibility.

AOC found the story totally plausible, given Ye’s relationship with the Trump family and Trump’s relationship with the Agalarovs. Kanye dined with Jared Kushner one-on-one in Miami Beach on January 7, with both parties denying that any business was discussed. The story broke four days later.

Trump and the Agalarovs

In 2013, the Russian oligarch and his son EMIN arranged the kind of spectacle in Moscow that Trump adores. Trump arrived as a surprise guest, with an armored Mercedes stretch limo driving off a freight elevator fight into a ballroom where 3000 Russian guests couldn’t believe their eye as Trump emerged to greet them.

Politico refreshed our memories about Trump and Agalarov in 2016. As Trump sought the nomination for the US presidency, the political website published When Donald Trump brought Miss Universe to Moscow. The article fills in much more background about the 2013 event.

It was West’s confidant and strategic advisor Ameer Sudan who told Billboard that they were working on the arrangements. Russia is going to be “a second home” for Ye, Sudan said: “He will be spending a lot of time out there.”

There’s no disagreement that Sudan is tied closely to West.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh

For more info about the scholarship fund and some of Virgil’s students, read The Cut’s article published after his passing, in December 2021.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh, to Support The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund AOC Art of Living

Sotheby's is proud to present The Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh, a special global online auction of the highly coveted Nike x Louis Vuitton “Air Force 1" sold to benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, an organization that aims to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.

The auction marks the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. Prior to his passing on 28 November 2021, the Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director was involved in the early organization of the auction and its surrounding events. The auction will take place in association with his family.

Each pair will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case in orange Taurillon Monogram Leather (exclusive to this auction), which was likewise featured in the collection.

Starting from the launch of the auction, the shoes and the pilot case will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit free of charge, and can make an appointment to do so through our reservation page.

A total of 200 pairs of the Nike “Air Force 1” – originally created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Men’s Collection – is being made available in an exclusive colorway and a range of sizes.

Ling Chen Shows Her 'Better Nature' Beauty by Felicity Ingram in Vogue UK January 2022

Ling Chen Shows Her 'Better Nature' Beauty by Felicity Ingram in Vogue UK January 2022 AOC Fashion

Model Ling Chen expresses her beautiful ‘Better Nature’, styled by Eniola Dare in images by Felicity Ingram {IG] for British Vogue January 2022./ Hair by Naoki Komiya; makeup by Niamh Quinn

AOC is all about making connections. These images of Ling Chen appeared as we were posting news of research bias among botanists who reflect a strong preference to study ‘showy’ plants and flowers.

Scientists More Often Study Showy Plants, But Ugly Flowers Are Vital to Ecosystem AOC Eye

Yes, we can cite the modern view that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. But these ‘plain Jane’ or even ‘half-dead’ looking plants and flowers often serve as safe camouflage havens for precious species.

2021 data in America only says that the gender breakdown of botanists is 57% male, 37% female and 5% unknown. Question: does the research preference for colorful, sensual plants hold equally among gender identification?

Heidi Klum Sizzles with Snoop Dogg in Dance Video 'Chai Tea with Heidi'

Top model, businesswoman and wife of Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, Heidi Klum Sizzles with Snoop Dogg in Dance Video 'Chai Tea with Heidi', which also features Los Angeles-based DJ-Producer duo WeddingCake.

The ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge, cohost on Amazon’s version of Project Runway called ‘Making the Cut’ and former Victoria’s Secret mega star, Heidi Klum hasn’t done anything musical since her 2006 track ‘Winter Wonderland’. Pushing 50 and madly in love with her 17 years younger husband, Klum delivers an impressive performance. And she owns the camera.

Heidi explained to People Magazine that it all began innocently enough. In planning the next season of Germany’s ‘Next Top Model’, someone suggested “to do something fun”, like perhaps Heidi could “record the theme song for the show.”

The supermodel’s idea of fun was to do a duet with Snoop Dogg, because she "loves him" and is his "biggest fan." Martha Stewart might take issue with the “biggest fan” part, but let them fight it out over Snoop.

The song pays homage to Rod Stewart’s Rod Stewart’s ‘Baby Jane’. Heidi and Snoop were finished with the entire production when she finally was able to make contact with Stewart who was delighted with 'Chai Tea with Heidi'.

The musical result has caused a wave of head-nodding, and the video is WOW! There are so many things AOC wants to say, but we are zip-lipped and very WOKE! LOL. ~ Anne

As for Snoop Dogg’s tight friendship with Martha Stewart, well she told Andy Cohen on a Thursday night interview on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ that she has a new boyfriend, and the details are none of our business.

Snoop and Martha go way back as good friends off screen and working together on many food-related projects. Snoop’s long-time wife since 1997 Shante Broadus became his manager in June 2021.

Martha and Snoop made it into our June 2021 article on biophilic design. Fake Poser Plants vs the Health and Wellness Benefits of Real Plants AOC Eye.

Returning to the long and joyous friendship between Martha and Snoop, I wondered if they ever get out of the kitchen. Googling “Martha+Snoop+green plants”, I said “silly me” over Google’s top returns. They include: Martha Stewart is teaching Snoop Dogg to grow plant-based food and more recently in Jan 2021 Martha Stewart’s New CBD Line Was Inspired by Snoop Dogg. Ah yes, Martha’s latest venture.

Alana Felisberto Fronts For Love & Lemons x Victoria’s Secret V-Day 2022 Lingerie Collection

Alana Felisberto Fronts For Love & Lemons x Victoria’s Secret V-Day 2022 Lingerie Collection AOC Body

Brazilian model Alana Felisberto stars in Valentine’s Day 2022’s For Love & Lemons collaboration with Victoria’s Secret lingerie. For Love & Lemons is known for romantic embroideries and V-Day brings an abundance of pink, scarlet and ivory blooms. Other hyper-feminine touches like tiny pleats, embroidered hearts, ribbon ties, lace-ups and dainty prints render Alana a total coquette. Or with VS and their fragrance — a grade-10 tease.

Carin Backoff [IG] photographs the For Love & Lemons x Victoria’s Secret Valentine’s Day 2022 Collection, styled by Ashley Glorioso. / Hair and makeup by Sacey Tan

'Squid Game' Star Hoyeon Jung Covers Vogue Japan March by Harley Weir

Supernova Hoyeon Jung, Star of 'Squid Game' Covers Vogue US February 2022 by Harley Weir AOC Fashion

South Korean model turned actor Hoyeon Jung covers the March 2022 issue of Vogue Japan. In her role of north Korean defector in the Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’, the 27-year-old is part of an established cast of South Korean actors who comprise Netflix’s most-viewed series ever.

Louis Vuitton’s newest Global House Ambassador for fashion, watches and jewelry wears a Vuitton cape and dress on her Vogue cover, accented with Alexander McQueen earrings. Alex Harrington styles the fashion story [Vogue US February link interview link in English] ‘From Squid Game to Supernova: Inside the Whirlwind with Hoyeon Jung’ with gorgeous elegance from Acne Studios, Givenchy, Junya Watanabe, Loewe, Miu Miu, more Louis Vuutton, Prada, Stella McCartney, Vera Wang and more.

Harley Weir [IG] is behind the lens, shooting a new cover and at least one new editorial image / Hair by Holli Smith; makeup by Thomas de Kluyver for Gucci Beauty.

Vogue’s Monica Kim catches up with Hoyeon Jung at New York’s Soho Grand.

Note to AOC regular readers: As Vogue Global develops a shared content strategy [a policy we understand given Conde Nast recent financial losses in excess of $100 million annually] we want to give our high-level creatives an understanding of one Vogue issue to another edition. At the same time, we are respecting Google’s content redundancy SEO, policy so as to stay on the right side of the cyber law, so to speak.

In this case, the images that are showing are the ones published so far by Vogue Japan March 2022. AOC is not writing new commentary from the interview. We link back to AOC’s US Vogue February 2022, at the end of post, where there will be a duplication of three of these images but also multiple more not appearing in Vogue Japan so far images. Surely there’s a Google penalty in here somewhere, but then Google hasn’t faced these kinds of real-world financial content revenue challenges, so they can have all the rules they want. As a side note, Amazon has been deeply cutting into Google ad revenue.

If you are an AOC reader who speaks Japanese, this link takes you that the Global Vogue interview with Hoyeon Jung in Vogue Japan.

Original story on Vogue US February 2021

Supernova Hoyeon Jung, Star of 'Squid Game' Covers Vogue US February 2022 by Harley Weir AOC Fashion

Julia Hafstrom Explores Fashion and Occult in Vogue Poland by Hill & Aubrey

Model Julia Hafstrom covers the January/February 2022 issue of Vogue Poland. Ina Lekiewicz, editor-in-chief, ponders the synergy of fashion and astrology including cyclicality, looking into the future, fascination with ritual and beauty of symbols.

The cover story Magia | Kosmos takes a deep dive into magic and cosmic phenomena. In the UK's most western corner, the Hill & Aubrey [IG] photographer duo capture the dark intrigue rich with symbolism of an old farmhouse, with Hafstrom styled by Ali & Aniko. / Hair by Yumi Nakada-Dingle; makeup by Athena Paginton

Meinke Klein Captures 'Culture Club' Style for ELLE France January 6, 2022

Meinke Klein Captures 'Culture Club' Style for ELLE France January 6, 2022 AOC Fashion

Photographer Meinke Klein [IG] delivers a high-impact fashion story ‘Culture Club’ starring models Gabriella Michelazzo, Kaigin Yong, Mopesola and Olamide Ogundele. Aurelia Donaldson styles the fashion quartet in disco hues for the January 6, 2022 issue of ELLE France./ Hair by Yuri Kato; makeup by Pamela Cochrane

Note: a smaller version of the fashion story also appears in ELLE UK December 2021.

Naomi Osaka Pulls Out of WTA Semi-Final After Body Gets 'Shock' Over Playing Tennis

Australian Open champion, and women’s sports’ highest-paid athlete ever Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Melbourne WTA tournament, considered a run-up to the Open starting January 17 in Melbourne. The Japanese tennis superstar, with a difficult year behind her, entered the semi-finals looking like her mojo was coming back. Osaka left the US Open last September and took four months off from the game of tennis.

“Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back-to-back intense matches after the break I took,” Osaka said on Twitter. “I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!”

Osaka’s statement continued:

“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”

Related: Naomi Osaka becomes highest-paid female athlete in history after earning $37 million last year CNN

How Naomi Osaka Became Everyone’s Favorite Spokesmodel New York Times

Read all the details about Naomi’s return to tennis.

Adut Akech in 'Dream Maker' by Charlie Dennington for Vogue Australia January 2022

Adut Akech Feels Fashion Joy in 'Dream Maker' by Charlie Dennington for Vogue Australia January 2022 AOC Fashion

Supermodel Adut Akech Bior covers the January 2022 issue of Vogue Australia, wearing casual modern style in ‘Dream Maker’. Mark Vassallo serves as creative director and stylist on the shoot, injecting an abundance of sunny optimism into images by Charlie Dennington./Hair by Sophie Roberts; makeup by Victoria Baron

On the cover, which is Adut’s fifth Australian Vogue cover, the beloved top model is wearing Louis Vuitton with Tiffany & Co jewelry. The styling of Tiffany jewelry with LVMH brands is major this season.

The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations

The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations AOC Fashion

The North Face X Gucci doubles down on a BIG New Year’s launch of chapter two of their collaboration. We say that emphasis has shifted from fashion runway camp patterns and global tribe explorers with good hearts in last year’s January debut to closeup images of practical technical gear that means business for 2022.

As more than one blogger has pointed out, no one is seriously mountaineering Tibet’s Everest North Face or Cho Oyu in these clothes. But there is a serious performance attitude in the pieces and accessories that creates a different energy and seriousness from the first drop. AOC loves the closeup shots, and we are always suckers for flowers.

Kudos to French photography duo, twin brothers Jalan and Jibril Durimel, [IG], who shot the campaign in Iceland. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe, at the age of 4 they moved to Miami where they first jumped into the waters of American culture.

One of Candice Swanepoel's Earliest AOC Posts by Mariano Vivanco in Vogue Spain April 2013

One of Candice Swanepoel's Earliest AOC Posts by Mariano Vivanco in Vogue Spain April 2013 AOC Body

One of Candice Swanepeol’s earliest AOC posts was this Vogue Spain April 2013 fashion story ‘Sexy Tan’. Belén Antolín styled Candice in sexy, hot summer fashion bits lensed by Mariano Vivanco. / Hair by Fernando Torrent; makeup by Maud Laceppe

Giving Candice Swanepoel a Worthy Home

This is the first of many Candice Swanepoel posts coming to AOC Body, as we conduct a major content renovation in its digital pages. This incredibly talented, beautiful, sustainability-conscious swimwear designer and businesswoman; mom of two boys, global citizen, daughter of South Africa, sensual woman blessed with a huge heart is the favorite of so many from Anne herself to AOC’s Candice fan readers.

Much of Candice’s modeling work is sensual from Victoria’s Secret to her own Tropic of C sustainable swimwear. Her non-sensual fashion posts will remain in the fashion pages. But all of her swim and lingerie work will be updated with larger images and installed here in AOC Body. And we will search far and wide for glorious images we have missed.