Preparing to share a new Glossier beauty story by photographers Tanya + Zhenya Posternak [IG], AOC noticed this July 2024 Louis Vuitton Men’s story ‘the rodeo life: cowboys and couture’.

AOC is a dedicated supporter of Louis Vuitton Men’s from Virgil Abloh to Pharrell Williams. We were first in recommending Pharrell as Virgil’s successor — and we were early.

Words from a ‘True Grit’ Woman

Those are reasons enough to back up to a July Louis Vuitton Men’s fashion story, but AOC wants to give Anne a moment of clarification. She made a Sunday statement about dirty white to grey backgrounds in fashion imagery.

AOC uses many descriptors to describe women archetypes that we love.

In 2010 we were using ‘phoenix rising’ and ‘warrior goddess’ when writing about strong women. My favorite — and the one I’ve used many times to describe myself is ‘true grit woman’.

You want me in the trenches and on the cultural battlefield in a fight, when the battle is women’s rights and many progressive issues. I directed traffic on Sixth Avenue in a blackout and organized a multi-block citizen system to move traffic, until the police arrived.

Grit doesn’t bother me, but I prefer well-done grit — as Raf Pavarotti executed yesterday. Budgets are tight in fashion world and many don’t support a gorgeous, artistic fashion story like this one by the Posternaks.

However, there’s grit all over these images — well-done grit.

Increasingly, we are looking at images online and not in print. All I am asking is that photographers, creative directors and media generally look at their own backgrounds when using shades of dirty white and grey.

In AOC’s opinion, when ‘gritty’ or dirty backgrounds aren’t well-done, they render the images as cheap and amateurish — when they don’t need to be that way. With a focus on $2500 - $10,000 coats, techniques matter. That’s my only point.

The Universe Wants a Word With Us . . .

Returning to this fashion story, Matthew Henson styles real cowboys Ronnie Davis, Kamal Miller and Taylor Williams — all associated with Oklahoma Cowboys — and appearing in DA MAN Indonesia. You can follow the Oklahoma Cowboys community on Instagram. I love how Pharrell brought them to Paris.

I know that Virgil is in our spiritual house during these challenging days leading up to the election, with Donald Trump wanting to return America to a state of civil war.

In fact, an entire crew is in the AOC house today: they are the peacemakers.

The story of American cowboys is a story of men of all races working together and getting along [as long as no women disrupted their equilibrium.] The more research I do, the more fascinating cowboys become to me. Me and Bella Hadid! Ha!

Raf’s IG triggered me yesterday with his new work for Byredo using Cherokee Jack; and now the Pasternaks have dragged me into Louis Vuitton Men.

. . . About Michaela Mabinty DePrince

There’s a sad, sad, sad post I must write about the death of a young Black ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, originally from Sierra Leone. I’ve been putting it off for days, and the forces that matter have given me a serious kick in my beautiful butt this morning.

When I last tracked her down, Michaela was dancing across Park Avenue to the Voices of Fire JOY song that rang out into the Paris night for Pharrell’s debut. Now Michaela is with Virgil, and he is most definitely bringing light and patient listening to her brilliant but also tortured young life.

In March, I added Luigi and Iango’s [also beloved on AOC] ‘Magic Moves’ Vogue Germany story to the AOC Archives. It featured French ballet dancer and choreographer Marie-Agnès Gillot and Michaela DePrince. I simply couldn’t believe DePrince was dancing to the Voices of Fire song I play whenever the world is a bit much for me to handle.

Based on a another discovery this moment — did Michaela DePrince ever travel to Israel — on this first anniversary of the Hamas attack on the open-air music festival near kibbutz Re’im, I simply must end this meandering Anne reflection.

Blame the Posternaks. Sending love to all the cowboys! And now I must go have a good cry. ~ Anne