In search of the zeitgeist, we make our way out west to discover the spirit of Los Angeles and its enigmatic hold on our collective imagination. We analyze its patchwork urbanism, its thrilling eroticism, and its enduring associations with novelty, maximalism, and existential dread. From midcentury novelists to Y2K socialites to nouveau riche influencers of the 2010s, we draw upon a wealth of references to make sense of the city's cultural milieu and distinctive sartorial character. BONUS: Ky Newman of Emergency Intercom joins us as an expert witness to discuss the reality of the LA content creator lifestyle, the future of influencing, and the city's fashion landscape.

Links:
Image board

LA nostalgia TikTok examples – one, two, three, four

The Science and Poetry of the Light in Los Angeles – The New Yorker

Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz

Notes from a Native Daughter by Joan Didion

Red Wind by Raymond Chandler

Los Angeles Plays Itself, dir. Thom Andersen (2003)

America Day by Day by Simone de Beauvoir (LA Chapter)

Local Color by Truman Capote (Hollywood Chapter)

The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz (Pachuco Chapter)

City of Quartz by Mike Davis

How LA's 'Porn Valley' became the adult entertainment capital of the world – Business Insider

The other Hollywood : the uncensored oral history of the porn film industry by Legs McNeil

Soft White Underbelly on YouTube

The Hollywood Fix on YouTube

The Golden Suicides – Nancy Jo Sales for Vanity Fair

girlbosstown on TikTok

Oil! by Upton Sinclair

Jayne Mansfield's Hollywood home – CR Fashion Book

The Hollywood Style by Arthur Knight and Eliot Elisofon

Hollywood sleaze music videos: Slayyter one and two, 100 gecs

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2024 (show notes here)

Los Ageless – St. Vincent (MV)

Photographer Nadia Lee Cohen transforms herself into imaginary people – Dazed

Emergency Intercom

Ky Newman on YouTube

Ky Newman on Instagram

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