As traditional media bends under corporate consolidation, political pressure, and the need to appease advertisers, independent reporting has become harder to find — and more important than ever. That’s what makes Lauren Sherman stand out. She’s the lead fashion correspondent at Puck and the writer behind Line Sheet, one of the most closely read fashion and beauty newsletters in the industry, known for cutting through fantasy to report on how fashion actually operates.

In this episode, we talk about Lauren’s upbringing, the quiet lies that sustain the fashion system, when Vogue began to lose its power, and how politics — including MAGA’s influence — is showing up in fashion today. A clear-eyed conversation about seeing the industry as it is, not as it wants to be seen.

xx William