In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the return of press tour psychodrama surrounding Wicked: For Good, the concerning midwittery of the Met Gala’s recent theme announcement, DLlegations in the highest office of the nation, and profiles in infidelity and iMessage confessionalism featuring Olivia Nuzzi and Lily Allen. We also review Vanity Fair’s latest Hollywood issue while reflecting on the bygone golden age of Hollywood ensemble editorials, and we launch a counteroffensive against Sombr in his war on 25-year-olds.

Links:

Vanity Fair’s 2026 Hollywood Issue: “Let’s Hear It For the Boys”

Twilight cast for Vanity Fair December 2008

“Hollywood’s Next Wave” in Vanity Fair August 2008 (feat. Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried)

“It’s Raining Teens” in Vanity Fair July 2003

Druski + Timothee Chalamet hold auditions for Coulda Been Records in Brooklyn

Viral Sombr concert review on TikTok + Sombr’s response

PyjamaMann (Johnson Wen)

Anime cardboard cutouts kid (Tobyn Jacobs)

Bob Army – Saturday Night Live sketch on YouTube

Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Spring 2026 Press Release – “Costume Art”

Ken Burns | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #615

“I Left My Home” US Army Cadence on TikTok

Cassius Thundercock on KnowYourMeme

Nicki Minaj speaks at the United Nations on behalf of the Trump administration

“Postscript to an Open Marriage: On Lily Allen’s West End Girl” by Jean Garnett – The Paris Review

“Olivia Nuzzi Did It All for Love” by Jacob Bernstein – The New York Times

Ryan Lizza on Substack

Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun

Ice Spice - Big Guy (from The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants) on YouTube

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In this week’s episode, we develop a theory of Scientifica, a fashion aesthetic that borrows from the visual language of science, with influences ranging from Victorian taxonomy to Utopian Scholastic nostalgia to legacy science-fiction world-building. We examine recent manifestations of this impulse—runway shows that feel like scientific exhibitions or presentations, references to astronomical phenomena and archival display, and couture idealization of intellegentsia femininity—and question what it means when the fashion world aligns with objective inquiry and institutional knowledge in the face of epistemological crisis.

Links:

“The Universe According to Timothée” by Mattie Kahn, shot by Annie Leibovitz – Vogue (December 2025 cover story)

Chanel Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear by Matthieu Blazy

“The pioneering ‘great men’ of Victorian science were once attacked for being unmanly” by Heather Ellis – The Conversation

“Victorian Egyptomania: How a 19th Century Fetish for Pharaohs Turned Seriously Spooky” – History Answers

Utopian Scholastic – Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute

“Understanding the Japanese Influences Behind Star Wars” by Ollie Barder – Forbes

Overview of Pseudoarchaeology

“The Complicating Role of the Private Sector in Space” by Victoria Samson – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

“Goodbye, $165,000 Tech Jobs. Student Coders Seek Work at Chipotle” by Natasha Singer – The New York Times

College Board Research Brief on U.S. High School Students’ Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

“Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Trump’s Attacks on Science” by William J. Broad – The New York Times

Protecting Freedom of Science and Preventing Distortion of Scientific Truth: A Statement of Concern from the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Tech oligarch freakshow: Elon Musk says AI is more dangerous than nukes, Peter Thiel’s creepy ahh lectures on the Antichrist, Sam Altman creepy ahh references to an AI kill switch

Vogue Paris December 1998/January 1999 Discussion – TheFashionSpot

The Price of Illusion: A Memoir by Joan Juliet Buck

Prada’s spacesuit design for Axiom Space, “the world’s first commercial space station”

“As Prada Pairs With NASA, a Look at the Best Space-Inspired Looks From the Runway” by Laird Borrelli-Persson – Vogue

“Was Timothée Chalamet’s Vogue Cover Really So Out of This World?” by Jacob Gallagher – The New York Times

“Michelle Obama Is the Perfect Partner in Matthieu Blazy’s Modern Chanel Suiting” – Vogue

Venice W. Spring–Summer 2026: Sparkling Sea (Symposium)

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In this episode, we are honored to be joined by pop princess and fashion icon Kim Petras to discuss the world of inspiration behind her newest project, especially the Fashioncore anthem heard around the world, “I Like Ur Look.” Kim walks us through her formative fashion memories, from aspirational MTV programming to inaugural designer grails, and tells us about her latest archival obsessions, including her special connection to Marc Jacobs-era Louis Vuitton. We also discuss the tension between authenticity and reinvention, the heritage of electronic music in Europe, our proposal for party reform, and more.

Links:

Kim Petras on Instagram

Kim Petras HQ

Kim Petras - I Like Ur Look (Official Music Video)

Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton (dir. Loïc Prigent)

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In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the ragebait spectacle of Paris Fashion Week, darksided news from Hollywood featuring Tilly Norwood and D4vd, lives of showgirls everywhere from Taylor Swift’s possible schizophrenia diagnosis to Addison Rae’s vintage scream queen moment to Zara Larsson’s sublime vocal talent, and the cultural warfare fallout of Bad Bunny’s road to the Super Bowl. Sam also reviews Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and we discuss the curious case of Chase Infiniti.

Links:

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2026 by Duran Lantink

Cardi B “she was so happy to look a mess” Tweet (Gypsy Sport Spring 2016)

Balenciaga Spring 2026 by Pierpaolo Piccioli

Maison Margiela Spring 2026 by Glenn Martens

“When Did New York Fashion Week Get So Boring?” by Rachel Seville Tashjian for The Washington Post

Ben Doctor Spring 2026

Keith Urban and Maggie Baugh affair rumors amid Nicole Kidman split

Tilly Norwood Official Website

“Hollywood is Already Falling Behind on AI Video” by Lucas Shaw for Bloomberg

“Everything We Know About D4VD” – Billboard

Chase Infiniti’s K-pop dance cover of “OMG” by NewJeans

Addison Rae’s performance in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Addison Rae performs “Diet Pepsi / New York” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Taylor Swift explains her song “Actually Romantic”

“Irony and Proverb Comprehension in Schizophrenia: Do Female Patients ‘Dislike’ Ironic Remarks?” in Schizophrenia Research and Treatment

Zara Larsson on Sweden’s Got Talent in 2008

El Chavo Del Ocho (English Version) - Saturday Night Live starring Bad Bunny

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This week on Nymphet Alumni, Biz is joined by journalist and author Marisa Meltzer to talk about her new book It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin — the first comprehensive biography of the actress, singer and myth-muse. The two get into the making of Birkin’s image and the unseen real life behind it, plus how aging, style and selfhood intersect. Also discussed: the horrors of Serge Gainsbourg’s man-cave, Timothee Chalamet as inheritor of the Jane B legacy, and why swag might just come from getting older.

Links:

It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin by Marisa Meltzer (Out now!)

Soft Power by Marisa Meltzer

Marisa Meltzer

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In this episode, Alexi is joined by writer, editor, and dear friend Olivia Kan-Sperling to discuss the aesthetic universe of her brand new novel, Little Pink Book, a lyrical and decadent romantic tragedy set in Shanghai. In unpacking her wide range of influences, we explore shabby chic Orientalism, avant garde florists, Chinese romantasy web novels, baroque bespoke beverages, the emerging field of Wasian studies, the triggering qualities of Clairo’s “Pretty Girl” music video, the possibility of Labubu as a literary format, and much more.

Links:

Image board

Little Pink Book by Olivia Kan-Sperling from Simon and Schuster

Olivia’s website

Olivia on Instagram @dianadiagram

Alexi’s interview with Olivia in Interview magazine

Diane Severin Nguyen: In Her Time (Iris’s Version)

Empire of Signs by Roland Barthes

Molly Tea’s domineering CEO romance receipt promo via Dr. Candise Lin

The Architecture of Taste by Pierre Hermé - Lecture to the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2013)

Julian Castronovo review of Little Pink Book in BOMB magazine

Shanzhai: Deconstruction in Chinese by Byung-Chul Han

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In this episode, we welcome back none other than the “Freud of Fashion” herself, Dr. Valerie Steele, to discuss the Museum at FIT’s latest exhibition, Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Steele walks us through central theories on mirrors, masquerade, and eroticism, exploring the deep-seated fears and fantasies that drive what we wear. We dissect how the theories of Lacan and Freud play out on the bodies dressed by Schiaparelli, McQueen, Versace, and many more fashion history greats. Links: Visit Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis at the Museum at FIT (up until January 4, 2026)!

Register for the Fashion and Psychoanalysis Symposium at the Museum at FIT, Friday November 14th!

Audio Analysis for Dress, Dreams, and Desire (four items)

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In this emergency roundtable report, we discuss how clownery has become a dominant mode of aesthetic and ideological expression, perhaps symbolizing the defeat of authenticity. Recent carnivalesque incidents include the chaotic spectacle of this year’s VMAs, the meteoric rise of the Savannah Bananas, Jay Guapo’s Italian Brainrot Block Party, the political role reversal of the troll and the triggered, Audrey Hobert’s debut album Who’s the Clown, and more.

Links:

Top Clown Town outfits at the VMAs: Conan Gray in Erik Charlotte, Megan Stalter as hot dog vendor, Doja Cat in Balmain, Ariana Grande’s outfit changes, Sabrina Carpenter in Valentino

Sabrina Carpenter Performs “Tears” | 2025 Video Music Awards

“I need to see you spin first, sista” from Sex and the City S4 E18

Chappell Roan Performs “Pink Pony Club” (Live From The 67th Grammy Awards)

“Chappell Roan on the Queer Origins of her Signature Makeup Look” – Gay Times

Flash Mob! The Savannah Bananas Crash The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

“As Savannah Bananas ursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB?” – The New York Times

Jay Guapo’s Brainrot Block Party

Tyler Robinson’s bullet casing inscription breakdown – PBS News Hour

The story behind FBI Director Kash Patel’s seemingly random ‘Valhalla’ reference

Trump’s presidential portraits from 2017 to 2025

“What Is ‘Dark Woke’?” – The New York Times

“Why has Gavin Newsom gone ‘dark woke’?” – BBC

Mexican influencer Marian Izaguerre dies after posting goodbye video in clown makeup

Audrey Hobert Who’s the Clown interview in Teen Vogue

“The Clown at Midnight: Coulrophobia, Counterculture, and the Decadent Pierrot Mask” by Samuel Love – Sequitur

Passages from Mikhail Bakhtin on the grotesque body and the carnivalesque sense of the world

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This week, we discuss the glamorous world of the Magazine Girl, dissecting the real and fictional lives of women who worked at glossy magazines during their heyday. Through profiles of icons including Diana Vreeland, Anna Wintour, Franca Sozzani, Carine Roitfeld, and Plum Sykes, we distill the shared qualities that made these women so foundational to high fashion media. Inspired by Anna Wintour’s recent resignation and the buzz around The Devil Wears Prada sequel, we also ponder who, if anyone, carries on the Magazine Girl legacy today.

Links:

Image board

“The Divine Mrs. V” by Eleanor Dwight for New York

“Who is Plum Sykes?” by Taylore Scarabelli for Interview

“The Plum and Lucy Show” by Bob Morris for The New York Times

The Price of Illusion: A Memoir by Joan Juliet Buck

Assorted costumes from The Devil Wear Prada 2 in Dazed

“Anna Wintour: Behind the Shades” interview for CBS

Controversial Plum Sykes clip

Carine Roitfeld interview for The Guardian

“Could You Have Landed a Job at Vogue in the ‘90s?” Quiz in The New York Times

Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell

Interview with Anna Wintour biographer Amy Odell in Hunger

A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life In Fashion, Art, and Letters by Penelope Rowlands

Excerpts from Diana Vreeland’s Why Don’t You column in British Vogue

Franca Sozzani obituary in Vogue

“The Condé Empire Was One Big Beautiful Grift” by Emilia Petrarca on Substack

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the suspiciously overblown controversy of Sydney Sweeney’s AE ad spot, our box office takes on Ari Aster’s Black Lives Matter COVID Western and the new Superman, fascinating late night musical debuts from Pinkpantheress and Jessie Murph, the summer of female sexual aggression, our love of senior dating and romance, and more.

Links:

Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans – American Eagle

Brooke Shields Calvin Klein Jeans Commercial (1980)

Biz on the genes/jeans of it all

Sydney Sweeney as Lacanian super predator tweet

@default_friend on AE’s busted copy

“The Disembodied Body of Marilyn Monroe” by Wendy Lesser

There You Are: Brad Pitt for Chanel No. 5 Commercial

Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson editorial for You magazine

Liam Neeson racism backlash

“Sex After 60 in Sag Harbor” by Candace Bushnell for New York magazine

A24’s Eddington dir. Ari Aster – Official Trailer

“Everyone Wants a Piece of Pedro Pascal” – Vanity Fair cover story

“Can David Corenswet Save Superman?” – GQ cover story

Ryan Murphy Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy styling backlash

“Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters hits No. 1 on Billboard

PinkPantheress: Illegal/Girl Like Me/Tonight Medley on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Rhythm Heaven music edits by @therealstoinkle

Jessie Murph: 1965 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Chappell Roan - The Subway (Official Music Video)

Sabrina Carpenter brings out Earth, Wind & Fire at Lollapalooza

Manon and Lara of KATSEYE lez out on stage at Lollapalooza

Rachel Zegler’s gratitude surge at Evita curtain call

RFK Jr. launches federal crackdown on 7-OH

Lola Young - One Thing (Official Music Video)

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