Hello, Open Thread. Happy World Listening Day. Something worth celebrating, I think. This week my colleague Michael Grynbaum published his book, “Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America,” and as someone who started her career at the magazine company, it really sent me down a wormhole to the past. It’s also a lot of fun to read. As a very young 20-something, I was an editorial assistant at Vanity Fair back when Tina Brown was running the magazine. Then I worked at The New Yorker followed by Vogue, which was my first exposure to fashion (even though I was writing about culture back then, not fashion). When I was at Vogue, I had a small internal office with no windows and no door, right across the corridor from the room where all the fashion assistants sat, all of whom wore Manolos, and all of whom seemed to me like a flock of exotic birds. If you had told me then what I would be doing now, I think I would have laughed in your face. Anyway, Michael had a book party in the famous Frank Gehry-designed cafeteria of 4 Times Square, the building that was Condé’s home after it moved out of its old building at 350 Madison and before it moved downtown to the former World Trade Center. The cafeteria, which contains special glass wavelike partitions that make each banquette into its own nook while also being entirely transparent, now serves other tenants of the building, including TikTok. Which pretty much says everything anyone needs to know about the evolution of media, especially fashion media, in the digital age. In other news, Marni named Meryll Rogge creative director, which means another woman has finally been handed the reins of a big(ish) brand. I think it’s a smart appointment, bringing Marni back to its arty-but-wearable roots. Ms. Rogge is a very deliberate designer who understands just how far to push a garment so it becomes interesting, but not ridiculous. Anyway, she will be the third new designer at Only the Brave, the group owned by Renzo Rosso, joining Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander and Glenn Martens at Margiela. Given that OTB owns only five brands (Diesel and Viktor & Rolf are the other two), that’s a lot of change for one conglomerate, but that’s par for the course this year. In fact, at this point, it’s more shocking if a company keeps its designer than if it decides to — euphemism alert! — “part ways.” Just before Michael’s book party, I was uptown at a Thom Browne store opening, where I ran into Alina Cho, the CBS journalist. “Has it ever been like this?” she asked. Short answer: No. And I bet the change isn’t over yet. (As for Mr. Browne, he is currently colonizing the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 72nd Street. Given Ralph Lauren already owns the southwest and east, that says pretty much everything you need to know about his ambitions.) Think about that. Then meet Nina Christen, the woman behind some of today’s wildest shoes; consider the style evolution of Catherine, Princess of Wales; and take this quiz to figure out if you could have worked at Vogue in the 1990s. And have a good, safe weekend. Drink a lot of water!
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Your Style Questions, AnsweredEvery week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
I am planning an upcoming international trip and want to dress cute, but I have an over-packing problem. And no clue of how to make a capsule wardrobe. Any guidance? — Amanda, New YorkA capsule wardrobe, that halcyon thing that promises to alleviate the stress of packing and getting dressed in the morning, if only you can figure it out, is really just fashion algebra. How few garments can you mix and match to equal X, X being the greatest number of combinations? That is why, when you start asking around, what comes back is numerical. Some travelers claim that the 3-3-3 ratio is the best possible equation: Three tops, plus three bottoms, plus three pairs of shoes equals the perfect capsule wardrobe. Others hew to the somewhat more complex 5-4-3-2-1 formula: five tops, plus four bottoms, plus three pairs of shoes, plus two layering pieces, plus one anything else, like pajamas. Sometimes the addition is a little more creative, as when people view shoes as imaginary numbers. Either way, the point is the same. It’s the math, baby. Well, and the colors. All such equations are obviously easier when you reduce the variables involved. Indeed, the rule of three may be more applicable to colors. Choose three that can be combined in multiple ways, like navy, cream and black or black, silver and white. Or black and white and pretty much anything else. What sounds good in theory is often very hard in practice, so I asked Stellene Volandes, the editor in chief of Town & Country and editorial director of Elle Decor, how she added it all up. This is a woman who manages to do both Milan and Paris fashion weeks with only a carry-on, an L.L. Bean boat bag and a zippered tote. “I roll my clothes tightly in the carry-on — generally three blazers, three pairs of black pants, a few blouses, a few black shells, sometimes a dress,” she said. “Shoes — no more than three pairs — go in the tote, as do travel-size beauty products.” After all, you can always restock when you’re away. And remember: The travel outfit counts, so do not waste it wearing a sweatsuit you will never wear again. One colleague suggests wearing a pantsuit on the plane because you automatically have two more variables to play with. The trousers can be worn on their own, the jacket can become a blazer on its own, and together they can be a smart look for dinner. Then, Ms. Volandes continued, be tough with yourself. “The key is that you have to be OK with sometimes not having multiple options, and you have to be OK repeating,” she said. “As a rule, I don’t pack anything I will wear only once on a trip.” This may seem like a “duh!” point, but we are so conditioned by social media to think that every day should bring a cute new outfit that the idea of re-wearing can seem almost subversive. And don’t forget: Unless you are traveling with a group, most people you meet on holiday will see you only once anyway and will have no idea you are repeating a look. This point is both liberating and more sustainable — and may even carry over into your nonholiday life. Besides, you can always have fun with accessories: jewelry, scarves, sparkly flip-flops. The numbers should be seen more as guidelines than actual dictums. One pair of pants (linen, silk, jeans) and one pair of shorts, combined with a variety of tops, can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. If you love changing bottoms, though, a perfect white tee works with almost anything. Just make sure to include one long-sleeve shirt and one jacket. These days, weather may be the most unknown variable of all.
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