Noël Duan

Before French fashion house Hermès was renowned for the Birkin bag and silk scarves, it was known for making harnesses and bridles for European aristocracy and their horses in the 1800s. In 1900, the label began selling a bag designed for holding saddles—and in 1922, the first collection of women’s handbags was released. But though Hermès continues to make and sell riding gear from chaps to stirrups to saddle balm, most of its profit comes from handbags. You can wear head-to-toe Hermès without having ever seen a horse in real life. Yet, the brand still adheres to its equestrian heritage, as evident in the horse in its iconic logo.

Earlier this week, 100 prominent French women—including actress Catherine Deneuve—signed an opinion piece in Le Monde denouncing the American #MeToo movement. As noted by Lauren Collins at the New Yorker, the piece is “a series of tired arguments” with rape apologies and assertions that women have been rendered “eternal victims” from the movement.

26-year-old model and actress Emily Ratajkowski does a lot in the name of feminism. She posed nude on a horse. She posed topless with Kim Kardashian West. She wore lingerie and writhed around in pasta. She supports Planned Parenthood. She clapped back when well-known misogynist and chauvinist, Piers Morgan, insulted her on Twitter—actually, she claps back eloquently whenever anyone tries to insult her. And this week, she became the face of hair care brand Kérastase, with a campaign shot by famed fashion photography power couple, Inez & Vinoodh.

The largest consumer electronics trade show, formerly called Consumer Electronics Show and now solely known as CES, is happening in Las Vegas this week, with Quartz reporters reporting for a special edition of the Daily Brief—but it’s not just robo-cars and virtual reality. CES is an opportunity for companies in the cosmetics and skincare industry to unveil their latest innovations, which often involve both Instagrammability and biomedical engineering.

Literary societies are rather amorphous organizations, but the one thing they have in common is that they are elitist—and can often feel secretive.

Meher Tatna is the 2017-2018 president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which hosts the annual Golden Globe Awards and provides scholarships and funding for promising young artists to study and work in the American entertainment industry. She is an Indian journalist and producer who studied economics at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and currently writes for the Singaporean daily newspaper, New Paper. She also didn’t wear black last night—but that doesn’t mean she didn’t show support for Time’s Up, an initiative led by Hollywood to fight sexual harassment and gender discrimination in all industries.

Every year, I look forward to comparing my ambitious New Year’s Resolutions to Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop’s Annual Detox Guide—and then I realize that my own resolutions, written hastily before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, aren’t so lofty after all. When I resolved to eat more vegetables, Goop told me to cut out corn, tomatoes, and eggplants. When I resolved to rise early to exercise before work every day, Goop told me to cut out caffeine—and to get that morning workout done anyway. Paltrow has a lot of will power.

I do almost all my clothing shopping online—I don’t have to waste time traveling to boutiques, I can avoid store associates suggesting outfits that look terrible on me, and I can do price comparisons for the best deal. That said, the worst thing about buying clothing online is not knowing what a top or dress will actually look like on you, especially if you are not a lithe 5’9” model with a wind machine tousling your hair. On January 2, Amazon was granted a patent for a smartmirror that will fix that problem.

As a child, I knew what the future would look like—I, like many ‘90s kids, spent Saturday mornings watching the animated sitcom, The Jetsons, after all. I couldn’t wait for the flying cars. Little did I know that the cartoon show about a Space Age family that lived above the clouds and had a robot maid was actually created in the 1960s. Now that I’m an adult, the future of the Jetsons family looks more and more like a dystopia: Why do they live above the clouds and what happened to planet Earth? Why do they eat food pills instead of fresh produce? And why is everyone white?

When an Instagram account called Diet Prada called out Gucci for possibly knocking off Harlem tailor and designer Dapper Dan in its 2018 resort collection, the Italian fashion brand headed by Alessandro Michele did two things: it went into business with Dapper Dan. Gucci also asked Diet Prada to take over the label’s Instagram Stories during its Spring 2018 fashion show. For close followers of the trials and perils of the fashion industry, Diet Prada says everything that glossy fashion magazines, at the beck and call of advertisers, cannot say.

This week, 300 women in Hollywood—from stars like Meryl Streep to Cate Blanchett to directors such as Ava DuVernay—signed an open letter that was published in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. In it, they shed light upon the millions of overlooked women who are at the heart of the #MeToo struggle. Their goal: a message of solidarity across socioeconomic backgrounds and gender identities.

Guggenheim Museum-favorite Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan—most recently known for the 18K gold toilet called “America” (2017) which visitors (including yours truly) could use as their golden throne—has a new piece of work out. And this time, you don’t have to wait in line or buy a ticket to see it. Today, online dating platform OkCupid unveiled its first-ever advertising campaign in collaboration with Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari.

America’s slow journey towards legalized marijuana quickens its pace on January 1, 2018. That’s the day California—the nation’s most populous state—will join the states of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington, and the District of Columbia, in legalizing recreational use of cannabis. (Massachusetts will follow shortly afterwards in July 2018.) Legally speaking, however, that doesn’t mean Golden State residents will find farmers market vendors selling homemade pot brownies and artisanal blends for smoking. Only shops with both local permits and state licenses to sell recreational marijuana can offer their wares to people who can prove they’re 21 years of age or older with a state driver’s license or photo ID.

As far as selfish decisions go, this one was pretty selfless. Instead of losing weight or mastering a new language as my 2017 new year’s resolution, I resolved to open up my overpriced New York City studio apartment to dogs without homes. I, a 26-year-old single woman living alone and working at home (in short, I could go weeks without talking to anyone), became a foster parent to puppies in search of their “forever home.”

If you’re (finally) tired of watching slime videos, consider watching the YouTube channel of board-certified dermatologist Sandra Lee, MD—aka, Dr. Pimple Popper. The Los Angeles-based doctor has over three million YouTube subscribers, 69K Twitter followers, and 2.6 million Instagram followers. Not bad for someone whose entire social media presence involves, well, gross 12-year-old boy humor. (One recent video shows pus being squeezed of a cyst in a thick noodle-shape. “Linguini is our fav type of noodle ;)” was the caption.)

The South Korean beauty industry has been estimated to be worth over $13 billion in 2017. In 2015, $2.6 billion dollars worth of beauty products were exported from the country known for creating the “cushion compact,” introducing “double cleansing” to our skincare routines, and making sheet masks and the Hannibal Lecter-like selfies they produce so ubiquitous. But there’s another global beauty capital that you should pay attention to in 2018: Dubai.

In October 2016, the Washington Post released the Access Hollywood tape that caught President Trump making derogatory statements about women—which he later dismissed as “locker room banter”—to television host Billy Bush. “I just start kissing them,” he said. “It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

According to 2017 data from “lifelog” app Foursquare Swarm, Americans may be spending more time and money on self-care. There were meaningful increases in mentions of self-care activities over 2016: a 34% rise in morning yoga, 19% rise in morning walks, 16% rise in meditation, and, least surprisingly, a 17% rise in therapy. This data resonates with me and, perhaps, with you—if you’re among the increasing masses needed extra TLC in the current political climate. As Jia Tolentino recently wrote in the New Yorker: “Over the summer, in one of many small, ridiculous attempts to affirm to myself that I will outlive the Trump Administration, I decided to incorporate both retinol and sunscreen into my daily skin-care routine.”

At just 241-years-young, America can’t compete with countries like the United Kingdom for sheer number of historic homes and estates. But the East Hampton landmark Grey Gardens easily makes up for that. Built in 1897, the 6,000-square-feet shingle-style home, located at 3 West End Road, was the home of two women both named Edie Beale, a mother and daughter pair who also happened to be the the aunt and first cousin of former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

What do you hope for when you see the annual Christmas photo of the British Royal family (or, any royal family or minor aristocracy, for that matter)? Personally, I want to see a glimpse of an opulently decorated Christmas tree. A centuries-old tapestry of a hunting scene. A corgi or two sneaking away from the Queen. A tiara on both the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte. Otherwise, what’s the difference between a royal Christmas card and a Christmas card from your not-a-royal (I presume) cousin?

In the new year, Condé Nast darling Teen Vogue will be going all-digital, but not without a final celebration of its loyal subscriber base of young women. Over the weekend, editor in chief Elaine Welteroth—only the second black editor in chief in Condé Nast history (after Keija Minor, who left Brides in August 2017)—announced that Teen Vogue subscribers would receive special issues of Teen Vogue’s final print version in their mailbox this week: “For the first time in our history, we celebrate REAL GIRLS and FEMMES (aka not celebs) on our cover who are making a difference in the world,” she wrote on Instagram. “These faces represent just a few of the young inventors, activists, artists, and athletes recognized in our annual #21Under21 list for their outstanding achievement.”

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda knows a thing or two about spreading everyday joy. The almost-EGOT winner (he was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award for Best Original Song, but no dice) greets his two million Twitter followers every morning with Tweets like these, like love notes your mom used to pack in your lunchbox:

Earlier this week, Google published its 2017 Year in Search charts, which reveals that as unique as we think we are, we’re all searching for bitcoin, Meghan Markle, and iPhones. And if you’re a millennial who follows Cardi B or Kylie Jenner on Instagram, you’re also probably searching for Fashion Nova, the Los Angeles-based fast-fashion e-commerce brand that sells $25 Girl Please denim tops and $20 Work It elastic waistband pants. As noted by The Cut, Fashion Nova surpasses legacy brands like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, only behind Supreme, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.

Three types of alcoholic beverages can be made from the spidery agave plant: mezcal (distilled from the heart of the plant), tequila (the best-know type of mezcal, which originates from the city of Tequila), and the lesser-known pulque (a milky, viscous beer-like beverage made from fermented sap). While the US tequila market—the biggest in the world—has surged 65% between 2005 and 2015, pulque is making a slow renaissance in both Mexico and abroad. Mexico’s groovy young things are increasingly loving pulque’s indigenous heritage, health benefits (no hangover involved, and a decent source of nutrients), and sweetened, cocktail-like flavors.