
Longtime Beauty Editor Jane Larkworthy Dies at 62
Larkworthy joined W magazine in 2000 and stewarded its beauty coverage until 2016. More recently, she served as a columnist for New York Magazine's The Cut and a contributor for Linda Wells' Air Mail Look. Outside of her journalism ventures, she co-founded the consultancy C Word Media alongside Condé Nast alum Danielle Pergament. Prior to joining W, Larkworthy worked at Glamour, Mademoiselle and Jane.
Her enthusiasm for beauty and cutting-edge eye made her a behind-the-scenes architect of the industry. Larkworthy is credited as the editor responsible for popularising Le Labo's now ubiquitous Santal 33 after convincing the brand's founders to turn the candle into a wearable scent.
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Vogue Editor Polly Mellen Dies at 100
The Connecticut-born editor, known for her close work with Diana Vreeland and Richard Avedon, has died.
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Buzz Feed
3 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
From KL Premieres To Singapore Staycays: Ross Butler Is Taking Asia By Storm (Again!)
Ross Butler, the Singapore-born American actor, recently embarked on a whirlwind press tour across Asia for his new romantic comedy, Worth the Wait. The film, which features an ensemble cast of Asian-American actors, provided a special opportunity for Butler to connect with his heritage and experience a kind of homecoming. The tour included stops in Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, and his birthplace, Singapore, where he engaged in a mix of promotional activities and personal exploration. In Kuala Lumpur, the tour included a premiere for the film, giving Butler the chance to witness firsthand how audiences reacted to an all-Asian cast in a non-traditional "Asian story." He expressed his hope that such projects would encourage Hollywood to move beyond stereotypical portrayals and create more diverse content. Beyond his official duties, Butler took the time to explore the city's vibrant culture, with his activities often documented on social media. He visited famous landmarks such as Batu Caves and Dataran Merdeka, and even explored local markets like Petaling Street. During his stay, Butler revealed his deep affection for Malaysian food, particularly durian, which he confessed to being a "big durian guy" after trying it fresh for the first time. The actor also shared his love for curry laksa, proving he was fully embracing the local cuisine. The tour also brought Butler back to Singapore, a place he hadn't visited since 2008. The return was especially meaningful for the actor, who was born there. In an interview with Vogue Singapore, he spoke about the changes he had observed and what Asian representation means to him today. He emphasized the importance of telling stories where Asian characters are simply "normal people," not defined solely by their ethnicity. While in Singapore, Butler's activities focused on press engagements and interviews, allowing him to reflect on his career and the significance of his latest role. He also spent time reconnecting with the city, enjoying a "staycay" experience and appreciating the local atmosphere. The tour not only promoted the film but also served as a personal journey for Butler, allowing him to celebrate his heritage and inspire a new generation of Asian storytellers and actors. Come back soon again, Butler!

9 hours ago
How to spot a fake Labubu: Pop Mart's advice for getting the real deal
Can you tell the difference between a Labubu and its imposter, the Lafufu? This is the question "Good Morning America" posed last month when we tracked down one of each of the plush toys, asked collectors to weigh in and got Pop Mart's thoughts on the matter. Keep reading to find what we learned. Labubu vs. Lafufu: What are they? Labubus are plush toys on keychains that are based on characters created by Hong Kong-born Belgian artist Kasing Lung. They typically feature oversized eyes, tall rabbit-like ears, and serrated, toothy grins. They have fur-covered heads and bodies but bare feet and hands. Chinese brand Pop Mart picked up the characters and transformed them into a collectible series in 2019, leading to their current global popularity. Lafufus are counterfeit versions of Labubus that have proliferated in the wake of the original's popularity, with everyone from street vendors to Facebook sellers either selling them outright as fakes or attempting to pass them off as originals in order to profit off the scarcity of the original. Why are Labubus so popular? "GMA" got in touch with Pop Mart to inquire on the toys' popularity and why it believes Labubus have been such a sensation. While celebrity fans of the plush "always help drive awareness," a company representative said, "Pop Mart's sales momentum is primarily rooted in sustained fan engagement and global expansion." "Our growth has been powered by a passionate collector base, organic creator content and consistent demand across a wide range of IPs -- from SKULLPANDA and Peach Riot to Molly and CRYBABY," they said. "These cultural moments are great visibility boosters and part of a much larger fandom story." For more insight, "GMA" asked Labubu collector and enthusiast Ensito to weigh in and found his explanation to be a combination of cuteness and exclusivity. "It's just a little bit of a high, like, trying to like get yourself in a position where you can get that exclusive thing that everybody wants," Ensito explained. "And let's face it, when [Blackpink's] Lisa wore them on her purse, obviously all of us were like, 'What?! Lisa's wearing them?!' Like, why not?" He added, "I collect designer bags as well. So for me, it was kind of like, 'What can I put on my bag to be, like, really cute and trendy?'" Spotting the differences Naturally, when something becomes this viral and hard to find, the copycats aren't far behind. "GMA" asked Pop Mart how to ensure you're getting a real Labubu while shopping, and the company reiterated the importance of purchasing directly through Pop Mart or going through a verified retailer to avoid buying a counterfeit product. The list of authenticated vendors is a fairly short one: Pop Mart retail stores, the Pop Mart app, Robo Shops, the store's official TikTok Shop, verified third-party retailers like Amazon's official Pop Mart storefront and official Pop Mart booths at events like San Diego Comic-Con. "This is true for all character collections," the representative added, "whether it's Labubu, SKULLPANDA or seasonal drops." If you're still planning to shop outside of one of these retailers, however, they offered some tips. "[Our] figures are renowned for their clean sculpting and meticulous paint application," the representative said, which means any sloppy or chipping paint on the eyes, teeth or nose can be an easy red flag to spot. Labubus will also come with official branding and packaging, and each figure comes with Pop Mart tags and artist attribution, depending on the series. The Lafufu "GMA" acquired, for example, was easy to spot as counterfeit because of glaring spelling mistakes on the top tag. The stitching on that Lafufu was also noticeably lower quality than that of the Labubu, as you can see in the uneven edges, and it did not have the correct number of teeth, which is exactly nine. As with this particular Lafufu, the mistakes can be obvious, and -- to some collectors -- even charming. Bizarre or warped faces, misshapen bodies and other differentiating factors can be funny, with many Labubu collectors opting to nab the more standout fakes as part of their larger collection. Many Lafufus, though, are nearly indistinguishable from their authentic counterparts. One common scam, for example, involves counterfeiters acquiring authentic Labubu boxes but replacing the toy inside with a Lafufu before carefully resealing the flap and attempting to pass it off as authentic. Pop Mart said it has tried to counteract measures like these and began stepping up security features in its 2024 releases, including an engraved Pop Mart tag and the artist name on the figure's foot, as well as QR code on the figure's tag linking to the official Pop Mart website for verification, where you can type in your confirmation number to authenticate the toy. By contrast, Lafufus or other counterfeit products will likely not include these details. When asked for any final thoughts on spotting the difference between Labubus and Lafufus, Pop Mart reiterated, "We encourage fans to shop directly from Pop Mart and official retail partners to guarantee safety and product authenticity."


San Francisco Chronicle
14 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Aging is the real killer in Bay Area author's latest serial killer tale
According to popular fiction, being a serial killer is troublingly easy, a game played by people with near-supernatural intelligence and abilities. But Samantha Downing knows the truth. 'Killing people is hard work,' the Novato-born novelist says. 'Besides the actual physical work of murder, there's the cleanup and technology to deal with, along with setting up an alibi and dealing with the police. It's a young person's game.' But while pop culture abounds with actively homicidal anti-heroes in the prime of their lives (look no further than the currently airing 'Dexter: Resurrection' for a slew of 'em), we hear less about killers in the senior set. This, even though America's aging population is one of the greatest social forces of our time. Downing changes all that with 'Too Old For This,' her latest thriller. Like Hannibal Lecter, the arguable gold standard of killers for whom you root, Lottie Jones spent much of her youth killing people who were rude to her. Also like Lecter (who, based on his age in 'Silence of the Lambs' would be 84 today), she's a senior citizen, a 75-year-old with many of the infirmities that come with age. So when Jones has to return to her old ways — this time, to keep her murderous past under wraps — it's a lot tougher than she expected. But unlike Lecter, Jones is willing to set aside her ego and sense of self to get what she wants. In her case, that means leaning into society's low expectations for the elderly to avoid suspicion, by feigning borderline dementia and adopting a walker-aided shuffle when under scrutiny. 'Lottie knows that older women are invisible in society,' Downing says. 'She isn't as physically capable as she used to be, and she uses it to her advantage the same way a lot of younger women act like they can't lift something or open a jar.' A sharp woman's willingness to play the old and doddering crone has a rich history in crime fiction: Agatha Christie's famous detective, Miss Marple, is a great example of how ladies with grey hair are so frequently underestimated when murder is afoot. It's far rarer that we see imaginary men take that route, notes true crime author Sara DiVello, the interviewer behind YouTube series ' Mystery and Thriller Mavens.' 'When men know what they're doing — which often involves being dispassionate and calculating — people say they're strategic visionaries, they're geniuses. When women are capable, they're hated, they're feared. If you're too old to be cute, then you have to be unthreatening. You have to hide who you are if you want to get ahead. It's infuriating' Like DiVello, Lottie has been enraged by this inequity for years, often to the point of murder. So there's a pleasant symmetry to how she turns that bias to her advantage when she has to start killing again. The idea for a less able killer came to Downing during a health crisis of her own. 'I was always really healthy and fit,' the 56-year-old says. But a serious illness temporarially limited her mobility. 'I couldn't be active, and had to adapt and adjust to a new reality. I hated it and was so angry, so I channeled it all into Lottie. I'd been writing a different story about a much younger protagonist who didn't have any of these problems, and I threw it all away.' Downing, who has since made a full recovery, says the experience provided her with an important subtext for her book. 'I like to use serial killing as a vehicle to tell a story,' she says, citing filmmaker George Romero, whose 'Night of the Living Dead' series revolutionized the horror genre. 'He used to say that the zombies don't matter, and that he's interested in telling a human story about how people react to the zombies.' So for Downing, 'This isn't a thriller about serial killers. This is a thriller about aging,' with Lottie's dismemberments of various victims broken up by visits to the doctor for medication adjustments, joint pain, and conflicts with members of her church group. Sure, fears that she might get caught hang over Lottie every step of the way, but so do her worries over how long she can live independently — and what she'll do when she can't. Downing's unflinching look at the specific anxieties faced by a woman who is aging alone is unusual for the genre, and it's a telling reveal of societal biases that Lottie's sometimes-desperate calculations around how long she can afford to keep living are some of the most unsettling in the book. Most of us can talk about murder all day long. It's entertainment, right? But far fewer of us make cocktail party chit-chat about how those last years before one's natural end of life might play out. In many ways, the same skills that made Lottie a successful killer are what will help her navigate that time most of us prefer not to think about. 'She can look directly at things that most people want to avoid,' Downing says. 'That's one of the benefits of being a sociopath. You know how to make a really, really good plan.'