‘Anna Wintour? I found her efforts to seem intimidating almost comical'
I have Anna Wintour to thank for bringing me firmly into the Condé Nast fold — and also for either inadvertently or advertently giving me reason to leave that fold 30 years later. We didn't meet the way normal people do. She essentially inherited me. When Condé Nast's chairman, Samuel Irving 'Si' Newhouse Jr, asked her to take over House & Garden in 1987, she was given a magazine with a charmed history and a number of staff and contract writers, me included.
Lacking the discernment of previous editors of my freelance offerings, Anna kept me on contract when she took over. I found Anna in those days to be cosy, conspiratorial and completely enticing. My feelings toward her ran in opposition to the tagline 'Nuclear Wintour', which was then at the beginning of its long run. She was a great and loyal friend, and as a result, she had a lot of close friends. Also, she had gone out with Christopher Hitchens, a big validation in my book.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The Chrisleys open up on their 'weird' reunion after 2 years in prison
Todd and opened up about what it was like to see each other again after spending two years apart in prison. The pair served time for bank fraud and tax evasion before receiving a pardon from Donald Trump on May 28. Following their release, the couple finally reunited and are now sharing the emotional details in a new interview with ABC News Studios, where they reflected on seeing each other for the first time in years. 'I was a little nervous,' Julie, 52, said about her reunion with Todd during the interview. 'Just because, you know, you think, "Oh my gosh, I've been away this long." But then, when I saw him, it was as if no time had passed.' Todd, 56, said that the idea of reuniting felt 'weird,' because he never really considered that he and Julie were 'apart'. 'And you know for me, it's just weird, because she was never away from me. 'Even the whole time we were apart. She was with me every second, every breath that I took. 'I mean, when I saw her, I was grateful to wrap my arms around her, but it was just more like, "I'm home".' Julie added that there was 'laughter and tears' at their reunion, which was filmed. Todd chimed in: 'A lot of that came after the cameras were not on.' And after so much time apart, the first thing Todd and Julie did together was have dinner with their family. Todd said: 'You know, we get to start over,' before saying that sleeping in his own bed again was 'heaven'. Both of them agreed that being able to shower at the leisure, without shower shoes, was thrilling. 'It was almost like your first sexual encounter. That good,' Todd joked. But the most emotional part of coming home was reuniting with their daughter Chloe, 12. 'You know, even though we had gotten to see each other [during visitations], it's not the same as when you're home,' Julie said. 'On our way home, she was literally watching on her phone - she was tracking where we were - to know how close I was. So I think it was just - it was a special moment,' she continued. Todd also recently shared the thoughts running through his mind the first night in prison. 'I remember going in and that night, I was so angry with God and that night when the lights went out, I literally cried myself to sleep because it's the first time Julie and I have ever been away from each other since we had been married,' the Chrisley patriarch told Lara Trump. 'I'd never not been in that house when my kids woke up in the morning or when they went to bed at night,' Chrisley recalled.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
People are only just finding out about the 'Disney hug rule' - but not everyone is happy about it
There are thousands of videos of children meeting their favourite characters at Disney World and Disneyland and giving them very long cuddles, on social media. And there's a very good reason for these extra-lengthy squeezes - the Disney Hug Rule. The Disney Hug Rule is an unofficial guideline for actors at the parks to only pull away from a hug when the child does, allowing the little one to hug the character for as long as they want. The rule is in place due to the heartwarming sentiment from Walt Disney; 'You never know how much that child may need that hug.' And many parents have posted sweet videos of their children embracing everyone, from Winnie the Pooh to Tigger to Elsa from Frozen. There are many montages of these videos on TikTok – including one from @Flickdash, which has been liked more than 496,000 times. And in one very cute video, posted by McCall Cook, a little girl called Hazel June is seen running up to Anna from Frozen, hugging her, and refusing to let go for more than two minutes. In the video, liked by 3.3 million people, Anna constantly talks to Hazel and asks her questions, remaining in character throughout the long hug – and Hazel even goes in for a second embrace. Hazel's mum McCall captioned the video: I THINK SHE BROKE THE RECORD WHAT DO YOU THINK? 'The Disney hug rule means that characters are to never let go of the child's hug first and to allow the child to hug as long as they want! 'I think hazie wouldve sat there all day long if there wasnt a line behind us haha.' The adorable video has more than 10,200 comments - and people are welling up. One said: 'I'm sorry but how do you not break down crying every time this happens?' Another added: 'Why does the Disney hug rule always make me cryyy����❤️❤️healing that inner child in me.' A third said: 'This is so pure and innocent ohh my heart.' But a few people also wondered whether the parents should've stepped in to break up the hug, and let the next child in the queue have their turn. One said: 'As a parent, I would have stopped it earlier.' Another blasted: 'The parents should know that the hug went on for way too long as they put the Disney worker in an awkward position.' It comes after a Disney World visitor ignited a heated debate on social media after claiming she was denied access to a ride due to her 'inappropriate' gym attire. Nicole Arena, a personal trainer from the U.S., took to TikTok earlier this month to document her experience during a visit to Orlando's Walt Disney World Epcot park with her husband. In a series of videos posted to her account @arenalifts, Arena said she was 'dress-coded' for wearing a white Nike sports bra and black leggings - an outfit she described as typical gym wear.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Jury in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial to start deliberating
NEW YORK, June 30 (Reuters) - The jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial is expected to begin its deliberations on Monday, after hearing dueling narratives from prosecutors and defense lawyers last week about whether the music mogul forced his former girlfriends to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. A former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture, Combs could be sentenced to life behind bars if convicted on all five counts. Over more than six weeks of testimony in Manhattan federal court, two of Combs' former girlfriends -- the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane -- told the 12-member jury that he forced them to take part in the performances with paid male escorts, sometimes known as "Freak Offs," while he watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. Both women testified that Combs beat them, and jurors saw a hotel surveillance video showing Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway in 2016. "Cassie repeatedly told you that the defendant's violence was in the back of her mind whenever he proposed a Freak Off," prosecutor Christy Slavik said in her closing argument on Thursday. "The whole point was to control Cassie, to make her afraid to say no to the defendant. And it worked." Combs' lawyers acknowledged that he was at times violent in domestic relationships, but argued Ventura and Jane took part consensually in the performances. During cross-examination, the defense highlighted tender and sexually explicit text messages the women sent Combs over the course of their years-long relationships with him. "If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn't all be here," defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said during his closing argument on Friday. "He did not do the things he's charged with." The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs lived a lavish lifestyle in his Miami and Los Angeles mansions and was feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars. He has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.
