Racked

Jamie Lauren Keiles spends a week at a naturist camp to learn “why people get naked.” As she exercises, sun tans, and square dances her way through a week garbed for the most part only in shoes, she gets stripped not only of inhibitions around her own body, but also of notions around naturist intent, learning that most enthusiasts take off their clothes not for sexual reasons, but simply to feel free.

The origins and consequences of everyone’s favorite Parisian fantasy.

The big, expensive wedding isn’t just about an ostentatious display of wealth—it’s about service. The weddings of the ultra-rich are about the the creation of an entire experience, from the moment you step off the private jet onto a flower-covered personal island, to the final sip of Dom Perignon on a a Mediterranean balcony. Throw in enough money, you might get social media coverage as well.

The anxiety of choice—what I should do, what I should read, who I should be—has had a curious effect on the world of fashion. Color is out, gray is in. Gray, the midpoint between black and white, has far more than fifty shades; each one communicates a subtle difference in meaning, but all provide an effortless canvas of cool.

A former beauty editor reflects on the differences between the definition of beauty in America and in China during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, where an “unadorned woman was a symbol of liberation from a patriarchal capitalist system.”

While Donald Trump champions the need to create more jobs in America, he manufactured his ties overseas. One journalist did what labor groups could not: he located the Shengzhou, Chinese factories that made Trump-brand ties and traveled there.

The origin story of Kinfolk, a lifestyle publication known for its carefully curated photo spreads. The magazine is well-loved but is also met with derision.

On the enduring appeal of American Girl dolls, and the business model behind their success.

A brief but exhaustive look at the evolution of personal style blogs, from BryanBoy to Man Repeller.

A look inside the first ever Hello Kitty convention and a history of the brand.