Lord of the Bling — Mondo Cavalli
Pioneering animal prints on everything from leather to lamé, then putting Lycra in jeans, Roberto Cavalli made fashion ferociously sexy and fun, both for his celebrity clients (Beyoncé, Bono, the Beckhams, et al.) and for himself.
Don and Betty’s Paradise Lost
On Mad Men creator (and former Sopranos writer) Matthew Weiner, the casting of Jon Hamm and January Jones as Don and Betty Draper, and the obsession that fuels each episode.
North Korea’s Dollar Store
Office 39, North Korea’s billion-dollar crime syndicate, pays for Kim Jong Il’s missiles and cognac. Why did the Bush White House choose not to shut it down?
The Last of Heath
When Heath Ledger died, he was deep into filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus with his friend and mentor, director Terry Gilliam. How the 28-year-old star’s last movie was rescued by a trio of friends: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.
It Came from Wasilla
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics. John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick.
Nancy Reagan’s Solo Role
Fifteen years after Ronald Reagan’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, and five years after his death, Nancy Reagan has triumphed over loneliness, grief, and a bad fall last year.
Johnny Depp’s Great Escape
Plunging deep into his roles—from the self-created (Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow) to the painstakingly re-created (Hunter S. Thompson, and John Dillinger in Public Enemies)—Johnny Depp can drive himself to the edge of the psyche.
The Code of Miss Porter’s
Last fall, at Miss Porter’s School, in Farmington, Connecticut—attended by generations of debutantes and heiresses, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Barbara Hutton—a student named Tatum Bass confessed to cheating, and was later expelled.
The Hamptons Stress Test
As summer begins, what better way to measure Wall Street’s health than a real-estate tour of the Hamptons? For every mansion on the sales or rental market, there’s a story—sometimes involving Bernie Madoff—and brokers are shell-shocked. The author surveys the deals, no-deals, lawsuits, divorces, and teardowns that characterize this strange, dark season.