CULTIQUE

1, 2. at BLACKBIRD HOUSE in culver city, Sally Morrison took this pic of me in jewelry heaven. over dinner with designers like maggi simpkins (who helped make my O.G. infinity ring), i heard how the De Beers Group's diamond-mining business is evolving away from its conflict-tarred past, and focusing on the economic success of botswana. they're also wrestling with the explosive growth of lab-grown rocks, which are causing confusion among would-be brides – go big or go real? 3. McDonald's announced its latest innovation – and it sounds like an old-school SONIC to me. if you grew up in texas like me, you already know the bennies (and health risks) of drive-in dining. 4. the 4-DAY WEEK is now driving one of the fastest companies on the planet to do more with less – Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is cutting back the workweek to turbocharge productivity, retention and the overall happiness of its workers. CULTIQUE welcomes them to the club! 5, 6. this year, i skipped the traffic at Art Basel Miami Beach, but luckily, i'd culture-vultured at the The Museum of Modern Art's ed ruscha retrospective, where i also loved the merch. 7. the decade isn't even at its halfway point and already folks are sticking labels on it, according to Kyle Chayka, one of my fave culture writers. what would you call it? 8. i took a trip through time talking about linear cable's rocky road with The New York Times writer and author John Koblin, who came up with a new name i love: ZOMBIE TV. 9. and now we have the OED to thank for making us explain the "word" RIZZ to our elders at this year's holiday table. if you need an example, rita ora's spiked back at the BRITISH FASHION AWARDS as one way to flaunt it. i got ahead of myself last week in announcing our holiday break – starting next week, we'll be pausing #LOokforward until the new year. keep an eye out for this friday's CULTURE PORN and then we'll see you in january. wishing you a happier, healthier 2024! #LOokforward🌅 #ritaora #happynewyear #rizz #britishfashionawards #holiday #zombietv #nyt #cable #culture #art #artbaselmiami #4dayworkweek

1, 2. this troublesome year deserves to be capped off with a list that channels its vibe – thankfully The New Yorker has come up with the definitive recap of the "30 most disappointing under 30" that you certainly will be happy to be left off of – perhaps sam bankman-fried was the inspo, just missing the cut off at 31. 3. i'm ending the year with the same ritual as the last two: dancing myself clean to LCD SOUNDSYSTEM's NYC residency, now growing from brooklyn to manhattan and queens. 4. turns out dancing is not only good for your soul, it's a strong move for society. CULTIQUE's neuroscientist Noah Barr tells us that this can even synch our heart and brain activity in a physiological process know known as "spontaneous synchronization" – creating a sense of empathy, which helps us feel unified. 5. musicians are also hoping for the end of algo-curated micro-genres (chillwave, witch house, shitgaze). moving to vibe and mood feels more of the moment, similar to how Airbnb has updated its listings from traditional real estate categories to the ones focusing on the kind of experiences guests want to have. 6. according to Spotify WRAPPED, FLEETWOOD MAC provided much of the soundtrack to my year. and it seems everyone i know also was profiled as a VAMPIRE - what does that say about us? 7. i loved this SNL parody on brand collabs, and must admit that the foaming cleanser looks pretty effective! 8. are we at peak LETO? seems like jared leto's popping up all over - at F1 Miami Grand Prix, hanging off the empire state building, and now on The Wheel of Fortune, all to promote his band 30 SECONDS TO MARS's new tour. 9. friend of CULTIQUE laura pitcher points out "the great knitwear decline of 2023," epitomized by ben schwartz's cheapo take on billy crystal's luxurious cabled version from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. 10. we've been sharing the chatter about people's unhappiness at work, despite the tight labor market and growing wages. now, Derek Thompson writes that maybe it's a pseudo-trend made up by the media. what do you think? #LOokforward🌅 will be taking a break for the holidays. here's hoping 2024 is happier, healthier, and more peaceful for all! xlinda #work #culture #happiness #sweaters #fashion #jaredleto #snl #dietcoke #trending #spotify #hyperpop #dance #movement #lcdsoundsystem #newyork #30under30

1, 2. i’m loving being in NYC this time of year. reminds me of my childhood, marveling at the just-unveiled store windows while munching on roasted chestnuts. just as the twinkle of the holidays goes on blast. i kicked it off backstage with andrew rannells, who's reuniting with josh gad (his BOOK OF MORMON co-star) in the crazy GUTENBERG:THE MUSICAL. 3. congrats to our partners at AARP on their surprising-but-brilliant new alliance with THE ROLLING STONES. now, CULTIQUE is one degree from keith richards hehe. 4. 2 rockstars of impressionism - éduoard manet and edgar degas – are in a first-ever residency at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. it's mind-blowing to see such transgressive-for-their-time works from manet, like OLYMPIA and THE DEAD TOREADOR, toe-to-toe with his frenemy's finest. 5, 6. the reviews of ridley scott’s NAPOLEON are harsh. but i’m enjoying the behind-the-scenes vivisection of its production, costumes, and of course, joaquin phoenix at work. 7. the NY JETS' season is going from terrible to catastrophic, with fails going viral as a metaphor for the team's woes. meanwhile, folks are celebrating in ann arbor. with MICHIGAN having won the most contested rivalry in college football vs. OHIO STATE, the scandal-tagged wolverines are now up against EVERYBODY. 8. sabrina carpenter may not be the first former Disney Channel star to break ties with her wholesome past, but might be a pioneer when it comes to featuring blood-splattered, candy-coated church services in her clunky (but cute) music video. pity the brooklyn priest, who blessed the production, hoping to connect with gen z.  9. anna louie sussman's much-shared op-ed lands just as we're digging deep into the dating world, and it's not pretty. along with headlines of "men in crisis," women are finding that men are “limited in their ability and willingness to be fully emotionally present and available.” no wonder we're hearing that singles of all genders are confused. 10. good thing you can always indulge in retail therapy. in case "what's trending" serves as inspiration, the Google HOLIDAY 100 has a data-driven approach to playing santa – or populating your wish list. happy hunting! #LOokforward🌅 #holidayshopping #google #dating #genz #disney #sabrinacarpenter #nyjets #michigan #ohiostate #napoleon #nyc #broadway #gutenberg

just as we're eyeing the turkeypalooza this week, my doctor has put me on an "elemental" (read: no pie, no fun) diet to shock my compromised immune system into behaving. so i am vicariously drooling over this idea of devouring all the bad behavior that's backlashing the purity of wellness. which will you choose? 2. i will however be making (but likely not eating) my traditional homemade cranberry/grapefruit relish. this puts me opposite the granfluencers of #teamcanned in Ocean Spray Cranberries' attempt to create a new seasonal culture war, even partnering with OkCupid to screen potential mates. 3. as if AI wasn't complicated enough, tech watchers have whiplash over the he's-out-wait-maybe-he's-in leadership of OpenAI's sam altman. #smh 4, 5. last year, we gave a shout out to Kyla Scanlon for coining the term "vibecession." now the data is in – and gen z definitely have a dour view of their economic future according to TIK TOK, reports Jeanna Smialek, who's now officially on my radar. 6, 7. despite snoop's allegedly "giving up smoke," weed sales are up, and it's not just gen z driving the growth. seniors are tossing their pharma in favor of the herb, and even my sleepy little town on the north fork has its own "smoke shop." i'm trying to get them to carry my covetable fave weed-cessories from Sackville & co from female founder, Lana Van Brunt - great holiday gifts! 8. jared leto's spoken word version of VIVA LAS VEGAS confused some F1 fans, but the outcome was clearly expected: max verstappen ruled the strip. 9. having fangirled over her mind-blowing experiential and award-winning stage work at Art Basel Miami Beach, on broadway, and on SUPER BOWL LVI in 2022, i'm thrilled that es devlin now has a book and an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. 10. as the holidays officially start, turn to INTERNET PRINCESS for one of the best gift guides i've seen. and thanks to Emma Goldberg for tipping us off, as part of her what-happened-to-feminist-bloggers piece, mourning the death of Jezebel and the community of voices it encouraged. CULTURE PORN will be off this friday, back december 1st. hope you and yours enjoy your turkey day! #LOokforward🌅 #art #holidays #dating #food #wellness #diet #f1 #vegas #marijuana #ai #samaltman #turkey #thanksgiving #holiday #granfluencer

1, 2. PHOEBE PHILO got dumped on for her ridiculously-priced, impossible-to-get, and yet long-awaited new collection, as well as her all-white runway shows. but the controversy inspired me to don my $168 faux fur from Free People, admittedly a fast-fashion brand. so i'm not sure who is worse, her or me? 3. maybe "intensive parenting" is to blame for SBF's downfall – we're increasingly seeing parents over-involved in the lives of their adult children, even hiring freelance consultants to "mom" coddled college students on campus. 4, 5. it's great to see the iconic and award-winning song FAST CAR, originally performed by a Black female folk-based singer, come back to life with new relevance from a male country superstar – and be recognized by the COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. maybe this country can agree on some things after all! 6. leave it to the brand geniuses at A24 to up the movie-merch game for the new sofia coppola-helmed PRISCILLA. 7. through november 18th, catch the amazing work of new and emerging south asian artists – some of them showing in the US for the first time! – curated by CULTIQUE's own Rajiv Menon at his pop-up gallery in silver lake. a stunning debut! 8. who knew that back in 2004, when i was tapped to lead brand strategy for the relaunch of Bravo TV, that it would manifest in a BRAVO-palooza in vegas crammed with fans dying to touch their fave "Bravolebrities"? congrats to Ellen Stone, Frances Berwick, Andrew Cohen, et al for getting the world to WATCH WHAT HAPPENS all these years later! 9. congrats to co-founder diana darling on the 20th anniversary of The Architect's Newspaper. i'm proud to have been an advisor at its founding, and impressed at how it's grown into a live-events org, building a vibrant global community for a vital industry.  at the same time, we're mourning the demise of JEZEBEL, who defined the voice of digital feminism. by taking aim at the toxicism of women's magazines, their editors led the charge against unhealthy, unrealistic retouching of images that made women feel bad about themselves. RIP. #LOokforward🌅 #jezebel #magazine #bravo #art #a24 #countrymusic #tracychapman #sbf #phoebephilo

even we were wowed by heidi klum's halloween costume this year – created in collaboration with our partners at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, showcasing their craft and agility as an otherworldly peacock! 2. we're so excited that Variety has named our longtime coalition member Kendall Aliment Ostrow, (Candle Media) and friend-of-CULTIQUE Lesley Silverman (United Talent Agency), among hollywood's "new leaders of 2023." no surprise, they've always been rock stars to us! 3. our own Sarah Unger is the guest star of Matt Klein's ZINE: 3_TRENDS vol. 25. i love reading the delicious stuff going on in her brain, along with matt's provocative and thoughtful takeaways. 4. we're deep-diving into the cultural relevance of outlaw country music, so we're keeping an eye on chris stapleton. ICYMI, he's rising outside the genre, collaborating with artists (adele, pink, justin timberlake, joy oladokun, etc.) and speaking to "country radio listeners, americana heads, bros, traditionalists, neo-traditionalists, poptimists, critics, crowds" who "all claim some part of stapleton as their own." 5. if you're one of the loyal foodies mourning the closing of Momofuku, head to Amazon where you can buy multi-packs of david chang's famous ramen, and pick up a jar of trendy FLY BY JING chili crisps while you can! i've topped my versions with chicken and salmon. 6. more yummy stuff is hard to ignore when roaming the aisles of LA-fave Erewhon, which started its growth just as i got to town. now their celebrity smoothies are giving Whole Foods Market a run for its money, attracting national attention to its expensive–but-healthy wares. 7. in more price-sensitive food news, kudos to our friends at Target for designing an affordable thanksgiving meal for $25. 8. even Ozempic et al might have a dramatic effect on the economy. as use of semiglutide drugs rise, snack food sales are imploding – which some predict may reduce total weight on airlines and other industries as well. #LOokforward🌅 #thanksgiving #dinner #food #health #economy #erewhon #wholefoods #lifestyle #foodies #chrisstapleton #countrymusic #hollywood #variety #leadership #heidiklum #halloween #costume #cirquedusoleil

1-3. since his hit SNL gig, cultural leaders like The Atlantic and the LEGO Group are jumping on the BAD BUNNY train, just as he's launching his 2024 tour. but it's been a long time coming. for almost 15 years, i've tracked the growing influence of latino biculturals - millennial/gen z kids of immigrant families – as their tastes increasingly lead the mainstream. this is a group that consider themselves 100% american, AND 100% country of origin (yes, that's 200%!). that superpower of duality makes them gatekeepers to american culture – and they're still largely untapped as an economic force. if you're looking to amplify and accelerate your brand with younger audience, keep your eyes on this audience! 4. speaking of duality, DIA DE LOS MUERTOS is growing more popular every year in the US. and we hear from our friend mauricio in CDMX that halloween is increasingly a thing in mexico! 5. kim kardashian's new "nipple bra" for SKIMS confused me at first. but it turns out that breast-cancer survivors are grateful for a badly-needed solution. the brand is also donating 10% of proceeds to ONE PERCENT FOR THE PLANET. 6. the pandemic spurred many folks to expand their families through pet adoption. we're now talking about dogs like we talk about ourselves: birthday parties, meds for anxiety, what's next? 7. recent studies in younger children and gen z are identifying shifts in behavior. for one, less independence in a culture where parents monitor their kids' every move from birth. and as porn increasingly becomes the primary medium for adolescents' sexual "education," there is a growing desire to see more platonic relationships onscreen. 8. thanks to Amy Daroukakis for pointing out the new campaign by fashion "it" brand Loewe starring dame maggie smith. and this weekend i found artist judy chicago staring up from a full-page Dior ad. it's great to still have fashion role models to look up to at any age! 9. ending on a sad note this week. #RIPmatthewperry. #LOokforward🌅 #fashion #culture #education #genz #wellness #mentalhealth #sex #pet #adoption #party #kimk #breastcancerawareness #snl #badbunny #latin #lego #bicultural

1, 2.amidst the tinder box that is our world, comedy (and music) proved to be badly-needed medicine at the greek theater in LA. will ferrell hosted the benefit for Cancer for College, which gives scholarships to cancer survivors, and invited some of his closest "friends." 3. OG comics like fred armisen, jo koy, john mulaney, jon stewart, and hasan minhaj joined emerging acts like rory scovell and trans comedian patti harrison (who had the most awkward set of the night). a "GRUCCI"-attired ron burgundy even "interviewed" with SMARTLESS podcast hosts will arnett, jason bateman and sean hayes. music ended the night with a jam session that included maya rudolph, jack black, beck and st. vincent, keanu reeve's DOGSTAR. 4. but the big moment for me was the STEP BROTHERS musical reunion of john c. reilly and farrell singing the movie's iconic BOATS & HOES, then sliding into GIN & JUICE with none other than SNOOP DOGG, who was celebrating his birthday (and perhaps his USC partnership). people seemed grateful for the chance to laugh, and no one even touched the kryptonite that is the trouble abroad right now. in some ways, that feels like a relief. but it also underscores how fraught free speech can be right now – and that's enough to make me cry. #LOokforward🌅 #greektheater #willferrell #comedy #benefit #cancer #losangeles #music #event

it’s hard for me find words right now. perhaps pete davidson’s SNL monologue best expresses what i am feeling. i hope you take comfort in it. xlinda https://lnkd.in/gUwDwqp5 2. thanks to Katherine Barna at Waymo, i turned a 15 minute walk into a 3-minute into an autonomous vehicular adventure. the car impressively navigated a roundabout, a midstreet dumpster, parallel parking and the mystified stares of pedestrians. still, i missed having a chatty driver to share the experience with. maybe someday AI will fix that? 3. the spotlight is growing on injustices wrought upon native peoples around the world. now, the art world is uncovering transgressions at every level. santa fe’s iconic plaza vendors as well as established institutions and high-end collectors are all under (welcomed) scrutiny. 4. aside from politics, the new flashpoint in the state of georgia is its accent - or increasing lack of it. (as a former texan i still say “y’all). 5. meanwhile in hollywood, diversity has been set back at least 5 years thanks to industry decline. that’s what i said to Nicole LaPorte at The Ankler, who found that many sadly felt the same. 6. i can’t believe goop is now 15 years old. say what you want, but GP deserves credit for helping destigmatizing women’s bodies, amplifying convos on menopause and digestive health. plus, remember those vagina candles? 7. leave it to miuccia prada to design the future, putting the first woman on the moon in 2025. 8. our own Sarah Unger weighed in on the celeb trend sharing medical results online with NYLON’s Laura Pitcher. i loved how she connected lapses in the healthcare system to the rise of performative wellness in culture. 9. wellness, schmellness! leave it to amy schumer to remind us of the ravages of aging. #LOokforward🌅 #petedavidson #snl #waymo #ai #prada #space #wellness #medicine #culture #amyschumer #aging #gwynethpaltrow #goop #menopause #digestivehealth #hollywood #diversity