The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth
As the longtime editor in chief of Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter was accustomed to big expenses: chauffeured town cars, five-star hotel stays, writer salaries that stretched into the mid six-figures. But in early 2001, he wondered if he had gone too far.
Annie Leibovitz, the magazine's chief photographer, had run up a $475,000 bill on a cover shoot involving 10 world-famous actresses — Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren — and an elaborate stage set, complete with a mantelpiece and a genuine John Singer Sargent painting, which was flown from Los Angeles to New York to London. ('It was like Vietnam, the expenses,' Mr. Carter recalled.) Now, he needed to tell his boss, S.I. Newhouse Jr., the billionaire owner and patron of Condé Nast, about the latest line item on his tab.
'I do have to talk to you about something,' Mr. Carter said as the men sat down for lunch. 'It's a good-news-bad-news situation.'
'What's the bad news?' Mr. Newhouse asked.
'Well, I think we just shot the most expensive cover in magazine history.'
A pause. 'What's the good news?'
'It looks like a $475,000 cover.'
It was the equivalent of roughly $850,000 today. Mr. Newhouse was fine with it.
At its 1990s and 2000s peak, Condé Nast captivated tens of millions of readers with its glossy manuals to the good life: Vogue and GQ for fashion, Vanity Fair for celebrity, Gourmet for food, Architectural Digest for real estate. Editors like Anna Wintour, Tina Brown and Mr. Carter were the ultimate cultural gatekeepers, venerated and feared.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
24 minutes ago
- CBS News
Chicago tenor Rodell Rosel says opera connects people through music, emotion
Rodell Rosel is an accomplished tenor who has been singing opera in Chicago and around the country for more than two decades. He sat down with CBS News Chicago to talk about his life and work. "We always say opera is the Olympics of singing," he said. "Our instruments are inside our bodies." Rosel has been in love with opera for most of his life. "I've been singing professionally for 20 years. I'm 21," he joked. His talent has taken Rosel across the U.S. and beyond, and he says opera is for everyone even if the language being sung is unfamiliar. "Even though you don't understand the words, the music envelops it. It's up to the artist to interpret," Rosel explained. "When someone is saying 'My heart is broken,' it will sound like this, it's my heart is broken, it stretches it so it doesn't leave you quickly. It stays with you enough to feel the drama." Rosel said success in opera and in life is all about being comfortable with who you are. He comfortably identifies as a gay man, but said there's more to it. "I want to be a full, rounded person. To be able to full, rounded, you have to be able to embrace everything about you, both masculine and feminine," he said. Rosel has been married to Steven Hunter for 11 years, and when talking about their marriage he keeps it simple. "I will talk about it as normal and as regular as everyone else," he said. "If I'm talking to someone, 'Oh great, my husband and I are talking about going on that trip,' instead of saying, 'oh just want to let you know, I have a husband.'" He also has many friends, some of whom he met through a group called "Asians and Friends." "It started in 1984 as an organization to give a safe space to LGBTQ+ Asians and their allies," said president John McInteer. "In recent years we're trying to get more active in the community as well." McINeer is Irish and one of the friends. He was introduced to the group through his partner at the time. AFC activities include fundraisers, pride parade floats and regular dim sum brunches. "It's about our common interest and being able to open up and compare how we experience our lives in Chicago," said Rosel. And for Rosel, life is good and opera is a never-ending education. "I would consider it continuous learning. Just like law or medicine, we have to keep working on our voice," he said. "We have to keep working on our artistry." Do you know someone a person or place that brings you joy? We want to share your story. Send us your "Eye on Chicago" ideas using the form below (or clicking here):
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ski-inspired Workout Nordic Strong Lands in New York
Skiing just became a summer sport. Nordic Strong, a Copenhagen-based ski workout concept, has made its way to New York. This summer, the brand will be hosting a pop-up fitness studio in Sag Harbor at 11 Bridge Street until Labor Day, followed by a permanent outpost in Flatiron at 35 West 21st Street in Manhattan in early September. A single drop in class costs $50. More from WWD Inside Puppy Sphere, the Endorphin-boosting Non-workout Yoga Class Inside Pride x Boom, New York Pride Weekend's Kick-off Party Watermill Center Unveils 'Upside Down Zebra,' a Celebration of Childhood Art and Contemporary Creativity Nordic Strong employs a patented machine, which the fitness brand now owns, that replicates cross-country skiing. The machine can create 50-plus low-impact, full-body workouts and can be customized in a variety of ways. 'We found our first location in Copenhagen and opened that two years ago as a proof of concept. We knew we wanted to take it to the U.S.,' saya Nordic Strong founder and chief executive officer Nicole Roth. 'All classes are centered around the machine, but because it's so versatile we use it in different ways. We do a strength class, a cardio class and a sculpt class that's Pilates-based.' Each class is 50 minutes and also may employ mat work, weights and Bala accessories. Inspired by its Copenhagen roots, the space incorporates a cozy, Nordic-esque design, while the classes feature custom color lights inspired by the Northern lights. Roth described the concept as 'rooted in the Nordic heritage, but still globally relevant.'
Forbes
39 minutes ago
- Forbes
Is ‘Drag Race's' Bracket Format Still Working For All Stars 10?
After nine episodes, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 has finally completed each of its three brackets, leaving only nine queens to compete for a spot in the semi-finals. Now that the final queens are chosen, fans are left to wonder: how does everyone feel about the new bracket format now that it's over? A New Format NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Olivia Lux, Nicole Paige Brooks, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Tina Burner, ... More Irene the Alien, Alyssa Hunter, Denali, Daya Betty, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Bosco, DeJa Skye, Ginger Minj, Jorgeous, Phoenix, Aja, Kerri Colby and Lydia B. Collins attend RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 + Tea Around Town Bus on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Paramount+) To start the season strong, All Stars 10 featured a total of 18 queens. Fans initially wondered how all 28 contestants could compete, share screen time, and still show growth from their original seasons. To address this, All Stars 10 divided the 18 queens into three groups of 6, with each group given three episodes for the queens to compete for a chance to move on to the next round. Of those six queens, only three would advance, while the other three would be eliminated, and this process would continue until all three brackets were finished. While fans initially felt this change was refreshing, as queens on previous All Stars seasons had struggled to maintain screentime if they weren't seen as frontrunners, especially when the cast is larger at the start of the season, the third and final bracket reached its conclusion today, and fans are split. While the first two brackets seemed to have an overwhelmingly positive reaction, aside from a few disgruntled fans upset that their favorite queens weren't moving on to the next round, the third bracket shifted from genuine excitement to what could be seen as gradual fatigue. The format was simple enough. The queens were tasked with showcasing their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent over 3 episodes, and impress the judges over multiple episodes. This time around, there were no eliminations until the final episode of each bracket, where the finalists were determined. Queens were graded based off of points they were awarded for top placements, winning in a lip-sync after said top placements, and for being voted Most Valuable Queen (MVQ) during deliberation on the final bracket episode, where queens would give special points to a contestant they felt deserved to move forward to the next round. Many fans felt this was among the fairest judging the show had engaged in for an All Stars season, with queens usually being able to eliminate queens they see as strong competitors early on in other seasons of All Stars. Bracket 1 showcased strong lip syncs from Aja and standout performances from Bosco. Bracket 2 brough peak reality TV with the antics of Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Jorgeous' alliance. The stakes and energy for the first 2 brackets was high, and engagement from fans across social media platforms was a reflection of that. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Ginger Minj attends RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 + Tea Around Town ... More Bus on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Paramount+) Still, by the time bracket 3 rolled around, there was a shift in how fans felt about the format. It could be said that this was a natural reaction to seeing the same format a third time, as I personally didn't mind it, but views and comments from fans seemed to reflect a feeling of burnout towards lip syncs and performances, with fans arguing back and forth about who they felt should've won, particularly when it came to Ginger Minj dominating the competition. While fans are allowed to disagree with the judging, Minj, being a seasoned veteran to the franchise, knows what will keep her ahead in the competition, and she, like any competitor would, played that to her advantage and solidified her place in the next round, along with fellow contestants Daya Betty and Cynthia Lee Fontaine. Since this was the 10th season of All Stars, it makes sense that, from a production perspective, they were going to experiment with how the show was formatted. Not only does it make this anniversary season feel special and stand out, but it adds another layer of strategy. Drag Race as a franchise has won several Emmy awards for a reason. Its connection to its audience and its dedication to authenticity and storytelling through drag have allowed it to stay and grow where most reality shows would have inevitably ended. Drag Race shows that it has a willingness to grow, and, maybe, from the feedback from fans on the third bracket, we might see a more polished form of this format in seasons to come. Until then, fans will have to see what awaits the remaining contestants in the coming episodes, especially with the return of a Drag Race staple: Eliminations are back on.
