The time has come for TNG’s biannual unhinged recap of Fashion Month, and this week’s guest, Tyler McCall, is back by popular demand. Tune in to hear the ladies’ takes on Fall 2025 season, including their insights on all of the best (and worst) collections, viral moments, breaking news, designer debuts and departures, front rows, models, and so much more. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

This week, Alyssa gets a guided tour through the whimsical world of Susan Alexandra, straight from the brain behind the brand, Susan Korn. What started with some metal jewelry handmade in a class she took on her time off — and later, a beaded watermelon bag she had made in Chinatown and haphazardly posted on Instagram — has turned into a full-fledged, self-funded business that’s been around for over a decade, complete with a standalone retail store. Despite the brand’s perennial cheeriness, hitting this milestone hasn’t been a cakewalk. Tune in to hear Susan’s sage wisdom for entrepreneurs and aspiring designers, as well as her horror stories from working retail and interning at magazines upon arriving in New York; what it was like getting Henri Bendel and Opening Ceremony as early accounts; the difficulties of figuring out how to scale a business without training or infrastructure, and learning the logistics of manufacturing on the fly; the importance of community in the Susan Alexandra universe; her strategy for out-of-the-box runway shows and presentations; how collaborations allow her brand to make things out of its wheelhouse and take the work to the next level; selling (and explaining) herself to suits in order to win new business and lock in collaborators; starting a second brand, Rosette, with a friend and dipping her toe into making clothes; her dream of building a lifestyle brand akin to Ralph Lauren or Martha Stewart, and much more.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

One day, you’re just a girl moving to New York from Canada with a visa and a dream, and a few years down the line, you’re an in-demand industry success story. Such is the case with this week’s guest. Alyssa sits down with Ariella Starkman, founder and executive producer of the full-service creative production company Starkman & Associates, as well as the managing director at HommeGirls, to learn all about the wild world of production. You’ve likely seen one (or several) of Ariella’s events come across your Instagram or TikTok feed, as she and her team have built out experiences for some of the coolest, most sought-after brands on the scene, including Anna Sui, Dazed, Kim Shui, Luar, Nike, Sky High Farm, Stussy, Telfar, Vans, and Warby Parker. At a time when everyone is getting into the IRL activations game, Ariella operates under the philosophy that chic events are a dime a dozen, and making people feel like their time has been considered when they show up for something is crucial. Tune in to hear how Bravo’s “Gallery Girls” inspired Ariella to start a career in the art world and led her to produce her first event in her early 20s, a warehouse art show in Toronto; how time is our most valuable resource and making experiences worthwhile through the details is her company’s guiding principle; navigating the attention economy as a creative and a business owner; the importance of never phoning anything in; the dangers of “compare and despair;” why being the first person to do something is a double-edged sword, but while people may copy you, the sauce is not replicable; how to create a sense of curiosity by finding new, unexpected event spaces; why building a tight-knit professional community is key to finding meaning in your work; why at the end of the day, it’s just not that serious, and much more.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Amanda Mull, a senior reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and expert on consumer culture, dives deep into the rising costs of fashion. She discusses how wealthy boredom during the pandemic fueled luxury price hikes and why younger consumers struggle to enter the luxury market. Amanda explores the shift from craftsmanship to merchandising among brands and the intriguing success of the Marc Jacobs Tote Bag. The conversation also highlights the emergence of dupe culture as a response to high prices and the evolving landscape of social media and its impact on fashion.

When asked the question “What is it that you do?” sometimes the answer isn’t so simple, and it’s best to let the work speak for itself. Such has been the case for Kristen Naiman, the chief creative officer at The RealReal, who’s worn many hats over the course of her career, from writer to editor to stylist to fashion executive. In this week’s episode, Kristen unpacks her fascinating journey, from her first industry gigs that had her styling at a short-lived Condé Nast title in its heyday (who remembers Condé Nast Sports for Women?), as well as for Hanson, who brought her along to style and creative direct them on a world tour when she was in her early 20s. Tune in to hear more of Kristen’s incredible lore, as well as what it was like learning the fashion and media ropes in the thriving community of creative people in downtown New York and through her friends at PAPER; how a DIY jean jacket she embroidered for Taylor Hanson got the attention of the Gap, and helped her get a job in its concept department in the peak Mickey Drexler days; why the ability to take the cultural temperature is the key to a brand’s success; how she wound up working with Isaac Mizrahi for a decade as a fashion director, and how he taught her the importance of being unapologetically yourself; lessons from her subsequent decade-long stint at Kate Spade at the dawn of the digital era; why working in fashion requires a spidey sense and gut instinct that data can’t fully replace; why brands are dipping into long form content and why The RealReal just launched a Substack; how a cold DM helped her get her job at The RealReal; how she hopes to change the relationship with how we consume fashion; what it was like editing Kim Hastreiter’s forthcoming book, Stuff: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos, and much more.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Life comes at you fast: One day, you’re moving to Los Angeles from Dayton, Ohio, building a YouTube channel from the ground up while working at a tanning salon, and the next, you’re regularly going viral with millions of views on TikTok, pioneering the “thriftfluencer” space. Such was the case for Macy Eleni, a content creator, secondhand shopping expert, and author of the book Second Chances: The Ultimate Guide to Thrifting, Sustainable Style, and Expressing Your Most Authentic Self. Growing up, Macy couldn’t afford to buy things that were “cool” or new, so she found her personal style and learned about fashion through thrifting — a skill she was able to turn into a flourishing career and a thriving community, both on and offline. Tune in to hear Macy’s inspiring story, as well as her insights on what it was like to start vlogging in high school; the impact that early 2000s paparazzi photos and fashion reality TV had on her personal style; overcoming ridicule as a teen for wearing thrifted clothes; getting in on the ground floor of the secondhand shopping boom and watching the world catch up to your passion; building a diverse and inclusive community via YouTube and TikTok; the wild world of brand deals and monetization; getting a book deal via a cold email; playing the long game in the influencer world in order to stay authentic and build trust with her audience; how to handle the constant pressure to churn out content every day; how creators can help push brands into the future; her foray into unscripted fashion television, and much more. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Fashion Month is upon us once again! To help kick off the Fall/Winter 2025 season, The Standard kindly invited TNG to host an intimate conversation about the fashion week machine, from how it’s covered and how people prepare, to why it still matters, to what’s working and what’s not — as well as potential ways it can evolve for the future. Alyssa is joined by an esteemed panel that includes Emilia Petrarca of Shop Rat, Rachel Tashjian of The Washington Post and Opulent Tips, and Nikki Ogunnaike of Marie Claire. Each guest has over a decade of experience covering fashion month in several capacities, so tune in for a lively conversation filled with nostalgia, wisdom, gossip (!!!), tips passed down from fashion legends, criticism, and laughter. Enjoy!Thanks for reading The New Garde with Alyssa Vingan! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Alyssa Vingan chats with Ana Andjelic, a global brand executive and author of 'Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture.' They delve into the art of creating cohesive brand strategies, the tension between mass and niche cultures, and the dangers of rushing growth. Ana critiques the use of 'authenticity' as a shortcut in marketing and discusses the pivotal role of community in brand building. With insights into standout brands like Telfar and Skims, she emphasizes the importance of flexibility and genuine engagement in today's fast-evolving market.

The stateside skincare industry is more saturated than ever, but there are some key players who got in on the ground floor and aren’t simply riding out the trend. Sofie Pavitt, founder of Sofie Pavitt Face and owner of the results-driven Sofie Pavitt Skincare Studio in Chinatown, is one of these people. After building a promising career in accessories design working for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors, she pivoted in her 30s to pursue her love of skincare, enrolling in school and training to be an aesthetician while keeping a full-time fashion job. Fast-forward to today, and she’s developed a tightly edited line of skincare products that recently launched in Sephora, positioning her among the beauty industry big dogs. Tune in to hear about Sofie’s fascinating journey, including how she got recruited by Abercrombie right out of college in the UK; how trips to Seoul several times a year for her accessories design job helped her fall in love with skincare culture; the insane budgets fashion companies had 20 years ago; what it was like going back to school and starting a whole new career as an adult; how giving virtual skincare consults during the pandemic was a lightbulb moment for her; why “acne positivity” is a scam; how a DM from Zendaya in late 2020 snowballed her career as an aesthetician; whether beauty people are nicer than fashion people; the process of getting your product into Sephora; why personal brands are more important than ever because people want to feel connected to the products they buy; realizing that you can train technique but you can’t train kindness or empathy; why sometimes it’s valuable working for free, and much more.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

For the final episode of the year, Alyssa answers your burning questions about life, work, fashion, media, divorce, dating, the future of The New Garde, and much more. See y'all in 2025! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com