The New Garde with Alyssa Vingan

Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox covering internet culture, dives deep into the less glamorous side of being an influencer. She discusses the shift from traditional fashion journalism to influencer culture and the challenges faced by creators reliant on social media algorithms. Jennings shares insights on the fear of getting 'canceled' and the psychological toll of maintaining relatability. The conversation also touches on the emergence of niche influencers and the impact of consumer expectations on authenticity.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comNew York Fashion Week is upon us! To kick off the Spring 2025 season, Alyssa sits down with one of the city’s most prolific fashion writers, Emilia Petrarca, whose popular shopping newsletter, Shop Rat, turns a year old this month. Emilia gives a play-by-play of her climb up the masthead — which involves stints at W Magazine and New York Magazine’s The Cut — and shares the most important lessons she’s learned along the way, including the realizations that there’s no such thing as a “dream job” anymore, and the career path promised in The Devil Wears Prada is obsolete in today’s media landscape. Tune in to find out how she pioneered the nepo baby beat, why a story about Paris Hilton changed the trajectory of her career, how she learned to follow her instincts, hone her voice, and go with her gut, what it was like to attend runway shows alongside Cathy Horyn, why getting offline and going outside are crucial for creativity, the most important (and fun!) parts of reporting from Fashion Month, how she decided it was time to bet on herself and do her own thing, the ups and downs of navigating freelance life while starting a publication from scratch, how to know you have a hit story on your hands, the power of saying “no,” what’s in store for year two of Shop Rat, and so much more.

CW: This episode contains discussion of disordered eating, body image, and weight loss. If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling TikTok or X (formerly known as Twitter) over the last several months, you’ve likely come across some version of “thinspo” — whether in the form of low-calorie “What I Eat in a Day” videos or before-and-after weight loss photos — even if you’re not seeking it out. Because we’re at the mercy of the algorithm, this imagery is almost impossible to avoid, which is dangerous for people of all ages. Ruthie Friedlander, the founder of At Large Agency and co-founder of The Chain — a non-profit organization that provides peer support for folks working in the fashion and entertainment industries who are struggling with or recovering from an eating disorder — drops by this week to discuss the reemergence of ED culture on the internet, on the runway, and in media. Tune in for Ruthie’s insights on what it’s like to work in fashion while in active eating disorder recovery, how seeing this imagery consistently can negatively affect your psyche and how you feel about yourself, why marketing buzzwords like “detox” and “clean” are harmful, how to tell when you’re seeing ED behavior hidden under the guise of “wellness,” whether brands and marketers have a responsibility for the images that are projected out to their customers via social media, why Ozempic has become normalized so quickly in the entertainment community and beyond, and where you can turn for help if you or a loved one is struggling with the onslaught of pro-ED content online. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comOn the eve of the season four premiere of “Emily in Paris” — and on the heels of the just wrapped Paris Olympics — Alyssa is joined by writer Marisa Meltzer, whose forthcoming book Non Moi Plus explores the life and times of Jane Birkin, to unpack the enduring mystique (and myth) of French girl style. An unabashed Francophile, Marisa goes long on the international cult of personality of the “French girl,” her firsthand fashion observations from a months-long reporting trip to Paris, why so many icons of Parisian style (including Jane Birkin) are expats, the lore of the Birkin bag, the French connection to indie sleaze, the unmatched magic of the French pharmacy, the deluge of fashion and beauty brands started by French influencers, the idea of the “European Summer” that’s sold to us on social media and its effect on trends, shopping in Paris vs. shopping in New York, French “It” girls through the generations, what she’s looking forward to from the Paris runways during fashion month, and her mission to bring Birkin’s legacy to life beyond Instagram moodboards. 

Amanda Mull, a senior reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and consumer culture expert, dives deep into the Trend Story Industrial Complex. She explores why there are perpetually 8,000 trends, the media's role in shaping consumer demand, and how social media, especially TikTok, influences fast fashion. Amanda discusses the paradox of Gen Z's shopping habits and the effects of affiliate marketing on digital media. The conversation raises important questions about the future of creativity in a rapidly accelerating consumer landscape.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comIf you’ve felt awash in a sea of Bottega Veneta Andiamo bags and Alaïa mesh ballerina flats, you are not alone. This week, Alyssa is joined by fashion writer Alexandra Hildreth to go deep into the world of dupe culture — on the For You Page and beyond. Alex helps break down the bleak vibes of Dupe TikTok, how we’re increasingly approaching our lives as content (and therefore must constantly feed the beast), the proliferation of contextless, algorithmic aesthetics, dupes vs. counterfeits, the collective mania to participate in a microtrend before the next one comes along, the general lack of concern for individuality and longevity among consumers, the sustainability problem, the natural evolution of the “look for less” recommendation structure, and whether we’ll ever be able to escape the need for instant gratification while shopping.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comBuckle up, because the girls are yapmaxxing this week! Alyssa sits down with 032c fashion editor, vintage clothing collector, content creator, podcast host, and influencer Brenda Weischer (more commonly known as @brendahashtag) for a wide-ranging conversation covering all corners of the industry. Tune in to get Brenda’s savvy takes on building a following and a community, mastering your platforms, why figuring out exactly what you’re good at is crucial, how haters are just confused fans, why going either really big or super niche are the only options, the distinction between influencers vs. creatives vs. talent, why branding is her Roman Empire, how secondhand fashion helped her conquer imposter syndrome, adopting a “f**k you” attitude, why a strong point of view is your most valuable asset, the importance of uplifting others and reading the room, never being afraid to reach out and make a connection, regretting her past era of being a hater, knowing your worth, trusting that change in the industry is possible, and the slow, steady climb up cringe mountain.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comGet your sunblock, bikini, and beach reads ready! This week, Alyssa sits down with Sophia June, writer and co-founder of the Language Arts Substack, to go deep on this summer’s biggest fashion-adjacent trend: literature. Sophia breaks down what it was like to be at the center of the recent Literary It Girl discourse on Twitter, how big industry names like Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, and Marc Jacobs have turned book selfies into the ultimate signifier of good taste, why digital book clubs (including Kaia Gerber’s stellar Library Science) are such a valuable platform for emerging authors, whether book curators are the newest iteration of stylists, the parallels between BookTok and fashion influencing, the logic behind authors’ partnerships with brands, the pros and cons of Miu Miu’s international Summer Reads activation, and why, in many ways, books are the pinnacle of luxury. 

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comIn this week’s jam-packed episode, Alyssa is joined by fashion editor turned author Danielle Prescod to discuss how she’s navigated the publishing world, from digital media to writing books. Tune in for a wealth of Danielle’s insights about working her way up the masthead by starting as a “professional intern,” dealing with ego and racism at work, feeling like a fraud while “performing” how great your job is on social media, transitioning from magazines to the tech startup world, boosting your profile with street style (and using that attention as currency to advance your career), making herself a test subject for stories in exchange for expensive treatments that are unaffordable on an editor salary, the realities of losing editorial access when you switch publications, reinforcing collective psychosis by covering questionable topics to get traffic, the dangers of feeding the content beast and attempting to become a “brand,” getting too emotionally invested in your job, burning yourself out to the point of physical exhaustion, switching careers, and maintaining personhood above all else.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comLog on, let go, and lighten up! This week, Alyssa is joined by writer, editor, and prolific poster Layla Halabian to discuss the highs and lows of brands getting in on a viral moment online, why trust and timing are crucial, how lawless Sylvanian Drama sponcon works so well, why Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson are in a posting league of their own, the power in deeply understanding your customer, the danger in brands being too self-serious instead of embracing whimsy, and what designers can learn from artists like Charli xcx and Lana Del Rey.