About this episode

Heather McDonald interviews Michael Gross about the secrets of the modeling industry and high fashion.

Welcome back to Juicy Scoop! Today, I am sitting down with the legendary New York Times bestselling investigative author Michael Gross, and we are digging up the most scandalous, glamorous secrets from the worlds of high fashion and extreme wealth. Michael takes us inside the ruthless "modeling pyramid," uncovering how agencies like Elite operated on predatory behavior while stars like Cindy Crawford managed to stay completely untouchable. We dish on his hit books Model and Treasured Island, tracing the secret history of St. Bart's from its days as a pirate haven to a hyper-exclusive billionaire playground where David Geffen and Roman Abramovich dock their superyachts. Michael shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories of fighting off scary legal threats, getting banned from high-fashion runways, and the time Calvin Klein pulled a massive $5 million ad campaign just because Michael dared to write the truth. Plus, we talk about the toxic rise of Instagram selfie culture on luxury beaches and why I am officially trying to ditch the influencer vacation anxiety for good! -Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to ⁠Quince.com/juicy⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns…

People in this episode

Host: Heather McDonald

Guest: Michael Gross

Topics covered

• modeling industry
• predatory agencies
• high fashion
• celebrity culture
• Instagram culture
• wealth
• St. Bart's

Keywords

• modeling pyramid
• predatory behavior
• Cindy Crawford
• St. Bart's history
• Instagram anxiety
• high fashion scandals
• celebrity wealth

Sponsors

Nutrafol, Quince, RO.CO

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Elite, Calvin Klein

Places: St. Bart's

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