Nymphet Alumni

In this episode, we kick off the summer by denominating a colorful attitude toward dress manifesting bicoastally. Epitomized by brands like Emily Dawn Long, Brooke Callahan, and Cleo Camp, Crayola Casual is the funky counterpart to freaky minimalism— accessory agnostic, anti-synthetic, built around hot saturated colors and the art of the easy-on easy-off. We review this aesthetic’s historical antecedents, from fluid disco formalwear of the 70s (Halston, Stephen Burrows) to globalist chic sportswear of the 80s (Esprit, United Colors of Benetton). We also discuss Downtown New York’s Maryam Nassir Zadeh as the missing link, classics of rainbow urbanism including Sesame Street and the Vignelli Subway Map, our predictions for an aerobics renaissance, and the creative exuberance of a season of parades, pop-ups, and pennants.Links: Image boardCleo CampBrooke CallahanEmily Dawn LongRummage Stretch“Vintage Sportswear Will Crush Your Alo Yoga Sets” by Liana Satenstein for NeverwornsAllegra Samsen on InstagramVentriloquist Sophie Becker for Paloma Wool“The Accidental Trendsetter” by Emilia Petrarca in The New York Times (Emily Dawn Long profile)“The Sisterhood of the Unraveling Pants” by Sarah Shapiro in Puck (on the rise of the easy pant)“The Sexy Sincerity of Maryam Nassir Zadeh” by Rachel Tashjian in Harper’s Bazaar“How Does Maryam Nassir Zadeh Stay in Business?” by Madeline Leung Coleman in The Cut“1970–1979” from FIT’s Fashion History Timeline“A 1970s Fashion History Lesson: Disco, Designer Denim, and the Liberated Woman” by Lilah Ramzi in Vogue“The Halstonettes” by The Museum at FIT from the 2015 exhibit Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the 70s“Stephen Burrows, the CFDA’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Winner, in the Words of 7 of His Closest Collaborators” by Laird Borrelli-Persson in Vogue“The Radical History of Sesame Street” by Figgy Guyver in Frieze“The Quintessential Urban Design of Sesame Street” by Anna Kodé in The New York Times“Towards a Better Way: The “Vignelli” Map at 50” (Digital Exhibit) – New York Transit MuseumSupergraphic Ultramodern – Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute“The rise and fall of Esprit, San Francisco’s coolest clothing brand” by Joshua Bote in SFGATE“opening ceremony’s founders on how esprit changed fashion (and the world)” – i-D “Esprit’s Brand Books” by Jill Singer in Sight Unseen (on Esprit: The Comprehensive Design Principle from 1989)“From Plain Jane to Esprit: The Making of a California Icon” by Bertrand Pellegrin“Benetton: Celebrating a Colorful History” by Amanda Kaiser in WWD“History” – Gap, Inc.“Khaki Swing” – 1998 Gap Commercial on YouTubeSomething Wild (1986) dir. Jonathan Demme – Official TrailerExcerpt from Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There by David Brooks“Everything You Need to Know About the Battle of Versailles on the 50th Anniversary of the Event” by Laird Borrelli-Persson in Vogue“Fashion” - The 1973 World Book Year Book“Yanks Pull Off Paris Fashion Heist” by Eugenia Sheppard in The Los Angeles TimesBig Bad Wolf workout class on TikTokAerobics by Kenneth H. Cooperエアロピクルス｜Aeropickles on YouTube“1988 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship Opening” on YouTubeAudrey Hobert live performances: trenchcoat reveal, mini trampolineAudrey Hobert x Fishwife Tinned Fish Bundle“Forget Euro Summer. Brands Are Having a Wet, Hot American Summer” by Madeleine Schulz in Vogue (pop-up economy write-up) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode, we develop a theory of Scientifica, a fashion aesthetic that borrows from the visual language of science, with influences ranging from Victorian taxonomy to Utopian Scholastic nostalgia to legacy science-fiction world-building. We examine recent manifestations of this impulse—runway shows that feel like scientific exhibitions or presentations, references to astronomical phenomena and archival display, and couture idealization of intellegentsia femininity—and question what it means when the fashion world aligns with objective inquiry and institutional knowledge in the face of epistemological crisis. Links: “The Universe According to Timothée” by Mattie Kahn, shot by Annie Leibovitz – Vogue (December 2025 cover story)Chanel Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear by Matthieu Blazy“The pioneering ‘great men’ of Victorian science were once attacked for being unmanly” by Heather Ellis – The Conversation“Victorian Egyptomania: How a 19th Century Fetish for Pharaohs Turned Seriously Spooky” – History AnswersUtopian Scholastic – Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute“Understanding the Japanese Influences Behind Star Wars” by Ollie Barder – ForbesOverview of Pseudoarchaeology“The Complicating Role of the Private Sector in Space” by Victoria Samson – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists“Goodbye, $165,000 Tech Jobs. Student Coders Seek Work at Chipotle” by Natasha Singer – The New York TimesCollege Board Research Brief on U.S. High School Students’ Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence“Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Trump’s Attacks on Science” by William J. Broad – The New York TimesProtecting Freedom of Science and Preventing Distortion of Scientific Truth: A Statement of Concern from the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Academy of SciencesTech oligarch freakshow: Elon Musk says AI is more dangerous than nukes, Peter Thiel’s creepy ahh lectures on the Antichrist, Sam Altman creepy ahh references to an AI kill switchVogue Paris December 1998/January 1999 Discussion – TheFashionSpotThe Price of Illusion: A Memoir by Joan Juliet BuckPrada’s spacesuit design for Axiom Space, “the world’s first commercial space station”“As Prada Pairs With NASA, a Look at the Best Space-Inspired Looks From the Runway” by Laird Borrelli-Persson – Vogue“Was Timothée Chalamet’s Vogue Cover Really So Out of This World?” by Jacob Gallagher – The New York Times“Michelle Obama Is the Perfect Partner in Matthieu Blazy’s Modern Chanel Suiting” – VogueVenice W. Spring–Summer 2026: Sparkling Sea (Symposium) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the ragebait spectacle of Paris Fashion Week, darksided news from Hollywood featuring Tilly Norwood and D4vd, lives of showgirls everywhere from Taylor Swift’s possible schizophrenia diagnosis to Addison Rae’s vintage scream queen moment to Zara Larsson’s sublime vocal talent, and the cultural warfare fallout of Bad Bunny’s road to the Super Bowl. Sam also reviews Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and we discuss the curious case of Chase Infiniti. Links:Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2026 by Duran Lantink Cardi B “she was so happy to look a mess” Tweet (Gypsy Sport Spring 2016)Balenciaga Spring 2026 by Pierpaolo PiccioliMaison Margiela Spring 2026 by Glenn Martens“When Did New York Fashion Week Get So Boring?” by Rachel Seville Tashjian for The Washington PostBen Doctor Spring 2026 Keith Urban and Maggie Baugh affair rumors amid Nicole Kidman splitTilly Norwood Official Website“Hollywood is Already Falling Behind on AI Video” by Lucas Shaw for Bloomberg“Everything We Know About D4VD” – BillboardChase Infiniti’s K-pop dance cover of “OMG” by NewJeansAddison Rae’s performance in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein StoryAddison Rae performs “Diet Pepsi / New York” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonTaylor Swift explains her song “Actually Romantic”“Irony and Proverb Comprehension in Schizophrenia: Do Female Patients ‘Dislike’ Ironic Remarks?” in Schizophrenia Research and TreatmentZara Larsson on Sweden’s Got Talent in 2008El Chavo Del Ocho (English Version) - Saturday Night Live starring Bad Bunny This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this episode, Alexi is joined by writer, editor, and dear friend Olivia Kan-Sperling to discuss the aesthetic universe of her brand new novel, Little Pink Book, a lyrical and decadent romantic tragedy set in Shanghai. In unpacking her wide range of influences, we explore shabby chic Orientalism, avant garde florists, Chinese romantasy web novels, baroque bespoke beverages, the emerging field of Wasian studies, the triggering qualities of Clairo’s “Pretty Girl” music video, the possibility of Labubu as a literary format, and much more. Links:Image boardLittle Pink Book by Olivia Kan-Sperling from Simon and SchusterOlivia’s websiteOlivia on Instagram @dianadiagramAlexi’s interview with Olivia in Interview magazineDiane Severin Nguyen: In Her Time (Iris’s Version)Empire of Signs by Roland BarthesMolly Tea’s domineering CEO romance receipt promo via Dr. Candise LinThe Architecture of Taste by Pierre Hermé - Lecture to the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2013)Julian Castronovo review of Little Pink Book in BOMB magazineShanzhai: Deconstruction in Chinese by Byung-Chul Han This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this emergency roundtable report, we discuss how clownery has become a dominant mode of aesthetic and ideological expression, perhaps symbolizing the defeat of authenticity. Recent carnivalesque incidents include the chaotic spectacle of this year’s VMAs, the meteoric rise of the Savannah Bananas, Jay Guapo’s Italian Brainrot Block Party, the political role reversal of the troll and the triggered, Audrey Hobert’s debut album Who’s the Clown, and more. Links: Top Clown Town outfits at the VMAs: Conan Gray in Erik Charlotte, Megan Stalter as hot dog vendor, Doja Cat in Balmain, Ariana Grande’s outfit changes, Sabrina Carpenter in ValentinoSabrina Carpenter Performs “Tears” | 2025 Video Music Awards“I need to see you spin first, sista” from Sex and the City S4 E18Chappell Roan Performs “Pink Pony Club” (Live From The 67th Grammy Awards)“Chappell Roan on the Queer Origins of her Signature Makeup Look” – Gay TimesFlash Mob! The Savannah Bananas Crash The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon“As Savannah Bananas ursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB?” – The New York TimesJay Guapo’s Brainrot Block PartyTyler Robinson’s bullet casing inscription breakdown – PBS News HourThe story behind FBI Director Kash Patel’s seemingly random ‘Valhalla’ referenceTrump’s presidential portraits from 2017 to 2025“What Is ‘Dark Woke’?” – The New York Times“Why has Gavin Newsom gone ‘dark woke’?” – BBCMexican influencer Marian Izaguerre dies after posting goodbye video in clown makeupAudrey Hobert Who’s the Clown interview in Teen Vogue“The Clown at Midnight: Coulrophobia, Counterculture, and the Decadent Pierrot Mask” by Samuel Love – Sequitur Passages from Mikhail Bakhtin on the grotesque body and the carnivalesque sense of the world This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe

In this edition of Study Break, we discuss the suspiciously overblown controversy of Sydney Sweeney’s AE ad spot, our box office takes on Ari Aster’s Black Lives Matter COVID Western and the new Superman, fascinating late night musical debuts from Pinkpantheress and Jessie Murph, the summer of female sexual aggression, our love of senior dating and romance, and more. Links: Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans – American EagleBrooke Shields Calvin Klein Jeans Commercial (1980) Biz on the genes/jeans of it all Sydney Sweeney as Lacanian super predator tweet@default_friend on AE’s busted copy“The Disembodied Body of Marilyn Monroe” by Wendy LesserThere You Are: Brad Pitt for Chanel No. 5 CommercialPamela Anderson and Liam Neeson editorial for You magazine Liam Neeson racism backlash“Sex After 60 in Sag Harbor” by Candace Bushnell for New York magazineA24’s Eddington dir. Ari Aster – Official Trailer “Everyone Wants a Piece of Pedro Pascal” – Vanity Fair cover story“Can David Corenswet Save Superman?” – GQ cover storyRyan Murphy Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy styling backlash“Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters hits No. 1 on BillboardPinkPantheress: Illegal/Girl Like Me/Tonight Medley on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonRhythm Heaven music edits by @therealstoinkle Jessie Murph: 1965 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonChappell Roan - The Subway (Official Music Video)Sabrina Carpenter brings out Earth, Wind & Fire at LollapaloozaManon and Lara of KATSEYE lez out on stage at LollapaloozaRachel Zegler’s gratitude surge at Evita curtain callRFK Jr. launches federal crackdown on 7-OHLola Young - One Thing (Official Music Video) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nymphetalumni.com/subscribe