Araki, Ellis, Thunder & American Love Story

From Araki in Tokyo to downtown NYC and a rebooted American love story—this week moved through past, present, and what’s next.

Araki marked his 85th with a new Tokyo show built on grief and memory. Bret Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” turned 40—still as cold and clear as the day it hit. Sotheby’s opened its vault with a couture archive decades in the making. In NYC, Marika Thunder’s show blurred beauty and surgery, while Olivia Parker’s sold-out book proved the downtown gaze still stings. Parsons grads took over the old Barneys—future-forward, no apologies.

Nobuyoshi Araki dives into time, grief, and memory with “May 25th, Showa 15 Year.”

Tokyo: Araki Turns Time Into Ritual

To mark his 85th birthday, Nobuyoshi Araki dives into time, grief, and memory with “May 25th, Showa 15 Year.”

Over 500 images—Polaroids from the '90s to 2010 and brand new 35mm color photos—trace a life lived through flowers, women, banquet tables, and his beloved cat Chiro. Anchored to July 7, his wedding anniversary with his late wife Yoko this exhibit is a diary of personal snippets, everyday scenes shaped with both deep loss and continuity.

Artspace AM, Tokyo | Now through July through July 7

Olivia Parker “In Thousands of Dreams” by Friends Editions.

Muses McInerny and Rylee Stumpf.

NYC: Olivia Parker’s Female Gaze

Seen through the lens of the immensely talented Olivia Parker, “In Thousands of Dreams” , could only be this sizzling—pretty and sad, bold and unforgettable. The book launch, held at “Fucking Awesome,” had all the elements of downtown New York cool: a tight guest list, an arty crowd, just 150 copies (gone in minutes), and Coco Baudelle and Lily McInerny rissing actresses and it girls.

The book, featuring the muses McInerny and Rylee Stumpf, is another gorgeous entry in Parker’s world—where the female gaze explores identity through dreamy velvet melancholy. It’s tender, twisted, and impossible to forget.

Fucking Awesome, NYC | Book Launch

Artist Marika Thunder.

Marika Thunder latest project, “Oppenheimer Plastic Surgery,” at “Will Shot”gallery.

Thunder x Oppenheimer: Where Art Cuts Deep

Speaking of downtown cool and the arty crowd still resisting the city’s slow slide into normcore sterility—one razor-sharp collab just cracked things wide open. Artist Marika Thunder unveiled her latest project, “Oppenheimer Plastic Surgery,” at a packed “Will Shott” gallery, downtown New York. Teaming up with actual surgeon Adam Oppenheimer, the show blurred the line between transformation and artifice. The room buzzed, brows lifted, souls stirred. Familiar faces in the mix: Ena Swansea, designer Miriam Zadah Nasser, Sasha Rosenberg, and Dylan Siegel.

Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. defined an era.

JFK Jr. & Carolyn: A ’90s Love Recast

Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. defined an era—New York sidewalks, flashbulbs, and that untouchable glow. They brought quiet glamour to galas, Hamptons dinners, Calvin Klein fundraisers, and late nights at Indochine with Kelly Klein and the crew. Carolyn wore elegance like armor: Calvin’s minimalism, Yohji’s timelessness, and a presence that made the city feel cinematic.

Now, Ryan Murphy revives their myth in American Love Story, casting newcomers Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly to chart their glossy rise and tragedy. The series promises style and heartbreak. But the internet isn’t convinced—backlash and outrage within fashion crowd and die-hard Carolyne’s fans, is swirling over whether the actors and their current styling can truly capture the rarefied aura and cultural impact of America’s last great power couple and the iconic Carolyne Bessette Kennedy. Wardrobe plays a huge role—almost a character of its own in this movie—so it’s important to get it right. So far, it seems far off.

MIT grad student Alex Kachkine revived 15th-century Dutch work with tech precision.

MIT Student Teaches AI to Restore Old Masters — In Hours, Not Years

MIT grad student Alex Kachkine just shook up art conservation with a sharp new A.I. technique that can restore centuries-old paintings in hours—not years. Using machine learning and a 3D-printed film layered with 57,000+ pigment corrections, Kachkine revived a 15th-century Dutch work with tech precision. The kicker? His method could bring back to life countless “not-valuable-enough” pieces collecting dust in museum basements. Faster, cheaper, maybe even controversial—restoration just entered the algorithm era.

Stylist Micaela Erlanger know glamour.

NYC: Sotheby’s Unzips a Vault of Glamour

Glamour is officially back! If not on the streets, inside Sotheby’s vault: “The Art of Glamour”—a single-owner fashion sale from Alixandra Fitzwilliam-Tate Baker, Baroness of Gray.

A museum-scale collection decades in the making featuring over 100 pieces from Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga—some once worn by Audrey Hepburn and Maria Cole.

Styled with a red-carpet eye by Micaela Erlanger (of Lupita and Streep fame), this is glamour as artifact, legacy—and total obsession.

Sotheby’s, NYC & Online | Bidding open online through 16 June, 12:00 EDT

Scene from iconic movie “Less Than Zero”.

Less Than Zero Turns 40
Forty years ago, “Less Than Zero” announced Bret Easton Ellis as the voice of a generation—detached, dangerous, and devastatingly cool. Written at just 21, it exposed the hollow core and darkest secrets of L.A.’s youth with ice-cold precision. The legacy still lingers across film, fashion, and fiction. A special 40th anniversary edition is now available “wherever books sell online,” announced the visionary writer and director who never stopped peeling back L.A.’s shiny skin, via his social media.

Barneys opened one last time for Parsons’ 2025 BFA show, “A Common Thread,”

Parsons 2025: Fashion’s new voices at old Barneys

Barneys opened one last time, only to be overtaken by 283 Parsons grads with something to prove. Titled “A Common Thread” turned nostalgia on its head: June Chen made armor, Jizhuo Li gave doll-like surrealism, and Ryan Gdovin beaded rituals into being.

Parsons’ 2025 BFA show, “A Common Thread,” transformed the old fashion meca iconic retailer Barneys into a runway for what’s next. Not a goodbye, but a power move. Armor met art: samurai-inspired breastplates, twisted streetwear, character-driven tailoring. Softness crept in too, with pastel doll looks and beadwork that felt almost sacred. Well done, Parson’s grads! One final show, one legendary space and plenty of new voices redefining fashion's future.

Barneys New York Downtown, NYC | June 5–9

Kate’s Aquamrine Glow

At London’s Trooping the Colour (June 14), Kate Middleton stepped out in a sharp aqua Catherine Walker coatdress and Juliette Botterill hat—channeling not just the fashion, but the quiet power of Princess Diana. The white lapel, Queen Elizabeth’s pearl drops, and an Irish Guards brooch completed the look, a study in symbolic dressing. Charlotte mirrored her in mini-aqua, while Louis waved and charmed everyone like a royal pro. A nod to Diana in shade, shape, and spirit—this was Kate at her most intentional.

And in the air: 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, 400 musicians—and the persistent echo of pageantry. The monarchy may evolve, but style—at least in this house—remains a carefully curated continuity. Thank you Kate!

London, UK