Vogue Staffers Share Their Culture Highlights of 2024

0:28This is The Run Through. I'm Chloe Mel. feel fast, but it also, like, the fact that Swans was this year is, like, gobsmacking. I know it was this February, from Capote Swans and Usher performing in the Super Bowl, to, you know, the brat summer of it all, dare I say the word, to Mudang, important cultural marker. I am so excited to go through all of our favorite moments of the year, but also our brilliant friends in the Vogue offices have shared their favorite moments and we get to hear them. Yeah, I can't wait either.

1:09Choma, what was your favorite movie that came out in 2024? It's difficult to pick one movie, but I think I will pick the one movie that made the biggest impact on me and got me talking. Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself.

1:31Younger, more beautiful, more perfect. The Substance was a film that I initially just didn't want to see because I knew it was body horror and I hate body horror. I hate all kinds of horror. I mean, not I hate, I just, it's not my thing. So seeing it and having a long discussion with a friend of mine afterwards was about the impact of it and why it felt like a movie that feels like important right now. And we're in a moment, I think, that the messaging needs to be really over the top and on the nose. And I thought Demi Moore was just kind of incredible in it. I still haven't seen it because I can't handle horror of any kind, really, let alone body horror.

2:14But I believe you, and I do feel like even without seeing it, I have talked about it a lot.

2:23So it's definitely in my top five. I mean, I love Challengers, too. I thought Challengers was great. And I love the press tour for Challengers. I love everything about Challengers. I love the press tour for Challengers, too. Yeah. Well, speaking of method dressing, I really delighted in Wicked. You're green. I am. Together we're unlimited. Anna had that big screening premiere in New York at MoMA. And it was like such a delight seeing it in a room. It was like gay Harry Potter. Like people were having a nervous breakdown. We were all so excited. It was so much fun. And Martha. Oh, my God. Martha Stewart's the documentary about Martha.

3:09Martha's had a big year. I love the doc about her. I know. It's so good. I don't feel like Martha really penetrated the culture here. And so it was a real education for me. Right. I can't get over those tablescapes, girl. I cannot get over those tables. I love you discovering Martha now. Just like, how can I hire her? Like, I want her to, like, could she do my party? Incredible.

3:35Now I feel like we have to tap our friends Taylor Antrim and Radhika Seth, arguably two of Vogue's biggest cinephiles, about which movies they loved this year.

3:49I'm Taylor Antrim, Deputy Editor of Vogue This is Radhika Seth, reporting from London I am the Film and Culture Editor of British Vogue This movie is not really in the awards conversation It was such a small American indie film but it was truly one of my favorites of the year and it's called Good One It stars a newcomer named Lily Coleus and it's just such a small, perfect movie about a hiking trip with two dads and a teenage girl in the Catskills that goes wrong in this, like, really thoughtful way. I just can't stop thinking about that movie. It came out this summer. I also really loved The Outrun, which starred Saoirse Ronan about a young woman dealing with the aftermath of alcohol abuse and trying to live as a sober woman.

4:34And, you know, it was unfairly snubbed from the Golden Globe nominations, but I really encourage people to seek it out. I think it's in Saoirse Ronan, it's one of the best performances of the year. My absolute favorite number one film of this year is probably Sing Sing, which is the Coleman Domingo starring film set in the prison, Sing Sing. And it is about a rehabilitation through the arts program. And it has this incredible ensemble cast, which includes Clarence Macklin. and he is a real-life alumni of the program playing a fictionalized version of himself and that's true of a lot of that film's cast, which is kind of amazing.

5:26So, Chloe, I want to know about the best book that you read this year. Okay, well, I'm going to preface this by saying that one of my New Year's resolutions is to read more books. Yeah, mine too. But I did love Susan Minett's new novel, Don't Be a Stranger. I need to read that. Oh, it's so sexy. It's so smart and fun and evocative. It's about a sort of middle-aged divorced mom who has an affair with an enigmatic, mysterious younger man. And I have to say, after seeing Baby Girl, which I loved, another film of the year, there is like this new erotica of older women as centers of the narrative. I also reread some Vivian Gornick books earlier this year, and I love her work.

6:12I hadn't read her stuff since college. And her book, Fierce Attachments, is the one about her mother, and it's really so, so good. I actually read Coco Mellas, who's a contributor. I read her first book for the first time, which is called Cleopatra and Frankenstein. And she's been doing a big book tour this year. I think it's Blue Sisters is her new book. I really want to read that because I've ripped through Cleopatra and Frankenstein because it just reminded me of a time in New York when I moved to New York. I'm midway through intrametso which I adore and don't want to end and I'm a big Really?

6:51Oh I love to hear that Yeah there isn't a Sally Rooney book I haven't really enjoyed and I like that she's exploring kind of family ties in this one and the relationship between these two brothers and I'm really enjoying it and so I can't wait to sort of like just lie on the sofa with like a mince pie and a glass of non-alcoholic mulled wine and finish my book. I love that for you.

7:24My name is Chloe Shama. I'm a senior editor at Vogue, and I cover a little bit of all things culture, but especially books. I wanted to just give a quick shout out to two books that I adored, and they also have the virtue of being like maybe 120 pages each. One is called Clear, and this is not a big book, but I just think it might have actually been my favorite book of the year. It's set in the remote outer islands of Scotland in the 19th century, and it's kind of like this story of man versus nature, but there's also another man there. And it's just like a beautiful, actually, like queer love story that plays out in this really dramatic landscape.

8:00And then the very last one on my list was also a short one is called The Most by Jessica Anthony. It's set in the 1950s and is about kind of the story of a marriage that's falling apart during the course of one day. And that is precipitated by the woman in the marriage basically going for a swim and deciding she's not going to get out of the pool. So it's kind of this strange metaphor at the center, but it's actually just a sort of social realist book about that era and what marriage was and the relations between men and women. It's really excellent. Chloe Shama always has the best book recommendations.

8:36I cannot wait to add these to my reading list. Okay, but now I want to talk about the best music of the year, Shama. Who stood out for you? Obviously, I love Charlie. The energy of the summer, that brat summer, crept up on us in the best possible way. And she's seven albums or something, roughly seven albums in, but just kind of took over the world this year. Another kind of amazing musician and future mega pop star who's actually kind of blowing up right now is Dochi.

9:20My boyfriend recommended I listen to her. He's very into music, very on the pulse of what's new. And I listened to her album, her latest album that came out maybe a couple of months ago. And then one of my colleagues suggested I go see her in concert. And it was like unbelievable energy in the room. Oh, my God. I just love that her like tiny desk has recently blown up. I just think she's like the next big thing. So and obviously I've been a big fan of Tyler's. Tyler's and I think she's just tipped to have an amazing year South African singer who basically won the Met let's be honest. She really did.

9:59In her Sands of Time Balmain dress. Having to be carried up the stairs. It was like performance art. It really was and she took a really big risk but it paid off and I think we're only going to be seeing more of her so those are my two kind of girlies of the year that I'm currently obsessed with. Earlier this year, we spoke to Liam Hess, Vogue's Wonderful Living's editor, about music. And of course, we wanted to hear from him about all his favorite albums of the year and all the big music moments.

10:38I'm Liam Hess and I'm Vogue's Living editor. And I also write a lot about music for the website and what I probably listened to most this year. Well, the number one on my Spotify was Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso, like Half the World. I remember when that came out, I was just listening to it on repeat. I loved Charlie's Girl So Confusing remix with Lorde.

11:15I remember the first time I heard that my jaw was just on the floor it's such a brilliant and honest piece of songwriting and just so catchy and when I saw her performing it live it really went off also Chapel Roan's Good Luck Babe I think it's just such a fantastic time And I remember hearing someone say that it could have been a hit in any decade, and I totally agree.

11:48Good Luck Babe is such a hit, and it really feels like pop girlies dominated this year. Agreed. The run-through will be back in just a moment.

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12:39And we're back. Choma, I feel like there were a lot of big cultural moments in New York City this year. Firstly, women's basketball was like the— Yeah, it was huge, right? It took over the world. Oh, my God. New York Liberty games were the spot to be. It was so much fun. Their sort of dominance in the playoffs was titillating. It was like there was this air of excitement in the city. And Ellie the elephant, their mascot, is fab. She is definitely like one of the ladies of the year. And she's a very fashionable elephant mascot of the Liberty. And she really has a whole routine. She has two women who braid her hair for an hour every game.

13:21What? She has a whole stretching routine. She chooses out her different Telfar bag. The Olympics obviously were a huge cultural moment this year. Choma, you went to the opening ceremony in your poncho. I went to the opening ceremony. I also went to the finals of the men's games, the men's basketball. Oh, so fun. Yeah, you had some good ones. It was like legit a highlight of the year for me. Like actually the highlight of the year probably. And, you know, Snoop was in the, I think I was in on the like NBC, like LVMH bridge and he was there. So I did have like a sighting. Oh, you were with Snoop?

13:56For like a split second. He was busy. He had to hit a lot of bases. He was busy. He was very busy. Who won the press tour red carpet? Oh, I mean, I think it kind of a late entry, but, and also I'm biased because she was on a British folk cover, but I felt like Saoirse Ronan. Oh, my God. She's been looking so fabulous. Yeah. And she's always so, like, coy about fashion. She's like, you know, I don't really love, you know, I'm not like a fashion girly. But then she looks so fab. It's just like such a, like, low-key flex. I just love her. I have to say I loved the various Loewe press tours. I thought both of the gentlemen in Challengers were fab in their outfits and their sort of method dressing.

14:41And then Daniel Craig's kooky knits and his sort of befuddled professor look as an antidote to James Bond from a decade ago, I really appreciated. And so those felt like great. Oh, and you know, Jeff Goldblum was a real red carpet persona for me. Let's talk about TV shows. Taylor Antrim is always suggesting like British Britbox crime shows that he knows that I will like. And there's a great Northern Irish crime show called Blue Lights that we love. And then I feel like it was a great primer for Say Nothing, which then everyone in our office was obsessed with. Still haven't seen that. The Troubles.

15:29Oh, so good. Thank you. And speaking of all British shows, I really loved Rivals. Yes. I thought it was so funny and camp. And I thought the franchise was really witty and funny and a treat to watch. So I thought it was a good TV year for me. For me, this is another surprise because I was told that, oh, I shouldn't watch Baby Reindeer because it's sort of depressing and toxic. But I actually really enjoyed it. It was quite an interesting watch, but kind of a bit of a despicable watch, you know, one that you're like, and leaves you feeling a bit uncomfortable. I don't know if that's for me, but yeah, I did not watch Baby Reindeer.

16:16What about theater? Did you get a chance to go to the theater this year? I know that you're quite, aren't you a big theater goer? I do. I love the theater. I do feel like I don't go as much with my current schedule and children. but I loved O'Mary, Colascola's sort of send up of Mary Todd Lincoln. I heard Maya and crew talking about it on the Tuesday episode. Yeah, so that was really a delight. Graham and I went for our anniversary this summer, which was really fun. So fun. And then I took my 12-year-old niece to see Romeo and Juliet with our friends Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor and that I loved it.

17:01I just thought it was such a great way to engage young people. It was like Euphoria by Shakespeare. Wow. And I thought it was a really lively, fun performance. What about you, Chioma? I feel like London has had such huge theater. I have not been historically much of a theatergoer, but actually I went to see Cara Delevingne's Cabaret. That was kind of the first, I guess, production I went to here when I came. and I love Cara and she invited me to go and it was so great to see her on stage because she killed it. I really loved it and it gave me the taste to go to more shows. I then went to see, I'm really into Emma Darcy and I saw a production of this play that's quite experimental called Blue It's, which I loved.

17:49And then I saw The Hills of California, which was directed by Sam Mendes and I was blown away. It was just everything. I want theatre to be, and it gave me the bug to go more. Now, for Marlee Marius, one of our most seasoned theatre experts.

18:13I saw quite a few Broadway productions this year, but I did have a couple of sort of standout favourites. Sunset Boulevard, which quite took me by surprise. I don't tend to go for sort of modernist, sort of stripped-down productions, especially that involve cameras. But that show worked on me, and Death Becomes Her, just, like, quite extravagant, starring two, you know, major stars that Broadway people know, but maybe not everyone else knows. So funny, you know, sort of interesting and important and timely themes about sort of aging and the sort of poison of... beauty culture, self-optimization culture, all that.

18:56Great songs, amazing costumes, really interesting stagecraft. And yeah, just like a fun evening at the theater. Hi, I'm Rebecca Ford, Senior Awards Correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Little Gold Men. Oscar season is upon us. Little Gold Men takes you behind the scenes of the race for the biggest prize in Hollywood. There's a hundred wrestlers in the room. but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.

19:41Choma, I feel like between British Vogue and American Vogue and all Vogues, there were some fantastic covers this year. I think my favorite American Vogue covers are probably I loved the Sha 'Carri Richardson digital cover. Oh, I love that cover. Yeah, it was great. It just it felt I love when a Vogue cover feels like it's moving on the page. Like it had this sort of electric energy. And I also loved the Kaya Gerber cover that was. Oh, yeah. The Mark Jacobs extravaganza. Exactly. I love that. But for you, I really feel like your Twigs cover, which was your first cover, is one of my favorites. Oh, yeah, of course.

20:25Like her in yellow on a taxi was so fab and cool. Oh, thanks. It was such a fun. I mean, I had so much anxiety up until the release of that one because obviously it was like, you know, the first little birdie to fly. But it was great. It was great. and it's definitely still one of my favorites. But there have been so many great ones. I do love our SZA cover, obviously having known Solana for so long and having her big year at Glastonbury and speaking of massive pop stars, she's just up there now. So it was great to see her there. But there were so many. I thought the Saoirse cover was beautiful.

21:07We got so much great feedback about it too and Kylie was a risk that really paid off. I felt like the timing was kind of perfect. The Kylie cover was important, as the kids say. It was important. It was big. It was big. So it's nice to have some of those big pop cultural moments. We've basically been on the job for the same amount of time because you've been running Vogue.com for a year. It's funny how that works. What were your favorite stories? I mean, you just seem like you're having so much fun with it, and I have to say Doge, even not as a dog lover, was absolutely genius. but I mean so many big things.

21:46I mean everyone worked so hard to make Doge happen because it was like the end of the summer but I loved it so much and I do feel like it's been fun to find things that bring people joy and that we're like bring us joy that we are enjoying doing and I don't know I just it's such a treat to work with people who have great ideas and are doing cool things and want to do cool things. So yeah, Doge was really fun. I loved the braids special we did for global women. Oh, that was gorgeous. I thought those photos really turned out beautifully. That was a very much a group effort of a lot of different women who immediately felt connected to this one thing.

22:28And then we've just done some very sort of goofy stories like decorating a Christmas tree with bag charms. And Irene Kim spearheaded a wonderful project of having different New York designers make clothes for elves on a shelf. We have to big you up for the big coup, the kind of getting Jack to be political correspondent was such a big deal. Yes, it was great to sort of capture the energy and excitement that a lot of us were feeling in end of the summer and fall. And we will need energy and focus going forward. Choma, do you have any cultural New Year's resolutions? I mean, I do want to read more like you.

23:16I want to read more. I want to watch more. I just want to do more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more. Choma, you do a lot. I just know. You need to do more sleeping. I actually do want to do more sleeping. I wouldn't say that's a cultural. Well, yeah, I think I probably devote more. You have two little kiddies. I get more sleep than you. so well I'm excited to sleep over the break I have to say when everyone's Spotify rapped was coming out I was like I need to listen to more music like my Spotify rapped my resolution is for my Spotify rapped to not all be Disney music but I'd like to be branching out a bit more that's an easy fix alright before we go here are Vogue Staffers favorite culture moments of the year hi my name is Joanna Solitaroff My name is Lucy Dolan Zelaznik.

24:09I'm Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue's beauty editor at large. My favorite culture moment of the year was the release of The Valley on Bravo. This season on The Valley. The Valley is hot, hot, hot. It had everything that anyone could want from a Bravo reality show. We had Zach, Brittany's gay best friend with his crazy helmet hair. We had Jesse, who was clearly going through some kind of midlife crisis and felt he could fix his entire marriage with a single psychedelic trip. I was rooting for Kristen and her love story. When I put these TV shows on, I call it giving myself a lobotomy. And man, did I need a lobotomy in 2024.

25:00for it.

25:04This was a big year for memes and politics. I feel like I was early on the Kamala Harris, you think you just fell out of the coconut tree meme. You exist in the context of all in which you live. You can take it for you. And it was such a joy to see it take off and take on many, many, many life cycles on the internet. And even the Baron Trump and Melania Trump, I like my suitcase. I like my suitcase. It really has nothing to do with politics at all. It's an old clip. It went crazy viral in the last few weeks. And it's really, really funny. This year, even though we threatened last year that glitter is going to be gone because of new rules, it is very alive and well.