Chloe Malle: This is the Run-Through. I'm Chloe Malle. Chioma Nnadi: And I'm Chioma Nnadi, and this week on the show we have our dear colleague, Arden Fanning Andrews. Chloe Malle: Arden is Vogue's Beauty Editor-at-Large and she joined us to talk about transforming herself into a real life Barbie, which we were delighted about. It's, uh, on Vogue.com now. Chioma Nnadi: My idea [laughs]. Chloe Malle: It's- it all comes out of Chioma's fertile brain. Chioma Nnadi: No. I basically... I- I asked Arden if she'd be game and she was, and she- she found all the right beauty experts, uh, um, to make the transformation extra magical. Chloe Malle: We went to a Barbie screening last week and- Chioma Nnadi: We did indeed. Chloe Malle: ... with a lot of our Con Day colleagues and it was a rollicking delight for- for all of us. Chioma Nnadi: It was super fun. Yeah, it was super fun to watch. I, uh, I think some of the references were a little deep for me, and maybe as a... as a Brit. Chloe Malle: Too American? Chioma Nnadi: Too American. Chloe Malle: [laughs]. Chioma Nnadi: Um, but it was such a fun movie to watch, and- Chloe Malle: Ryan Gosling is such a delight. Chioma Nnadi: Oh my goodness. Chloe Malle: And, like, he does this sort of, like, neo-Gene Kelly technicolor dance numbers that are so fun and so wacky, I just was very there for that. Chioma Nnadi: For me, when it... when it got campy and wacky it was really at its best. Chloe Malle: Um-hum. Chioma Nnadi: Um, it was really fun. I can understand why people are kind of eagerly awaiting this movie. Chloe Malle: And so now we have our very own Arden, who went full Barbie on a day in New York and lived to tell the tale. Arden, can you introduce yourself to those who don't know who you are? Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes, thank you. Um, I'm Arden Fanning Andrews and I'm Vogue's Beauty Editor-at-Large. Thank you for having me, um, as your most loyal fan. Chioma Nnadi: Oh, we're really excited to have you on. Arden Fanning Andrews: Well, even whenever I, you know, accepted this Beauty Editor-at-Large position, you were the first people that I saw in the elevator bank after having my gab with Anna, and [laughs] I was telling you how I had just liked and reviewed The Run-Through. Chioma Nnadi: Oh my god, thank you. Chloe Malle: We love... we love a review. Chioma Nnadi: We... like and review, guys. Arden Fanning Andrews: Liked and reviewed. Chloe Malle: Everyone, be like Arden. Chioma Nnadi: Please, like and review. Arden Fanning Andrews: And I feel really close to you, even and- and it gives me better insight into even the people that we work with. Chioma Nnadi: Well, you know, I wanted you to come on the show because you're doing a very special transformation. Can you tell us the conversation that we had a few weeks ago? Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. This was from the mind of Chioma and- Chioma Nnadi: [laughs] what persuaded you to do this. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. And really I, again, honored [laughs], which was a complete Barbie transformation, so from my kind of, like, French girl cosplay short dark hair, I definitely identify more with Keanu Reeves aesthetic than Margot Robbie. And so we tapped very, very cool runway talent. We have Jenna Kuchera with Pat McGrath Labs and we have Evanie Frausto with Bumble and Bumble and they- Chioma Nnadi: Can you explain what they each do? Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. So Jenna is coo-el. She flew straight from Schiaparelli Couture which did the Yves Klein blue sort of faux turtleneck look. She came straight from that to the Vogue offices to do this Barbie transformation. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Arden Fanning Andrews: And I've always wanted a Pat McGrath full makeover, and then Evanie Frausto is just so coo-el. He closed out Fashion Week at Luar. He does... I mean, he's done, like a video for us with Bella Hadid before. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, maybe he's done a lot of Bella's... I fell like many- Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. Chioma Nnadi: ... of Bella's most kind of exciting and daring looks have been his, right? Arden Fanning Andrews: Exactly. And he has gotten this... he's really known for his wig work, and so at Colleen Estrada he did this dressage inspired wigs that were, like, kind of like a net that he put, you know, just hand-tied- Chloe Malle: I'm sorry, like horse dressage? Arden Fanning Andrews: Exactly. And- Chloe Malle: What does that mean? Arden Fanning Andrews: Well, because remember how that show was all inspired my animals? It was like- Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... was it... what was the feed our friends? Don't eat my friends. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, don't eat my friends. Arden Fanning Andrews: Don't eat my friends. Chioma Nnadi: It was very... it was really out there. Arden Fanning Andrews: It was really out there. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, there was sort of like [inaudible 00:03:58] transformations. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah- Chloe Malle: But do dressage horses have specific hair dos? Arden Fanning Andrews: I think they've got, like, a little bit of flair. Like, they have, like, nice braids and, like, special little ties and I- I think that was the... that was just something to put his wig work on the radar for me, and so I also never worn a wig and I'd always wondered about it because I have super thin hair. Chioma Nnadi: So that was your first time wearing a wig. Arden Fanning Andrews: First time wearing a wig. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. What- what did it feel like? Arden Fanning Andrews: It was like a fur hat on a hot summer day, but it really felt real because they- they braid your hair into something super tight, which was easy for me, and then he had already pre-dyed two wigs just in case anything happened. Put the wig on me and it looks, you know, like a witch. It was just like- Chloe Malle: A blonde witch. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... scraggly, blonde witchy hair, and then cut it on the spot. Cut it- Chloe Malle: Oh- Arden Fanning Andrews: ... and styled it. Chloe Malle: ... cut it on you. Arden Fanning Andrews: On me, which made the transformation that much more dramatic. Also, wigs are very mysterious. There are wigs that are floating around us in our own culture that are like five figure wigs and they are- Chloe Malle: It is wild how transformative they are. Arden Fanning Andrews: That was the moment, because the makeup was incredible and definitely something that was different than I would do every day. Much more contouring, much more eyeshadow, lashes, the very, like, Lily Rose Depp lined lip. Then the hair, when that... when the wig was popped on and it was really styled and it was really in full Barbie zone, it was a little bit crazy how different I looked. Chioma Nnadi: I mean, I'm always interested how people treat you differently when your hair's, you know, different. When I wear my hair straight, I get treated differently. Did you find that you- Chloe Malle: Really? Chioma Nnadi: Oh, yeah. Chloe Malle: Give us some examples. Chioma Nnadi: I think I get more attention from men. Chloe Malle: Hmm. Chioma Nnadi: I think I- I don't know. I have a friend who is also... has really insane curly hair and she looks very young and she just gets taken more seriously when- Chloe Malle: Right. Chioma Nnadi: ... she wears her hair straight. It's- it's sad really because she's got the most amazing curly hair, but it's interesting to see when you... when you wear your hair differently how you get treated differently. You know, I can't imagine what it must be like going from a brunette to a blonde because I think there's definitely so many things that we associate with blondes and I'd be interested to know how you f- how you were treated differently. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. So I do think that you're totally correct, change your hair, change your life. Going from brunette to blonde, the- the attention from strangers is definitely on another level because I think people just assumed... and maybe because I have... because I have a big, blonde blowout right in the heart of downtown New York. Chioma Nnadi: And you're wearing a Barbie pink- Arden Fanning Andrews: Wearing a Barbie pink top [laughs] and I'm surrounded by- Chloe Malle: Might be the whole package. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... a crew. Chioma Nnadi: The whole package. The whole package. Arden Fanning Andrews: There were parts of it that, yeah, I think people thought it was probably a promotional thing for the actual film because they couldn't tell- Chioma Nnadi: You looked like a real life Barbie. It's crazy. Arden Fanning Andrews: It- Chioma Nnadi: It's uncanny. Arden Fanning Andrews: It was really real, um, and I Facetimed my husband at... when we had, like, were wrapping up and I was just sort of, like, about to sweat- sweat the entire wig off, and his, you know, reaction was just sort of like shock and joy and I'd never seen his face, like, have this, like, expression. Because he got the joke, but it was alarming how different I looked and it was just more of a bombshell, more of a babe than my normal style. Chioma Nnadi: Which is so frustrating to me that, like, blonde equals bombshell. Arden Fanning Andrews: Bombshell. Yes. Chloe Malle: What about your outfit, because that can also add to- Chioma Nnadi: You're right. You're right. Chloe Malle: ... a bombshell effect. Arden Fanning Andrews: I was very grateful to the Fashion Closets Queens and to Willow. They pulled Chanel, they pulled Balmain, they pulled Self Portrait and ultimately I wore a pink sort of pleated skirt suit bouclé from Self Portrait, and it was sort of a- a very bright Barbie pink, very warm actually with the many layers. Chioma Nnadi: On a very hot day. Arden Fanning Andrews: On a hot day. I wore my own clogs, which were these Swedish has been sort of white clogs because they felt very Barbie shoe, like, your foot couldn't move. And so I'm just kind of like stomping around and the... that was, I mean, super mini skirt, crop top. I don't really, like, wear a crop typically. Chioma Nnadi: Right. I mean, uh, I'm- I'm curious because your skin is incredible and we were in- in a Slack group chat earlier today and you were saying you use only one product. What is- Chloe Malle: What? Chioma Nnadi: What is this trend about that is kind of completely stripping back your... what is is called? Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. So I really liked what Hannah Coates mentioned today where she was saying- Chioma Nnadi: Our colleague in the UK? Arden Fanning Andrews: Our colleague in the UK. She's a hero. She's our beauty hero. Um, and she called it streaming, which- Chioma Nnadi: Right. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... I hadn't heard that specific term, but I thought that was very cool, and I think that everyone is feeling a little bit exhausted by the, like, there- Chioma Nnadi: A million steps for everything. Arden Fanning Andrews: A million steps for everything, whether it's a 24-step YouTube tutorial- Chloe Malle: Oh my god. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... or a 12-step skincare routine, and I kind for this... I got to do a little Vogue 100 party in Paris during Couture Week that felt very glamorous and I thought, like, well, what if I just bring one product with me from a French pharmacist who we had covered, Natacha Bonjout, and she created this really clever little balm that fits in your pocket and it can be everything. It can be, like, a dozen things, and so you can use it for your serum, you can use it for your lip balm, you can use it for your eye balm, you can use it for your whole face, you can use it for your nails. Chioma Nnadi: Cleanser? Arden Fanning Andrews: I... exactly. It can take off, like, waterproof makeup if you needed it to. It can be all of these thing... it can be a mask. Whereas I really just like a really- Chloe Malle: This one product is going to do all those things? Arden Fanning Andrews: I almost brought it to you all for this set, but wanted [laughs] because I- I really h- I get a little exhausted when I'm traveling at the idea of finding a mini version of everything or packing a bunch of things- Chioma Nnadi: Hmm, agree. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... and checking a suitcase. Like, I like to travel light and this is just the... maybe I will, on a normal day, use more, like, for products and include and SPF and all these things. But for one five-day trip to Paris, having just, like, one little pocket size beauty product that couldn't leak because it's like a balmy thing, it felt very- Chloe Malle: Wow. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... clever. Chloe Malle: I'm- I'm shook. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah. Chloe Malle: Huh. What... but... so I'm sorry, what sunblock are you wearing on that five-day trip? Arden Fanning Andrews: So I usually wear Bare Minerals, and they have a great complexion rescue tinted moisturizer. Chloe Malle: Okay. Arden Fanning Andrews: And they have a great shade range and it gives you a really dewy finish and it has- Chloe Malle: Is is reef safe? Arden Fanning Andrews: I can't promise you that. Chioma Nnadi: Reef safe? Arden Fanning Andrews: But I'd like to hope. Chloe Malle: That's number in [inaudible 00:10:26] that's very important. You have to protect the oceans. Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. You have to protect the oceans. Chioma Nnadi: So SPF are dangerous for the oceans? Chloe Malle: Yes. Chioma Nnadi: How so? Chloe Malle: A lot of the chemicals, they rinse off and they go into the ocean. They affect the coral. Chioma Nnadi: But not zinc, right? Arden Fanning Andrews: Well, it's.. if it's non-nano zinc, you're okay. But nano zinc is the... it's too small and then the coral... it- it affects the coral. Chioma Nnadi: The problem for me with zinc formulated SPF is that they make my brown skin look very- Arden Fanning Andrews: It's a white cast. Chioma Nnadi: ... ashy. Arden Fanning Andrews: Absolutely. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Wow. Chloe Malle: Now, are there any- Chioma Nnadi: Complicated. Chloe Malle: ... like, sunblock trends of the summer that you're excited about or is there... what is... what is the sunblock du jour? Arden Fanning Andrews: I think that the sunblock du jour is, like, I like physical block. So, like, I like to wear, like, surfer clothing. Chioma Nnadi: Oh, that makes sense. Chloe Malle: Every dermatologist that I follow, I- I did this retinol story a few months ago so I- Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes, read it. Chloe Malle: ... started following all these derms. Arden Fanning Andrews: Great story. Chloe Malle: And I was like, oh, my biggest takeaway from the story is not to w- use retinol, it's to cover my body because they're all on vacation with like- Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes Chloe Malle: ... enormous fisherman hats and, like, long sleeves. Arden Fanning Andrews: Long sle- I wear mani gloves which are these- Chloe Malle: Really? Arden Fanning Andrews: They're my fav- I get so many- Chioma Nnadi: Mani gloves. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... compliments on mani gloves, but- Chioma Nnadi: Really? Arden Fanning Andrews: ... I wear them like fashion. They're designed- Chioma Nnadi: I don't know. Arden Fanning Andrews: They're designed to be what you wear under the lamp when you get- Chioma Nnadi: Oh, the UV light. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... a gel manicure. Chioma Nnadi: Right. Arden Fanning Andrews: But instead, they're just these, like, great fingerless gloves in all these, like, funny little prints and they also protect your hands, so if you're driving and your hands are always on the wheel in the sun or I... they protect me from my computer too, but the- Chloe Malle: Wait, what's wrong with your computer? Arden Fanning Andrews: Oh, just, like, Mac books are actually really sharp and so I'll get little callouses from typing. Chloe Malle: [laughs] oh my god, delicate flower. Arden Fanning Andrews: Delicate flower. But sun-wise, it's really good to be protecting your hands because they show your age in the same way as your face. Chioma Nnadi: Yes. Yes. Arden Fanning Andrews: And so sun gloves. Chioma Nnadi: Let's talk about sleep, which is my other obsession. Arden Fanning Andrews: I love Chloe's story about sleep. Chioma Nnadi: Me too. Well Chloe, what- what piece did you write about sleep? Chloe Malle: So I just... I had been thinking a lot, I feel like post-pandemic and consistently there's been everyone's optimizing everything in their life. You're optimizing steps, you're optimizing what you eat, and now I feel like sleep is the- the great new luxury. That is used to be this bravado thing that CEOs and power people would be like, "I only sleep four hours a night and," you know, "I'm a super hero." And now Jeff Bezos is like, "I need eight hours a night. It's good for Amazon shareholders." People are very- Chioma Nnadi: Arianna Huffington, you pointed out was the first really she- Chloe Malle: She really was on the- Chioma Nnadi: ... she was the pioneer. Chloe Malle: ... ahead of this and she... I interviewed her for the piece and so it was about all these... this sort of sleeping the next frontier in optimization and all these new tech gadgets that help you optimize your sleep, and it was really fun to test drive some of these. I loved this mattress cover, the Eight Sleep, which is like- Chioma Nnadi: I've heard about this. Chloe Malle: Terrifying- Chioma Nnadi: I mean, I've read about it. Chloe Malle: ... to try and install. It was like install... it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was, like, me and my husband, like, almost got a divorce, like, yelling at each other trying to, like, strap these things down. Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]. Chloe Malle: But it's cools and heats different sides of your bed, um, and if you sleep hot, that's amazing. Also, it wakes you up with an alarm clock that just... it cools your side of the bed slowly so you wake up naturally. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Chloe Malle: Because a few of the sleep people I talked to say that pressing snooze is one of the worst things you can do because an alarm is like a mini heart attack because you're jolting yourself out of sleep and every time you snooze, you're doing that again to yourself. So the Eight Sleep, that was the nicest thing for me was sort of slowly coming out of sleep- Chioma Nnadi: Right. Chloe Malle: ... in a natural way. And then the Oura ring I've been wearing since, I guess it's almost two and a half years now and I- I use it as my fitness tracker, but also, it's nice in the morning to be like, oh, I sleep more than I thought I did. But I did have some funny people weigh in being like, "Guys, just go to bed. Like, this is... we don't need to, like, track this." Chioma Nnadi: [laughs] well, Chloe is the reason that I am currently wearing an Oura ring. Chloe Malle: It's true. Chioma Nnadi: Yep. Arden Fanning Andrews: And I have been sent an Oura ring. They... the sample size thing where you, like, try it on and I r- I haven't... I haven't done it because- Chioma Nnadi: What's holding... what's holding you back? Arden Fanning Andrews: I don't want to be tracked and I don't even step on scales. Chloe Malle: Oh, interesting. Arden Fanning Andrews: And I- I feel like I am... I really celebrate sleep, and my whole family respects sleep. It is our top beauty secret is to just go to sleep. But I just get nervous about something telling me how many steps I've had or, like, making me feel like I need to do one more thing during the day. Chioma Nnadi: I know, and sometimes when it bothers you to get up and walk. One of the things that really resonated with me about Chloe's piece was the fact that, you know, when you get a poor score, you just... you're just tempted to take the damn this off because it's like- Chloe Malle: Or take the day off. Chioma Nnadi: Take the day off from it. Chloe Malle: Like, I actually this morning, uh, got... had, like, a low HRV number for my... which is my heart rate variability which- Chioma Nnadi: Oh. Chloe Malle: ... usually happens when I've- Chioma Nnadi: I bet you- Chloe Malle: ... had something to drink the night before. Chioma Nnadi: ... having an amazing resting heart rate. Chloe Malle: Well, it's so amazing that, uh, it said that I slept, had a 90-minute nap during the Barbie screening, so I don't know what that says about Barbie or about my- Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]. Chloe Malle: ... resting heart rate. Chioma Nnadi: It keeps telling me I'm nap- napping when I watch movies. Chloe Malle: I know. I know. Chioma Nnadi: When I watch And Just Like That, it's like, you're asleep. I'm like, no. I'm actually awake. Chloe Malle: I know. Just in a deep state of relaxation with And Just Like That. Well, and just to describe what the Oura ring is for people who don't know. It's this clunky gold ring with sensors inside and the sensors track your heart rate, your... I guess it's just your heart rate that it's tracking, but also your activity. Chioma Nnadi: Your oxygen. Chloe Malle: Your oxygen levels, your temperature. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, your temperature. Chloe Malle: Um, and sends the scores to an app on your phone and you can look at all this information. I mean, I've had a lot of feedback/debates about whether they're ugly or not. Some of the people I talked to- Chioma Nnadi: They're ugly. Chloe Malle: ... were, like, "They've been confused for Cartier," which I was like well, that person hasn't seen anything Cartier, but fine. I like to pair it with, like, some other gold jewelry but I- I think it can be ugly. I think I- I have sort of just accepted that this is part of my- Chioma Nnadi: Please do a collab with someone. Chloe Malle: They did. They did a Gucci one and it was not great. Chioma Nnadi: Oh, okay. Well, keep trying. Chloe Malle: I want to ask Arden what Arden sees as the new workout vibe of the summer. Arden Fanning Andrews: Walking. Pilates. No, I will say- Chloe Malle: [laughs]. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yes. Yes. Okay. Chioma Nnadi: The new old workout trend of the summer. Arden Fanning Andrews: New old workout trend, and reformer Pilates specifically is having, uh, a major moment and I can say that, uh, I've seen the body changes that it can create. I have a reformer machine I my- Chioma Nnadi: You have one in your home? Arden Fanning Andrews: I have one in my home. Chioma Nnadi: Stop it. Chloe Malle: My mom did Pilates with Joe Pilates right before he died. Yeah. Chioma Nnadi: What? I didn't know there was a [inaudible 00:17:04]. Chloe Malle: Oh, yes. Joe Pilates. He died when she had, like, just moved to New York, but she did Pilates with him a few times and then she picked up with his wife, um, who was teaching it. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Arden Fanning Andrews: And isn't he the one that designed the... I mean, Joseph Pilates- Chloe Malle: Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: He designed the bed spring reformer. Chloe Malle: He designed the reformer, yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: The... oh, the reformer. Chioma Nnadi: I just feel like I'm always going to fall over and hurt myself on those things. I just feel like the machine is- Chloe Malle: It's pretty glide-y. Chioma Nnadi: ... makes me feel anxious. Arden Fanning Andrews: It makes you feel weird. Chloe Malle: That's- that's okay. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah. And there's a lot... there's parts of it- Chioma Nnadi: I don't want to do it. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... that look kind of like torture-y and so I can see why too, because it's just like if you... it seems kind of scary, but then it is very safe and it's also non-electric and so it's really a sustainable design. You know, it doesn't have to be plugged in. Chioma Nnadi: You're selling it. Chloe Malle: Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: But most people go to a class. Most people are normal, cool people that go a class and they like to have an instructor and that's just... I'm not a class person either. Chioma Nnadi: You're not? Arden Fanning Andrews: I- I just... it's not for me. Chloe Malle: I do... I read your Pilates article with interest because since, uh, my daughter was born a year ago, I had real, like, pelvic floor issues even though I had a C-section, and my OB was like, "You can physical therapy or Pilates will actually be just as good." Arden Fanning Andrews: Oh, wow. Chloe Malle: So I started doing Pilates and I really did notice a big difference, so I was... been more in- intrigued by Pilates lately and I think that there's a real vibe shift in... from, like pre-pandemic this sort of go-go-go, like, burning the candle at both ends. And then it's sort of this more mindful, like, I'm just going to be doing things that I enjoy more. Arden Fanning Andrews: But you're part of the trend. You're- you're setting the trend, which is workouts that don't spike your cortisol, and so something that is a sort of chill Pilates class or a stroll, like, there are like these hot girl walks where I can't remember the ratio. Chloe Malle: What does that mean? Someone else- Chioma Nnadi: What's a hot girl walk? Chloe Malle: ... talked about that. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah. So I keep... I keep forgetting the ratio, but it's like you know, like, 3-10-9 and it is- Chloe Malle: What? Arden Fanning Andrews: ... the setting that you put your treadmill on. So it's like this much of an incline, this long of a time that you're walking, this much of an intensity, and it is the... it's a... it's like a Tik Tok moment, sure. But people are into it and walking, I feel like is the other Pilates right now this summer. So it's like- Chloe Malle: Wait. This is hilarious. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah. Chloe Malle: The way that Tik Tok manages to rebrand the most, like, mundane things. Like- Arden Fanning Andrews: You were just talking about this. Chloe Malle: ... hot girl walk is the quiet luxury of minimalism. Arden Fanning Andrews: I was going to say this is the... but that's the... I think so many things are be rebranded that are minimalistic attitudes and so some of it is just like yeah, walking is minimalism in fitness and like, using just one problem is minimalism in beauty. Every couture look that we saw was a minimalistic non- non-makeup moment. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: People are just looking for, like, a little bit of a break, think, and all of the rules that have been thrown at us for what is beauty, what is fitness? Chioma Nnadi: So Arden, question. Have you joined Threads? Arden Fanning Andrews: No. Chioma Nnadi: Do you know what Threads is? Arden Fanning Andrews: Oh my gosh. You were just saying Threads and I was, like, "Is this an app?" Is it an app? Chioma Nnadi: Yes, girl. Where have you been? Chloe Malle: Wait, you don't know? Chioma Nnadi: Wake up. Arden Fanning Andrews: What's going on? Chloe Malle: This is the news of the week, Arden. Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. Oh gosh, now I look like I'm not in the know. Chioma Nnadi: It's true. Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. Tell me about Threads, please. No, I am on it. I love Threads. Chloe Malle: [inaudible 00:20:17] tech Barbie. Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. Okay. Okay. Chioma Nnadi: Threads is the rival to Twitter that Meta's been working on for the past year. Arden Fanning Andrews: Oh, no wonder I'm not- Chioma Nnadi: It- it launched last week. Arden Fanning Andrews: Okay. Chloe Malle: It's in its infancy. Chioma Nnadi: It's in its infancy. A lot of the functionality is not quite there yet because they... I think they launched it early in response to the fact that Twitter began to limit people's... the- the amount of scrolling you could do, the amount of Twitter entries you could see was reduced to a certain number. So Meta took the opportunity to launch Threads, which is the rival to Twitter. It's very much like Twitter, looks like Twitter, but- Chloe Malle: And what's smart about it is that you have your followers from Instagram migrate over. So what a lot of people are saying about some of the earlier Twitter rivals like Mastodon and BlueSky- Chioma Nnadi: But have to be inv- you have to be invited for BlueSky, so it's a little bit different model. Chloe Malle: Okay. But- but you had to start from zero follower-wise and who you followed and this... it's sort of like a pairing with Instagram. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, the got 100 million people signed up. So basically when you... when you join, you automatically can opt to follow everybody who you follow on, um, Instagram. Arden Fanning Andrews: I do like the simplification of that because that turns me off with new app things, which is like- Chioma Nnadi: Oh, yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... so I could just- Chioma Nnadi: Let- let me access your contacts. Arden Fanning Andrews: I'm not going to let you access my contacts. Chloe Malle: Yeah, but I'm sorry, I follow different people on Twitter than on Instagram. Like- Chioma Nnadi: So did you go through them individually? Chloe Malle: No, I actually don't need Threads in my life right now. Chioma Nnadi: So you haven't joined. Chloe Malle: I haven't joined, but I- Chioma Nnadi: Oh, okay. Chloe Malle: That actually is... it's putting me off because for example, like, I follow- Chioma Nnadi: You don't have to. It's not mandatory. Chloe Malle: Well, no, but, like, I follow Elizabeth Colbert, like, the climate on Twitter because I want to know what she's writing about. I don't really care what she has for breakfast on Instagram, so it... to me it's just different content and I don't know if that translates- Chioma Nnadi: You don't have to- to be clear, if you haven't downloaded it and haven't tried it, you don't really know, Chloe. You just- Chloe Malle: You're absolutely right. Arden Fanning Andrews: Wait, so you have and you're on it- Chioma Nnadi: You basically [inaudible 00:22:07] because I... what I started to do is I had the same thought as Chloe. There are people on Instagram who I don't really want to know their inner monologue, so I began to go through every single person I follow on Instagram to decide whether I wanted to join and I just was like this is going to take too long, so I just pressed Follow All. Arden Fanning Andrews: Oh. Chioma Nnadi: And- and now I'm just opting out of people. I'm like, oh, I don't really need to hear your- Arden Fanning Andrews: That's smart. You're editing. Chloe Malle: And are you using it instead of Twitter? Chioma Nnadi: I was never a big tweeter. Arden Fanning Andrews: No, I wasn't a big tweeter. Chloe Malle: It's very for b- actually both of your, like, beauty and fashion do not lend themselves well to Twitter. Arden Fanning Andrews: No. Chioma Nnadi: No. Chloe Malle: Like, they're so visual that Tik Tok and Instagram are much more appealing for that. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: Sara Brown actually set up my Twitter for me when I started at Vogue at- Chloe Malle: Oh my god. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... 4- 4 Times Square like 10 years ago. Chloe Malle: Sara Brown, OG Beauty Director at Vogue who Arden, way back when, was her assistant. Arden Fanning Andrews: She really... she brought me in. She brought me in and she, huge Twitter following by the way. Chloe Malle: Yeah, [inaudible 00:23:02]- Arden Fanning Andrews: And she's like, "Yeah, you got to be on Twitter. Like, that's when you get your news. Just, you know, just have eyes on it," kind of thing and I think that I get my news from just actual, like, Apple News or out and about in real life the conversation's like this news. Chloe Malle: On your hot girl walks? Chioma Nnadi: If you've been under a rock you haven't seen about... you haven't heard about Threads. Arden Fanning Andrews: I haven't heard about Threads. But I also think that, like, I'm ready for a return to sort of like mystery, exclusivity, uh, people not knowing everyone's business. More of a Kate Moss lifestyle where you're, like, partying in a club and nobody has a camera and nobody is allowed to actually have their phone. Chloe Malle: Uh, I don't think that's happening. Arden Fanning Andrews: I don't think it's ever going to happen again, but I wonder if there's going to be some version of that in- Chioma Nnadi: I mean, people are... I mean, I think Gen Z, some people are getting flip phones. Arden Fanning Andrews: Flip phones, that's what I'm... exactly. Chloe Malle: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Chioma Nnadi: I know, yeah. There is that trend and- Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah. Chioma Nnadi: ... there are always going to be people who are anti the moment. Arden Fanning Andrews: Yeah, because if you're really... like, people are scrubbing themselves from the internet. Like, I- Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Arden Fanning Andrews: ... like, don't- don't... you shouldn't even know what I look like, you know, that's not me. Chioma Nnadi: Right. Arden Fanning Andrews: But it- it exists. Chloe Malle: Arden, thank you so much for joining us. This was an absolute thrill. We- we love to talk to a Barbie girl. Arden Fanning Andrews: I'm so happy to be here and thanks so much for a great conversation. It really means so much to me. Chloe Malle: The Run-Through will be back in just a moment. Chioma Nnadi: And we're back with The Run-Through. This week on the show, we have Darian Darling with us. She is a makeup artist, Barbie collector, probably the ultimate Barbie collector. Chloe Malle: Oh my god, this is really her moment. Chioma Nnadi: Oh my goodness. She pre-dates Barbie core- Chloe Malle: Yes. Chioma Nnadi: ... by decades. Um, she's joined us and she's decked out in a pink outfit with Barbie pink lipstick and she's live from her home, which is a Barbie land in LA. Chloe Malle: She calls is the Pussy Palace. Chioma Nnadi: The Pussy Palace. Yes. Darian Darling: Hello. Chloe Malle: Darian, welcome. We are so excited to have you on the show. Would you please introduce yourself to our listeners? Darian Darling: Sure. My name is Darian Darling and I'm a makeup artist and kind of image creative consultant living in Los Angeles and I'm a big proponent of pink and Barbie core before it was cool and, um, Barbie collector. And, uh, I was a New York nightlife persona for many years before, um, I moved to Los Angeles, so I had a very storied, wild, weird life and career. Chloe Malle: Wonderful. And so you're talking to us from LA right now. Darian Darling: Yeah. Chloe Malle: Set the scene a little bit. W- where do you live there? What's the vibe of your house? Darian Darling: Okay. Got it. I live in Hancock Park with my best friend, Justin Tranter who is probably one of the most prolific pop songwriters of the last decade of the modern era. Wrote every hit you can image, um, and about a year ago and some change we moved into the insane, um, house and I have the whole top floor, which I call the Pussy Penthouse because the, um, main house is kind of done in like a very Art Deco, like, 1920s kind of style and my fl- floor is, uh, all like '80s deco and all mauve and pink and Barbie. So, um, we jokingly refer to it as the vagina of the house. Chioma Nnadi: Love. Chloe Malle: The most important place in any house. Darian Darling: Hello, where all life begins. Chioma Nnadi: Well, it's so funny because I think recently we had someone on the show and Chloe, who was it that told us that their certain Pantone of Barbie pink was- Chloe Malle: It was me, Chioma. Chioma Nnadi: You wrote the story- Chloe Malle: I was that person. Chioma Nnadi: You were that person. Tell us this- Chloe Malle: Unbelievable. Chioma Nnadi: Because I hope, I think I have... I suspect, Darian, that you started renovating or decorating your new house, your new living space a little bit before the Barbie team were creating the dream house for the movie, because apparently they- Darian Darling: Right. Chioma Nnadi: ... scoured the earth. Darian Darling: Yeah, they ran out of paint, right? Chloe Malle: Yes. Chioma Nnadi: Yes. Oh, so you know this too. Chloe Malle: She read it my article. Hello. Chioma Nnadi: Yes, of course. Darian Darling: Hello. Exactly. Chloe Malle: There are these two older British women who have done, like, every great, like, period film in the UK and they were fabulous and they were completely perplexed by, like, the concept of Barbie. They'd never had a Barbie, they never touched a Barbie. And they were like, "And we had to get pink and we looked for this tone of specific pink and we scoured the earth and there was a run on pink paint." So they had to, like, create it themselves. It was a whole drama because they needed, like, 150 liters because they built it at a sound stage in London. Darian Darling: Which I just totally appreciate as someone that loves, like, classic movies and vintage movies. Uh, I miss practical effects. I miss sets. I miss, like, the heightened fantasy and reality of way mov- the way movies- Chloe Malle: You and Greta Gerwig. Darian Darling: ... look and weren't all digital. You know what I mean? Like, [inaudible 00:28:00]- Chioma Nnadi: Of course, I need to know, Darian, what your first thoughts were when you saw the trailer, when you heard the movie was coming out. Are you excited to go? I know you're wearing the Moschino Barbie collab amazing pink sweater right now. So- Chloe Malle: Love it. Chioma Nnadi: ... what are you going to wear to the... when you see it? Like, tell me everything. Darian Darling: Oh my god. Well, um, I have a group of friends, uh, in LA. We call ourselves the Doll Mafia. So the Barbie movie has been a hot topic of conversation between all of us for quite a while and, um, I think... when I heard about it, I was like, how are they going to make a Barbie movie because, you know, she's such a polarizing topic and figure and in the culture and children and women and body issues and like the whole thing. Like, how are they going to do this where not everyone hates it? And I just think, like, you know, from outfits that she's wearing, there's references to, you know, Barbie, like, they really thought... put a lot of hard thought and effort into this. Like, you know, having Midge be pregnant. Chloe Malle: Who is Midge? Chioma Nnadi: Who is Midge? Darian Darling: Midge was Barbie's best friend that was introduced in like 1963, I want to say. Chioma Nnadi: Whoa. Darian Darling: You know, Barbie was very overtly sexual and, um, very glamorous, so Midge was kind of like the softer, sweeter, slightly- Chioma Nnadi: Oh, terrible name. Darian Darling: ... [inaudible 00:29:11] version. Chioma Nnadi: Midge. Chloe Malle: Actually Darian, you sent an amazing deck of like mood boards to us about the history of Barbie, and I was fascinated, speaking... you just made me think of this because you said Barbie was so sexualized. I didn't know about Barbie's origin story. I can't believe it. Darian Darling: Oh my god. Chloe Malle: You illuminated it for me. Can you just tell us a little bit, the German jaunt that inspired, uh, the Barbie that we know and love? Darian Darling: Yes. Totally. Well, that was so fascinating to me too when I found out that... I actually have it here. I did a, um, 12-page book r- um, US Studies report for my senior, um, high school US Studies class. Chioma Nnadi: Oh my god. Chloe Malle: Oh my god. Darian Darling: So Barbie was really fascinating. In Germany in 1952, there was a comic strip in a newspaper called Built, and, uh, she... it was about this, like, tarty, kind of sassy career girl, blonde ponytail, really sexy and it was about her kind of misadventures and she was kind of like a Holly Golightly type of character where she, like, got $50 to go to the powder room, if you know what I'm saying. So it was just about her life and it was all very like double entendre and, like, tongue in cheek, and it really hit the German pop culture world with, like, a ton of bricks. People were just obsessed. Chloe Malle: And she was marketed to adult men, right, as like a gag gift in cigar stores? Darian Darling: Right. So it was just like a cartoon. And the car... this comic strip was so popular that they decided that we should come out with, uh, a doll to sell to, like, men in, like, tobacco shops and bars and, like, gift shops and it was like a gag gift. Because dolls, up until that time, were either baby dolls or even if it was a fashion doll, it looked like a toddler. Like, she had, like, kind of- Chloe Malle: So interesting. Darian Darling: ... [inaudible 00:30:50] body with a high heeled foot, but a very like- Chloe Malle: Yeah. Darian Darling: ... six-year-old face. Like, there wasn't, like, a doll that looked like a woman. And so this doll was really popular. They even make a Lily movie of this doll. The cartoon character was named Lily. And so Ruth Handler, who was the, uh, co-owner of Mattel Toys, had seen her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls, and paper dolls were the only kind of like full-figured, womanly adult kind of woman where little girls could- Chloe Malle: Wow. Darian Darling: ... act out their fantasies about being an adult, about growing up, about wearing beautiful clothes. So she went back to the Mattel board and was like, "I think we need to do a doll that looks like an adult woman." And they're like, "No. Absolutely not. Oh my god. Never heard of anything so horrible." So she went to Europe with her husband and Barbara and Kenneth, who was her son. Chloe Malle: Ah, love. Darian Darling: And they were walking around window shopping and saw this Lily doll in the window and she was like, "Oh my god, this is exactly what I've been talking about." So they brought it back to Mattel and she's like, "See, it can be done. You can make a doll that looks like a woman." So they, you know, retooled it a little bit and then released it in 1959 and the rest is history. But, um, it's part of the reason why... and it kind of softens as the years went on, you know, Barbie's look because, you know, she was very overtly sexual and just gl- really glamorous. And Mattel did a study with mothers and little girls in like 1960. Every mother was like, "Ah, she's a whore. I hate her." And every little girl was like, "I love her. I love her." Like, so, you know, moms are always going to be mad and little girls are always going to want the glamour. Chloe Malle: For our listeners who can't see what we're talking about, can you tell us about this Barbie that you're showing? Is this your oldest Barbie? Darian Darling: This is my oldest one. This is- Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Darian Darling: ... um, number three. So there's, like, ranging from number one to number six for this, like, original ponytail style because Mattel kept retooling it and, like, making subtle tweaks. So this is, like, the third variation that came out in 1960. Chioma Nnadi: Strawberry blonde I would say, right? Chloe Malle: Yeah, she's not as blonde- Darian Darling: Yeah. Chloe Malle: ... as usual. Darian Darling: Her hair was like, um, a very, like, honey yellow blonde and the- the plastic that they made it out of, uh, faded to white in sunlight, which is why she's so pale. Chioma Nnadi: Ah, so she doesn't have the tan. Darian Darling: So that's the reason why [inaudible 00:33:12] doing this because they ended up finally finding a vinyl that didn't turn white. But I love her. Chloe Malle: And the swimsuit is Jantzen? Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, looks like. Darian Darling: Yeah. The swimsuit is based on a Jantzen swimsuit modeled by Jean Patchett in 1953. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Darian Darling: Uh, that was another thing that was so cool about Barbie and from her inception to now is she was always... all... everyone at Mattel was always looking at what was happening in fashion at the time. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Darian Darling: She was like a mirror for what women were wearing at that specific moment that the dolls released. Chioma Nnadi: Are the early dolls your favorite? Like, where did you get that? Darian Darling: Uh, this I got from, um, I've had this maybe since 1999 when I started... got my first job, uh, out of high school. I was working at a makeup counter and living with my parents, so I had a, you know, disposable income so I thought, you know, I've always wanted, like, an actual original Barbie and so there is a whole world of Barbie collectors that sell dolls, vintage dolls. And so- Chloe Malle: Where? Darian Darling: ... I bought this... on the internet and there's doll shows. There's, like, doll shows- Chloe Malle: Doll shows. Tell us about a doll show. Darian Darling: Oh my god. Well, there's one, um, it happens in a little more down near Anaheim, Disneyland, uh, called Sherry's Doll Show [inaudible 00:34:25]. Chloe Malle: Who is Sherry? Darian Darling: Sherry is the doll collector and she throws this insane doll show at this hotel and it's two big show rooms and there's doll, um, sellers and collectors from all around the world that come and sell their stuff. Chloe Malle: Do you sell your Barbies too? Darian Darling: No. I just love them. Chloe Malle: Where do they live? Darian Darling: In various living spaces and apartments. They kind of live all around, but now my new place I actually have a Moschino archive Barbie core closet where a lot of them live. All the '80s ones. Like, this is my, um, first Barbie that I ever got in 1984, Day to Night Barbie. Chloe Malle: Can you describe her for our listeners. Darian Darling: She is a really fierce business woman in a pink suit that her outfit is reversible and turns into a sexy disco outfit- Chloe Malle: No. Darian Darling: ... so she can go out and club after work. Chloe Malle: Oh my god. Darian Darling: This was the first Barbie that I ever got. Not this actual one, but, um, this was my first Barbie and I actually have the same outfit in my size. Chioma Nnadi: Oh my goodness. Darian Darling: But- but, um, I love her. She's my favorite. She's just so fabulous and kind of epitomizes that, like, '80s power woman business cunt, like, she's so fierce and she has a poodle with a beret. Chloe Malle: Ah. Chioma Nnadi: What drew you to Barbie in the first place? Darian Darling: Well, I was a kid in the '80s. Like, I just, you know, seen the commercials on TV and, you know, as a trans person, I've been very blessed and had a very lovely life where my parents let me play with dolls and, like, live my gender identity and expression from a very young age. Not that there weren't hiccups in the road. So Barbie was kind of like the ultimate ideal of, like, unattainable, unapologetic glamour that's like inspirational and aspirational and, you know, when you would go to Toys R Us back in the '80s and the sliding door would open and there would be, like, a vacuum seal of air that would just, like, hit you in the face with this, like, sweet smell of plastic. You know, it's like little, you know, boy or whatever, you know, going to the Barbie aisle, which was all hot pink, was like a total no-no. Like, you did not want to be seen there. But I would just walk down the aisle and see all these, like, glamorous outfits and just it's all pink and it clearly imprinted on me. Chloe Malle: Wow. Yeah, what was it like as a child going down the Barbie aisle? Did anyone say, "No, no, no. Let's redirect you to the trucks and the trains" or was it, you know, everything was fine? Darian Darling: Yeah. Um, no, my parents were always sweet, but, you know, you wouldn't want to be seen by someone at school. Like, god forbid you got caught, like, by a friend that you went to school with, like, in the Barbie aisle. Chloe Malle: So Barbies were an at-home activity. Darian Darling: At-home activity so much so that, like, I hated when a friend would come over unannounced, like, a neighborhood friend. Chloe Malle: Oh wow. Darian Darling: [inaudible 00:37:09] Barbies behind couches. Chloe Malle: Oh wow. Darian Darling: Like, there was an element of shame to it too, you know. Chloe Malle: Yeah. Darian Darling: Like, you would get made fun of, but I loved it. But I did have a lot of, like, girlfriends who had Barbies and we would always play with Barbies, and any dolls that I didn't get, they had and so, you know... Chloe Malle: Do you have, um, clothes made for you to match some of your dolls? Darian Darling: I've... actually, I've thought about it quite a lot. I've not actually done that. I, uh, miraculously just found things that remi- like the, um, Day to Night Barbie- Chloe Malle: Yeah. Darian Darling: ... outfit that I have was just a vintage piece that's clearly from the same era and it was like a really long, like, suit jacket, it looks like a suit jacket but it was like a dress, but I had it, like, shortened so it's a little more of a mini. But it's like this, like, pink with the white collar and the white cuffs, like, and it had a hat and she comes with, like spectator shoes but in pink and white, and so I found a pair of spectator shoes in my size, but dyed the black parts pink myself. Like, I'm- I'm crafty. I'm crafty. Like, I painted my Moschino Barbie closet myself- Chloe Malle: Wow. Chioma Nnadi: Wow. Darian Darling: ... pink. And, um, I have Barbie mannequins, uh, life-size Barbie mannequins. And she's in a reproduction of the zebra swimsuit but all the black parts I sequined with, um, like, 10,000 mauve sequins by hand. Chloe Malle: Wow. Chioma Nnadi: Is it mildly irritating to you that now Barbie is such a thing and... I feel like when someone hijacks the thing that you love, does it... you were there first. I mean, did it- Darian Darling: I know. It's kind of like the dichotomy of the two, right? Like, on one hand you're like people are coming up to you, they're like, "Oh, I love your Barbie core look," I was like, oh, I've been doing that way before that word even existed, but at the same time, it's really easy to shop. Chioma Nnadi: Has it driven up the prices of dolls? Darian Darling: Um, not that I've noticed because I'm... I don't try... I try not to spend over $100 for anything. Chloe Malle: Oh, okay. Chioma Nnadi: Oh, that's a good rule. Darian Darling: Or any one doll. So I hunt on eBay. All the dolls that I'm looking for, I, like... any time anyone lists something on eBay, like, I get an alert to my phone, like, they listed it. So I try to, like, wait and, like, find the right one and their hair has to be right in the box and the makeup has to be right and she has to be posed the right way. You know, very specific. Chioma Nnadi: Do you know how many Barbies you have or do you prefer not to count because it makes you feel guilty about getting a new one? Chloe Malle: I hope you count. Chioma Nnadi: Is it one in, one out [inaudible 00:39:24] closet? Darian Darling: [inaudible 00:39:25]. Chloe Malle: You've never counted? Chioma Nnadi: Have you never counted? Darian Darling: I've never counted, but well over 100. Chioma Nnadi: Right. Wow, that's a lot. Darian Darling: Yeah. Chioma Nnadi: Are there any you're still searching for that you wish you had? Darian Darling: Well, I mean, obviously I would love to had a number one, um, and that's a, you know, I'm not prepared to spend, you know, $12,000 on a doll. Chioma Nnadi: What does she look like, the number one? Darian Darling: Oh, my, um, Barbie doll that I'm holding right now, my number three Barbie, she looks just like her. Like, she has the same face sculpt, but they painted it in a softer way to make her look a little more wholesome. Where the first one was very much inspired by the Lily doll and so she has, like, really aggressive cat eyeliner and really archy, like, fierce eyebrows and, like, really, like pursed lips. And also, um, she has, like, white irises which is kind of, like, gives her a very cartoony look, where this one, it has a little bit of, like, a softer blue eye. Chloe Malle: Darian, we're so thrilled to talk to you. Chioma Nnadi: That was so cool. Chloe Malle: You're the OG Barbie core queen. Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, I learned s- I learned so much. Darian Darling: Good talking to you. Chloe Malle: All right. Chioma Nnadi: You too. Chloe Malle: That's it for The Run-Through this week. Thanks for listening. Chioma Nnadi: Ciao for now. The Run-Through with Vogue is a production of Condé Nast Entertainment. Chloe Malle: The show is produced by Suzie Lechtenberg, Chelsea Daniel and Alex Jhamb Burns. It's engineered by Jake Lummus, Gabe Quiroga and Kevin Bourassa, and mixed by Mike Kutchman. Chioma Nnadi: See you soon. Chloe Malle: Bye.