The New Garde with Alyssa Vingan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comThe New Garde has made it to 20 episodes! To celebrate, Alyssa turns her interview questions on herself, getting candid about the decade-plus she’s spent working in fashion. Tune in to find out how she channelled her dream of becoming an MTV VJ — a gig she learned about while watching Virginia Beach hometown heroes like Missy Elliott and Pharrell on TRL — into a climb up the masthead that started around the same time “The Hills” and The Devil Wears Prada put this career path in the pop cultural spotlight.

Casey Lewis, founder of the After School newsletter and Gen Z consumer trends expert, dives into the current revival of mall culture, revealing how TikTok is reigniting interest in classic brands like J.Crew and Abercrombie. They discuss unique shopping experiences that attract Gen Z, the excitement of recent fashionable collaborations, and the challenges legacy retailers face. Lewis also shares insights on nostalgia’s pull, dissecting how brands like Gap and Victoria’s Secret are trying to connect with younger audiences in a rapidly changing market.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comWhat better way to celebrate the start of Milan Fashion Week than to sit down with everyone’s favorite expat, Jenny Walton! The illustrator, designer, painter, Vogue vintage columnist, and author of the popular JENNY SAIS QUOI Substack moved her entire life to Italy a couple of years ago — before she learned how to speak Italian — and is proof that being consistent, kind, and true to yourself can pay dividends, even though it comes with plenty of challenges. This week, Jenny shares how she went from making her own clothes in high school and watching Project Runway with her dad, to posting her illustrations on Instagram and turning her passions into a full-fledged career. Tune in to get inspired by Jenny’s journey and her insights on the lifelong process of honing your taste, getting disillusioned with the realities of working in a corporate fashion environment, escaping the millennial mindset that everything has to be “perfect,” collecting vintage Prada, learning that success in the industry isn’t linear, why having a distinct point of view is crucial, how she handles being an introvert with a front-facing, extroverted job, why she still freezes up when getting her photo taken, moving on when something no longer feels right, being unafraid to pivot, make mistakes, and try new things, building trust with your audience, setting boundaries, how to navigate people coming into your life and misguiding you, making new friends and finding community in your 30s, starting over after a toxic relationship, the importance of being present, and so much more.

Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox covering internet culture, dives deep into the less glamorous side of being an influencer. She discusses the shift from traditional fashion journalism to influencer culture and the challenges faced by creators reliant on social media algorithms. Jennings shares insights on the fear of getting 'canceled' and the psychological toll of maintaining relatability. The conversation also touches on the emergence of niche influencers and the impact of consumer expectations on authenticity.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comNew York Fashion Week is upon us! To kick off the Spring 2025 season, Alyssa sits down with one of the city’s most prolific fashion writers, Emilia Petrarca, whose popular shopping newsletter, Shop Rat, turns a year old this month. Emilia gives a play-by-play of her climb up the masthead — which involves stints at W Magazine and New York Magazine’s The Cut — and shares the most important lessons she’s learned along the way, including the realizations that there’s no such thing as a “dream job” anymore, and the career path promised in The Devil Wears Prada is obsolete in today’s media landscape. Tune in to find out how she pioneered the nepo baby beat, why a story about Paris Hilton changed the trajectory of her career, how she learned to follow her instincts, hone her voice, and go with her gut, what it was like to attend runway shows alongside Cathy Horyn, why getting offline and going outside are crucial for creativity, the most important (and fun!) parts of reporting from Fashion Month, how she decided it was time to bet on herself and do her own thing, the ups and downs of navigating freelance life while starting a publication from scratch, how to know you have a hit story on your hands, the power of saying “no,” what’s in store for year two of Shop Rat, and so much more.

CW: This episode contains discussion of disordered eating, body image, and weight loss. If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling TikTok or X (formerly known as Twitter) over the last several months, you’ve likely come across some version of “thinspo” — whether in the form of low-calorie “What I Eat in a Day” videos or before-and-after weight loss photos — even if you’re not seeking it out. Because we’re at the mercy of the algorithm, this imagery is almost impossible to avoid, which is dangerous for people of all ages. Ruthie Friedlander, the founder of At Large Agency and co-founder of The Chain — a non-profit organization that provides peer support for folks working in the fashion and entertainment industries who are struggling with or recovering from an eating disorder — drops by this week to discuss the reemergence of ED culture on the internet, on the runway, and in media. Tune in for Ruthie’s insights on what it’s like to work in fashion while in active eating disorder recovery, how seeing this imagery consistently can negatively affect your psyche and how you feel about yourself, why marketing buzzwords like “detox” and “clean” are harmful, how to tell when you’re seeing ED behavior hidden under the guise of “wellness,” whether brands and marketers have a responsibility for the images that are projected out to their customers via social media, why Ozempic has become normalized so quickly in the entertainment community and beyond, and where you can turn for help if you or a loved one is struggling with the onslaught of pro-ED content online. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comOn the eve of the season four premiere of “Emily in Paris” — and on the heels of the just wrapped Paris Olympics — Alyssa is joined by writer Marisa Meltzer, whose forthcoming book Non Moi Plus explores the life and times of Jane Birkin, to unpack the enduring mystique (and myth) of French girl style. An unabashed Francophile, Marisa goes long on the international cult of personality of the “French girl,” her firsthand fashion observations from a months-long reporting trip to Paris, why so many icons of Parisian style (including Jane Birkin) are expats, the lore of the Birkin bag, the French connection to indie sleaze, the unmatched magic of the French pharmacy, the deluge of fashion and beauty brands started by French influencers, the idea of the “European Summer” that’s sold to us on social media and its effect on trends, shopping in Paris vs. shopping in New York, French “It” girls through the generations, what she’s looking forward to from the Paris runways during fashion month, and her mission to bring Birkin’s legacy to life beyond Instagram moodboards. 

Amanda Mull, a senior reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and consumer culture expert, dives deep into the Trend Story Industrial Complex. She explores why there are perpetually 8,000 trends, the media's role in shaping consumer demand, and how social media, especially TikTok, influences fast fashion. Amanda discusses the paradox of Gen Z's shopping habits and the effects of affiliate marketing on digital media. The conversation raises important questions about the future of creativity in a rapidly accelerating consumer landscape.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comIf you’ve felt awash in a sea of Bottega Veneta Andiamo bags and Alaïa mesh ballerina flats, you are not alone. This week, Alyssa is joined by fashion writer Alexandra Hildreth to go deep into the world of dupe culture — on the For You Page and beyond. Alex helps break down the bleak vibes of Dupe TikTok, how we’re increasingly approaching our lives as content (and therefore must constantly feed the beast), the proliferation of contextless, algorithmic aesthetics, dupes vs. counterfeits, the collective mania to participate in a microtrend before the next one comes along, the general lack of concern for individuality and longevity among consumers, the sustainability problem, the natural evolution of the “look for less” recommendation structure, and whether we’ll ever be able to escape the need for instant gratification while shopping.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenewgarde.substack.comBuckle up, because the girls are yapmaxxing this week! Alyssa sits down with 032c fashion editor, vintage clothing collector, content creator, podcast host, and influencer Brenda Weischer (more commonly known as @brendahashtag) for a wide-ranging conversation covering all corners of the industry. Tune in to get Brenda’s savvy takes on building a following and a community, mastering your platforms, why figuring out exactly what you’re good at is crucial, how haters are just confused fans, why going either really big or super niche are the only options, the distinction between influencers vs. creatives vs. talent, why branding is her Roman Empire, how secondhand fashion helped her conquer imposter syndrome, adopting a “f**k you” attitude, why a strong point of view is your most valuable asset, the importance of uplifting others and reading the room, never being afraid to reach out and make a connection, regretting her past era of being a hater, knowing your worth, trusting that change in the industry is possible, and the slow, steady climb up cringe mountain.