Vanity Fair Apr-14

1 Jim Windolf In previous years, contributing editor Jim Windolf has gone behind the scenes of Star Wars and a homemade version of Indiana Jones. This month, in “The Gathering Storm” (page 132), he chronicles another epic—HBO’s Game of Thrones. To tell the tale of the show’s runaway success, Windolf spoke extensively with the cast and crew, as well as novelist George R.R. Martin, whose books inspired the show. “I felt like I was on a quest,” says Windolf. 2 Nancy Jo Sales In “To Live and Die in America” (page 166), contributing editor Nancy Jo Sales recounts the recent deaths of four Iranian indie rockers, including members of two emerging Brooklyn bands. The surviving bandmates of the Yellow Dogs and the Free Keys had, until now, avoided extended interviews.…

Few periods continue to have a hold on our consciousness the way the Roman Empire and the Third Reich do—those two extremes of glory and madness. The legacy of the Roman Empire is still quietly embedded in myriad ways in our daily lives: everything from our alphabet to our calendar to our laws and the language we use to explain them. The Third Reich’s legacy is a darker chamber of horrors and a searing reminder of the capacity of man to inflict mindless cruelty. The trauma and terror of Nazi war crimes continue to reverberate, which is why whenever news stories pop up with any sort of link to the Third Reich they get our attention. This certainly was the case last November when a German magazine revealed that a…

Was it really necessary to style the very talented Jimmy Fallon with two swimsuit models on the V.F. cover [“Heeeeere’s Jimmy!,” by David Kamp, February]? Only to be followed by a spread with more swimsuit models? For a moment, I thought I was looking at Maxim! Not only is it a boring visual cliché but it’s a dangerous one, too. At a time when women are so outrageously marginalized and are obviously far from having a major foothold in government or corporate leadership, and are especially missing from comedy, your February cover was even more disgraceful, demeaning, and discouraging. Late-night comedy was and is still dominated by white men: Carson, Leno, Letterman, O’Brien, Kimmel, Stewart, et al., to what, one Chelsea Handler and an Amy Schumer? Will that ever change…

Fear of fashion criticism—we believe the clinical term is notwiththatonphobia—is all too real for many Americans. We cower most before our significant others, whose cri tiques of our fashion blunders hang over us like the Sword of Damocles, but Joan Rivers is a very close second. So while most Americans presumably don’t know where Rivers stands on ascots versus fanny packs, we nevertheless worry about it. Why so insecure? Maybe we’re just not spending enough on our clothes. Almost one in five of us estimated the total value of the outfit we had on at under $10, and nearly half priced our little ensemble between $10 and $50. (Granted, since a quarter of Americans confirm that they “go commando” at least occasionally, the absence of undergarments might be keeping those…

The chi ld of devout atheists, Barbara Ehrenreich, scientist, author, and social advocate, recalls in Living with a Wild God (Twelve) how “mystical” occurrences in her teens sparked a life-altering quest for “cosmic knowledge.” Fifty years ago, the Civil Rights Act triggered outrage and a ferocious debate before finally being adopted. V.F. contributing editor Todd S. Purdum relives the drama in An Idea Whose Time Has Come (Henry Holt). Duran Duran faces down Destiny’s Child in Eve Epstein and Leonora Epstein’s love letter, X vs. Y (Abrams Image). Nigerian Teju Cole’s fiction-memoirtravelogue, Every Day Is for the Thief (Random House), is a testament to the country’s power to inspire. Adam Begley’s bio of Updike (Harper), master of the Waspy domestic novel, creates parallels between his personal life and the page.…

LISA EISNER Fashion maven, photographer, style icon, muse, and craftswoman Lisa Eisner launches her eponymous jewelry line—a collection of handmade bronze pieces encrusted with details ranging from stones such as turquoise and black jade to ocean ephemera, including pyritized ammonite and malachite. The line, which debuts at Colette in Paris, was inspired by Big Sur, California, and by the laid-back 1970s hippie lifestyle that Eisner embodies. INSPIRATIONS Favorite discovery Harlem. Who inspires you I’m inspired by subcultures. Whether it’s rodeo queens, Shriners, rockabilly kids, or Native Americans, I love anyone who takes their look seriously, especially if that look has nothing to do with what’s in fashion and everything to do with self-expression. Necessary extravagances Tom Ford eyeliner and a real girdle. Not any of that Spanx shit. The real…