A Day With the Dupont Twins

JOSIE wears DRESS by PRISCAVERA, SHOES by ALEXANDER WANG, JEWELRY by ALEXIS BITTAR

JAKE wears DRESS by LAQUAN SMITH, SOCKS by MARC JACOBS, SHOES by SEBASTIAN MILANO, EARRINGS by ALEXIS BITTAR

Meticulously put together and exuding a special charm, Jake and Josie evoke a nostalgic nod to the era of supermodel legends. We had fun, they looked fab, and yes, it was really, really cold, but that didn't stop them from stripping down to just their panties and some shades.

How are you both?

Jake— I’m very trans. Thank you for asking!

Josie— Feeling cunt! But my doctor says I have high cholesterol :/

What are you loving right now?

Jake— I’m live, laugh, loving the fact that we did this shoot with nothing on but panties and heels on a rooftop in December. Y’all could never.

Josie— Forever and always. Sex and the City.

What’s keeping you warm?

Jake— My vintage Givenchy mink coat and the heaters in my apartment that pump at full blast no matter how much I beg them to stop.

Josie— A cropped pink fur (worn upside down a la denise richards)

...we did this shoot with nothing on but panties and heels on a rooftop in December. Y’all could never.

Are you a morning person or night owl?

Jake— The latter. Stars always shine brighter at night.

Josie— hoot hoot, bitch!

What’s you morning routine?

Jake— Wake up, have coffee with a Marlboro Light, do my ten-step skincare routine, and get ready for a full day of doll activities.

Josie— my girlfriend drags me to Barry’s boot camp, we pray the trainer has an only fans, then I drink a dirty chai latte, shower, and take a nap.

Have you seen any new movies?

Jake— Finally watched ‘Head Over Heels’ with Shalom Harlow. Sooo camppppp. Highly recommend if you love a 90’s fashion chick flick.

Josie— I’m currently obsessed with Sweet Charity, trying to perfect my fosse, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the new Miyazaki movie.

JOSIE wears FULL LOOK by RUI, SHOES by MARC JACOBS

JAKE wears BRA by RUI, BOTTOMS and SHOES by ALEXANDER WANG, GLOVES by ADEAM

What’s the last thing you bought?

Jake— A pack of Marlboro Lights from my bodega ... I am, however, always shopping for shoes. I’ve dubbed myself “Tr*nny Bradshaw."

Josie— A cab home! Like Carrie said, “These shoes pinch my feet, but I love them.”

Where do you like to shop?

Jake— I love to source Tom Ford for Gucci and Galliano for Dior. Mostly, I'm an online thrift queen, but I'm not telling you bitches where I get my vintage pieces. I've worked too damn hard.

Josie— I will forever be a vintage doll. That being said I love a steal and a sickening deal. My sources are too aligned with Jake’s to reveal so … out of respect :x

Who’s playing in your headphones?

Jake— Pink motherfucking Friday 2. Unless it’s Christmas music. Cher’s new album is the only other qualified answer.

Josie— “Secret Garden” by Madonna.

JOSIE wears FULL LOOK by ISSEY MIYAKE, JEWELRY by ALEXIS BITTAR

JAKE wears BRA by ARAKS, SKIRT by ADEAM, SHOES by SEBASTIAN MILANO, BOLERO and HAT by RUI, JEWELRY by ALEXIS BITTAR

Accessory of the moment?

Jake— A hormone prescription always makes me look and feel my best.

Josie— Hot pink tasers are going to be huge this spring. For now a tucking panty and a big belt.

How has your work relationship evolved since modeling more separately?

Jake— I feel that we’ve discovered our independence. Our whole lives it has felt like we’ve shared everything together, so it’s beautiful to have careers where we can also do our own thing. We owe it to ourselves.

Josie— I think we have gained a lot more independence and we get the opportunity to showcase our individual talent. When we do work together it makes it that much more special!

Do you have a favorite app on your phone right now?

Jake— TikTok, final answer. The amount of things you can learn on there is insane. You want to learn how to cook? TikTok. Want to learn how to get an unclockable tuck? TikTok.

Josie— Google Maps.

JOSIE wears FULL LOOK by ISSEY MIYAKE, JEWELRY by ALEXIS BITTAR

JAKE wears BRA by ARAKS, SKIRT by ADEAM, SHOES by SEBASTIAN MILANO, BOLERO and HAT by RUI, JEWELRY by ALEXIS BITTAR

Favorite job this year?

Jake— Being that girl has always been my favorite job. Overworked, underpaid, no days off, but I love it so much.

Josie— A BJ! In addition, I’ve worked on some really great creative shoots. I loved the shot I did when Dmitry Kukushkin covered me in latex and garnished my face with a dead fly.

Who do you follow?

Jake— I prefer to lead.

Josie— Robin Williams and the galactics (iykyk)!

JOSIE wears DRESS (white) by MARC JACOBS, GLOVES by FENTY x BEAUTY, GLASSES by GIVENCHY, EARRINGS by ALEXIS BITTAR

JAKE wears FULL LOOK by MARC JACOBS, GLASSES by LOEWE, EARRINGS by ALEXIS BITTAR

What’s a book everyone should read?

Jake— Down the Drain by Julia Fox. One of the best books I’ve read. Knowing her story really solidified her icon status to me.

Josie— Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Quit Smoking.

Are there any trips you’re planning for this season?

Jake— I’ve never tripped on the runway once and I certainly don’t plan on it this season.

Josie— Skiing in Whistler, defrosting in the Caribbean, and then back to work in February. It’s giving international doll!

I’ve never tripped on the runway once and I certainly don’t plan on it this season.

Culture

Find God: Nick Sethi

May 04, 2024

"Simon’s prompt to me was as simple as it was impossible… in 12 pages, 'Find God.' These photographs depict a 300 year old sacred tree in Tamil Nadu, one whose root system connects both below and above ground, whose trunk is the mother and roots and branches are her children, whose caretaker nicknamed Ma hasn’t left her side in decades, who my friend Paige and I got lucky enough to travel days towards and spend hours with, who met my own mother over FaceTime, who started as a tiny seed and has evolved into a whole universe, home to termites, puppies, poisonous snakes, rituals, wishes, intentions, water, air, wind, fire, and most importantly, faith.

My camera is my religion, my spirituality, my mindfulness practice, and my tether to all. My reason to pay acute attention and my way to connect and respect. The shutter button is my favorite thing in the world. Every click is a small “I Love You” and not a moment is ever wasted. It’s my way of noticing what I’m already noticing, examining it, being thankful for it, and even letting it pass. I’ve clicked well over a million frames so far… I’ve counted. I don’t know if I need to find god, but I’m excited to keep looking."

Photography Nick Sethi
Photo Assistant Paige Labuda

Culture

Synchronicity: Maisie Williams

And who better to speak on personal revelation than an actor who’s grown up in the spotlight, a crucible of self-perception? Amidst the distractions of stardom, the Game of Thrones star’s enduring self-confidence has given her something we all should be envious of: she knows who she is, the path she’s on, and how to traverse the unpredictability of life.

With a range of diverse projects under her belt since the finale of Game of Thrones and a highly-anticipated Christian Dior biopic series freshly out on Apple TV, Williams finds herself increasingly grounded by her own private revelations. She takes the time to explain herself, responding directly and without hurry to my deeply personal questions about meditation, social pressure, and self-perception with honesty and an engaged sense of humble self-assuredness.

By the end of our conversation, I felt a sense of illumination from our time together: like my own philosophies around serendipity and the flow of the universe had been truly seen in a rare moment of human connection across screens.

For this feature, I wanted to present William’s thoughts unobstructed by anything more than this introduction. A snapshot of her current state of mind and own private revelations: perception and epiphany in a beautifully clear understanding of the world.

ON FINDING JOY IN THE SMALL MOMENTS

I love the simplicity of life, really. The things that bring me the most joy are just seeing my post lady, going to my local yoga place, and seeing some of the ladies that I practice with there — just real simple things.

I recently had my pipes freeze over, and so I went to my neighbor's house to take a shower, and I felt part of the community in a way that's just very simple and beautiful. I’ve just been nurturing my circle and my world to a point where I find these little synchronicities, which is really beautiful.

Find the rest of this cover story in Issue 21.

Culture

So Far So Good

April 26, 2024

Nolan Zangas’ first solo book So Far So Good, published by Blurring Books, unveils 160 pages of unreleased personal work spanning the last five years of living in New York City. Growing up running around the city's streets, capturing candid moments on disposable cameras during his youth, Nolan's desire to concretize his memories blossomed into the successful career he has today. This project stands apart his expansive body of work as a diaristic exploration of young adulthood, delving into the intersection of beauty and pain, and navigating "the fine line between success and failure" amidst the perpetual motion of a city like New York, shining a light on people and moments that shape its identity yet are often overlooked.

“In the spirit of La Haine as Vinz describes the man who falls from a skyscraper reassuring himself: ‘So far, so good...so far, so good’ on the way down,” the book serves as a tangible reminder that in life ‘It’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.’”

Ahead of the launch at earshot.nyc tomorrow, we caught up with Nolan over email to talk about his selection process, how he got started taking photos, and why he doesn't post everything on Instagram.

Photography Nolan Zangas

How did you select what made it into the book?
My process is very physical. I hand print my images in a darkroom. I start by making a contact sheet. If I like the images on the contact sheet, I often cut them out and glue them into a notebook. Then I go back and print the images I like. Sometimes im in the darkroom like 30 hours in a week.
How many did you have to sort through?
It’s so hard to say. Easily over 100,000 frames. I made over 1,000 prints and most of them did not make the cut.
A book can act almost like an artifact, in that when you’re picking it up, it exists in that moment — whether that’s the day after it launches or five years from then. Did that come to mind and was there a specific thread you followed to ensure that timelessness?
I think that’s what makes books so important. I collect a lot of books. Images now feel so disposable, and I really like physical things. I think the selection of images are feel timeless, and the layout adds a bit of character to it all.
Not every upbringing is the same and as someone who also grew up in NYC, coming of age here is very different from any other place — at what point in your adolescence did you decide to start documenting your life and the people around you?
I started taking pictures of my friends on disposables around the age of 12. I lost or never picked up any of the negatives and the files are long gone. That really upsets me, and I think that made me want to take a lot more pictures as I got older. Around 18 is when I really started taking pictures of my life and things around me. I wanted to be able to look back at it all one day. I also think I’ve been surrounded with such diverse people. I think everyone deserves to have their picture taken.

How do you know when you’ve found a good picture?
There are a bunch of technical aspects that go into a good picture but I feel like for this project that stuff matters less. If it’s a good moment, and the picture makes me feel like I’m there, it’s a good picture.
The title is self-explanatory in context but I’m curious to know what led you to pick So Far So Good as the book's title.
Pretty early on in the process of making a layout actually. I think one of my friends said “so far so good” in conversation, and I instantly thought about the scene in La Haine where they talk about falling from a building. Then in my head I was like, holy shit thats the name right there”. It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.
Creating anything is an act of giving. How do you hope people, and those featured in its pages, receive the book?
I think it’s going to be cool for people who are in it because most of them don’t even know the pictures exist. I haven’t really been sending or showing anyone pictures because then they just end up on Instagram and in my head thats basically the trash can. I think some people won’t get it and others will. I don’t really mind. Everyone grew up doing different things.

It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.