Editor’s Letter

We can’t say it more: we live in even more challenging times. Virus outbreaks, worldwide lockdowns, declining economy, waning democracy, diminishing biodiversity, lack of groceries ... it all reads like the sequel song to “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. And yet there’s much to be concerned about, not only the impact on a global scale, but especially the state of our existence. Where do life’s luxuries like fashion and beauty sit within this collective struggle for survival, I wonder? I write this from my home office on the first day of our national restricted movement order, following the outbreak cases by the hour, and the Prime Minister’s updates every night, as if it were the general elections, extremely conscious of my own safety and health. In the midst of remote team meetings on Zoom and managing this issue’s production from home, Net-A-Porter shop alerts come on, almost as laughable as Trevor Noah’s daily ditties on Trump politics. Global fashion events have been duly cancelled, along with the three Cruise shows I was meant to attend in a marathon May: from Chanel in Capri, to Gucci in San Francisco, and Louis Vuitton in some undisclosed European location—together with my prized interviews with their respective CEOs for our upcoming BAZAAR News. What a world we live in today with everything at standstill. A close friend laments on her ‘Love In The Time of Corona’ (i.e. non-existent Tinder dates) to riff the Gabriel García Márquez classic—and is immediately commissioned to write about it (how content changes overnight). We’ve traded morning commutes for sunrise yoga; desk lunches for home-cooked nutrition; dining out for 9pm meditation sessions on IGTV. We’re spending more time caring for our loved ones, rebuilding our nests at home; recalibrating our sense of humanity in these times of uncertainty. As for the luxuries, at this crucial time, I applaud fashion and beauty companies that are turning their negatives—store closures, retail decline, layoffs—into positive social responsibility. At press time, Prada is funding new ICUs in hospitals in Milan, the LVMH Group is producing hand sanitisers out of its fragrance factories, Donatella and Allegra Versace have made a 200,000 euro donation to a hospital, while Giorgio Armani donated about $1.4 million to hospitals in Milan and Rome, as well as to the Italian civil protection agency. These are highly emotional times, too, compounded by social media dramas. As we were going to print, our cover star Vanessa Hudgens made a seemingly provocative comment on her IG story amid her “Lock down. Playing with make-up” daily updates. Another celebrity breaks the internet, or bites the dust? Read our cover story on page 88 to read what she actually said, and what she meant. And while you’re safe at home, please enjoy this issue that celebrates our beautiful world of wonderful places and people, spectacular moments and creations, which remind us that life is the truest luxury.