Image issue 20: Welcome to the New York-L.A. ‘Discourse’ - Los Angeles Times

The running joke among Angelenos is that New York loves to think about L.A., but L.A. never thinks about New York. To slightly modify the Sandler line: We disagree. Though, admittedly, it’s because we feel the punchline would hit harder with a little more specificity. New York media obsesses over L.A. (our trends and lifestyle), and, with a few exceptions, there isn’t much L.A. media left who care — or who have ever cared, really — to put L.A. in its proper context. The result is we are forced to suffer through the 360-­plus hours (by our count) that one paper of record spent traversing the city in search of the perfect L.A. “insider” experiences. We are subjected to a legacy fashion magazine’s learnings from a week spent drinking Hailey Bieber’s Erewhon Skin Glaze smoothie every day. On the flipside, the streets are missing out on the most essential information: Which K­town BCD Tofu House is the best? (Not Manhattan.) Which Roberta’s hits more? (Not Culver City or anywhere that isn’t Bushwick.) Why is there a Levain in Larchmont? A Shake Shack in Silver Lake? (And Bed–Stuy for that matter.) What should we make of Los Tacos No.t­-1986?

There are plenty of people doing the work. We won’t call out our faves — the friends of the brand know who they are. But there are traces of people moving different everywhere — from the person-­on-­the-­street interviewers making sense of onomatopoeias to the critics giving their weekly close reads (in newsletters and on podcasts) of the dining and deluxe cultural trends of our times.

What connects the stewards of The Discourse is genuine inquiry — and that they don’t be out here acting brand­-new. The authenticity police are accessories to this A and B conversation. True institutional knowledge is about care, not cops. There is an exchange happening free from the gaze of the fugazi. Allow us to give you a sneak peek. Issue 20 is “Discourse.” The New York issue, if you’re reading between the lines. The songbirds are ready to chime in. Miguel and Misty Copeland can speak to what comes next when you’ve been paying your dues for a minute. June Ambrose has more insights into the fashion game than can fit in an interview.

When it comes to New York and L.A., there isn’t so much a f— the other side as there is an unflinching love of where one is at in the present. To that effect, we asked Haley Mlotek, Thora Siemsen and Jason Parham to share some notes on leaving — testimonials of what it means to remain a part of somewhere even when you’re not physically there.

The Discourse, after all, is about putting down roots. It’s about inhabiting a space — your own. The grass is never greener; it’s unsustainable. No sense in longing for the myth of the other. As Kurupt memorably noted: “We like ouuurs, cuz. Ouuursss! We don’t have a problem with you guys.” This issue is about existing in concert. If you must live in a dystopia, whether urban or suburban, the least you could do is tap in. We promise: The Discourse opens up the moment you say, “What’s good?”

Ian F. Blair
Editor in Chief


Image logo by Sonya Sombreuil For The Times


Say goodbye to the old Miguel

Say goodbye to the old Miguel

Having experienced the most spiritual growth of his life in the last year, the songbird from San Pedro is finally ready to fully share himself — and his first album in six years — with the world  Read the story  🪝  
Misty Copeland is putting on for her village of dancers by paying it forward

Misty Copeland is putting on for her village of dancers by paying it forward

The groundbreaking ballerina who’s spent decades making history at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre is showing why institutional knowledge is a forever practice  Read the story  🩰  
The June Ambrose life is so exciting

The June Ambrose life is so exciting

For nearly 30 years, she’s been something of a creative secret weapon. The multihyphenate artist reflects on her contributions across disciplines that could fill this page and then some  Read the story  ⚔️  
Issue 20 cover

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Issue 20: Discourse

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Never left: Notes on leaving but forever remaining present (PART I: New York)

Never left: Notes on leaving but forever remaining present (PART I: New York)

‘The version of New York I miss most is the one I see in the movies and probably never actually quite experienced, and otherwise I just miss people’  Read the story  🍎  
Never left: Notes on leaving but forever remaining present (PART II: L.A.)

Never left: Notes on leaving but forever remaining present (PART II: L.A.)

‘What I sought in the story of this new frame was a rejection of sta­sis. What I went looking for in New York was the person I always dreamed of being in Los Angeles’  Read the story  🧢  
Lakers fandom is an agony and an ecstasy that few sports fans will ever know

Lakers fandom is an agony and an ecstasy that few sports fans will ever know

I envy Knicks fans. I look over the white picket fence that separates us; me in my lavish, marble-appointed castle and them, with their quaint Craftsman that could maybe use a fresh coat of paint and some landscaping  Read the story  💜  
You’re allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to make jorts

You’re allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to make jorts

They are a middle finger to the gods of couture and good taste. But the thrill of the Frankenstein object is that it could be a means of self-expression or a gateway into DIY craftiness  Read the story  👖✂️  
The Edgar is all the rage among the foos

The Edgar is all the rage among the foos

To the unsympathetic eye, the hairstyle is peculiar, so childlike and unflattering as to be offensive. But as rasquache provocation, it’s also a work of anti-assimilationist art  Read the story  💇🏻‍♂️  
What can friendship teach you about the experiences of jazz in New York and L.A.?

What can friendship teach you about the experiences of jazz in New York and L.A.?

My bond with Fred Moten spans a nation of Black music. The music of collective improvi­sation mirrors the relationships in your life and your relationship to your own many­-layered consciousness  Read the story  🎷  
7 drip essentials to provide some cool for an obscenely hot August in L.A.

7 drip essentials to provide some cool for an obscenely hot August in L.A.

Marine Serre’s Silk Scarves Bowling Shirt. Supervsn x Tommy Hilfiger’s “Nu America” jacket. No Sesso’s debut Carry Bag collection. Here’s what to covet this month  Read the story  ✊  
18 L.A. pop-ups, exhibitions to add some unnecessary heat to your August calendar

18 L.A. pop-ups, exhibitions to add some unnecessary heat to your August calendar

From Givenchy landing on Rodeo to the reopening of CAAM, the Drip Index can be the hot drink to your already blistering days with no shade in the city  Read the story  🍒  
This one goes out to all the freaks in L.A.

This one goes out to all the freaks in L.A.

Freak City’s latest collection is a body of references that calls back to the ideas that shaped the cult brand into what it is: a celebration of irreverence, outcasts, underground culture, music, graffiti and the city that it calls home  Read the story  🤡