As we thought about what American style looks like in 2026, it was unavoidable to think about politics. And there was one obvious person to call to try to make sense of what this current administration has changed about Washington, and the broader culture, through its appearances: Robin Givhan. Robin and I met while working at The Washington Post, where she had been the long-time (and Pulitzer Prize–winning) fashion writer turned senior critic-at-large. There are certainly writers you work with as an editor who you want to give a very clear prompt—you know the story they can tell, and where it probably will end. But with a writer like Robin, you’ll want to get out of the way. In a column for the VF Style Issue, Robin offers a discerning and often disturbing look at the look of Washington today: “MAGA style is a perversion of the past, a form of drag born of longing, disaffection, upheaval, and anger over what democracy has wrought.”
While we’re on MAGA style, let’s take a closer look at one of the ever visible members of the party, Natalie Harp. Jon Ossoff, the Georgia senator, recently shouted her out at a rally, bringing the Trump aide into the public consciousness, so if you’re wondering who Harp is, this piece on the keeper of the “Truth” phone is for you. Once you tire of MAGA and its characters, check out Maxwell Adler’s conversation with Juno Temple, the Ted Lasso actor who has never quite gotten the hang of reality. | 
