Mara Hoffman Mika Dress ($525); Brother Vellies Palms Boot (sold out) similar here; Gala Is Love Brigitte Earrings ($320)
$299
TOME
5.
Mara Hoffman
Tome Knotted Peasant Blouse ($248) and Bow Skirt ($298); Rafa Féte Slide in Cini ($350)
BreeLayne
NETFLIX BINGE:
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Our July cover star tells
us why she's eager to learn.
Knows Nothing
It’s akin to the way she views style, favoring the vintage clothing she’s found on thrifting trips with her mother more than “any new fancy-schmancy thing” or wearing an archived Elie Saab gown to the Oscars this year as a partner with Red Carpet Green Dress. It’s even similar to the clothes she wears in our shoot, which were sourced from slow-fashion designers like Mara Hoffman, Brother Vellies, and Tome, which all prioritize ethical production over mass consumption. For them, and for Deutch, success is all about longevity. “It means to continue to be able to work hard and be passionate and humble and do what you love.”
Once our interview ends, Deutch is off to appear on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that evening, where she’ll sit next to The Real Housewives of New York City star Tinsley Mortimer. She admits she hadn’t watched the latest season but binged it the night before to prepare. As for me, I head to a café to finish up some writing for the day. I order an iced coffee from the barista, and he hands it to me with a plastic straw sitting on top, which is still inside its wrapper. I stare at it, debate for a moment, leave the straw on the counter, and walk away.
RAFA
Stella McCartney
I love being exhausted and putting myself
out there, embarrassing myself, and
BreeLayne Gemma Top ($475); AMUR Iris Pant ($279); Pichulik Ode To Hepworth A Earrings (Sold Out)
Photographer: Carissa Gallo Photography Assistant: Alex Nolan Stylist: Sue Choi
Styling Assistant: Cara Catabay Hairstylist: Dennis Gots Makeup Arist: Lisa Storey
Manicurist: Melanie Shengaris Digital Technician: Wesley Rose
$598
$210
$525
$128
$475
$800
SHOP THE LOOK
Ancient Greek Sandals
PLAYING ON REPEAT:
I know jack shit about
Laura Lombardi
Fade To Black Studio
The Brilliant
$350
1.
AMUR
$798
Mara Hoffman Mika Dress ($525); Brother Vellies Palms Boot (sold out) similar here; Gala Is Love Brigitte Earrings ($320)
Washed-Satin Midi Dress
1. The End of the F***ing World
2. This Is Us
Written by Gina Marinelli
6.
WORKING MY ASS OFF.
BreeLayne Agata Dress ($1,495); Rafa Sky Sandal in Cini ($375); Gala Is Love Caroline Earrings ($105)
“This is my last straw.” It's not the ideal thing to hear from a celebrity you're interviewing. Zoey Deutch, the actress in question, had just met me in Gemma—
a restaurant that you might recognize for its charming wooden interior or as the background of paparazzi photos of celebrities brunching in the East Village. She’s wearing a red midi-length Miu Miu dress with white flowers scattered all over and a high collar that she adjusts every now and then by reaching behind the nape of her neck where her auburn hair secures neatly in a bun. I take it as an adjustment out of necessity, not nerves, seeing as the 23-year-old instantly strikes me as mature, calm, and professional. Still, the more we talk, the more her playful side emerges. For instance, at the point of the above declaration, she’s holding an iced tea featuring her “last straw,” and then continues with a wink in her voice. “We are going straw-abstinent.” I abide.
LITERALLY EVERYTHING.
She’s been busy auditioning too. I can’t help but feel sorry for her when she tells me that this morning alone she’s heard three “hard nos” for projects that have been months of auditions. It’s then I realize perhaps we should have ordered wine, but she assures me it’s not that uncommon and feels okay—“it was mostly just frustrating.”
It’s here where I can’t help but draw some parallels between her industry and mine. Fashion loves to move at lightning speed, seeking the next great collection, product, or talent, and it seems like that's the case for Deutch too. Her sights are set on the next amazing opportunity to act and produce, but ultimately, she wants to learn. “I am so miserable when I'm not working hard,” she says. “I love being exhausted and putting myself out there, embarrassing myself, and working my ass off. But I think the only way to do that for the rest of my life is if I can learn how to chill.”
Perhaps it’s because Deutch was propelled into the business faster than other aspiring actors, thanks to her upbringing, or maybe it’s because she’s much smarter than she jokes about, but she articulates her career in a way that isn’t just about being young, hungry, and a hard worker (all of which she is). Her journey is about building something that sustains. Something that takes time. Something that lasts.
5. LP
6. Bleitch
4.
Tome Knotted Peasant Blouse ($124) and Bow Skirt ($298); Rafa Féte Slide in Cini ($350)
2.
“Some of my friends were shocked when I said I was going to make a movie with my mother,” Deutch tell us, echoing a sentiment any young adult with parental figures might relate to. While she looks back on her upbringing around fellow entertainers as a “privilege” and a “blessing,” the stakes of success are different, perhaps even higher, when your chosen line of work happens to be the family business.
As one might expect, Deutch gets asked about her parents a lot—it’s often the first topic of every interview she does (not this one, for the record). “I get it. That's my life. That's my history. But at a certain point, it got a little frustrating.” Getting to a place of acting alongside her immediate family and relying on them as professional peers didn’t happen overnight. “Every time somebody asked me about my mom, it felt like they were asking me to compare ourselves. I realized I had to listen to it in a different way… as a celebration. It was a lot of growth to get to that point.”
By now though, Deutch lights up when she talks about her family projects and is back in the thick of work. The week before I meet her, my inbox is filled with press releases, as she’s on simultaneous promotional tours for The Year of Spectacular Men and Set It Up. One night it’s a Valentino dress-over-pants ensemble, the next it’s an incredible cornflower blue Delpozo suit—both courtesy of her stylist Elizabeth Stewart—and today she jokes that she’s going to a picnic as she shows me her outfit’s coordinating basket bag.
Londyn Printed Satin Maxi Gown
3.
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
Fête Slide in Cini
We didn’t come here to talk plastic waste, per se, but then again, through the course of our conversation, I enjoy her tiny tangents that go anywhere from musical theater and gel manicures to the gold rush and the pace at which luxury fashion is produced. Through it all, she’s quick to admit she doesn’t think she’s an expert on any of these topics. That said, I feel like I could be speaking to a Who What Wear colleague as I listen to her take on some of the scariest realities about luxury fashion not being able to meet the demands of fast fashion’s immediacy. I nod along and then am surprised when a bit of self-deprecation sneaks in. “I know jack shit about literally everything.”
3. Reese Blutstein @double3xposure
4. Cheap Old Houses @cheapoldhouses
I have a hard time believing this—not just because Deutch proves otherwise several times throughout our multi-topic conversation, but because of her work. The Disney Channel alum had a recurring role on The Suite Life on Deck starting at age 15, but she didn’t take the path of some of her peers who now star in smash hit teen dramas or headline world tours—instead, her résumé is filled with transformative, challenging roles, each approached cerebrally, like “an opportunity to take a class, a crash course on being a new human.” This year alone, Deutch introduced us to a trifecta of new characters, including a deeply troubled teen with an oral fixation in the dark comedy Flower, a neurotic and scheming workaholic in Netflix’s new hit rom-com Set It Up, and a successful actress and sometimes voice-of-reason sister in The Year of Spectacular Men, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. It’s the last that probably hits closest to home: Her sister, Madelyn, wrote, scored, and stars in the film; her mother, actress Lea Thompson (of Back to the Future fame) directed it; and her father, director and producer Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink), produced it. Deutch (the one who sits across from me) co-produced the piece.
Moon/Beam ring with blue sapphires
Gemma Top
Anima Earrings
Mika Off-the-Shoulder Tencel and
Linen-Blend Midi Dress
Niove Sandals
Ruched taffeta maxi skirt
