American Hustler

Anna Delvey’s dizzying deceit and elaborate con-artistry duped New York’s social scene before her ruse was dramatically exposed. Here, close friend, Vanity Fair photography editor Rachel DeLoache Williams, tells how she became just one of the many victims who believed her lies

- Rachel DeLoache Williams

I was with a group of fashion friends at a bar in Manhattan when I first met Anna in 2016. I can’t remember which arrived first: the bottle of vodka or Anna Delvey, but I knew that she had appeared and with her came bottle service. She was a stranger to me, yet not unknown. I’d seen her on Instagram, smiling at events, drinking at parties, often alongside my own acquaintances. I’d seen that @anna delvey (since changed to @anna.dlvv) had 40,000 followers.

The new arrival, in a clingy black dress and flat Gucci sandals, slid into the banquette. She had a cherubic face with oversized blue eyes and pouty lips. She said she had interned for Purple magazine in Paris, and evidently travelled in similar social circles to us. “I work at Vanity Fair in the photo department,” I told her. The usual dialogue ensued and she was attentive and engaged as she ordered another bottle of vodka. She picked up the tab.

Not long after, I was invited to join Anna and a mutual friend for dinner. Anna talked enthusiastically about the art foundation she was trying to set up – a “dynamic visual arts centre dedicated to contemporary art,” she explained, referring vaguely to a family trust.

We started hanging out every few weekends. As a visiting German citizen, she’d explained, she didn’t have a full-time residence. Anna intrigued me, and she seemed eager to be friends. I was flattered. I saw her on adventure-filled nights out, for drinks and sometimes dinner.

Anna was no stranger to decadence. She was living at 11 Howard, a trendy hotel in SoHo. She befriended the staff, and even the chef, who obligingly made off-the-menu bouillabaisse just for her. Dinners were accompanied by abundant white wine. She chartered a private plane for weekend trips. All things in excess: she shopped, ate and drank.