La Vie Bohème

As a new regime takes office in the United States, French musician, actress, and style star Soko rages against the dying of the light.

- ​Faran Krentcil

It's the week before Trump takes office, and I’ve been kidnapped by a sprite. Her name is Soko, and she’s flitting through early morning Manhattan’s downtown streets like Tinkerbell, but with Doc Martens instead of wings. “Are you ready for an adventure?” she asks with a giggle, not waiting for an answer. She’s wrapped in faux-fur layers the color of Starburst candies. Her wide, darting eyes are rimmed in Lemonhead yellow shadow. She’s tucked her choppy brown bangs under a Skittle-red hat. And as she loops her arm through mine, she proclaims with sugar-high energy, “I love adventures!” Meanwhile, I love sleep. This might not be an ideal match, but there’s no time to hesitate: We’ve got a boat to catch. Soko wants to go to the Statue of Liberty on this snowy Sunday, five days before the inauguration of the new president, and—spoiler alert—when Soko wants something to happen, it fucking happens.