QUEEN of the TIKTOKRACY
Town & Country US|September 2023
As you read this, countless aspiring It girls are striving to capture that perfect alchemy of style, taste, charm, and fizz that creates fame and fortune seemingly overnight. Sofia Richie Grainge shows them how it's done.
MAER ROSHAN
QUEEN of the TIKTOKRACY

Last July, Sofia Richie Grainge was on vacation, enjoying a much-needed respite from her taxing wedding and honeymoon, when she suffered a minor maritime mishap. Zooming around on an eFoil, a Jetsonsesque electric surfboard that levitates above the water, she lost her balance and was thrown onto the board, emerging from the collision with a champagne-colored bruise around her left eye.

That evening, on a yacht trip around the island where she was staying, the 25-year-old influencer took to Instagram to share some photos of her shiner, which she wryly captioned "Wakeboard 1, Sof: 0" and which, somehow, chicly matched her coral-colored Chanel frock. By the next morning her accident was international news. On Instagram, where Richie Grainge has amassed an astonishing 10.8 million followers, her black eye photos quickly racked up nearly a million likes. Some worried fans fretted about her health. Others hailed her for a bold fashion choice. "Leave it to Sofia to make black eyes cool, enthused one commenter. "Where can I find a black eye like that?"

By the time we meet up a couple of weeks later, at a tony Brentwood coffee shop, the bruise has largely faded. "I'm glad you survived!" I joke as she slides into her banquette, trailed by her assistant and her manager. "Can you believe that?" she says, giggling. "People were like, 'Sofia got a black eye, so I want a black eye. I was like, 'No, no, no! That's a bad idea." But she has also learned over the last several months how to seize opportunities when they present themselves. A few days later she posted on TikTok a makeup tutorial inspired by the surfboard smack heard 'round the world. "I think you've all heard of my incident," she said before instructing her 3 million followers in how to erase unsightly blemishes with the aid of a YSL Touche Eclat concealer pen.

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Town & Country US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Town & Country US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA TOWN & COUNTRY USSe alt
Jersey, JE ΤΙΜΕ
Town & Country US

Jersey, JE ΤΙΜΕ

Nearly 50 years ago a museum opened in Paris.

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2024
THE HUNGER GAMES
Town & Country US

THE HUNGER GAMES

Two former bons amis grew up in the same expensive suburb and cut their teeth together in the Paris nightclub scene. Then they launched competing restaurant empires, and the gloves came off. Now one of them is facing a suspended prison sentence and a huge fine. Welcome to the city's most delicious grudge match.

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2024
HIDDEN in Plain Sight
Town & Country US

HIDDEN in Plain Sight

T&C was invited into the private archives and secret workshops of Paris, to glimpse the treasures that have made this city famous for its style and craftsmanship. It's a reputation worth fighting for.

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2024
GUARDIAN of Objects
Town & Country US

GUARDIAN of Objects

Laura Kugel is the go-to art dealer for the world's most discerning clients, but her family's Paris wonderland is open to all. Come inside, won't you?

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2024
Ecole! Elysée! SCANDALE!
Town & Country US

Ecole! Elysée! SCANDALE!

The path to the French White House requires a political education at one of the country's elite universities. As controversy swirls around Sciences Po-class treason, #MeToo à la française, creeping le wokisme-will its grip on power finally slip?

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2024
Are There Still Mysteries in Paris?
Town & Country US

Are There Still Mysteries in Paris?

Surely not, in the world's most visited city! And yet: Why is the Louvre called the Louvre? Why do the upper stories of its 17th-century buildings tilt in? Why do even familiar streets feel so enticing, unknown? One thing is clear: So many of us return because the City of Light is really one of mesmerizing shadows.

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2024
High SEAS
Town & Country US

High SEAS

How seductive is a cruise on an ultraluxury ship (yes, that's a category) like the new Regent Seven Seas Grandeur? So much so that a 132-day sailing sold out in three hours. It was time to investigate.

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2024
The Cruise Cure
Town & Country US

The Cruise Cure

One definition of bliss at sea is padding down a ship's hallway from your suite to the spa in a robe and slippers. Here's what awaits.

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2024
Only a Day to Spare?
Town & Country US

Only a Day to Spare?

These hotel spas-mini-me's of destination, health retreats punch way above their weight. So, if you're in the neighborhood...

time-read
1 min  |
Summer 2024
So, Where Do You Ride in Paris?
Town & Country US

So, Where Do You Ride in Paris?

A fancy equestrian's guide to the best of Gallic galloping.

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2024