Out # 208 - October 2011

14 CONTRIBUTORS & INFLUENCES
16 LETTERS
20 EDITOR'S LETTER
22 BY THE NUMBERS
FOREGROUND
25 NICO MUHLY
The heady, hyper 30-year-old composer may bring opera to the masses.
28 LIVE THE LIFE
Bryan Ferry subverted the rock-star archetype by adding stylish swagger to classic suiting.
34 CAN I BE BLUNT?
Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza dares to challenge our knowledge of Judy Garland trivia. Three words: Bring it on.
36 TIP OF HER TONGUE
Don't ask Ponytail singer Molly Siegel the lyrics to her spaz-rock arias—she makes them up as she goes.
41 BESPOKEN FOR
We've got you covered from top-to-toe in this comprehensive guide to custom tailoring.
48 WILD BOYS
A trio of brothers navigates the curious corners of adolescence in Justin Torres's debut novel, We the Animals.
49 KITCHEN 411
The right way to eat Moroccan.
50 LIQUIDITY
How to nail the nightcap
SYMPOSIUM
53 BOUND AND GAGGED
Fashion's ongoing fixation with S&M
56 PIG OUT
Before flesh-and-blood divas stole our hearts, there was one porcine puppet that captivated our imaginations.
DEPARTMENTS
97 SURVEILLANCE
Sharpen your (ceramic) knives and get ready for some kitchen confidential—courtesy of Dita Von Teese's fruity secrets, plates of every color and design, and old-school soda syrups. Plus, the petite pastry we hate.
STORE INFO 103
FEATURES
58 UNDER OUR SKIN
Jan Cornet, who stars in AlmOdovar's new psychosexual thriller, The Skin I Live In, believes in the body as canvas.
BY JERRY PORTWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY XEVI MUNTANE
64 THE 2011 TASTEMAKERS
A look at the behind-the-scenes creatives who are shaping your life—whether you know it or not.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM KRAUSE
76 THESE THREE KINGS
Our gay brethren—photographer Ryan McGinley, writer-director Dustin Lance Black, and designer Alexander Wang—are the new leaders of the zeitgeist.
BY WILLIAM VAN METER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID NEEDLEMAN
84 GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS
For his latest book, photographer David Armstrong has recruited a coterie of beautiful young men at his Brooklyn home.
INTERVIEWED BY JACI(PIERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID ARMSTRONG
FASHION
88 COLE MOUNTAIN
Kenneth Cole sits atop a fashion empire, built on both heart and sole.
BY MAX BERLINGER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMERON KRONE