On the Podcast: Catching Up With Erykah Badu—And All Things Milan Fashion Week

Once upon a time, on a Friday afternoon at the end of New York Fashion Week and the beginning of a holiday weekend, the Condé Nast offices at One World Trade were a ghost town—except for those of us waiting in the podcast studio. And then…like a magical apparition, or a fairy godmother, there was Ms. Erykah Badu herself. She was dressed as only a mythical creature such as she could be, in an ankle-grazing embroidered Otomi coat, thigh-high caramel suede Y/Project boots, a tie-dyed shorts sweatsuit that she later revealed she had slept in, a faux fur stovepipe hat, a red knit balaclava, and a visor with a goggle-type headpiece and silver horns that evades my powers of description.

The March cover star happily reunited with her profile’s brilliant author, Ms. Chioma Nnadi, and—after navigating the complicated task of fitting headphones over said horned-visor-thing—reminisced about her cover shoot on the beach in Los Angeles. Taking place on a cloudy fall day, it featured a mosaic of looks that were a “true collaboration” with fashion editor Alex Harrington, including the “perfect tattered T-shirt” that made its way into every shot, and was even worn as a nightshirt on the eve of the shoot to give it “good vibes.”

Badu then proceeded to chat with us about everything from what’s in her doula kit to the Delft pottery-inspired packaging for her new cannabis collaboration and her epic birthday celebrations. She also pulled a tarot card for yours truly (turns out, I need more love and support in my life…tell my toddler that) and walked us through the daily art installation that is an Erykah Badu outfit.

We also caught up with Francesca Ragazzi, the head of editorial content for Vogue Italia, and an old friend and colleague of Chioma’s and mine. As the fashion flock decamps from London and descends on Milan for fashion week, the Milan-based editor shares which shows she is most excited about (Diesel, Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta), the new generation of designers she’s eager to watch, and what being a fashion editor means for her day-to-day life (lots of late-night socializing and storytelling, both on the page and in person!). And so with that, *andiamo—*on with the show!