Eliza Brooke

Freelance writer covering culture, entertainment, and design. Bylines in @nytimes, @vanityfair, @theatlantic, @newyorker + more [email protected]

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Articles

How Bianca Roses prepped for 'Survivor'

1 week ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

Two notes. First, there are some Survivor 48 spoilers ahead. (Really just one.) Second, this interview contains some discussion of food restriction in the context of the show, so if that’s not for you, I’ll see you back here next week!Bianca Roses and I met fresh out of college: I was a baby reporter, covering startups at TechCrunch, and she was a baby startup publicist. We worked together quite a bit, and she struck me as funny, energetic, and persistent, a Jersey girl unleashed on New York City.
Atmospheric magic

2 weeks ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

I haven’t spent a ton of time in fine dining establishments, but when Alex and I were in Scotland for our elopement-slash-honeymoon last year, we decided to splash out and have a really fancy dinner on our penultimate night in Edinburgh. We would never have a better excuse, right? All of my internet research pointed me to one place: Timberyard, a family-owned restaurant that occupies a former warehouse in the center of the city and earned a Michelin star in 2023.
Salted strawberry yogurt

4 weeks ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

This Friday, I bring you an obsession. It all began last year, when I was reading Rachel Syme’s profile of the famous perfumer Francis Kurkdjian in the New Yorker.
London diary: fox, rhubarb, tea

1 month ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

As you may recall, Alex and I were supposed to go to London last month, but then I got sick. We made our long-awaited voyage last week, and it was wonderful. Sunshine every single day. I can only assume London is always that glorious, so scant was the threat of rain. Can anyone confirm? London is never dreary? We were visiting our friend Fredi, who used to work with Alex and is now a beloved person to me, too.
It's art for free

1 month ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

Some professional news before we get into today’s Most Interesting Person in D.C.: I just published a big profile of Rachel Tashjian, the Washington Post fashion critic. Tashjian is perhaps the most exciting fashion writer working today. Her opinions are sharp, but just as important, reading her columns is fun. Talk about a writer with voice and panache.
The Making of a Modern Fashion Critic

1 month ago | ssense.com | Adam Powell |Eliza Brooke

When we met up for lunch shortly after Valentine’s Day, my first question for Rachel Tashjian was where she got her outfit. We were at a French restaurant in Midtown, near her apartment. Tashjian was happy to oblige, clothes being her business as fashion critic at the Washington Post: her shirt and jacket were vintage Romeo Gigli. She bought the pieces off Etsy, from a woman who was raised Amish.
Covid diary

2 months ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

I was supposed to be in London this week, but instead I’m alone in my bedroom with Covid. Alex and I are trying to stay as far apart as possible, and so far he’s remained healthy. A few times a day, he drops off plastic quart containers of water, hot meals, and tea brewed to my annoying specifications.
Awards fashion with Esther and Eliza

2 months ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

I could write an entire newsletter about my favorite looks from the Oscars red carpet last night. Here are a few: Lupita Nyong’o in pearl-trimmed Chanel (the pearls in her hair were a very pretty touch), Lisa in a commanding tuxedo gown by Markgong, and Raffey Cassidy in an ivory number that I would love to have gotten married in, were I in a position to commission custom Loewe.
Life after fashion

2 months ago | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

My first full-time journalism job was at Fashionista, one of the great internet records of the fashion industry. When I think about that time, I feel a pang of nostalgia so intense that I have to stare out the window for a moment or two, dramatically, to recover. I was in my early twenties in New York City, with a mandate to blog and a license to slink around backstage at fashion shows. For me, it was a feast.
Sketching strangers

Feb 5, 2025 | elizabrooke.substack.com | Eliza Brooke

Everyone seems to be writing about Bad January in their newsletters, and I am no different. What a wretched heap. I’ve been oscillating between feeling electrified by anger at the new administration and finding myself as limp as a possum. For instance, I felt quite zippy while reading Brock Colyar’s scene report from D.C.’s inauguration parties, which focused on the contingent of Trump fans who are young, internet-savvy, and really excited about the idea of saying slurs.