Essence
The Eternal Grace of Patti LaBelle
Music's most enduring icon continues to break barriers, build empires and chase platinum dreams
7 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
Beyond the Pages
Before it was a brand, it was a birthright. ESSENCE made space—then made history
7 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
BLACK by DESIGN
Pamela Macklin, ESSENCE's former Fashion Director, called together a group of extraordinary Black designers, known and emerging, for a photo shoot celebrating Susan L. Taylor's commitment to providing space and place for Black creatives
4 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
OUR SACRED ASSIGNMENT
ESSENCE's Editor-in-Chief emerita reprises her cherished column
8 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
REWRITING THE RULES OF DESIRE
Since the 1970s, ESSENCE magazine has inspired Black women to talk about sex. Now we're doing even more by reclaiming pleasure and redefining sexuality on our own terms
5 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
BLACK LOVE, REIMAGINED
Who's afraid of the big, bad biological clock? Not Black women—who are boldly choosing themselves over timelines, tradition and the chase for a ring
6 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
Beyond the Price Tag: What Black-Owned Business Want You to Know
As we celebrate the 55th anniversary of ESSENCE magazine this month, we are honoring more than just a milestone, we are celebrating a movement. For more than five decades, ESSENCE has been a cornerstone of culture, community and commerce, amplifying the voices and visions of Black women and the businesses they build.
4 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
THE FOREVER COVER
From fittings to final frames, the designer behind the custom looks for eight A-list actresses shares how fashion history was made in one unforgettable shoot
3 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
30 Years of Strength and an Ongoing Fight
Thirty years after Rae Lewis-Thornton became the face of HIV, the disease remains a major threat to Black women. The activist, along with public health experts, explores what fuels the epidemic
9 min |
July/August 2025
Essence
HOW BLACK ART DEFINED OUR PARTY WITH A PURPOSE
Every year since 1995, ESSENCE’s Festival of Culture has called upon Black artists across generations to capture its energy, spirit and significance—turning each poster into a piece of living history
6 min |
July/August 2025
Town & Country US
LET'S MEET UP...
Where's everyone going this summer? Here's an exceedingly specific guide.
10+ min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Where's Walden?
For almost a century a small cohort of private “alternative” schools have offered progressive (and occasionally kooky) curricula to families who want their kids to learn how to think for themselves. But do barefoot hikes and chopping wood still have a place in an age of cutthroat college admissions?
10+ min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Is Life a Bowl of Cherries?
When you're visiting the Côte d'Azur town where Paul Cézanne spent his summers for a celebration of the artist, the answer is a resounding yes.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
A Fine Balance
With a ship this smart, what is a cruise aficionado to do in ports of call? Go ashore or stay onboard? That is the question.
8 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
The Art of MURDER
Renowned gallerist Brent Sikkema dedicated decades to championing talents like Kara Walker and to building a beautiful life for his family in New York and Rio de Janeiro. So it was a shock when that life came to a spectacularly ugly end—with his estranged husband behind bars.
10+ min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Excuse Me, Your Dog Is in My Seat
How did Fido land in first class? One frequent flyer barks back.
5 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Some Like It Hot
There are more than 3,000 onsen in Japan, fed by 27,000 natural hot springs. Let us help you find your soak.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Sweet, Sweet STATUS
First it was Ozempic. Now another tool in the diabetic's arsenal has become all the rage among the longevity-obsessed. But will the sugar buzz wear off?
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Allora, Amalfi?
Tuscany isn't just vineyards and villages. Welcome to Italy's newish riviera.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
The Sea and Me
There is nothing in the world like your toes in the water.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Going the Distance
Sometimes, getting to the shores of your dreams means going that extra mile—or 8,000.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
The Lake Life Cheat Sheet
Lakes have rightly been long romanticized by poets and painters. Take your pick of Europe’s finest.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Oily & PROUD
Even in the summer heat there's no such thing as being too slick.
2 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Et Tu, Lapis Lazuli?
A new collection inspired by ancient Rome conquers 21st-century warriors for beauty.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Anatomy of a Classic
Whether it has been a decade or a century, the key to staying power is a really good idea.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
The Right NOTE
It’s time to start perfecting those jazz hands.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
AN APP PLANNED MY DREAM TRIP
Five-star hotels, unparalleled access, cold Diet Coke on a silver platter. It seems there's nothing a new breed of digital travel experts can't do.
10 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Four Writers in Search of NEW CITIES
They've seen London, and most of France, but they wanted places they didn't know, or ones ready to be discovered anew. You too?
10+ min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
Bug Juice WISHES and Caviar DREAMS
Generations of campers have spent their summers developing their artistic talents and ambitions at Buck’s Rock. When the storied summer camp faced extinction, one of them decided to save it.
10 min |
Summer 2025
Town & Country US
It Was Madrid All Along
If at all possible, we want to arrive by rail. I went from London to Paris just to tee up the train ride: all day, with one change in Barcelona. Beautiful views, lots of time snaking along the Mediterranean coast, not having to take your pants off at the airport...this is good for you. On a train, just practicing not being in a hurry, vacation starts before you arrive.
5 min |