On the Saturday before the Oscars, celebrity stylist Kate Young made a difficult decision. It wasn’t about the silk tulle cape that her client Michelle Williams would wear. It was about her Oura Ring, a biohacking tool that measures everything from steps to body temperature to, most popularly, sleep. She decided to take it off.
The reason? During the busy leadup to the ceremony, her sleep scores had been appallingly low. “My HRV [Heart Rate Variability] basically said I should go to the hospital,” she says. She’d compared scores with a Chanel publicist at the brand’s annual pre-Oscar dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge, and decided to go without for the rest of Hollywood’s big weekend. The anxiety was too much. “I was like, This isn’t helpful right now,” she remembers.
Young is not the first nor the last to obsess over the Oura, a roughly $300 titanium band that not only conjures certain Lord of the Ring associations, but for the wellness-minded, is nothing less than the one ring to rule them all. If the fashion world once adhered to the belief that you’ll sleep when you’re dead, or at most, dead tired, the Oura, fitted with sensors that gather biometric data such as heart rate, temperature, and minutes of REM slumber, satisfies a newfound fixation: to relentlessly optimize—and discuss— sleep. “I feel like half the people in fashion are wearing Oura Rings now,” says Young. Social media suggests the same. It wasn’t long ago that Kim Kardashian shared her gleaming sleep score of 93 on Instagram only to be reposted by an awestruck Gwyneth Paltrow: “Okay WHAT?? I thought I was killing it at this @ouraring game.”
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Vogue US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Vogue US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Mother's Story
In a Broadway revival of Amy Herzog's play Mary Jane, Rachel McAdams finds uncommon grace in an account of parental struggle and pain.
Old Souls
A new production of Uncle Vanya brings the eternal wisdom of Anton Chekhov to the stage.
ELIZABETH DEBICKI
The actor who brought Princess Diana to life—and won a passel of awards in the process—is ready to transform anew.
If the Shoe Doesn't Fit
Forever looking for a 42 ina world of 39s.
Stuck on You
Once applied primarily to adolescent totems, stickers for wellness!are growing up.
Partial to It
Gen Zers have deemed side parts hopelessly outdated, but new defenders see the appeal.
With Nail and I
Inspired by recent runways, Lena Dunham tries on inch-long talons and mere tip-skimming lengths, and wonders: What do our nails say about all we’re asked to do?
Not Black and White
At just 27, Anna Park has made a major impression on the art world. Dodie Kazanjian visits her studio.
Prep School
Back in the '90s, Plum Sykes arrived in New York from London and promptly found herself in the thrall of preppy chic. Now, she writes, it's all coming back.
States of WONDER
John Galliano's recent Maison Margiela triumph was an haute couture tour de force. Yet, as Hamish Bowles recalls, it's but the latest in the designer's long history of era-defining shows.