What does it take to throw the most viral murder mystery parties in New York City? How do you go from pin-up modeling in Pittsburgh to walking for Vaquera at Paris Fashion Week? What happens when Rick Owens calls your name at a casting—but not for the runway?

Sol and Michael sit down with Born DuBois—model, stylist, creative director, personal shopper, and the woman i-D Magazine called "A Star is Born"—for her very first podcast. Born has quietly become one of the most interesting people in New York fashion, juggling more jobs than anyone can count while throwing immersive murder mystery dinner parties that have attracted everyone from Interview Magazine stylists to Ella Emhoff.

The trio get into everything: how Born writes 20-page plays for her murder mysteries with no outline, her Vaquera runway debut and the surreal experience of having her face printed on the entire collection at Paris Fashion Week, a Maybelline casting where she showed up in a latex bodysuit and was asked to dance, her ASAP Rocky audition that became a monologue about Amish country, accidentally getting high on cold medicine for a Nike billboard shoot at Madison Square Garden, moving to New York to get on SNL, getting kicked out of improv class for being too funny, the story behind her Numero Berlin cover, styling on a $300 budget, and why Lady Gaga's Joanne changed her life while she was shredding papers in a freezing basement. We also chat about Phantom of the Opera, Rick Owens trying to shave her eyebrows for TikTok, street casting in NYC, designing mugs on the Lower East Side, and Balenciaga Speed Hunters.

We hope you enjoy as much as we did recording!

Lots of love!

Sol

Episode Tags: Born DuBois, murder mystery party NYC, viral murder mystery, fashion model podcast, i-D Magazine, Vaquera runway, Vaquera Paris Fashion Week, Rick Owens casting, Nike model, Maybelline casting, modeling audition stories, fashion industry jobs, immersive theater NYC, fashion podcast 2026, menswear podcast, Numero Berlin, ASAP Rocky, street casting NYC, modeling career advice, fashion styling tips, Ella Emhoff, Prada, Balenciaga Speed Hunters, personal shopping on a budget, Paris Fashion Week model, Lady Gaga Joanne, Pair of Kings podcast, how to throw a murder mystery party, how to become a model, creative director fashion, thrift fashion, vintage clothing NYC, fashion week behind the scenes, dinner theater New York

Sol Thompson and Michael Smith explore the world and subcultures of fashion, interviewing creators, personalities, and industry insiders to highlight the new vanguard of the fashion world. Subscribe for weekly uploads of the podcast, and don’t forgot to follow us on our social channels for additional content, and join our discord to access what we’ve dubbed “the happiest place in fashion”.

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