AMERICAN HUSTLER
I was with a group of fashion friends at a bar in Manhattan when I first met Anna in 2016. I can’t remember which arrived first: the bottle of vodka or Anna Delvey, but I knew that she had appeared and with her came bottle service. She was a stranger to me, yet not unknown. I’d seen her on Instagram, smiling at events, drinking at parties, often alongside my own acquaintances. I’d seen that @anna delvey (since changed to @anna.dlvv) had 40,000 followers.
The new arrival, in a clingy black dress and flat Gucci sandals, slid into the banquette. She had a cherubic face with oversized blue eyes and pouty lips. She said she had interned for Purple magazine in Paris, and evidently travelled in similar social circles to us. “I work at Vanity Fair in the photo department,” I told her. The usual dialogue ensued and she was attentive and engaged as she ordered another bottle of vodka. She picked up the tab.
Not long after, I was invited to join Anna and a mutual friend for dinner. Anna talked enthusiastically about the art foundation she was trying to set up – a “dynamic visual arts centre dedicated to contemporary art,” she explained, referring vaguely to a family trust.
We started hanging out every few weekends. As a visiting
