DARE TO DELVEY
- Alfredo Mineo
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
An Infamous Queen, in Conversation
Written by Alfredo Mineo
Most of the world knows Anna Delvey, born Anna Sorokin, from the riveting 2022 Netflix series Inventing Anna, which attempted to chronicle her audacious impersonation of a fictitious German heiress and socialite who briefly penetrated New York’s most elite circles.
That was before the life that she created to cultivate access and obtain funding for entrepreneurial endeavors landed her with multiple counts of larceny and, famously, house arrest. But through it all, Delvey has remained a powerful, controversial figure, both vilified and lauded by the public. Her name alone triggers feelings of either distaste or fandom from millions. While her Wikipedia page calls her a “con artist” and a “fraudster,” there is no question that she has many true friends and ardent admirers.
Speaking with Delvey, her voice carries the kind of composure that feels deliberate. At once friendly and disarming, it’s possible that this is her superpower, or maybe even her most authentic quality. Popular culture may be fixated on her, but in conversation, she resists the fixation; during our discussion she showcases herself as the author of her own story.
Delvey is a portrait drawn in words: a life in transition to large-scale works. As Alan Watts once wrote, “You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.” It is in this spirit of change and of moving beyond prewritten scripts that Anna Delvey speaks.
We began our exchange with the strange “Bunnygate” controversy which had occurred the week prior; wherein, news reports alleged that the bunnies in question which had been used for a photoshoot with Delvey had been left behind in the wilds of Prospect Park, in Brooklyn. Somehow, Delvey was blamed for all of it – even though she was not the photographer or the producer or anything other than talent on set. The story, of course, went viral, for all the wrong reasons. But even with this detour, Delvey has moved forward. Not one to pass up an opportunity to capitalize on a moment, she even produced “Bunnygate” t-shirts for her lovers and haters, with a percentage of the proceeds going toward animal advocacy charities.
While not taking time to deny previous allegations against her or the charges for which she served time – that is proverbial water under the bridge – she does express frustration with how her story has been told from others' perspectives, emphasizing that much of what is known about her is incorrect, and that people often focus on negativity despite her explanations. “My story,” she says, “has always been told from someone else's perspective. Especially from how Netflix bought the New York Magazine story. They had to keep it from the journalist's perspective.”
Delvey puts it bluntly, “You think you already know my story, but everything you know is wrong.” She calls much of the criticism of her character, “disheartening… to see how many people do not want you to do well, it’s very sad.”
In large part, however, Delvey has moved on from that peak of controversy and is now highly productive in a range of other activities. One area of note is her artwork, which has received critical acclaim and, notably, has sold pieces. Mostly focusing on sketches, which she started as a hobby and distraction in lockup, Delvey primarily works at home, depicting subjects that require minimal supplies and no specific rituals.
“I just start with rough drafts as ideas come to me. I find sketching easier and more expressive than large-scale painting. It’s about minimalism and direct communication of ideas, which sketching offers over technique or color.”
But art is in fact not her primary focus at the moment. "Despite recent distractions,” she says, “I am engaged in many projects right now, including a new media production company [with legendary publicist Kelly Cutrone].” In 2023, Delvey also hosted a popular podcast covering art, culture, fashion, and politics, but has since put that on hold for the time being. One thing she will not talk about is her upcoming fashion business venture. “I prefer not to share details of my upcoming projects until they are more developed,” she smartly states. Time will tell what this venture will look like and if it will be embraced by the industry and the public.
Yet right now, as one might imagine, Delvey seems to want to pivot again, in both her professional and personal life. Asked to describe her life as a photograph: “Me, framed in soft, fading light, high above the city, caught between freedom and captivity.”
Speaking about transitions, she reports that her new apartment in New York’s downtown Financial District, “feels like a fresh start… I love my Jonathan Adler ‘Cloud’ couch.”
While still a curiosity to many and a lightning rod to others, Delvey is still looking for normalcy amidst the bedlam. Perhaps enough time has passed to allow for some of that. “Life has returned to a more regular routine,” she shares, “and I am enjoying everyday activities and spending time with close friends. I enjoy playing tennis, watching movies."
But with a reputation as legendary as hers, is a true transition possible for Delvey?
“There are endless narratives about me, most of them boringly predictable and written by people who’ve never met me,” she says. “If I were writing my own story, it would say that I’m someone who refuses to be defined by other people’s projections, that I’ve built a life out of defying expectation, and that I’ll always choose creating my own reality over living inside someone else’s.”
It is the parallel universe her persona created that was a deception to others and which made her both famous and infamous. Of that, she reports, “I’ve made choices, I’ve taken risks, and I’ve survived the fallout. I now have a sharper perspective and a deeper sense of self. I am not interested in redemption as much as I am in reinvention, turning everything, even chaos, into a kind of art.”
About herself, Delvey says: “You can never tell if this is the beginning or the aftermath, and that’s the point.”
CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHERS | Caleb & Gladys
WARDROBE STYLIST | Lizzy Rosenberg
MAKEUP ARTIST | Soo Park
HAIR STYLIST | Davey Matthew
MANICURIST | Ada Yeung
WARDROBE FIRST ASSISTANT | Tatjiana Ostojic
WARDROBE SECOND ASSISTANT | Kathryn Hamed
MAKEUP ASSISTANT | Min Hong
BTS | Jo Kami