Biden’s Celebrity Jeopardy, Condé Calculations, CNN Debate Predictions

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compilation of Puck’s best new reporting.

Today, we lead with Lauren Sherman’s front-row dispatch from Vogue World in Paris, the nebulous but undeniably captivating Condé Nast tentpole event conceived by Anna Wintour and Mark Guiducci. What is this glamorous spectacle, really—and can it become something more?

Plus, below the fold: John Ourand digs into the Stephen A. Smith contract showdown at ESPN. Peter Hamby diagnoses Joe Biden’s star power problem. On Fashion People, Chris Black joins Lauren to exchange candid impressions of Paris Fashion Week and relive all the best sideline action. And on The Powers That Be, Tara Palmeri and Peter reveal all the pre-debate campaign chatter ahead of the Trump-Biden face-off on CNN this Thursday.

LAUREN SHERMAN

Amid retail blues and high election anxiety, Anna Wintour flexes for the Vogue World pre-Olympics bash, pulling in fashion worthies (Galliano, Toledano, that guy from State Farm) and billionaires (Delphine, Dumas, Geffen) while acting like it’s just another day’s work.

JOHN OURAND

ESPN’s biggest star doesn’t simply covet McAfeebucks—he also wants a McAfee-style deal structure that would pay him out like he’s running his own production company. What should Pitaro do?

PETER HAMBY

Star power has always counted for more in politics than official Washington would like to admit—and Biden, despite his campaign’s best efforts, isn’t cool. But the very concept of fame is changing, and the White House is banking on the notion that celebrity isn’t what it used to be, either.

LAUREN SHERMAN

Podcasting legend Chris Black joins Lauren to discuss the best of Paris Fashion Week, Vogue World, and all the action on the sidelines: meeting John Mulaney, sending off Dries, snooping on the Arnault kids, and partying with A$AP at Lagerfeld’s house. Then they weigh into all the rumors surrounding who’s in and who’s out at all the biggest maisons.