“Making me feel soft / Should I stay, should I go?”—“Best of Me (Pt. 2),” Mya (1999)

CONTENTS

FASHION 154 // WALKING TO NEW ORLEANS There’s still plenty of beauty left after Hurricane Katrina. Photographed by Barron Claiborne. Styled by Memsor Kamaraké

DEPARTMENTS 46 // EDITOR’S LETTER 48 // THE GUES T LIS T 50 // VIBE RATERS 56 // MAIL

VOLUME 65 // Jayoncé 66 // V Sked: December (Happy Holidays!) 68 // V Beat Producers Polow da Don, Mr. Bangladesh, Develop, and Reefa on the art of noise. Money ain’t a thing for Mya in the D.C. area. Fergie gets dirty 76 // V Style Gucci’s new jacket

78 // V Lit
New coffee-table classics
80 // V Screen
Listening close to The Wire.
Reining in Queen Latifah
84 // V League
Really? Ice hockey?
86 // Vixen
A close look at Paula Patton.
By Damien McCaffery

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 20)