Fraud, Fame, and Fashion
In modern pop culture, it’s nearly impossible not to know the name Anna Delvey. Once scamming her way through New York City’s elite as a fake German heiress, Delvey (real name Sorokin) is infamous in the media. Having swindled nearly $275,000 through her lavish lifestyle where she skipped out on various exorbitant bills and expenses, the con artist served time on multiple counts of grand larceny and was released in 2021.
One might think that getting put away would make Delvey fade into obscurity. But in America, stories like hers are practically tales as old as time, where scandalous figures are thrust into the limelight for the sake of spectacle. After all, Delvey has had her fair share of publicity, with her bold grifting schemes highlighted in the renowned Netflix drama miniseries “Inventing Anna.” She also had a brief feature on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” competing in the show’s thirty-third season while paired alongside professional dancer Ezra Sosa.
This year, Delvey continued her dive into the style scene. She recently made her modeling debut in September for SHAO New York during Fashion Week. In 2023, Delvey hosted a fashion show for the brand on the rooftop of her apartment building (A choice made to secure her attendance, as she was under strict house arrest while appealing deportation to Germany) with the help of publicist Kelly Cutrone. The two even formed a “pop-up fashion PR agency” called OutLaw Agency (Yes, that’s actually its name), which was responsible for the show. To top it all off, the agency’s second major event took place during Delvey’s immigration hearing in May 2024, where she donned pieces from SHAO New York’s collection to serve as a press preview for the new garments.
Throughout all of these events, Delvey flaunts her court-mandated ankle monitor (bedazzled to match her costume for Dancing with the Stars, if I may add). It serves as both a jarring reminder of her wrongdoings and a means to raise the question: Why are Americans drawn like moths to a flame to figures like Anna Delvey, whose lives are riddled with scandal and impropriety?
The simple answer? Delvey’s allure in the public eye is propelled by pop culture’s fascination with moral ambiguity and controversy. Delvey’s scamming stunts captivated public attention through her blatant defiance of societal norms and authority, even if they were done through illegal means. Her rise and fall have simultaneously paved the way for her revival. Whether she’s seated next to fashion insiders at runway shows or walking it herself, she’s rebelling against the system in a manner embellished with charm and sophistication.
Nobody really knows what Anna Delvey stands for except Anna Delvey herself. For years, she sold her heiress persona and forged powerful bonds that would further adorn the life of luxury she built. Even now, each action she takes to infiltrate different pillars of pop culture like reality TV and the fashion industry feels carefully curated, and tells of how the public views her–Not as some hardened criminal, but as a compelling character that fits seamlessly into the contemporary entertainment ecosystem.
Anna Delvey’s story is the perfect combination of opulence, scandal, and charisma that people can’t help but be seduced by. In the modern age, style can supersede substance, and crime can easily be commercialized. It goes to show that in America, infamy might just be the most valuable currency of all.