Alle afleveringen
86 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Luxury's Slump: Can Designers Save Fashion? (with Eugene Rabkin) [TEASER]
5 november 2026 · 18 min
Third-quarter earnings are in, and luxury's slump isn't letting up. Kering and LVMH were down, Hermès grew but missed expectations, and Chanel seems like just about the only house that's winning. Amy brings back StyleZeitgeist founder Eugene Rabkin, author of Torn: Fashion and Postmodernism, to ask what's driving the downturn and whether designers can save it. Lees meer
The rest of the conversation, on the Paris protests, Chanelmania, whether the Birkin is over, and Anna Wintour chasing tech money, is for Back Row Premium subscribers. Sign up at backrow.net/subscribe to get newsletter access included with your subscription.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:45 The Great Reset, one year in
07:30 Is McQueen headed for the mall?
09:45 Gucci's wholesale crutch
13:45 LVMH misses & Arnault slips
16:15 Is Dior really "gaining traction"?
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy Torn: Fashion and Postmodernism: https://link.amazon/B07R1S4K7
Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Eugene: @eugenerabkin
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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Working for Anna Wintour & How Vogue Really Picks Its Cover Stars (with Jill Demling)
2 november 2026 · 49 min
Jill Demling started as Anna Wintour's assistant in 1998, around the same time as Lauren Weisberger, who went on to write The Devil Wears Prada. Anna promoted Jill to entertainment editor, and she spent the next 18 and a half years deciding who got the cover of Vogue. She reveals which cover Anna wouldn't let her forget, how Beyoncé got her first Vogue cover, and why Angelina Jolie raided Gwyneth Paltrow's rack. Lees meer
Jill now hosts the Going Rogue podcast. Check it out on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-rogue/id1814440700
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@UCifqLV2sQB7b9WufQimRyqw
And Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7CIDU8Gib1FRvscacNw4SRCHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Anna's "next September" test
08:00 Egg sandwiches, voicemails & Burger Heaven milkshakes
12:45 Lauren Weisberger & the real Emily
18:30 What The Devil Wears Prada gets wrong
22:30 Why celebrities replaced models on covers
33:30 How Beyoncé landed her first Vogue cover
41:00 Photo approval & Beyoncé's no-interview cover
📷 Follow Back Row on Instagram: @backrow
📷 Follow Amy on Instagram: @instamyodellFollow Jill Demling
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The Rise of Fashion Slop (with Sam Sanders)
28 oktober 2026 · 33 min
Amy recently joined The Sam Sanders Show to talk about the rise of AI slop in fashion. Thank you to Sam and his team for allowing Back Row to republish the interview here! Lees meer
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Even the fashion industry can’t escape AI slop.
Fast fashion brands are using AI to pump out new looks and trends, and speed up production at unsustainable rates. It’s a business model that relies much more on algorithmic data than human design. Chances are you’ve even seen plenty of these products in your social media feeds.
Sam chats with fashion journalist Amy Odell, host of the ‘Back Row’ podcast, about AI’s influence in the industry and how we can all be better consumers. Plus, is high fashion on life support? Amy also breaks down the perils of luxury shopping today.
The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
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Inside Kim Kardashian's World with Her Biographer Jonathan Van Meter
26 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 2 min
Jonathan Van Meter spent five years inside Kim Kardashian's world for his new biography, Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future. He talks about what her rarefied world of fame and wealth is really like, her childhood front-row seat to the O.J. Simpson trial, and how Kanye West got her into the Met Gala. Plus: what Jonathan could and couldn't learn about how the sex tape was released, and whether Kim is laying the groundwork to run for political office. Lees meer
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:00 How Jonathan Got Five Years of Access
05:30 Inside Kim Kardashian's House (and Her 24 Staffers)
12:00 Kim Air: Kim's Private Jet
30:30 Kim and the O.J. Simpson Trial
40:30 The Kim Kardashian Sex Tape
45:30 The Paris Robbery
48:00 Kanye, Anna Wintour & the Met Gala
55:00 Will Kim Run for Office?
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future: https://link.amazon/B0cKsNzKY
Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Jonathan: @jonathanvanmeter
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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The Swan: Inside Reality TV's Most Brutal Makeover Show (with Director Erin Lee Carr)
19 oktober 2026 · 44 min
*SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription.* Lees meer
Referenced in this episode:
Facelift confessions, part 1: https://www.backrow.net/p/facelift-confessions-part-1-the-brutal-realities-of-getting-work-done
Facelift confessions, part 2: https://www.backrow.net/p/facelift-confessions-part-2-expect-an-emotional-toll
In 2004, Fox turned plastic surgery into primetime entertainment. The Swan reality show gave contestants about $200,000 worth of surgery each, put them on crash diets, banned mirrors for three months, and then put them in a beauty pageant. Nine million people watched. Erin Lee Carr, director of 'Mommy Dead and Dearest' and 'Britney vs Spears,' goes back to the women 20 years later in her hit Hulu documentary, The Swan: Behind the Mirror — and tells Amy what the documentary couldn't.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
04:45 Getting the Swans to talk again
10:00 "I almost died for reality television"
19:30 How much choice did they have? "1%"
22:45 Starvation diets and spoonfuls of peanut butter
26:00 The nude photos Dr. Haworth kept
28:50 The $5 million contract
36:50 "Would you do it again?"
40:00 A classic Anna Wintour story
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Fashion Month Awards, Spring 2027: Dior's Slump, Chanelmania Continues, and Galliano Fallout (with Dana Thomas) [TEASER]
13 oktober 2026 · 18 min
SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for the FULL Fashion Month Awards podcast and get more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Save three months on an annual subscription. Lees meer
For pod ONLY, sign up in Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-row-with-amy-odell/id1843400835) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0wpDOgcuWKjpH9WxklNqI4).
The spring 2027 shows just wrapped in Paris, a year after the "Great Reset" brought new creative directors to Chanel, Dior, and many more. Amy is joined by Dana Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Deluxe, Gods and Kings and Fashionopolis, to hand out Fashion Month Awards.
They get into John Galliano's PR rehab after the canceled Met show, who's having the biggest sophomore slump, and more.
The full episode for Premium subscribers includes awards for Best Runway Stunt and Best Overall, plus analysis of John Galliano's weak Zara launch and Virginie Viard's explosive book.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
04:30 Biggest sophomore slump
10:45 Best show nobody talked about
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Stop Impulse Buying: How Fashion Month Keeps You Broke (with Mrs. Dow Jones)
9 oktober 2026 · 33 min
Mrs. Dow Jones (Haley Sacks) on how to stop impulse buying and why fashion month keeps you broke. Part One of two. Lees meer
For part two — about Birkins and fashion's play to woo the wealthiest shoppers — get a Premium subscription to Back Row: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Save three months on an annual subscription.
Or sign up in Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-row-with-amy-odell/id1843400835) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0wpDOgcuWKjpH9WxklNqI4)
Haley Sacks, aka @MrsDowJones, joins Amy to break down how fashion month keeps us stuck in a cycle of broke. Every season the same trend gets planted on the runway, in your feed, and on influencers, and within two weeks a cheaper version shows up at Zara.
Haley talks about how to stop impulse buying, why luxury goods are so expensive, and what it was like to grow up in one of the world's wealthiest neighborhoods.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:30 How fashion month keeps us in a cycle of broke
04:00 From the runway to Zara in two weeks
08:00 Buy fewer, better things
10:00 How to stop impulse buying
16:00 The luxury pyramid and the $690 keychain
20:00 Is any luxury actually worth it?
22:00 Hunting a sold-out clutch with an AI agent
25:30 Haley's years as an Upper East Side nanny
📺 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
📷 Follow Back Row on Instagram: @backrow
📷 Follow Amy on Instagram: @instamyodell
Follow Haley Sacks
📷 Follow Haley on Instagram: @mrsdowjones
📖 Buy Haley's book, Future Rich Person: https://link.amazon/B07xqeKEx🎙️
🎙️Follow Haley's Financial Tea podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/financial-tea-with-mrs-dow-jones/id1860939850
🎙️ Follow Haley's Financial Tea podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58anKIbkGzd5MkI3v0BjY2
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Meghan Markle Deep Dive, Part One: From Struggling Actress to Meeting Harry
5 oktober 2026 · 50 min
Harry and Meghan are back in the UK, six years after leaving the royal family. In the first part of Back Row's deep dive into Meghan Markle, Amy and former Us Weekly and Hello! editor Justin Ravitz — who has interviewed Prince Harry and worked with the couple's team — trace Meghan's story from her Los Angeles childhood to the night she met Harry. Lees meer
Part two is available to Back Row Premium subscribers.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
09:00 Meghan's Los Angeles childhood
12:30 Age 11: taking on Procter & Gamble
16:15 Briefcase No. 24 on Deal or No Deal
22:45 Landing Suits
30:00 The Tig blog and Meghan's Goop dream
35:30 Social climbing and Soho House
43:30 Humanitarian ambitions and meeting Harry
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy The Palace Papers by Tina Brown: https://link.amazon/B02EAsx6X
Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Justin: @jaydubargh
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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Fur Is Out of Fashion. Is Wool Next?
28 september 2026 · 58 min
PJ Smith, director of fashion policy for Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society), has spent almost 20 years getting companies from Gucci to Net-a-Porter to go fur-free. Lees meer
Now that most top fashion brands have sworn off fur, is wool the next big target for animal welfare activists? PJ talks about why, thanks to LVMH, the fur fight isn't quite over, how he got brands to change their mind about fur, and what's next.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Why fur-free NYFW is historic
08:00 How Humane World actually changes brands' minds
18:30 Fur farming down 85% — the numbers
22:30 PETA vs. H&M: the wool protests
25:30 Is wool humane? Mulesing explained
46:30 Exotic skins: the next target
52:00 PJ's biggest lesson after 20 years
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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Fashionphile's Founder on How to Spot a Superfake Birkin (with Sarah Davis)
21 september 2026 · 49 min
Superfakes have never been better and counterfeiters have never been smarter — so how can consumers buy secondhand luxury with confidence? Lees meer
Sarah Davis started Fashionphile on eBay in 1999, while she was in law school. Resale has exploded since: Her company now employs more than 350 people and authenticates roughly 1,500 luxury bags a day. Sarah reveals how she turned luxury authentication into an almost CIA-like operation, what gives away a fake Birkin bag, and how a $35,000 machine can tell if a Cartier Love bracelet is real or not.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Law school, eBay, and the Fashionphile origin story
15:00 A real Chanel, a fake one — can you tell?
21:00 Fake bags bought at real stores
23:30 "Your dupe isn't cute"
26:30 The $75 fee that killed the counterfeits
29:30 The $35,000 machine that catches fake Birkins
44:30 Where resale goes next
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Sarah: @justsarahdavis · Shop Fashionphile: @fashionphile
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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The Trend Forecaster Who Coined "Vibe Shift" on What Comes Next (with Sean Monahan)
14 september 2026 · 1 uur 10 min
*SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription.* Lees meer
Trend forecaster Sean Monahan coined the "vibe shift" five years ago to describe the unease millennials felt coming out of the pandemic. Of all the terms Monahan has coined — from "normcore" to the "boom boom aesthetic" — the vibe shift may have been the stickiest. He and Amy revisited his predictions from five years ago and discuss what he got right and wrong.
Monahan offers predictions on whether smart glasses will take; where rage bait is heading; the future of "flexing"; where the Met Gala goes from here; and what luxury fashion has to do to recover.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
03:00 The boom boom aesthetic and the '80s that weren't
06:00 Why crypto killed streetwear
08:30 Normcore, and the anxiety behind it
19:00 Did tackiness give way to taste?
24:00 Smart glasses, glassholes and surveillance
38:00 Rage bait and the clipping economy
47:30 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' and Jeff Bezos
1:04:30 How does luxury fashion recover?
📩SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Back Row on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amy_odell
📷 Follow Back Row on Instagram: @backrow
📷 Follow Amy on Instagram: @instamyodellFollow Sean Monahan
📷 Follow Sean on Instagram: @8ghtb4ll
📩 Read 8Ball: https://www.8ball.report/
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How the Very Rich Really Live, From Billionaires' Row to Lauren Sánchez Bezos
8 september 2026 · 50 min
Amy Chozick has spent her career writing about polarizing women — she covered Hillary Clinton for The New York Times, profiled Elizabeth Holmes right before prison, followed Stormy Daniels for Vogue, and wrote the widely dissected profile of Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Lees meer
Her new novel, With Friends Like You (https://amzn.to/4yjRlvI), follows Emily, a broke new mom in Manhattan, who goes looking for the college friend who vanished — and finds her working as a high-end escort to billionaires.
To write the book, she researched the world of the ultra-rich obsessively. She also reveals what surprised her about Lauren Sánchez Bezos, discusses the detail everyone rehashed from that profile, and more.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:00 A new mother, a missing friend, and a billionaire's escort
4:00 Billionaires' Row and the empty towers
13:00 Covering Hillary Clinton, and what power does to people
17:00 Profiling Lauren Sánchez Bezos
23:00 "They stopped apologizing" — the new rich
30:00 Hillary's suits, Lauren's taped-up Vogue pages
41:00 Is fashion getting tackier?
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy With Friends Like You: A Novel: https://amzn.to/4yjRlvI
Follow Back Row: @backrow
Follow Amy: @instamyodell
Follow Amy Chozick: @amychozick
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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The Met Cancels the John Galliano Retrospective (with Dana Thomas) [TEASER]
1 september 2026 · 16 min
This is a teaser of a paywalled episode. To listen in full, become a paid subscriber of Back Row at: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Or sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Lees meer
In a stunning move, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has cancelled "John Galliano: Horizons," the Costume Institute retrospective planned for May 2027.
Galliano's biographer and fashion journalist Dana Thomas joined Amy hours after the Met made the announcement. They discuss what this means for fashion, for John Galliano, and for the Met Gala's planner and previously all-powerful architect, Anna Wintour.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Why Dana wasn't surprised
01:30 When you lose the politicians and the donors
03:00 "Not an aberration" — Dana's New York Times op-ed
05:00 The incidents that never got reported
06:00 The 2019 spa incident
07:30 What the comment sections revealed
11:30 Philippe Virgitti, still waiting for an apology
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano: https://amzn.to/4cSeZHw
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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'The September Issue' Rewatch: Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, and the Sienna Miller Hair Crisis (with Kate Casey)
31 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 12 min
*SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription and get access to 'The September Issue' Rewatch Bonus episode!* Lees meer
The September Issue is R.J. Cutler's 2009 documentary about the biggest issue of Vogue ever made up to that point — 843 pages, 13 million copies sold.
Amy is joined by Kate Casey, host of Reality Life with Kate Casey and a documentary and reality TV expert, to rewatch it seventeen years later. They get into what Anna Wintour really thought of the film, why she and her Vogue team hated Sienna Miller's hair so much, how it all aged, and much more.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:00 13 million copies sold — and what's left now
06:00 How Anna and Grace actually met
17:30 The retailers' breakfast, when Vogue set the trends
25:00 "Your girls always look the same" - Anna at her harshest
41:00 Anna at home, and the kids who didn't follow her
48:00 The Sienna Miller cover disaster
1:07:00 843 pages, and the era that ended
📺 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
📷 Follow Back Row on Instagram: @backrow
📷 Follow Amy on Instagram: @instamyodell
Follow Kate Casey
🎙️ Reality Life with Kate Casey:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reality-life-with-kate-casey/id1154758766
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iZzKUbEWAsWVkFRebb9Gu
📷 Follow Kate on Instagram: @katecaseycaThis episode was edited by Chrissi Harris.
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How Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Built Two Billion-Dollar Empires (Part 1)
24 augustus 2026 · 1 uur
Back Row is on vacation this week, so we're revisiting one of the most popular episodes of the year: a two-parter on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, in honor of The Row's 20th anniversary. Lees meer
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on television before they could talk and millionaires before they could read. Former Us Weekly editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, author of the new Celebrity Intelligence newsletter, joins Back Row to break down the Full House casting story, the Dual Star empire, the billion-dollar licensing machine, and the NYU years that changed everything.
Part Two — revealing the secrets behind The Row — is available to Premium subscribers. Sign up at Back Row (https://www.backrow.net/subscribe) to get newsletter access included with your subscription, or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Find Part Two in Apple Podcasts here
Find Part Two in Spotify here
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:40 Dan Wakeford and Celebrity Intelligence
02:47 Why the Olsens are a unique case study
07:50 The Full House casting story
10:07 The reality of child stardom
16:22 How their personalities diverged early
19:49 From pennies to $80,000 an episode
26:27 The home video empire begins
33:28 The billion dollar licensing machine
48:00 Turning 18 and taking control
53:41 NYU and the paparazzi years
57:47 How everything changed
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'Matcha, Pilates, Alo' Enters Its Flop Era: Inside the Influencer Recession
17 augustus 2026 · 39 min
SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription. Lees meer
Is everything on social media — even lifestyle content — just rage bait now? New York Magazine features writer Rebecca Jennings joins Amy to unpack her hit Vulture piece on the "influencer recession," when aspirational content no longer works and creators have to come up with "brand-safe rage bait." What does this mean both for the content landscape but also, for rage itself?
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:00 What is the "influencer recession"?
02:45 The clipping economy & fake virality
05:15 Audrey Peters & the $25 DoorDash coffee
10:30 Why the Alo yacht flopped
14:35 Why Birkins are embarrassing now
19:30 The OpenAI influencer farm trip
24:00 Brands manufacturing their own rage bait
30:00 How Substack changed the game
34:30 Is rage bait losing its power?
Read Rebecca's story: The Influencer Recession — https://www.vulture.com/article/influencer-recession-audrey-peters-interview.html
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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Is Fashion in Total Creative Collapse?
10 augustus 2026 · 41 min
*SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription.* Lees meer
Is fashion in the throes of a total creative collapse? Critic Eugene Rabkin — founder of StyleZeitgeist and author of the new book Torn: Fashion and Postmodernism — joins Amy to make the case. He argues luxury has "devolved into a consumerist spectacle," its lack of ideas papered over by relentless marketing.
They get into the greedflation behind a $140,000 Dior dress, why "craftsmanship" is the industry's greatest con, the Italian sweatshop scandals that never seem to stick, how Bernard Arnault turned the fashion world into the fashion industry — and the death of criticism, and why nobody seems to care.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction02:30 Fashion's creative collapse: the thesis
08:30 Greedflation & the $140,000 Dior dress
13:00 The craftsmanship con
15:00 Sweatshop scandals: Dior & Loro Piana's vicuña
23:30 The death of fashion criticism
32:00 Bernard Arnault & how he industrialized fashion
📺 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
📷 Follow Back Row on Instagram: @backrow
📷 Follow Amy on Instagram: @instamyodellFollow Eugene Rabkin
📷 Follow Eugene on Instagram: @eugenerabkin
📚 Buy the book: Torn: Fashion and PostmodernismThis episode was edited by Chrissi Harris.
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John Galliano Is Finally Getting a Met Gala. Should He? (Teaser)
4 augustus 2026 · 9 min
John Galliano is the subject of the Costume Institute's 2027 exhibition and will be celebrated with his very own Met Gala. Galliano's biographer Dana Thomas — author of Gods and Kings, a dual biography about Galliano and Alexander McQueen — joins the show to talk about what this means. Amy and Dana recap Galliano's fall from grace and image rehabilitation — thanks to Anna Wintour. Lees meer
This is a free preview. Hear the full conversation — a detailed recap of the controversy, the apology Galliano never made, and Amy's take on whether the Met should honor him — in the full episode in Back Row Premium.
Sign up for the newsletter at backrow.net/subscribe to access the newsletter plus all Premium podcasts, or subscribe for audio only in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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The Louvre Heist and Shady Billionaire Art Owners
3 augustus 2026 · 45 min
"Parisian Heist" author Jo Piazza joins Amy to break down the October 2025 Louvre robbery — the suspects, the mysterious "sponsor," and why authorities aren't sure the suspects are telling the truth. Lees meer
Plus: why museum security is so basic, how art gets used to launder money and fund violent crime, the billionaire families who quietly run the art market, and what a $181 million Jackson Pollock says about the state of art and wealth.
(00:00) Introduction
(02:30) Recap: the Louvre heist, October 19, 2025
(04:30) The Isabella Stewart Gardner heist: $500M, still unsolved
(07:30) The arrests and the mysterious "sponsor" named Joe
(08:30) How basic museum security really is
(13:00) What was stolen: the Napoleonic crown jewels
(16:30) The Wildensteins & how art launders money
(30:00) The $60 billion shadow art market
(31:00) Restoring Empress Eugénie's crown & the French jewelry houses
(38:30) The $181M Pollock & Jerry Saltz's takedown of the art marketSubscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Buy The Parisian Heist: https://amzn.to/4yLV6exFollow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Jo: @jopiazzaauthor
Edited by Chrissi Harris.
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How Meta Turned Smart Glasses Into 'Hot Surveillance Summer' (with Taylor Lorenz)
30 juli 2026 · 44 min
In this special episode in collaboration with the Power User podcast Amy Odell joins tech journalist Taylor Lorenz to trace the arc of wearable tech — from the abomination that was Google Glass to Snapchat's vending-machine Spectacles and the company's recent $2,000 flop. Also, why Meta's rollout of it's new $299 fashion-first AI glasses, odious as many find them, may end up being a smash hit. Lees meer
Follow Taylor's show Power User on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube, and subscribe to her newsletter, UserMag.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro — why everyone's arguing about Meta's glasses
01:36 Turning a camera into a fashion accessory
01:55 Welcome + the "hot surveillance summer" question
02:45 Google Glass and the original abomination
04:16 Snapchat Spectacles, vending machines, and a $130 flop
06:48 GoPro and how sports normalized filming everything
08:55 Ray-Ban Stories (2021) and the "creep" problem
10:57 2025: Oakley Meta and the first AI glasses
11:55 2026: low-profile frames, rhinestones, and AI as the real sell
13:25 The influencer rollout and the decline of fashion media
18:39 Why Kylie Jenner
21:40 How phones already normalized recording everything
24:56 Fashion, plausible deniability, and getting women on board
26:20 Will they actually sell? Meta's copy machine
29:19 The anti-screen crowd may be Meta's best customer
32:14 Beyond glasses: pins, pendants, and camera AirPods
35:29 Who owns the data? Facial recognition and the scary part
37:11 Zuckerberg, Bezos, the Met Gala, and OpenAI's fashion play
39:59 Snap's $2,000 flop and why ugly tech dies
43:03 Wrap-up
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The Kennedys and British Royals: Diana's Death, Meghan Markle's Muse, and JFK Jr.'s Ego
27 juli 2026 · 58 min
***SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter for more coverage like this. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription.*** Lees meer
Town & Country editor Caroline Hallemann's new book is The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made. She joins Amy to discuss the eerie parallels between these two dynasties.
Among the surprising stories in Hallemann's book: how Jackie Kennedy fought to keep wearing French designers as First Lady, why JFK Jr. wanted Princess Diana on the cover of George, the real story behind Diana's death and the ongoing conspiracy theories, and how Meghan Markle copied Carolyn Bessette's style. Plus: what Jack Schlossberg's blistering congressional loss means for the Kennedy dynasty.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:00 Young Jackie at Miss Porter's and her enduring fashion influence
08:00 What "American Love Story" got wrong about Carolyn Bessette
10:30 JFK Jr. launches George magazine
14:00 Why John wanted Diana on the cover
20:00 Diana's death: what actually happened
32:00 The conspiracy theories that still swirl around Diana's death
39:00 Why Meghan Markle keeps copying Carolyn Bessette's style
53:00 Is Jack Schlossberg the next JFK Jr.?
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Follow Caroline Hallemann: https://www.instagram.com/challemann/
Buy the book: https://amzn.to/4fVX8Bq
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A Stylist to Billionaires on How the .01 Percent Really Shop
20 juli 2026 · 24 min
This is a teaser of a paywalled podcast. Get the full episode by subscribing to the Back Row newsletter. Lees meer
For podcast content only, go Premium on Apple or Spotify.
Joy Cioci has been in fashion for 23 years — first with her own ready-to-wear and bridal brand, and for the past six years, as a private stylist to some of the wealthiest families in the country.
She joins Amy to talk about what that job is actually like: how she pulls $80-90K worth of merchandise on loan for a single client, why some of her clients refuse to play the Hermès "game," and why women spending $1.5 million a year on clothes have no idea what just dropped at Chanel.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
4:00 Who Joy's clients actually are
9:30 How pulling merchandise on loan from stores works
11:00 Inside an $80-90K shopping trip
18:00 What ultra-wealthy people actually want from their wardrobe
21:00 Finding rare pieces no one else has
Follow Joy Cioci
📸 Follow Joy on Instagram: @joycioci
🛍️ Shop Joy Cioci: https://joycioci.com/
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Phia's Latest Scandal: Is Phoebe Gates's Startup in Trouble?
16 juli 2026 · 50 min
Lawyer and The Fashion Law founder Julie Zerbo makes her Back Row pod debut to discuss the latest Phia scandal. The startup, founded by Bill Gates's daughter Phoebe Gates and her Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni, was just found to be taking credit for affiliate sales it did not drive. People are calling it "fraud" but is it, really? Can the Gates name and a slew of celeb founders help them sail through this unscathed? Lees meer
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:32 Phia's origin story and Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kiani's Stanford beginnings
09:16 The first scandal: Fortune's report on Phia's data collection
16:17 The second scandal: Bloomberg's cookie-stuffing investigation
19:18 Explaining cookie stuffing — and the Honey/PayPal lawsuits
27:23 Did Phia's investors do proper due diligence?
36:22 Could this be fraud? The legal answer
43:15 Does Phia's celebrity halo make it bulletproof?
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Follow Julie Zerbo and The Fashion Law: https://www.thefashionlaw.com/
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Fall 2026 Couture Awards: Dangerous Shoes, Hat Wars, and Wedding Dresses
13 juli 2026 · 26 min
Veteran fashion journalist Dana Thomas returns for Fall 2026 couture awards! We talk about the hat wars at Dior, the wildest shoes, and the Chanel chicken bag that seems like it can't carry more than a pill or two. Lees meer
This is a teaser of a paid episode. Subscribe at Back Row
(save three months on an annual subscription) to access paywalled podcasts AND all newsletter stories.For podcast access only, sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
03:18 What "couture" actually means
08:08 Award: Most Viral Front Row Celebrity
10:49 Award: Best Front Row Celebrity
13:37 Award: Best Couture Handiwork
16:58 Award: Best Shoes
20:18 Award: Best Bags
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13 Biggest Questions About Taylor Swift's Wedding
8 juli 2026 · 1 uur 2 min
Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter. Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription to access paywalled podcasts and all newsletter stories. Lees meer
Taylor Swift married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden — and nobody's seen the photos yet. Will Vogue get them? Will anyone? Amy Odell is joined by veteran celebrity journalist Justin Ravitz (former Executive Editor at Us Weekly and Rolling Stone) to count down 13 burning questions about the wedding of the year — 13, of course, because it's Taylor's lucky number.
From the Dior couture ceremony looks to the guest list chaos (Zadie Smith? Wayne Gretzky? No Kardashians?) to whether this whole thing might end up as a theatrical release, Amy and Justin go through it all.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:50 #13 – What did she get talked out of?
06:23 #12 – What did Travis Kelce wear?
10:52 #11 – How close were they with their guests, really?
22:08 #10 – What was in the guests' NDAs?
25:33 #9 – Who leaked the wedding photos?
28:19 #8 – Were there religious elements? Was Adam Sandler ordained?
30:45 #7 – Did anyone try to slip them a gift?
37:27 #6 – Were there brand or corporate sponsors?
38:59 #5 – What were her cats doing?
40:54 #4 – Whose idea was the TT logo?
42:22 #3 – What celebrities were invited and said no?
44:57 #2 – Who was deliberately not invited?
51:59 #1 – Will the wedding be a theatrical release?
58:47 Final thoughts
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What 'Love Story' Got Wrong About Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and JFK Jr.'s Final Days
6 juli 2026 · 32 min
This is a teaser of a paid episode. To access the full episode, subscribe to Back Row at BackRow.net and get newsletter access included with your subscription. Or sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Lees meer
RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil — authors of JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography — return to the Back Row podcast in honor of Love Story's likely Emmy nominations. Terenzio assisted JFK Jr. at George magazine, and McNeil has covered him at People since the 90s, so they know what the show creators don't.
We cover what we didn't get to last time: Daryl Hannah's bombshell New York Times op-ed, what the show got right and wrong about Carolyn Bessette's distress over the paparazzi, the plane crash, and whether Jack Schlossberg is the next JFK Jr.
Chapters:
00:00 — Intro
04:00 — The actor who played JFK Jr. called RoseMarie
08:30 — Daryl Hannah's bombshell NYT op-ed
14:30 — The wedding: how reporters found out
23:30 — Was Carolyn really depressed and homebound?
28:00 — The plane crash: what actually happened
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From Purses to... Pot?!
29 juni 2026 · 45 min
***SUPPORT THIS INDEPENDENT SHOW by subscribing to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription to access paywalled podcasts and all newsletter stories.*** Lees meerGet 15 percent off Edie Parker with the code AMY15: https://edie-parker.com/
Brett Heyman launched Edie Parker as a luxury handbag business. Her acrylic clutches became a hit with Met Gala-going celebrities. Despite her success with accessories, she decided to pivot to a uniquely challenging industry: legal cannabis.
She talks about what she learned working in Gucci PR during the Tom Ford era, why she entered the cannabis business, and the stigma she's still fighting.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:30 From Gucci PR to Founding Edie Parker
07:30 The Kate Hudson Met Gala Bag That Started It All
11:00 Why She Pivoted to Cannabis
13:00 Why You Have to Be Vertically Integrated in Every State
15:00 The Stripes That Are "Too Appealing to Children"
20:30 What Trump's Rescheduling Order Actually Changes
28:00 Celebrity Campaigns: Pat Cleveland, Gabby Windey, and More
35:30 Why No Institutional Investor Will Touch Cannabis
39:30 Did the Cannabis Pivot Scare Off Handbag Customers?
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How Plastic Surgery Went Off the Rails [TEASER]
22 juni 2026 · 28 min
***This is a TEASER of a paywalled episode. Sign up for a Premium subscription at Back Row (https://www.backrow.net/subscribe) for access to the Back Row newsletter and all paywalled podcasts. (Audio only subs available in Apple and Spotify.)*** Lees meer
As the founding editor of beauty magazine Allure, Linda Wells has seen it all, from the dawn of La Mer to the current age of plastic surgery overload. Now the editor of AirMail Look, she's been covering the craziest procedures, from rib-cracking and reshaping to $500k facelifts.
She discusses how plastic surgery has gone completely off the rails — and where this wild trend is going.
CHAPTERS:
01:15 – Beauty Trends of the 1980s
03:45 – The Wildest Trends in 2026
08:15 – The Growing Visibility of Plastic Surgery
15:05 – Why Surgeons Are Hunting for New Procedures
17:30 – The Sport of Celebrity Speculation
20:25 – Facelift Prices Are Up 400%
23:45 – The Risks of an International Operation
26:50 – Subscribe to Listen to the Full Episode!
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Emergency Gwyneth Paltrow Pod!
17 juni 2026 · 36 min
It started with turkey meatballs and ended with an endorsement deal that led the internet to call her "Gwynicide." Gwyneth Paltrow has had quite a slew of viral moments this month. Lees meer
I sat down with branding expert and sociologist Ana Andjelic — CMO, author of the Sociology of Business newsletter, and host of the Hitmakers podcast — to talk about what this means (if anything) for Brand Gwyneth.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – The Turkey Meatballs and the Arugula Meme
05:30 – Inside the Jade Egg Era of Goop
09:30 – The Trae Stephens Interview and the AI Weapons Controversy
18:00 – The 51 Park Israeli Real Estate Ad and the Backlash
21:00 – The Three Pillars of the Gwyneth Brand
24:30 – Is Goop Still Relevant?
26:00 – Why Goop Kitchen Is Struggling in New York
31:00 – Is Gwyneth an Asset or a Liability Now?
34:00 – Can Kinship Ventures Actually Succeed?
📰 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribeAmy's Gwyneth book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Gwyneth/Amy-Odell/9781668005774
Follow Ana Andjelic:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ana_andjelic/
↳ Sociology of Business: https://andjelicaaa.substack.com/
🎙️ Hitmakers podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pmW3iyjF9pl65QgVcabPK
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Your Clothes Are Full of Chemicals. Here's What You Need to Know.
15 juni 2026 · 52 min
***SUPPORT THIS INDEPENDENT SHOW by subscribing to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribeGo Premium and save three months on an annual subscription to access paywalled podcasts and all newsletter stories.*** Lees meer
Frances Solá-Santiago is a reporter for The New York Times's Wirecutter product review site, where her whole job is to test clothing and interview experts about how to find the best stuff for the best value. She's done extensive research into which chemicals sneak into our clothes — and what we, as consumers, need to know about them. In this episode, she reveals how we can shop consciously, some of her favorite picks for bags and clothes, and much more.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:30 How Wirecutter Actually Tests Clothes
06:00 Does Higher Price Mean Better Quality?
09:00 Vintage vs. New Coach Bags — What the Lab Found
10:00 Why Everyone Is Suddenly Worried About Their Clothes
12:00 PFAS Explained — What Forever Chemicals Are
16:00 Who's Most at Risk — You, Garment Workers, or the Planet?
21:30 Which Certifications Can You Actually Trust?
25:30 Health Washing Is the New Greenwashing
35:00 The Frankie Shop Blazer Test
39:30 Why Going 100% Natural Isn't a Guarantee
41:00 Where Regulation Is Headed
49:30 Is Dry Cleaning Safe?
Follow Frances Solá-Santiago
📰 The Wirecutter (NYT) - https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/authors/frances-sola-santiago/
📸 Follow Frances on Instagram: @fransolasantiago
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Inside 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Press Tour with Meryl Streep's Stylist
8 juni 2026 · 51 min
***SUPPORT THIS INDEPENDENT SHOW by subscribing to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
Go Premium and save three months on an annual subscription to access paywalled podcasts and all newsletter stories.*** Lees meerCelebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger joined me on the Back Row podcast to talk about dressing Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour. Just as that winds down, she's getting ready to dress Lupital N'yongo for The Odyssey press tour.
How does she do it? What goes into these viral press tours? A whole lot more than picking out pretty dresses.
CHAPTERS:
01:02 – The Craziest Moments from The Devil Wears Prada 2 Press Tour
05:10 – Her Strategy for Styling Meryl Streep
11:05 – Dressing the Actor vs. the Character
12:50 – Meryl’s J. Crew Cerulean Sweater
19:20 – Micaela’s “Meta Dressing Approach”
24:20 – Collaborating with Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt
26:55 – Getting Brands to Open the Archives
34:35 – Fashion Emergencies on the DWP2 Tour
35:50 – Styling Lupita Nyong'o for The Odyssey
40:20 – Crafting a Moodboard
44:50 – Micaela’s Advice to Aspiring Stylists
Follow Micaela Erlanger :
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micaela/?hl=en
Website: https://micaelaerlanger.com/
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What Everlane's Sale to Shein Means for 'Sustainable' Fashion
3 juni 2026 · 37 min
Sustainable fashion darling Everlane just sold to Shein, the industry's least sustainable company. What does this shocking deal say about both companies, along with the state of "sustainable" fashion? Lees meer
I spoke with Ken Pucker, former Timberland COO and professor at Tufts University, one of my favorite experts on this topic. He explains why Everlane was never all that "sustainable," why Shein would want this, and why it's hard to be optimistic about the future of fashion.
CHAPTERS:
01:05 – Breaking Down the Shein Everlane Acquisition
04:30 – Shein’s Innovative Instant Fashion Model
07:20 – How Everlane Ended Up in Bed with L Catterton
12:00 – Ken’s Take on the Future of “Sustainable” Fashion
16:00 – The Greenwashing Problem
18:45 – Everlane’s Radical Transparency Promise
22:15 – The Status of the New York Fashion Act
27:35 – Why Does Shein Even Want Everlane?
30:00 – Which Brands Could Be Next?
34:00 – Ken’s Advice for Sustainable Consumers
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Stylist to Billionaires Reveals How the Ultra-Rich Really Shop — and How Much They Spend
1 juni 2026 · 40 min
I sat down with Mary Gonsalves Kinney, founder of MGK Style and personal stylist to tech billionaires, politicians, and athletes, to go inside the world of how the ultra-wealthy really shop. Lees meer
Mary reveals what billionaires' closets actually look like, how much her clients spend per session, and what the fashion industry's pivot to the 1% means for everyone else.
This is part of a paywalled episode. Subscribe to Back Row Premium to access the full episode and all paywalled newsletters at https://www.backrow.net/subscribe. For podcast access only, subscribe in Apple or Spotify.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – How Mary Styles Billionaires
03:40 – What Billionaires Actually Tell Their Stylist
04:49 – Dressing Women in Tech
08:03 – What's Really Inside a Billionaire's Closet
13:24 – Shopper vs. Stylist: What's the Difference?
14:36 – Sticker Shock: The $4,000 Nylon Sundress
15:31 – Why the Aspirational Customer No Longer Exists
29:15 – How Much Do They Spend Per Year?
32:17 – How Luxury Brands Are Quietly Changing Their Strategy
Follow Mary Gonsalves Kinney:
https://www.instagram.com/mgkstyle/
https://www.mgkstyle.com/
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The Met Gala Then vs. Now: How ‘The First Monday in May’ Holds Up 10 Years Later [TEASER]
26 mei 2026 · 35 min
I took off for the holiday this week, so I'm unlocking half of a previously paywalled episode in which podcaster and reality television/documentary expert Kate Casey and I rewatch The First Monday in May, the documentary about the planning of the 2015 Met Gala. Featuring Anna Wintour hob-knobbing with canceled celebs, bandying her venti Starbucks around the Met, and more! Lees meer
Sign up for Back Row Premium to hear the full episode at BackRow.net to get newsletter access included with your subscription. Or sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify for podcast access only.
CHAPTERS:
02:20 – How ‘The First Monday in May’ Got Made
09:20 – The Story Behind the Alexander McQueen Exhibition
12:40 – Anna Wintour is an Outfit Repeater
17:20 – Anna’s Venti Starbucks Cup
27:00 – Could the Met Pull Off ‘China Through the Looking Glass’ Today?
33:50 – Subscribe for the Full Film Recap!
Follow Kate Casey:
↳ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca/?hl=en
↳ YouTube: @realitylifewithkatecasey
↳ Reality Life with Kate Casey: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reality-life-with-kate-casey/id1154758766
↳ Substack:https://katecasey.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web
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How Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Built Two Billion-Dollar Empires (Part 1)
18 mei 2026 · 1 uur 1 min
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on television before they could talk and millionaires before they could read. Former Us Weekly editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, author of the new Celebrity Intelligence newsletter, joins Back Row to break down the Full House casting story, the Dual Star empire, the billion-dollar licensing machine, and the NYU years that changed everything. Lees meer
Part Two — revealing the secrets behind The Row — is available to Premium subscribers. Sign up at Back Row to get newsletter access included with your subscription, or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Find Part Two in Apple Podcasts here
Find Part Two in Spotify here
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:40 Dan Wakeford and Celebrity Intelligence
02:47 Why the Olsens are a unique case study
07:50 The Full House casting story
10:07 The reality of child stardom
16:22 How their personalities diverged early
19:49 From pennies to $80,000 an episode
26:27 The home video empire begins
33:28 The billion dollar licensing machine
48:00 Turning 18 and taking control
53:41 NYU and the paparazzi years
57:47 How everything changed
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How Kim Kardashian Broke the Met Gala
11 mei 2026 · 36 min
SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row newsletter and go Premium to access all paywalled podcast episodes and newsletters: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe Lees meer
Kim Kardashian spent 10 years being the most reviled woman at the Met Gala. Then she became the blueprint.
Cultural critic and psychoanalytic psychotherapist MJ Corey, author of Dekonstructing the Kardashians, joins Back Row to explain how Kim paved the way for the Tech Gala (04:42), why the hatred only makes her bigger (17:39), what the Paris robbery really did for her career (28:15), and why she's acting now (30:35).
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Why 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Is More Accurate Than You Think, with Rachel Tashjian [TEASER]
7 mei 2026 · 33 min
The full episode is for paid Back Row subscribers: backrow.net/subscribe Lees meer
A note to listeners: On May 15, prices will increase to $8/month and $72/year. Upgrade to annual to lock in the lower rate. Or sign up at backrow.net/subscribe to get newsletter access included with your subscription and don't miss a single juicy story.
This episode contains spoilers.
We've waited 20 years for The Devil Wears Prada 2 — and it's better than expected. Rachel Tashjian of CNN joins me to break down what the sequel gets shockingly right about Anna Wintour, Vogue, and journalism's decline. We also cover Emily Blunt stealing the movie, whether the filmmakers got too close to Anna, and the billionaire character hiding in plain sight.
Chapters:
00:00 Spoiler warning & intro
05:56 How accurately does the film depict journalism?
17:34 Did the filmmakers get too close to Anna Wintour?
29:07 The billionaire characters: who is Benji really?
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Met Gala 2026 Recap: Beyoncé, the Bezos Backlash, Kim Kardashian, and Vogue's Silence
6 mei 2026 · 59 min
This episode is sponsored by Margaux. First time shoppers get 10 percent off with the code BACKROW. A few of my favorite styles: Lees meer
Wrap sandals
Phoebe flats
Downtown boot
The 2026 Met Gala was the most controversial in memory — and Back Row is telling you what the fashion press won't. Amy Odell and Heather Cocks of Go Fug Yourself and Drinks With Broads break down the biggest narratives from the night: the Bezos backlash, the protests outside, why Vogue's silence was deafening, and what it actually means that tech billionaires have taken over fashion's biggest night.
Plus: Beyoncé's return after 10 years, Blue Ivy's debut, the Kardashians and their nipples, Lauren Sanchez's Madame X look, why Jeff Bezos snuck in the back door, John Galliano and fashion's cancellation problem, and whether any of this controversy will actually stick.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:49 The Bezos Backlash and the protests
04:14 The Ball Without Billionaires
07:15 Vogue's silence on the controversy
10:31 Why tech billionaires are really at the Met
18:26 Lauren Sanchez's Madame X look
43:39 The Kardashians, Beyoncé, and the best and worst looks
49:15 Galliano, Anna Wintour, and fashion's cancellation problem
54:05 Will the controversy actually matter?
Subscribe to the Back Row Newsletter and Back Row on YouTube.
Follow Heather Cox at Drinks With Broads and Go Fug Yourself.
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'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Filmmakers on How They Nailed the Fall of Fashion Magazines
4 mei 2026 · 41 min
WARNING: This episode contains SPOILERS for 'The Devil Wears Prada 2.' Lees meer
This is my full interview with 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. After talking to them both when I was writing 'Anna: The Biography,' I couldn't wait to hear about how they put this movie together after TWENTY YEARS. Who and what were they skewering? Did the film get too close to its source material, Anna Wintour? How did Lady Gaga enter the picture? And... will there be a THIRD movie?!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
2:43 How the sequel finally got made
5:17 Miranda's backlash: the fast fashion puff piece explained
8:14 How Miranda Priestly changed in 20 years
9:36 The new assistants and the new workplace
12:20 Every cameo, explained
31:43 Emily Blunt and the evolution of Emily Charlton
39:52 Will there be a third film?LINKS & RESOURCES:
▸ Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe
▸ Read my book, Anna: The Biography: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anna/Amy-Odell/9781982122638
▸ Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell
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There Is No More Cerulean
1 mei 2026 · 33 min
I went on Sam Sanders's show on KCRW to talk all things Met Gala 2026! Lees meer
We get into the Bezos Met Gala sponsorship, fashion's new Gilded Age, and The Devil Wears Prada 2. We also talked about why tech money is taking over fashion, what happened to the aspirational consumer, and whether the Cerulean monologue could even exist in 2026. Sam is one of the best interviewers around — this was a really fun conversation. Thanks to the KCRW team for allowing us to share it here. Follow Sam's show here.
CHAPTERS:
01:30 – Has the Met Gala Become the Tech Gala?
05:20 – Has Fashion Entered a New Gilded Age?
10:20 – The Widening Gap Between the Classes of Fashion
14:20 – What it’s Like to be a Fashion VIC
18:00 – What’s Changed in Fashion Since The (1st) Devil Wears Prada?
20:00 – Does the Cerulean Monologue Hold Up in 2026?
25:10 – Fixing the Met Gala
27:40 – Amy’s Sources of Fashion Inspo
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The Fraught History of Naming Celebrities 'World's Most Beautiful'
30 april 2026 · 46 min
People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful" editor Andrea Lavinthal joins Back Row to go behind the scenes of the most coveted — and complicated — cover in celebrity journalism. Anne Hathaway talked to People about The Devil Wears Prada 2, her husband, and her haters. But handing out this prize isn't as easy as it might seem. Lees meer
Andrea breaks down how the "World's Most Beautiful" franchise has evolved since Michelle Pfeiffer in 1990 (3:28), why "most beautiful" is more fraught for women than "Sexiest Man Alive" is for men (1:51), and how much creative control a star like Anne Hathaway has over the shoot (9:33). Plus: why Gwyneth Paltrow's "Most Beautiful" cover made an editor think it would get her fired (25:54).
Links & Resources
📰 SUBSCRIBE to the Back Row Newsletter for exclusive scoops and bonus podcast episodes: https://www.backrow.net/
📸 Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/
Mentioned in this episode:
↳ People's Anne Hathaway cover story, photographed by Jonny Marlow
↳ JFK Jr.'s "Sexiest Man Alive" cover story
This episode was edited by Chrissi Harris.
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Met Gala 2026: The Bezos Backlash, Devil Wears Prada 2, and What It All Means for Anna Wintour
20 april 2026 · 56 min
The 2026 Met Gala has three storylines running at once: Jeff and Lauren Bezos as lead sponsors, The Devil Wears Prada 2 opening the Friday before, and Anna Wintour doing more press than she has in years. Amy sits down with Chantal Fernandez of The Cut to break down all of it — plus predictions for the night. Lees meer
0:00 Intro — Why This Met Gala Is Different
1:14 - Meet Chantal Fernandez
5:42 The Theme: "Costume Art" & What It Actually Means
8:01 - The Real Story Nobody's Covering: The New Costume Institute Galleries
10:17 - How Met Gala Exhibitions Became Museum Blockbusters
12:35 - How Themes Actually Get Chosen (and Who Funds Them)
14:02 - Anna's Role: Making Exhibitions Commercial
19:00 - Why the Met Gala Gets More Criticism Than the Oscars
21:14 - What Brands Actually Get Out of Spending $350K on a Table
24:26 - Can You Even Boycott the Met Gala?
28:06 - Lauren Sanchez, Schiaparelli & the New Ultra-Rich Aesthetic
30:16 - Breaking Down the NYT Lauren Sanchez Profile
32:56 - Graydon Carter's Perfect Quote
40:14 - Fashion Is Losing Power — and the Bezoses Are a Symptom
44:01 - Anna's Devil Wears Prada 2 Marketing Blitz: Smart or a Mistake?
49:19 - Predictions for Met Gala Night
52:49 - Will Devil Wears Prada 2 Be Any Good?
54:10 - Outro
Partner message: Go here: https://beehiiv.link/8yrisv and use the code AMY30 to get 30 percent off a subscription to beehiiv.
Links & Resources
📰 Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/
📸 Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/
Mentioned in this episode:
↳ Chantal's VIC story
↳ Amy’s recent Met Gala reporting
↳ NYT profile of Lauren Sanchez by Amy Chozick
↳ Chantal’s 2024 Met Gala story
↳ Charlotte Cowles’s story asking Anna if she’s retiring
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12 Ultra-Rich People Opened Up About What Money Did to Them
13 april 2026 · 33 min
What does extreme wealth actually do to a person? Their psychology, their relationships, their behavior? Lees meer
New York Magazine features writer Lane Brown set out to answer that question by interviewing a dozen ultra-high net worth individuals, people worth $30 million or more. (Read his full story here.) Almost no one wanted to talk. The ones who did had never spoken about this before.
Lane and Amy discuss what he found: why sudden wealth immediately isolates you, how self-made billionaires think versus inheritors, why the goalpost never stops moving no matter how much you have, and the eight-step psychological descent — mapped out by a therapist who treats the ultra-wealthy — that can turn an ordinary rich person into someone completely detached from reality.
Part 2 is available to Back Row premium subscribers at backrow.net/subscribe, which includes full newsletter access. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
CHAPTERS
00:00 — Introduction
01:19 — Meet Lane Brown
02:12 — What Extreme Wealth Does to a Person
03:21 — The First Thing Money Does: Isolation
06:36 — Who Counts as Ultra-Wealthy?
07:28 — How Lane Got Mark Cuban to Talk
09:31 — Why the Rich Refused to Participate
11:22 — Self-Made vs. Inherited Wealth
13:18 — Is It All Just Luck?
14:16 — The Goalpost That Never Stops Moving
17:41 — The 8-Step Descent Into Corruption
20:23 — Do Billionaires Know People Hate Them?
23:24 — When Luxury Purchases Lose Their Thrill
27:03 — Are Billionaires Actually Cheap?
29:02 — The Tax Strategy Behind the Spending
This episode was produced by Amy Odell and edited by Joyce Ciesil and Jonathan Voytko.
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Why Anna Wintour Did the 'Vogue' Cover
10 april 2026 · 8 min
This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published April 7, 2022. Lees meer
What on earth is Anna Wintour doing on the cover of Vogue?! A theory as to why she's leaning so hard into The Devil Wears Prada 2 promo — and what it all says about her legacy.
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'The Devil Wears Prada' Rewatch: Was 'Vogue' Really Like That?
6 april 2026 · 57 min
How much was Vogue really like The Devil Wears Prada? Amy Odell sits down with former Vanity Fair critic and the author of the Premiere Party newsletter, Richard Lawson, to rewatch The Devil Wears Prada before the sequel drops. Lees meer
Amy interviewed more than 250 people to write Anna: The Biography, including Anna Wintour's closest friends and collaborators. Richard worked at Condé Nast for a dozen years — and has stories. They review the movie's origin story, break down each scene, and talk about what was totally real and what was totally made up.
In Part 2 for Premium subscribers, the discuss how the movie impacted Anna Wintour's public image and how she really felt about all of it. Part 2 is available to Premium subscribers. Sign up at Back Row for full newsletter access or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
CHAPTERS:
01:30 — The Devil Wears Prada Origin Story
05:50 — How the Film Elevates the Book
09:10 — Richard’s Real-life Andy Sachs Experience
17:00 — The Movie’s Opening Montage
20:10 — Miranda’s Arrival: “A Million Girls Would Kill For This Job”
24:50 — Andy’s Boring Boyfriend
31:00 — What was it Really Like for Assistants in the Aughts?
34:20 — Would Andy Have Succeeded Without Miranda?
36:50 — The Story Behind the Cerulean Monologue
42:30 — The Harry Potter Book: Did Miranda Want Andy to Fail?
45:30 — The Met Gala Scene
53:50 — Why the Costumes Worked
Links & Resources:
Back Row newsletter:
Premiere Party newsletterGet Anna: The Biography
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Are We Living Through a New Gilded Age?
30 maart 2026 · 33 min
Will Kris Jenner's birthday party be immortalized on an HBO show in a hundred years? Lees meer
Maybe.
The Gilded Age was America’s first era of extreme wealth, inequality, and loud luxury, spanning 1870 to 1900. On this episode of the Back Row podcast, which explains how fashion and culture really work, Amy talks to Gilded Age historian and author Elizabeth Block about how shockingly closely society and fashion today mirror the wealthy and luxury industries during that time period.
Elizabeth is the author of the upcoming book Gilded Age Fashion: More Than 50 Iconic Looks and the Stories Behind Them.
Their conversation breaks down how Kris Jenner's birthday feels straight out of the late 1880s; how sky-high luxury fashion prices are basically the same as they were back then; the most extreme luxuries of the past and present; and Vogue's Gilded Age origins.
Listen to Part 2 for Elizabeth’s take on what life was like for the have-nots during the period — and why she sees parallels between Taylor Swift’s wedding and the Gilded Age.
Part 2 is available to Back Row Premium subscribers. Sign up at BackRow.net (which includes full newsletter access) or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 — Introducing Dr. Elizabeth Block
01:20 — Are We Living in a New Gilded Age?
03:20 — The Gilded Age Weddings
07:40 — Kris Jenner’s Birthday Party: Gilded Age-Coded?
11:00 — How Much Did Socialites Spend on Dresses? Then vs. Now
16:30 — Gossip Columns: What Were the Faux Pas?
20:30 — Etiquette Books and the Rules of Modesty
26:20 — Vogue’s Gilded Age Origins
Links & Resources:
Back Row Newsletter
Amy Odell — Instagram
Elizabeth Block — Instagram
Newsletter: Gilded Age Fashion
Books:
Gilded Age Fashion: More Than 50 Iconic Looks and the Stories Behind Them
Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing
This episode was produced by Amy Odell and edited by Joyce Ciesil and Jonathan Voytko.
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Why Tech Billionaires Are Becoming Fashion’s New Kardashians
27 maart 2026 · 39 min
Are tech billionaires the next Kardashians? Lees meer
From Mark Zuckerberg sitting front row at Prada to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Met Gala sponsorship, tech billionaires are increasingly present in the fashion world in 2026. Why is this happening?
Amy invites tech journalist Taylor Lorenz back on the pod to discuss this controversial relationship between fashion and big tech. They dive into Bezos funding the Met Gala (4:30), why going to fashion shows could be a byproduct of tech backlash (07:00); Mark Zuckerberg at Prada (13:30), the future of space tourism (19:00); and whether smartglasses are fashion or surveillance (24:20).
Listen to Part 2 to hear their takes on Bryan Johnson’s ‘Don’t Die’ movement and Clavicular’s Looksmaxxing on the runway — and what these male beauty and wellness trends mean for the future of fashion.
Part 2 is available to paid subscribers at backrow.net (which includes full newsletter access) or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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Inside JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’s Life on Cape Cod
23 maart 2026 · 40 min
What did Love Story get wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette? Lees meer
Amy Odell sits down with Kate Storey, author of White House by the Sea, to break down what really happened inside the Kennedy compound — and how the show fictionalizes their lives, relationship, and famous Cape Cod summers. And she answers the urgent question: was there really a breakfast board?!
Kate spent years reporting on the Kennedy family and shares what the show gets right, what it gets completely wrong, and what their real lives were actually like behind the scenes.
Sign up for a Premium subscription to Back Row to hear Part 2. Go to BackRow.net to get newsletter access included with your subscription. Or sign up in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
CHAPTERS
01:06 why everyone is watching “love story”03:00 inside the real Kennedy compound
06:00 how the show fictionalizes Hyannis Port
08:20 how John and Carolyn really started dating
12:10 when the paparazzi began
13:00 JFK Jr.’s Cape Cod childhood
15:40 the treasure diving story
17:50 the infamous boat moment
19:20 the “breakfast board” truth
21:00 Carolyn vs the Kennedy family (real story)
23:30 what Carolyn was actually like
27:00 their dinner parties and private life
28:30 how they really got engaged
30:00 iconic photos vs reality
31:00 how accurate is the show overall?
34:00 their final plans for the house
36:00 why they didn’t prioritize security
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Joh Galliano for... Zara?!
18 maart 2026 · 7 min
This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published Tuesday, March 17. Lees meer
After waiting two years for John Galliano's next move, we finally know he's going to Zara. In this analysis, Amy talks about why fashion people have forgiven him for his antisemitic and racist tirades that became public in 2011 and led to him losing his job at Dior — and why this move is a risk for Zara. Amy finishes with the "Loose Threads" news roundup, featuring Adrien Grenier's Devil Wears Prada 2 laments and a funny update about Gwyenth's clothing auction.
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The Oscars’ Biggest Fashion Stories: Anna Wintour, the Timothée Backlash, & Is Chanel Good Again?
17 maart 2026 · 50 min
Amy Odell is joined by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan of Go Fug Yourself and the Drinks With Broads
newsletter to break down the biggest fashion stories from Oscars night—and what they reveal about Hollywood right now. Lees meerThey discuss Anna Wintour’s surprise appearance (and why she’s leaning into The Devil Wears Prada 2), the backlash against Timothée Chalamet and what it says about celebrity culture, and the ongoing dominance of luxury brands like Chanel and Dior on the red carpet.
Plus: the state of red carpet coverage, why it feels increasingly sanitized, and the looks that worked—and didn’t.
In part two, we get into the media’s Ozempic discourse, Chanel vs. Dior, and why the K-pop Demon Hunters cast didn’t get the attention they deserved.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The Oscars as luxury marketing
05:00 Why everything in Hollywood is too long
09:30 The biggest fashion stories
10:30 The problem with red carpet coverage
19:00 The Timothée backlash
26:00 Kylie Jenner and celebrity optics
29:00 Anna Wintour at the Oscars
35:00 Chanel vs. Dior
40:00 The best (and safest) looksDon't forget to sign up for the Back Row newsletter.
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