Back Row with Amy Odell

Amy Odell
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Fashion, style, celebrity and culture. Insider knowledge. Outsider honesty. Humor included.

  1. 16 HR AGO

    Met Gala 2026: The Bezos Backlash, Devil Wears Prada 2, and What It All Means for Anna Wintour

    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. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min

  2. 13 APR

    12 Ultra-Rich People Opened Up About What Money Did to Them

    What does extreme wealth actually do to a person? Their psychology, their relationships, their behavior? 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  3. 10 APR

    Why Anna Wintour Did the 'Vogue' Cover

    This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published April 7, 2022. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    8 min

  4. 6 APR

    'The Devil Wears Prada' Rewatch: Was 'Vogue' Really Like That?

    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. 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 newsletter Get Anna: The Biography Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min

  5. 30 MAR

    Are We Living Through a New Gilded Age?

    Will Kris Jenner's birthday party be immortalized on an HBO show in a hundred years? 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  6. 27 MAR

    Why Tech Billionaires Are Becoming Fashion’s New Kardashians

    Are tech billionaires the next Kardashians? 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min

  7. 23 MAR

    Inside JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’s Life on Cape Cod

    What did Love Story get wrong about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette? 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min

  8. 18 MAR

    Joh Galliano for... Zara?!

    This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published Tuesday, March 17. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    7 min
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About

Fashion, style, celebrity and culture. Insider knowledge. Outsider honesty. Humor included.

Information

  • Creator
    Amy Odell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Amy Odell 2025
  • Show Website
    Back Row with Amy Odell

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