Fashion Month Awards Part One: Chanel’s New Era & Tech Billionaires in the Front Row (with Dana Thomas)

Paris Fashion Week wrapped up the Fall 2026 shows, so Amy Odell and New York Times bestselling author Dana Thomas are handing out the Fashion Month Awards.

Together they break down the biggest moments from New York, Milan, and Paris Fashion Week, including:

• Prada’s viral runway stunt
• Marc Jacobs’ comeback in New York
• The rise of fashion watch parties bringing fans into the shows
• Why tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg are suddenly sitting front row
• The best trends and the weirdest trends of the season
• What Chanel’s new era could mean for fashion

They also talk about how fashion shows—and fashion media—are changing as creators, newsletters, and independent platforms reshape the industry.

Part two of the Fashion Month Awards is available to Back Row Premium subscribers. Sign up at BackRow.net to get newsletter access and more exclusive fashion reporting included with your subscription, or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Chapters:

00:00 — Introducing Dana Thomas and the Fashion Month awards
01:25 — Is fashion entering a new generational era?
04:10 — The shift from magazines to creators and newsletters
06:40 — Loudest viral stunt: Prada’s layered runway trick
10:15 — Fashion watch parties and opening shows to the public
15:35 — Why fashion shows might become spectator events
20:55 — Sleeper hit of the season
24:30 — Most awkward front row celebrity
28:00 — Tech billionaires invade fashion week
31:50 — Hardest-working front row celebrity
34:20 — Best trend of the season
36:40 — Weirdest trend: the return of tails

Links and Resources:

Amy Odell - Instagram Back Row newsletter Dana Thomas Instagram Deluxe (book) Gods & Kings (book) Fashionopolis (book) Style Files (newsletter) Credits: Produced by Amy Odell. Audio editing by Joyce Ciesel, video by Jonathan Voytko.

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