The Sam Sanders Show Is the Met Gala Still Relevant?
Apr 28, 2026
Amy Odell, fashion and culture journalist and host of the Back Row newsletter, joins to discuss the Met Gala's controversies. They cover outrage over Bezos sponsorships, how tech money reshapes fashion cool, the industry's gilded age of conspicuous consumption, widening luxury vs fast-fashion divides, and what signals at the Gala will reveal about acceptance and power in the fashion world.
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Lauren Sanchez Being Socially Onboarded Into Fashion
- Lauren Sanchez's acceptance into fashion circles is visible at couture shows where she was seen arriving with Anna Wintour.
- Odell compares this social onboarding to Kim Kardashian's arc from scandal to acceptance in fashion.
Luxury Now Revolves Around Very Important Clients
- Luxury fashion has reorganized to prioritize a tiny group of Very Important Clients who spend disproportionate amounts.
- Odell notes VICs are ~2% of customers but account for ~40% of luxury spending, driving brand strategy.
Fashion Is In A New Gilded Age
- Amy Odell calls fashion's current moment a new Gilded Age driven by ostentatious consumption among the ultra-wealthy.
- She and a Gilded Age historian point to extravagant multi-outfit weddings and trunks of clothes as modern parallels.