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 (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 (instagram.com/instamyodell)
Back Row newsletter (backrow.net)

Dana Thomas
Instagram (instagram.com/danathomasparis/?hl=en)
Deluxe (amzn.to/3L2Tt8u) (book)
Gods & Kings (amzn.to/4aJDzu4) (book)
Fashionopolis (amzn.to/49qVX8R) (book)
Style Files (danathomas.substack.com) (newsletter)

Credits:
Produced by Amy Odell. Audio editing by Joyce Ciesel, video by Jonathan Voytko.

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