Back Row with Amy Odell

Latest Episodes:

Kim Kardashian’s Brand Is Blankness; ‘All’s Fair’ Is a Tacky Mess Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

The Atlantic staff writer and Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves author Sophie Gilbert joins Amy to talk about All's Fair. The new Ryan Murphy show starring Kim Kardashian has received uniformly dire reviews — yet has triumphed in the face of its badness with pretty respectable ratings. Is this the end of competency in culture? Did All's Fair's creators intend for this show to be so terrible? Plus what Kardashian's captivating blankness, on unflinching view in All's Fair, says about the state of culture today.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: All's Fair and its reception

02:27 The show's themes and stars

05:02 Why the Kardashians took off as reality stars

06:53 All's Fair's depictions of plastic surgery and the Kardashian-Jenner influence on plastic surgery more broadly

11:54 Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party and depictions of extreme wealth in popular culture

20:02 Are we reaching the end of competence in culture, as we are in politics?

24:15 Why girlbossing is back

29:07 Comparing All's Fair's fashion to And Just Like That's

32:32 What does Ryan Murphy really think of women?

37:21 How Kim Kardashian is handling the show's scathing reviews

41:16 Sophie on the most surprising thing she found when researching her book 'Girl on Girl'

46:49 Sophie's thoughts on Lily Allen's astonishing new album about the dissolution of her marriage

Links and resources:

Get Sophie's book: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves

Read Sophie's All's Fair review in The Atlantic.

Read Sophie's essay about how money is ruining television in The Atlantic.

Read Jill Filipovic's essay, "The End of Competence."

Read Amy's All's Fair fashion review or listen to it as a podcast in Spotify or Apple.

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Anna Wintour's 10 Most Influential Covers Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

In honor of Anna Wintour's last Vogue cover as editor-in-chief, featuring Timothée Chalamet, Amy counts down her top 10 most influential covers from over the course of her career. Which ones would you add to the list?

(0:23) Why Timothée's cover was a big surprise

(1:18) What the social media commenters said about the cover

(3:01) The cover countdown begins

(6:08) Countdown halfway point

(9:14) Anna's number-one most influential cover

(10:08) Back Row commenters weigh in on Amy's list and make their picks

(12:20) Loose Threads (fashion news highlights) featuring All's Fair's terrible reviews, Kris Jenner's birthday party, and more.

This is the audio version of the Back Row newsletter published November 11, 2025.

Links & resources:

• Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter

• Anna: The Biography, by Amy Odell

• "Ugly clothes for ugly times" by Raquel Laneri

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Was Jane Birkin Unfairly Commodified by Hermès? Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Amy interviews Marisa Meltzer, author of It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, about how Birkin became one of the most famous fashion icons of the sixties. Marisa talks about how she became the inspiration and namesake for the Hermès Birkin bag, and whether or not she was ever paid for this distinction. She also reveals how Birkin really felt about the Birkin bag becoming more famous than her — and much more.

(1:19) An excerpt from the audiobook of Amy's latest book, Gwyneth: The Biography (2:52) Jane Birkin's early life and upbringing, including how she met her husband John Barry when she was 17; and how she ended up moving from London to Paris and meeting Serge Gainsbourg (6:55) Birkin's significance as an icon of Swinging 1960s London (8:28) Birkin was an It girl in the pre-tech age. Can you reverse-engineer being an It girl today? Or does the algorithm sap people of the required mystery? (12:09) How romantic relationships vault It girls like Birkin and Gwyneth Paltrow. (14:14) The Birkin bag origin story. (18:57) Did Hermès unfairly co-opt Birkin's name for a massively profitable bag? How did she feel about it? (22:16) How much Hermès paid Birkin for use of her name. (25:57) How Birkin handled aging out of her It girl status. (Or did she become an It dame?) (31:00) Was Jane Birkin ambitious? (32:34) Amy and Marisa play a game: It girl or not an It girl? Featuring: Alix Earle, Lauren Sánchez, Anna Wintour, Apple Martin, and more.

Links & resources:

Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter
It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, by Marisa Meltzer
Listen to Amy's book Gwyneth: The Biography in Apple, Spotify, and Audible.
Check out Amy's biography of Anna Wintour, Anna: The Biography.

Credits: Produced by Amy Odell. Edited by Amy Odell and Jonathan Voytko.

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Victoria Beckham's Netflix Show: Infomercial or Documentary? With Ryan Bailey Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

Amy sits down with Ryan Bailey, host of So Bad It's Good, to analyze Victoria Beckham's Netflix docu-series. They discuss how it compared to David Beckham's docuseries and RJ Cutler's docs about Martha Stewart and Anna Wintour; what makes Victoria so appealing; what the show blatantly left out; and how the Victoria Beckham fashion line is actually performing as a business.

For more, follow So Bad It's Good with Ryan Bailey.

Follow Ryan on Instagram and YouTube.

Read Amy's earlier review of Victoria Beckham in Back Row.

Time stamps:

(00:00) Introduction to Ryan Bailey and His Podcast

(01:09) Exploring the Beckham Docu-Series

(04:36) Family Dynamics and Tabloid Drama

(06:42) Victoria Beckham's Media Presence

(08:26) Victoria Beckham's Fashion Journey

(12:00) Insecurities in Celebrity Culture

(15:53) Business Success and Challenges

(21:17) Victoria Beckham's Fashion Brand and Industry Respect

(22:51) Target Audience and Market Positioning

(25:13) Body Image and Fashion Industry Challenges

(27:03) The Pressure of Being a Nepo Baby

(29:43) Owning Privilege and Public Perception

(30:48) The Future of Celebrity Brands

(34:24) Comparative Analysis of Celebrity Documentaries

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The Row's Sample Was WILD Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

The Row's sample sale just wrapped in New York City. The slew of haul vlogs fans of the brand posted after pillaging the sale resulted in some of the best content involving influencers since the Fyre Festival. What do these tell us about the brand and the current state of shopping culture? Amy explores.

This story originally appeared in the Back Row newsletter.

Also discussed in the show:

The only The Row haul parody you need.

Amy's earlier reporting on The Row from Back Row: Can the Olsens Make The Row the Next Hermès?

Banana Republic is GOOD, friends. Check out this shirt dress and this button-down.

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Avery Trufelman on the Origins of Modern Menswear and Gorpcore Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Avery Trufelman, the host of the Articles of Interest podcast, talks to Amy about her new season, how the military influenced gorpcore and modern preppy clothing, Greta Lee's new Vogue cover, and more.

This is an extended version of the Back Row newsletter that published on October 21.

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Does Gwyneth Paltrow Wish Me Well? Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Amy Odell (author of Gwyneth: The Biography) interviews Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, stars and creators of the hit play with music, Gwyneth Goes Skiing — a send-up of the 2023 trial involving Gwyneth Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson.

Amy talks about her interview with Terry Sanderson for her book; Linus and Joseph talk about their research process for the play; props (yes, they visited the Goop store); and why this viral courtroom moment translated so well to the stage. Gwyneth recently discussed Amy's book in British Vogue, and the three discuss that, too. Guests: Linus Karp & Joseph Martin 🔗 Links & Resources • Buy Gwyneth: The Biography

• Listen to Gwyneth: The Biography in Spotify • Gwyneth Goes Skiing tickets / info (NYC → Aspen → LA) Support the Show • Follow Back Row: https://amyodell.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/ • Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amy_odell 00:00 — Intro: 'Gwyneth: The Biography' + 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' 00:29 — How Gwyneth and Terry Sanderson ended up in court 01:40 — A preview of 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' 03:30 — Research: the play and the book 09:00 — Portraying Terry Sanderson & Gwyneth Paltrow 18:00 — Goop store visit & props 22:00 — Amy recalls interviewing Terry Sanderson 28:00 — Discussing Gwyneth's response to 'Gwyneth' in British 'Vogue' 31:00 — Closing thoughts Credits Host and producer: Amy Odell Editing: Amy Odell and Jonathan Voytko Recorded October 17, 2025 Photos: Anna Clare (Courtesy of Awkward Productions) Video: Courtesy of Awkward Productions

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The Untold Story of Victoria Beckham's Brand Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Amy reviews Victoria Beckham's new Netflix documentary, which sheds light on how she went from maligned tabloid star to the founder of her own fashion brand — and how she made over her image to earn the industry's respect. Plus, "Loose Threads" about Anna Wintour, Victoria's Secret, and more.

This episode originally ran in the Back Row newsletter.

Subscribe to Back Row on YouTube for more stories like this.

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Fashion Month Awards: Spring 2026 Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Amy is joined by Dana Thomas, fashion journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Deluxe, to pick spring 2026 Fashion Month Awards. Categories include: Most Baffling Success; Best Debut; Most Polarizing Collection; and more.

For more stories like this, subscribe to the Back Row newsletter and Amy's YouTube channel.

Get more from Dana Thomas in her Style Files newsletter.

Books referenced: Amy's Anna: The Biography; Dana's Gods & Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano

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The Verdict on Chanel! Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Amy reviews designer Matthieu Blazy's historic debut collection for Chanel.

This podcast is based on this issue of her Back Row newsletter.

Also referenced: this "Retail Confessions" column where a former Chanel sales person talks about what it was really like working in the store selling to some of the world's wealthiest people.

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