Episode Description
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
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Links & Resources
📰 Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/
📸 Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/
Mentioned in this episode:
↳ 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
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