Dana Thomas

A year ago, we had the Great Reset, where we saw a whole slew of new creative directors of brands like Chanel and Dior, so I think it's safe to say that those designers are in their sophomore year.

I had my friend Dana Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Deluxe and Gods and Kings and Fashionopolis, back on the podcast to do Fashion Month Awards with me.

It felt like a relatively quiet season, punctuated by animal rights protests, a spectacular finale show by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent, and of course, Chanel mania continues thanks to Michou Blasi.

Meanwhile, Virginie Viard released a book talking about what it was like to work at Chanel in the artistic director role after Karl Lagerfeld and before Michou Blasi, and how she was cruelly fired.

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I'm Amy Odell, and this is the Backrow Podcast, Fashion Month Awards, Spring 2027.

I'm here with my friend Dana Thomas.

Dana, it's so great to see you, and I'm so delighted that we're matching again in white.

... which was really the first it bag.

Dana Thomas is a fashion historian and informant, I believe is the term that she likes to use on her website, which I think is fantastic, and she has written one of my favorite fashion books of all time, called Deluxe, and it's all about how the fashion industry works from a commerce standpoint.

In the 1980s and 1990s, luxury fashion companies, which used to be small, family-run ateliers, started to go corporate.

They were gathered up into conglomerates.

Perfume has to smell good on you.

It's a very personal thing, scent.

Dana Thomas talked about how the bag almost seems egalitarian.

The Japanese woman is not built the same as the Midwest American, right? But they can carry the same handbag.