What Fashion's Wealthy 'Very Important Clients' Want and Gift for the Holidays
"Hermès playing cards are my go-to."
Chapters:
01:35 - VIC no. 1: The Expat Living in Dubai
03:10 - VIC no. 2: The Personal Shopper for Upper East Siders
03:32 - VIC no. 3: The expat living in Hong Kong
05:31 - VIC no. 4: The New Yorker who's feeling uninspired
06:42 - VIC no. 5: The Personal Stylist to Upper East Side Billionaires and Centi-Millionaires
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9:26
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9:26
Is Vogue Still Relevant? Rachel Tashjian on Fashion’s Power Shift
Fashion critic Rachel Tashjian joins Amy Odell to unpack the biggest shifts happening right now in fashion media. From Vogue’s future to the creator vs. critic debate, AI-generated fashion models, $26,000 Versace dresses, and why fashion discourse seems to be getting meaner.
Rachel, formerly the Fashion Critic at the Washington Post and now Senior Style Reporter for CNN, breaks down:
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Amy Odell welcomes Rachel Tashjian
00:21 – Rachel’s new role at CNN
02:34 – Why video matters in fashion journalism
03:54 – Are people still reading? Changing media habits
04:22 – Amy on books, audiobooks, and audience shifts
05:49 – The rising tension in fashion discourse online
07:16 – When commentary overshadows the clothes
08:22 – Algorithms flatten expertise in fashion
09:29 – Creators vs. traditional editors: a 15-year evolution
10:43 – Substack, TikTok, and where fashion criticism lives now
11:35 – Access, honesty, and the cost of true criticism
12:46 – Do creators need editors? The “no safety net” problem
13:19 – Dior controversy: when brands exclude influencers
14:31 – Should influencers follow critic standards?
15:35 – Does Vogue still matter in 2025?
17:06 – Why Vogue covers still trigger huge reactions
18:33 – Anna Wintour’s influence across culture
19:32 – How AI is about to transform fashion media
20:55 – Performative fashion vs. post-Instagram design
22:33 – Can AI replace fashion creators?
23:54 – AI’s role in fashion advertising and image-making
24:43 – Will AI replace human fashion voices?
25:31 – The future: will Vogue become just covers?
27:14 – The price conundrum: $26,000 dresses and who they’re for
28:55 – What fashion brands really want from the public
30:49 – TikTok’s misinformation problem in fashion
31:49 – The Vogue rumor and how fake fashion news spreads
31:57 – Three fashion creators Rachel loves
33:29 – Three fashion creators Amy loves
Links & resources:
Back Row newsletter
https://amyodell.substack.com
Amy Odell Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/
Rachel Tashjian
CNN announcement: https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2025/10/07/rachel-tashjian-joins-cnn-as-senior-style-reporter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprophetpizza/
Creators mentioned
Kim Russell @TheKimbino: https://www.instagram.com/thekimbino/
Jay Tibbits: https://www.instagram.com/jaytibbitts/
Rashida Renée @:howtobeafuckinglady: https://www.instagram.com/howtobeafuckinglady/
Mandy Lee @OldLoserinBrooklyn: https://www.instagram.com/oldloserinbrooklyn/
Timothy Chernyaev @relaxitsonlyfashion on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@relaxitsonlyfashion?lang=en
Fashion Roadman: https://www.youtube.com/@FashionRoadman/videos
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34:14
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34:14
The Devil Wears Prada: Anna Wintour and the Assistant Who Started It All
And a bunch of other pieces from her clothing line. This is my story. Check out the photos in the Back Row story.
2:16 - Trying the gray T-shirt and jeans
4:23 - Trying the legendary black pants
5:10 - The oversized gray suit
6:13 - The Blair midi dress (one with the rouching)
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8:51
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8:51
Black Friday: How Fashion Brands Use Cult Tactics on You
Brown may be the new black — but brands are the new cults. Amy talks to CUNY professor, author, and ex-marketing executive Dr. Mara Einstein about how brands exploit cult-like marketing tactics to get us to buy, particularly during events like Black Friday. They discuss the real reason brands pushed Christmas shopping before Halloween (!) this year; how brands get us to buy in a world where we're increasingly disconnected from each other; why the "attention economy" is really the "anxiety economy"; and more.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to Dr. Mara Einstein and her research
00:52 - How brands are like cults
04:43 - How the luxury industry employs scarcity marketing to get people to buy things like Birkin bags
06:59 - The power of scarcity marketing
09:52 - How the economic blackout might affect retailers on Black Friday in 2025
12:45 - How brands like Lululemon and Cos harvest your data
16:54 - Why the "attention economy" is really the "anxiety economy"
19:47 - How brands "rage bait"
28:32 - How fashion marketing got people to buy Lucky Strike cigarettes in 1934
35:03 - Dr. Einstein weighs in on the de-influencing trend
Links & resources:
• Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter —
• Get Dr. Mara Einstein's book: Hoodwinked How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults
• Listen to Dr. Einstein's podcast, Hoodwinked in Apple:
Or Spotify
Credits:
Produced by Amy Odell. Edited by Amy Odell and Jonathan Voytko.
#FashionPodcast #BackRow #fashion #blackfriday #shopping
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