If you're not familiar with Amy Odell, journalist and author, then you might have heard of her book: Anna: The Biography. A New York Times best-seller, and based on extensive interviews with the most powerful person in fashion's friends and collaborators, Odell has arguably got closer than anyone to demystifying the woman behind the sunglasses: Anna Wintour.
Her newsletter, Back Row, is an absolute must-read in industry circles, while her green screen-style videos on Instagram - covering wide-ranging subjects including, 'Logan Roy's Terrifying Moseying Suit' and 'The Untold Origin Story of The Devil Wears Prada' - are filled with insider titbits. After the biggest night in fashion wrapped - the Met Gala 2023 - Grazia wanted to get the lowdown on the event's historic ties with Anna Wintour. Here, Amy gives her take on this year's controversial theme, the guest list and the infamous smoking in the museum stories.
What does the gala mean to Anna?
Anna has told friends she wants her legacy to be for her philanthropy. The Met Gala is the biggest philanthropic endeavour of her career, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is also, her friends told me, a fun night for her, even though it is also work.
What elements of this year’s gala can you see her fingerprints all over? What will she have liked about the post-event news stories?
The Karl Lagerfeld theme was the most controversial to date under her tenure, given his history of offensive statements about women, fat people, and sexual assault victims. Vogue and the Costume Institute did not acknowledge this at all, which is typical of how Vogue under Anna has operated - brushing controversy under the rug and carrying on in the name of glamour. It's something I give repeated examples of in the book.
What is her favourite part of the evening?
One friend told me that she loves the over-the-top looks! A lot of people have criticised the gala for becoming too much of a costume party versus a black-tie event. But Anna - who remember, is a huge theatre fan - enjoys the theatrics. The first time she left her spot inside the museum where she greets guests was for the Camp Gala - she went outside to watch Lady Gaga come up the steps (her entry involved choreography and several outfit changes).
How much has it changed over the years?
I would say it's unrecognisable from what it was when Anna started planning it in 1995. They didn't even have a carpet on the steps! And it was really mostly the fashion industry attending - models, designers - along with society people. Anna gradually replaced socialites with recognisable Hollywood stars, completely turning the idea of a museum fundraiser on its head.
How much control does she have over the guest list?
Total control. No one gets into the event unless she approves them.
Does she approve dresses or seating plans?
She approves the majority of the dresses, and might even review the sketches of the looks in advance. The seating plans are meticulously created. She often breaks up couples to force them to mingle with new people. She considers whether someone is an ex of someone else and might not want that person in their sight line. This year, Diddy walked out early, telling a reporter he was leaving because he didn't like his seat, which was behind a pole. So I can understand Anna and her team's attention to every detail when it comes to seats.
Have there been any difficult guests or people she wouldn’t invite again?
There have been incidents with guests. A former gala planner told me once she had a guest pass out in the bathroom. Every year people smoke in the museum, which is not allowed - this has been the case for decades though it only recently became a news story.
What have been her favourite themes?
My understanding is that she likes more modern themes. The 2014 retrospective on Charles James was not her favourite. In general, Anna advises chief curator Andrew Bolton on how to pick a theme that will have broad appeal, but also one that she can get sponsored.
Anna always wears Chanel. When did that tradition start and what does it mean to her?
Anna has worn Chanel for a long time - she was married in a Chanel wedding dress in the early Eighties. While André Leon Talley thought that her old friend Joan Juliet Buck - who was friends with Karl Lagerfeld - had procured the clothes for her, she actually bought it off the sale rack at Bergdorf Goodman. She stepped up her Chanel game when she became editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1988. She typically undergoes several fittings for her Chanel gowns for the Met.
Does she love it when outfits go viral? Is that something she encourages when she’s signing off looks?
Sources told me that the day after the gala, she goes to the office at the usual time (around 8 am) and wants updates throughout the day on the numbers - how much traffic the website is getting, etc. Judging by the way the fashion has gone in recent years, she's been signing off on more viral looks than ever.
Who have been some of her favourite co-chairs?
Tom Ford told me that they had long known each other but became proper friends after he co-chaired the gala in 2003. He was so particular about all the details that he insisted the chef for the event fly to London to make the dinner for him so he could offer notes. He was concerned with the detail down to the colour of the foods on the plate.
What did you learn about her relationship with the gala when you were researching your book?
Anna has used the event to build the fashion industry - she wants people to mix and mingle and come up with ways to work together. I think this is one thing that has made attending so desirable, which has enabled her to raise the ticket prices so much over the years. Sources told me that everything she does with the planning comes down to how she can raise more money every year.
Amy is the author of Anna: The Biography, which is published 4 May by Allen & Unwin UK at £10.99.