Anne Hathaway in a scene from ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’ The sequel portrays a whole new era in the fashion industry.Macall Polay/20th Century Studios/via The Associated Press
Twenty years ago, The Devil Wears Prada brought cerulean blue sweaters, statement necklaces and thigh-high boots to our screens, reflecting the fads of the mid-aughts while also setting its fair share of trends (remember those massively oversized sunglasses and pageboy caps?).
The sequel, released on May 1, portrays a whole new era in the fashion industry: Influencers hold the power, vintage is in and comfort matters. Sourcing costumes this time was easier than for the first film, when designers were allegedly afraid to lend their clothes and risk being blacklisted by Anna Wintour and Vogue. The result is a movie chock-full of looks from major designers, including Dior, Balenciaga and Margiela.
Joseph Tang, Holt Renfrew’s fashion director, said the sequel felt like a love letter to fashion over the years, with nods to iconic outfits from the original (such as a cerulean sweater vest) plus some new fashion memories for viewers.
His favourite looks included Miranda’s Dries Van Noten tassel jacket, the Aramani look she wears at the Duomo and her red Balenciaga gown. He was impressed by nearly all of Andy’s outfits, with the exception of the Gabriela Hearst patchwork dress she wears in the Hamptons, which he felt was out of character.
Devil Wears Prada 2 moviegoers dress to impress
“Andy’s style is really influenced by Annie Hall, and you see that through line in her wardrobe,” Tang said. Costume designer Molly Rogers has said that was intentional.
Menswear-inspired looks appear frequently throughout the film – something Vancouver clothing designer Dalia MacPhee noted is an accurate reflection of a real-world trend.
“Menswear is still hot and coming back,” she said.
A nod to archival fashion
In a particularly timely moment in the movie, Andy and her assistant, Jin, bond over finding second-hand designer pieces in vintage shops.
“That was a really nice homage to where fashion is today,” Tang said.
In 2006, you had to keep up with fashion magazines – or “bibles,” as they were called – to know what you needed to buy, Tang said. But today, that information is accessible on our phones. And with inspiration so widely available, people aren’t just looking at current runway collections.
“They’re getting inspired by collections from 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and they’re finding their niche of what they’re looking for, what matches their personal style, through the resale or thrifted market,” he added.
Even at Fashion Week, Tang said he often sees editors and buyers wearing archival pieces.
“Sometimes adding that one piece from an old designer collection or from a designer that may not exist any more has much more street cred in fashion communities,” he said.
Meryl Streep, left, and Stanley Tucci in a scene from ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’Macall Polay/20th Century Studios/via The Associated Press
Aspirational or accurate?
Unsurprisingly, many of the clothes in the film are highly aspirational – a fantasy – noted Toronto stylist Joy Asibey-Gabriel. Like the original, she said it also represents a very specific lens on style: luxury, Eurocentric and relatively traditional.
Still, there was a clear effort on the part of the filmmakers to make the movie more inclusive, both of different body types and ethnicities, compared to 20 years ago. But for Asibey-Gabriel, it fell short. “I could see the attempts, although it was almost like they were ticking boxes,” she said.
The fashion industry has made small strides in this department, expanding size ranges and featuring more diverse models in ad campaigns. But it can often feel like one step forward, two steps back. See, for example, the recent regression of the body positivity movement and a return to “thin is in.”
The Devil Wears Prada 2 review: Beloved film’s sequel is repackaged fashion unfit for Goodwill
Perhaps the most unrealistic aspect of the movie’s costumes, however, is the footwear, according to Asibey-Gabriel. While the characters strut around New York in stilettos, the stylist said the women she works with – many of whom are in high-level positions – are simply not willing to suffer through the pain of wearing heels any more. Even in the fashion industry, MacPhee said stilettos are no longer the standard.
“I think there used to be a belief that one had to suffer for fashion,” she added. “But part of fashion’s evolvement is: How can we look great but also be more comfortable and safer?”
And while the characters are always immaculately dressed, there are some casual pieces thrown in, such as Andy wearing jeans and Miranda’s linen outfit in the Hamptons. This, Tang said, reflects a kind of “professional casualism” that came out of the COVID pandemic, where less formal items are paired with professional pieces to create polished outfits that aren’t quite so corporate.
Ultimately, Tang said he hopes the film can do what the first one achieved so triumphantly: encourage people to have fun with fashion again.
“If this film inspires someone to express themselves in a way that shows a little piece of who they are to the world, I think that’s amazing,” he said.
