You can be forgiven for thinking that the film “The Devil Wears Prada” is about fashion. I mean, it’s set around the prominent fashion magazine Runway (think Vogue) with various fashion icons making cameo appearances throughout. However, this is a film about perception and identity. How we perceive others based on how they look and what they’re wearing, and btw this isn’t a judgement issue, it’s human; We all make assumptions about people when we meet them whether we want to or not. In the film, when the fashion team at Runway first meet Andy, they perceive her to be a nobody, unable to offer them anything because her ‘look’ didn’t fit their narrative – your clothes speak on your behalf before you’ve even said a word! It didn’t matter what she did or what other credentials she had, she continued to be overlooked regardless.
Overnight Style Goddess…
And then she was given a makeover and became a stylish goddess overnight, and in that same time period she was suddenly credible. No, she wasn’t superior or better equipped than before, but her colleagues now deemed her worthy, and so did she. She walked a little taller, was taking more interest in a world that she had previously stood outside of. However, at Runway, Andy was given a space where she was allowed to express herself in a way that had previously felt out of reach. Putting on the new clothes felt like putting on an armour, which became a uniform and then eventually her personal style. And it wasn’t only at work where things started to shift; at home her boyfriend and her friends noticed the change but in a negative way. It no longer fitted their narrative. Andy’s new clothes made her feel confident, happily taking on more responsibility in a way that At-Home-Andy et al hadn’t expected. Andy had found a new identity where other people took notice of her, believed in her…and she was good at it! But this no longer fitted with her home life because they felt like she had become ‘one of them’. She hadn’t, she had just discovered a different aspect of herself, and she was now a part of a world that they weren’t open to.
The Cerulean Jumper…
Miranda Priestly gives a speech in the film about people believing that they aren’t ‘into’ fashion without realising that the seemingly simple act of getting dressed contributes to the industry. By simply choosing which colour jumper you prefer (THE Cerulean Jumper) impacts sales and so on. The (often subconscious) thought process of buying an item of clothing is influenced by a myriad of factors. Not least trend led. People often don’t engage with fashion because they find it overwhelming, they’re scared of getting it wrong or not knowing the ‘rules’ and then getting judged as a result. My eldest went through a stage where they wanted to be different in their fashion choices. My husband took them to a concert of their favourite band at the time, My Chemical Romance, to find a whole arena of full of kids wanting to be different but, in fact, looking the same. It’s ingrained into us to be part of a tribe or community, which is why following trends is often a gateway into fashion – the rules are laid out for you. You feel like you are participating in something that other people like too, therefore accepted.
Express Yourself…
The Devil Wears Prada is obviously a Hollywood movie; it’s a light-hearted look at the impact of what you wear has on how you feel and how people see you. Clothes are not merely pieces of cloth to hide your modesty, but an expression of who you are. The film is make-believe but it’s true that dressing in a way that brings out your personality and feels true to you will make you feel better about yourself. Andy’s new identity, evolved into her personal style which she still has in the second film set 20 years later. It’s a pared back version but it’s still very much Andy, just kinda cooler.
