‘It is not we who wear clothes but clothes that wear us’ – quote from ‘Orlando’ by Virginia Woolf.
Meryl Streep is back as that dictatorial magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly who, 20 years on from her first screen incarnation is still as ruthless and condescending as ever. Unfortunately for her, fate deals a few hard career knocks.
Her difficulties begin right at the start when adverse publicity threatens her market share but the real crunch comes when she is set to receive a plum job but the company head inconveniently dies at the door just before he can announce it. Consequently, his son takes over the firm which leads to all sorts of complications for poor Miranda and her long-suffering staff.
Like other films in the comedy drama genre, this one doesn’t take itself too seriously. Nevertheless, like many contemporary movies, it contains more than a hint of social critique: in this case a few subtle and not-so-subtle digs at the corporate world, specifically all the artifice associated with the global fashion industry.
The glitz and glamour of the contemporary fashion world is on full display: extravagant parties in lavish venues, the glamorous international locales and, above all, the clothes – so many dazzling outfits – even the office underlings are well-dressed. Furthermore, some of Miranda’s outfits border on the eccentric in line with the outlandish character she portrays. To enhance the verisimilitude, there are many cameos – such as Donatella Versace – from the contemporary fashion world. Equally Lady Gaga makes a musical catwalk appearance.
Andrew Douglas at The Devil Wears Prada 2.
But these are the externals, the trappings of upmarket fashion. Underneath this public display lurks the same corporate greed and back-stabbing of any other billion-dollar industry. Any time mega bucks are involved, the entrepreneurial sharks are never far behind.
Although Miranda is a rather negative character, Streep’s portrayal elicits a degree of empathy. For the most part, she is still the same condescending shit as before, but on rare occasions she does let her softer side slip through. With all her failings in the interpersonal skills department, she deserves to be taken down a peg or two but not to be financially ‘taken to the cleaners’. She is after all, a product – albeit a grotesque one – of the corporate world she inhabits.
Streep’s performance is on par and she is supported by a stellar cast: Anne Hathaway, Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt. Their performances combined with the visuals – the clothes, interiors and locales – have no doubt contributed to the film’s success. Given the box office returns, this film clearly has popular appeal.
Miranda Priestly rides the fashion juggernaut yet again.