How Could She Not Wear Prada?
Last night I took advantage of a long weekend of New York City tranquility to rush to the Cineplex Lowes Theatre on Third Avenue and buy my ticket to the highly anticipated film, “The Devil Wears Prada.” The only novel that every man in the city has read has finally turned into a movie right at the beginning of summer when Prada storefront windows just launched the new winter collection in a heat of 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Who cares anyways?
Uhff!!! What a relief! I did well tonight to wear for the third time (in case of… you never know what editor might show up into in the neighborhood) a Dolce’s white cotton dress before it’s too late and will have to throw it away soon if I want to wear the new Fall Channel suit I just saw and liked at Bloomingdale’s window on the way to the theatre. The shoes I think I can still use; until September they look like they are part of the fall collection… but… who cares anyway.
The movie is based on the same name novel by Lauren Weisberger, a young Cornell graduate who was former assistant to Vogue Magazine’s icy editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. “The Devil Wears Prada” recounts the trials and tribulations of Andy Sacks, a smug 22-year old wannabe writer who lands a job assisting the most powerful fashion editrix in America of the world’s best-known fashion magazine.
Set at Runway magazine, the story filled with too many details left some top magazine editors flabbergasted when it comes to the accuracy of the film set likeness.
Allowed free reign over the fashion closet, Andy borrows thousands of dollars worth of shoes and clothes from deluxe labels like Chanel and Gucci –to wear in everyday life; “Poor magazine assistants can just loot Jimmy Choos and scuff them up on subway steps?” “ The Devil wears Prada, and her assistant …wears Chanel.” (The New York Post,’ The Devil is in the Detail ‘)
Runway editor in chief and ‘Style doyenne’ Miranda Priesly, (Meryl Streep) is a control freak, from top to toe her entire life is doomed to perfection and worthy to the viewer’s suspension of disbelief. Miranda is portrayed as Andy’s (Anna Hathaway) harsh and monstrous boss, and Andy, her smart new assistant and meanly introduced by Miranda as “The new Emily” (Brit Emily, Miranda’s former assistant) is constantly challenged by her boss strong and ruthless personality, but most of all, as a defense or fascination perhaps, quickly learns and adapts to the intriguing and ‘useless’ to her high fashion world and entourage.
This blogger agrees with public opinion: “We’re supposed to feel sympathy for someone (Andy) who ignores her family best friend, and (gorgeous Adrian Grenieras, Natan) boyfriend because she’s busy at a job she hates. Oh, but she can spend time with another guy, because it’s work-related. In fact, the only strong character in this novel is the one we’re supposed to hate: the boss, Miranda – I actually admire her.”
The public is surprised when they identify with the infamous “Devil‘s” character.
What we do not like are the jaw-dropping workplace outrages perpetrated by an inhumanly monstrous Miranda‘s reign of terror and unconscionable humiliations she visits upon her staff. But the novel is not about the Devil, as quoted by former long-time editor of Ladies’ Home Journal Myrna Blyth; it is this difficult time that there really are devils out there. We hear about them every day. And they are not dressed in Prada.
It’s about our expectation and how we deal with the reality of our own choices. We expect our boss role to provide a speck of humanity rather than a sadistic behavior.
Perhaps, as Film Critic Todd Mac Carthy elaborates, because she couldn’t care less and has never heard of Miranda, Andy unexpectedly gets “the job a million girls would die for.” But this is not my opinion, Andy, on a path toward a classy wardrobe and heartening to watch as she occasionally racks up points by anticipating Miranda’s needs, has an attitude of her own.
Miranda consciously chooses exactly who she needs as an assistant regardless of the way Andy dressed at their first encounter. Miranda then voluntarily constantly tested Andy’s character, limitations, endurance and potential, and was all along silently pleased –after all more than once the sentence “Something she did right” was mentioned.
Miranda identifies with Andy and actually admits it to her at the end of the novel. Both, the boss and her assistant are anti-conformists and similarly will not fit into society rules, they will rule society themselves! Miranda eventually offers Andy a world of power and international glamour. Andy understands, appreciates and is thankful, but her ideals and values don’t match with it, at least for now. She is 23, and it’s ok, she does not have to.
It’s Andy’s choice to refuse or accept the so-called and overestimated “dream job.”
Andy will always find one, and Miranda certainly knows that dreams, job and power are made –especially in today’s business competitive world– out of a strenuous effort attitude and a devotional passion for what you do and truly believe in.
And trust me, for sure we must admit that both do not believe in the Devil, even if he wears Prada.
This post is dedicated to all journalists and editors I have mentioned above, also to the French consulate head of press and political office, Yann Batterford, including those from Harpers’ Bazaar Japan whom I have recently met in NY and all kindly are being part of my professional life as guide and inspiration in my new venture, the Joellelifestyle.com magazine on line project.
I thank you all for crossing my path at this time of my life.
