Film sequel reveals how luxury brands have turned the tables on once-dominant magazine editors
The National Gallery was the grand setting for the party that followed The Devil Wears Prada 2’s London premiere this week. Donatella Versace held court in a roped-off area beneath Paul Delaroche’s The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.
Meryl Streep, reprising her role as Miranda Priestly – Anna Wintour’s fictional alter ego – wore a red satin Prada coat as a nod to the film’s title and black sunglasses as a wink to Wintour. Glossy magazine editors from Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, flown in for the night, nibbled on fried chicken served with caviar and dishes of mac and cheese presented theatrically under silver cloches.
It is ironic that the most glamorous and high-profile moment the fashion industry has known in years is the release of a film that ruthlessly satirises its demise. “It has kind of blown our minds how much we have been embraced by businesses that we poked fun at in the first movie and continue to poke fun at in the second movie,” said the film’s screenwriter, Aline Brosh McKenna, speaking from her home in Los Angeles.
The plotline of the sequel revolves around Priestly’s attempts to steer Runway magazine through the decline of print publishing. Details of the film are still under embargo, but glossy magazine staffers who attended the film’s premiere described the plot, off the record, as “close to the bone”.
