Where is the devil?
In fashion, the devil is in the details.
So, in how you dress, be mindful of your accessories.
Are introductions in order?
Miranda Priestly, played by the Meryl Streep, is the titular character of the film ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. In it, she is the editor-in-chief of the US Runway magazine, not to mention a legend. Very much evoking another magazine and another (sadly, now former) editor in chief. (Vogue magazine’s Anna Wintour).
How would I describe the character of Miranda Priestly?
Commanding
Composed
Confident
Assertive
Strategic
Passionate
Determined
Decisive
Self-aware
Creative
Resilient
Dignified
In my mind, she is a perfect mainstream complex character to dive into. So, I’ll be travelling to the depths here today.
I’ll look into the lessons to learn from the character of Miranda Priestly.
Precisely, I’ll be looking at the lessons the character of Andrea (Andy) Sacs (played by Anne Hathaway) was learning throughout the whole time she’s been working as one of Miranda’s assistants. How did those lessons make them intellectual equals by the end? We’re going to be looking through those lessons and see how Andy reached the decision not to continue working with Miranda by the end. Or the beginning? Perspectives are in order.
Diving in.
In my mind, making mistakes is one of the most effective ways to learn. It includes an element of shame. And that emotion is a great teacher. It does not want anything to ever repeat itself. So one learns.
Andy is a writer.
Like any writer, she wants to get published.
First in publications.
She’s applied for an assistant position for the editor-in-chief. Whom she does not know.
Soon she learns:
You work a year for her and you can get a job at any magazine you want. A million girls would kill for that job.
Emily
Andy is a confident person.
That is how she got herself a job in front of her now, new boss Miranda.
She was initially rejected,
For having a lack of interest in fashion.
But,
She turned a no into a yes.
She got the job.
She still has SO much to learn.
So, she needs to make mistakes.
Many,
mistakes…
Andy is not a Miranda Girl.
Which is refreshing for Miranda, not being mindlessly adored by this new, young, smart individual, maybe a potential trainee?
But,
Miranda still wants to be treated with respect.
Both herself,
and her work need to be respected.
Her self and her work are synonymous.
They’re cannot be separated. (Proven!)
If her work is being disrespected,
She takes that personally.
And defends it.
Fashion is no joke.
It is an industry, sure, but it is also
art.
And Miranda will defend her artists and their work together when the need arises.
(I, in fact, am a reformed Miranda Girl; you’ve caught me)
Lesson 1 – Andy needs to learn how to appreciate fashion
Here Nigel comes in. (Played by Stanley Tucci). Because Nigel brings a voice to Miranda’s actions. Re-frames them as lessons. We need supporting characters like Nigel to enrich complexity in the mains.
In reality, Andy has just been publicly scolded in a team meeting, and she’s rightly upset and runs to Nigel for comfort. (After the iconic Cerulean monologue ofc).
Contemplating quitting internally, but she verbalises it all to Nigel as whining.
Andy is not a quitter.
So, she needs to adapt to her new job.
She needs to stop seeing it as a temporary stepping stone, and she needs to fully commit to this world to fully succeed in it.
Also at work, she needs to learn how to and from whom to ask for help. That person IS Nigel, yes.
He can guide her. He’s been guiding her with snarky comments from day one.
Because, this place where a million people die to work you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn’t kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up sweetheart.
Nigel
But he can actually help her with her makeover.
The fashion montage that starts with the CHANNEL BOOTS, Madonna – Vogue scene is one of my favourite scenes in film! I want to take a break from writing and watch it again. Ciao for now!
I’m back! Iconic.
Lesson 1: Learned, Miranda, is impressed; she did a double-take on Andy’s outfit.
Love the boots there as well, I might add.
Lesson 2: Andy needs to develop and utilise a network, especially in publishing
She failed at utilising a network already.
And now there is a time pressure element in play.
While delivering the mockup magazine, the book, she intrudes and witnesses Miranda and her husband arguing at their own home. In actuality, she witnesses Miranda’s husband disrespecting her. Which is far worse and is a fireable offence.
But,
Instead, Miranda gives her an impossible task.
Of securing an unpublished Harry Potter book.
She hasn’t JUST made a mistake.
She’s made THE mistake. She needs to learn to be careful with her job.
She’s still not respecting the job well enough.
We sympathise with her because her job does not have any boundaries.
So it is unavoidable that the job will take over her life immensely.
She needs to realise that what she’s done was a fireable ‘mistake’…
It is serious!
Miranda needs the new Harry Potter book for the twins!
The unpublished Deathly Hollows manuscript.
Can you imagine…
The final book!
We know everyone in publishing. It shouldn’t be a problem, should it? And you can do anything, right?
Miranda
The line delivery… Perfection!
The girls are leaving on the train for their grandmother’s at 4:00pm, so the book should be at Runway, no later than 3:00pm.
Additionally, Miranda would like her steak at the office in 15 minutes.
It’s 11am now. She has 4 hours to get the impossible manuscript. Starting with getting a steak.
The restaurant for the steak does not open until 11:30am, so she needs to start utilising her network now.
Their network.
The steak task is here to get the adrenaline pumping.
The lion is staring at you.
Fight or flight
Choose.
Now.
The second task is,
a final test of intelligence.
It is a network utilisation test where Andy has failed once before her fashion era.
Where it has cost Miranda to see her twins play.
Where Andy hasn’t been fired for.
There was a hurricane after all…
She wasn’t fully respecting the job then.
Andy is respecting herself and the job now, alright. She knows she’ll be fired, and she’s desperate and contemplating quitting again. (Flight) But she can’t. (Fight) And she doesn’t want to. She’s willing to try.
Her network is not vast.
But,
She did manage to meet someone interesting (and someone who’s interested in her. I’m skipping that part).
Someone who’s willing and able to help her out of her current predicament. (THE MENTALIST! That’s Simon Baker, kids, Christian Thompson).
So she secures the HP 7 copy.
Applause.
Lesson 2: Learned, Miranda is very pleased. She picked the right person, alright.
Final Lesson: Playing Chess
The final lesson is about chess.
I took chess lessons as a kid.
It bored me.
What?
I can’t lie.
Playing it then was boring when I could’ve played guitar instead. You know? Choices…
Anyway.
I’m not bored by chess anymore, but, needless to say, I haven’t paid much attention to my lessons either.
So the analogies that I’ll be making today need to be fact-checked.
Don’t come for me, chess people!
Miranda needs selfless people around her at work, ones that would sacrifice their personal lives and prioritise the magazine with every decision, every time.
Like herself.
In Miranda’s eyes, if family, friendship, and relationship islands are shaking (Inside Out reference), one is ready for a promotion!
It is a brutal way to look at employment.
But for Miranda, she’s not just employed by Elias & Clark (the parent company that owns Runway magazine).
She lives for her work.
It is her one true passion.
She breathes for it.
She’s bled for it.
She’s scarred from it.
She’s earned it.
And she is the queen of her work.
Earned it.
By blood, tears and hard work.
It’s hers.
For women, working always comes with making a lot of sacrifices.
We all have 24 hours within a day, and so much can be achieved in a day.
So much more,
So many more roles are being expected of women to play within a day.
And those roles are expected to be played perfectly.
Or there’ll be consequences.
Always.
We’re all aware of this.
We make our choices accordingly.
Chess is a game about anticipating choices.
It is a battle.
A kingdom falls every time someone loses at chess.
And once one reaches the position of a queen at their work, multiple battles have to be fought behind the scenes every day.
So Miranda fights.
Every fighter needs allies.
Every queen needs an army.
And every battle and every war has sacrifices.
They need to be made.
Strategically.
In the exact moment.
Foresight is a must.
Miranda had to sacrifice many pieces among her allies:
Knight, Emily
Paris is the most important week of my entire year. I need the best possible team with me. That no longer includes Emily. If you don’t go I would assume you’re not serious about your future at Runway or… any other publication.
Miranda
Bishop, Husband
Just imagine what they’re gonna write about me: “The Dragon Lady”, “career-obsessed.”, “Snow Queen drives away another Mr. Priestly.”
Miranda
Castle, Nigel
When the time is right, she’ll pay me back.
You sure about that?
No. But, I hope for the best, I have to…
Nigel and Andy
We’re sure about that, Andy, you need not worry!
Queen, Andrea (Andy)
Ok, so now we know that the company is trying to replace Miranda with Paris Runway’s editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Follet, because Miranda’s salary is too high. Miranda’s magazine expenses are too high. And the company wants to cut costs.
The truth is, there is no one that can do what I do including her. Any of the other choices would have found that job impossible, and the magazine would have suffered.
Miranda
I never thought I would say this, Andrea, but I really… I see a great deal of myself in you. You can see beyond what people want and what they need, and you can choose for yourself.
Miranda
This is the final push of confidence for Andrea to quit.
Because she finally sees and it is confirmed BY MIRANDA HERSELF that Andrea herself, ANDY, is in fact valuable.
Miranda is finally making eye contact with her while she’s speaking to her.
She is valued.
They are equals.
And she does not want to sacrifice her whole life for this job.
She wants to be a writer.
She wants to have fun with her friends after work.
She wants to have a healthy relationship as well as a healthy work life balance.
Choosing to get ahead despite someone else is not a choice; everyone is comfortable making.
Andrea isn’t.
Miranda is.
You want this life, those choices are necessary.
Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us.
Miranda
THEY ARE AN US NOW FINALLY. BUT she’s about to quit.
Because her journey goes through writing.
She needs to write now.
To honour her.
Her legacy.
Herself.
Anna Wintour!
A legend.
egOnto 