The Devil Wears Prada is a film about a recent college graduate who dreams of becoming a journalist she lands a job in fashion at Runway magazine as a personal assistant to a powerful editor. Though the story of the film is dramatized and based on a witty expose of New York’s prestigious fashion scene, it does give the viewers a glimpse into the world of high fashion touching on how the industry actually shapes society into what we see and experience within the real world.
Fashion is a form of communication that translates experiences, events, and concepts. It’s the social scope that can capture an era and be a marker of societal change.
Those within the industry on many levels contribute to continuing dialogues by redefining previously conceived notions by producing new ones through their work or making room for the development of new concepts they construct that can be found in collections and fashion media.
Fundamentally, fashion plays the role of being a medium for a conversation about who we are and who we are not as a society. The fashion industry has shaped society from areas of identity development to social and cultural movements.
The people who create this are not only contributing to fashion through their work, but also through their personal style which displays mentality, personality, and belief systems that are usually aligned with the mission of their fashion house or publication. The Devil Wears Prada portrays many different types of people in the same mode-oriented environment who are building this fashion narrative together.
Though these are fictional characters, they mirror real-life people for example, Miranda Priestly is inspired by Anna Wintour the British-American journalist and editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988. All different types of people shape fashion and have different approaches, views, and preferred images. In The Devil Wears Prada this is clearly depicted by how each worker has their own unique sense of fashion even if they are not a main character despite residing and working in the same place, each character’s look, values, and personalities differ greatly from one another.
For some specific examples of how the style is a reflection of a person, I’ll be having my friend Tessa over at ModernGurlz break down the most iconic characters’ unique style and how it relates to them as individuals,
Fashion is psychologically linked to one’s being and behaviors. As people grow and change their external image will often change along with them to match their internal identity because human society equals a dressed society. The clothing a person chooses to wear expresses their influences, social freedoms, and identity. Fashion is a form of communication that translates experiences, events, and concepts.
Those who work in the industry help shape the world we live in and have an impact on everyone, even those who are not as conscious of fashion are still taking part. The character Andy in the film initially prides herself on not caring about fashion and like Tessa said has a preppy look, she is still dressing in a conscious way because preppy fashion is sociologically linked to academics and success which was determined by the history of the style consisting of designers, stylists, seamstresses, buyers, etc who created and honed the meaning behind the look today. This is a form of Pseudo-Individualism which is the illusion “the illusion of choice“. A vast majority of products under the same categories are produced in the same way and function in the same manner. Ultimately the utility is the same, but who made it, the look, and the contribution to the image are what give the product value. Andy feels that by rejecting a traditionally thought of fashionable look she is taking a stance, but in reality, she is just taking on another image that confirms her coveted place in society.
She has a makeover to adapt her look to the environment and finds further interest in fashion through this. Clothing can change one’s psychological state and cognitive function. Science has proven that the clothes we wear affect our behaviors, personalities, confidence, and even the way we interact with others because of enclothed cognition. Andy’s confidence and behaviors change as she has a mental shift. Her priorities and worldview have broadened because of her job. The makeover becomes less of a new look and transforms into her only look.
She initially thought that the quote-unquote lack of caring for her image visually communicated I am intelligent and will be successful, but after her makeover her perception has changed and her new style conveys the same message despite having an entirely new look.
Perception is formed by belief systems, prior experiences, and learned information. In the eyes of those around her at work, she now has a look of professional success.
But her boyfriend disagrees and does not see her style in this manner because of his perception.
That is like Andy’s view in the beginning of the film. The influence fashion has on society is often overlooked, but is one that propels concepts, movements, and ideas forward within politics, economy and culture.
Miranda in the film touched on this topic in the iconic blue sweater monologue. “However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.”
Those who work in the industry and take on roles from designing, modeling, and styling to trend forecasting, advertising, writing, etc. all contribute to how the world functions through fashion.
In a survey of 8,000 people, consumers find that brands can bring more societal change than the government and 53% believe that they can aid in solving social issues better than the government. 64% of consumers purchase from brands based on the values, social, or political stance of the brand, hence taking a stance in cultural or political discourse through their purchases.
In one study women who were asked to carry a Prada handbag identified more with capitalist values than a control group who were given a non-luxury handbag. mirroring the values of character Miranda in the film who values her career greatly, which is evident by her style as Tessa explained because when people buy designer fashion, they are buying into the history, lifestyle, image, and ideals linked to the house. The character of Miranda represents many women who value their careers and carry themselves with power, purpose, and elegance who value their time. Her fashion embodies this through her brands of choice. Along with Prada, the fashion houses that Tessa mentioned such as Donna Karen and Valentino visually depict Miranda’s mindset.
Valentino’s mission statement is to “maintain the Maison’s couture codes and develop them, implement them, expand them in all our creations.” They say, “We want to diffuse our style for Valentino while maintaining the exclusivity and iconic nature of the brand that has defined the Maison’s history.” Their concept of couture lies in “tradition, uniqueness, elegance and luxury” much like the look of Mirnda’s magazine, her career, and herself.
This can be found within the houses’ brand image which has been established and carried out through the life of the brand that signifies what the brand stands for such as their beliefs and values. This can be identified through brand identity which are the visual elements of brand identity such as logos, color schemes, and designs that give each brand a distinct look.
By wearing pieces from these brands, people are connecting with the house through their clothing. While Miranda has a powerful woman look Emily has a high fashion look that rejects norms and trends. Her genuine love for fashion can be found in her looks that reject trends and embrace designers who paved the way for new concepts and ideals to be embraced into society such as Vivienne Westwood and Rick Owens.
Designer Westwood even states “You have a more interesting life if you wear impressive clothes” The clothing of Rick Owens’ is darkly glamorous and has it’s own luxurious idiosyncratic post-apocalyptic approach to gothic and grunge looks. His mission is to do avant-garde looks with instantly recognizable silhouettes within a monochrome palette that is complimented with gothic undertones.
Both designers capture Emily’s strength, sensitivity, coldness, and confidence in a visual manner. Unlike Andy who goes for more mainstream brands that are trend-aware, Emily finds herself in high-end brands that wouldn’t instantly be recognized by the average person because fashion is deeper than just clothing to her. Her connection to fashion goes beyond her job, it is her entire life.
These characters portray a few types of women who exist in the reality of the industry. Obviously, more women and men with a variety of styles and personalities are currently shaping the industry, but like these characters, they bring their looks and personal beliefs to their work. Their fashion content is created within their image, identity, and perception aids in helping others find their own style, and contributes to shaping their identity.
In reality, multiple rooms full of people working are giving a part of themselves in order to contribute to the fashion narrative that is shaping the world we live in through creating images, propelling movements forward, introducing concepts, and giving life to fashion that will become someone’s personal style. Offering new identities and creating spaces for those who did not have a visual that they aligned with before. It’s a heartfelt exchange as those who work in fashion produce, giving others in the world a place to belong, connect with like-minded individuals, and create the look in their lives that they feel most in touch with themselves.
Sources:
Studies on Buying Behaviors and Brand Identities- https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/two-thirds-consumers-worldwide-now-buy-beliefs
Fashion vs Style- https://www.masterclass.com/articles/key-differences-between-fashion-and-style#what-is-fashion
Ways Clothing Change How You Think- https://brainfodder.org/psychology-clothes-enclothed-cognition/Valentino Mission Statement- https://www.theglassmagazine.com/interview-with-maria-grazia-chiuri-and-pier-paolo-piccioli/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COur%20goal%20is%20to%20maintain,have%20defined%20the%20Maison’s%20history.%E2%80%9D
