Magazine embraces sequel after initial indifference
Anna Wintour responded for a long time The Devil Wears Prada Just as Miranda Priestly would: with icy indifference.
Considering the previous Vogue editor-in-chief inspired Meryl Streep’s cold character, such a response was apt. While attending the West End adaptation of the film, nonchalantly based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel Wintour he told the BBC “it was up to the audience and the people I worked with to decide whether there were any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly”.
Wintour seemed even less pleased with the book. Leslie Fremar, the inspiration for the character Emily (portrayed by Emily Blunt in the film), she told Vogue Transition podcast Last week, Wintour said she had been “warned” about the novel after its publication in 2003.
“I got a call from Anna’s office saying she wanted to see me,” Fremar said. “I was horrified. [Wintour] ‘Who is Lauren Weisberger?’ he said. And I said, ‘He was your junior assistant.’ “And he said, ‘He wrote a book about us and you’re worse than me.'”
At the time, Wintour was quick to publicly state that she had not decided whether to read the book. Meanwhile, publisher Condé Nast Vogue, became even quieter.
The message was clear: Wintour may not have opposed the book and subsequent film, but she certainly had nothing to do with them.
Fast forward 20 years and sentiment has changed dramatically. The sequel to the 2006 hit hit theaters this week, and although Wintour isn’t in the movie, she’s been everywhere in its promotion.
Wintour and Streep posed together on the cover Vogue It’s an unprecedented move, given Wintour’s long-standing insistence on not appearing on the cover in April. Of course, they were both wearing Prada.
The magazine also published a. short film It involves the couple meeting outside an elevator. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Streep asked dryly and glanced at Wintour once more. The moment that fans have been eagerly waiting for has arrived.
Elsewhere, Vogue Weisberger’s 2003 novel announced – The book that started it all – as May selection for book club; hosted an early screening of the sequel and invited real-life former Wintour assistants; and managed to put real-life Emily on her podcast Transition. He even assigned a Column from Weisberger He summarized what life has been like since he published the now-sacred text.
As they say, time heals everything. More than twenty years have passed since the book was released. Wintour no longer does the same job as Miranda; Last year, she relinquished her title of editor-in-chief and became the head of Wintour. Vogue instead, he is the global head of content for publisher Condé Nast. Maybe the sequel doesn’t hit this close to home.
Do you know what else heals wounds? Money. Although the first film was initially received negatively by many media outlets, it was a major commercial success. grossed more than $457 million worldwide. Fans quoted Miranda left, right and center (“that’s all there is to it” was a particular favorite), sky blue made a major comeback, and everyone became wannabe fashion journalists.
So it was no surprise that once the sequel was announced for 2024, excitement immediately started to build. new editor-in-chief Chloe Malle at the helm, Vogue He clearly wanted to keep up with the zeitgeist and proved to be in on the joke rather than the substance. Ultimately, Malle expressed his desire to buy time VoguePressure issues related to major cultural events. If The Devil Wears Prada 2 What is it if not a major cultural event?
There are few better ways to show you’re willing to improve than supporting a mega-popular franchise you initially ignored. The sequel has since received positive reviews, with some critics agreeing. made them cryit also suggests that the company is backing a winning horse.
But as refreshing as it is to see a high-end fashion magazine having fun with its own image, it also raises a less positive question: Vogue Unfashionably late to the party?
The magazine’s sudden desire to engage in this cultural phenomenon may, at least to some, reek of desperation to stay relevant in a world where beauty standards are now largely determined by social media. After so much silence and indifference, support poured in, including the queen. Vogue he himself could scream, calculating more than “good sport”.
There’s also the question of what this might mean for the film. The first movie did not receive much support Voguemaking it a witty underdog satire. With Vogue But on board it becomes almost an advertisement, the mutually beneficial business relationship between film and media suddenly becoming clear.
No matter how you cut it, it probably won’t matter. The sequel has already been showered with praise and is in preparation big box office success. As Miranda says in the first movie: “Everybody wants it. Everybody wants to be us.”
Must-watch movies, interviews and the latest developments from the film world are delivered to your inbox. Sign up for us Scanning Room newsletter.
Nell Geraets is Culture correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
