Fashion & Film Review of the Devil Wears Prada

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Film Review: Could Meryl as Miranda been Meaner?

Maybe. As I walked away from the movie theater in the pouring rain, that was the only thing I could think of. That and that I desperately need multiple triple-strand gold chain necklaces and crisp white shirts. And bangs I need bangs! The Devil Wears Prada, out today, is a great chick flick. But it's not the typical chick flick. Sure, Adrian Genier (HBO's Entorage) is dreamy as Nate, Andrea's boyfriend. But this is not a romantic film. Take the main character, Andrea's (Andy played by Anne Hathaway) mystery guy friend, Christian Thompson. His eyebrows are very light (almost white) the first time Andy meets him. The film's hair and makeup department have darkened them by the next scene, but the damage is done - he's Creepy-Eyebrow Guy first, Hunky Love Interest second. Sorry girls. The movie's main attraction remains the fashion, meticulously captured by Weisberger and brought to life by costume designer, Patricia Field, the infamous Sex and the City wardrobe stylist. Andy is soon seen sporting Dior, Chanel, even Prada, thanks in part to Nigel, perfectly played by Stanley Tucci, who scours Runway's closet for close big enough to fit Andy, who wears a size six _(an unforgivable size at a fashion magazine)_. According to Nigel, size 2 is the new 4, 0 is the new 2, and 6 is the new 14. Alright, that's just depressing. Especially when Andy herself morphs from a size 6 to a 4 in the time it takes me to finish my box of Whoppers. In one scene she attends a chic soiree downtown wearing a bag designed by none other than Pat Field herself. The bag is probably the stand-out must-have accessory from the movie, partly due to it's unique shape and it's mass availability, but mostly because of its price tag - a decidedly un-Prada-like 80 dollars. Did I say mass availability? Scratch that. It's already sold out with a waiting list on Amazon.com _(Are you on the list? I'm on the list.)_, and selling for twice their original price on eBay.

An Almost Perfect Supporting Cast

Brazilian supermodel, Giselle, has a bit part in the beginning and then is never seen again. Which was unfortunate since in her one minute on screen she manages to generate two sizable laughs from the audience with her comments (good and bad) about Andy's appearance. Maybe she played Miranda's newly-promoted former assistant. Or maybe she was Jessica Duchamps - a character some might remember from the book. It's never defined. In fact, a lot is not defined. Remember Andrea's best friend Lily from the book? Well, they're more like friendly aquaintances in the film version. Played by Tracie Thoms (Joanne in RENT) is miscast, even though nothing about her performance actually offends. There's just no real friendship chemistry between her and Hathaway, maybe because of the visible age-difference, so I wasn't at all disappointed that the director chose to downplay their relationship, leaving most of it out altogether. And British actress, Emily Blunt is Britishly brilliant as Miranda's senior assistant. And Nate is still dreamy.

The Final Verdict

Things wrap up nicely for Andy. The fashion world isn't all she knew it wasn't and Christian's chameleon-like eyebrows prove no match for Nate's dreaminess. The music definitely could have been more current (Madonna's Vogue who saw that coming), but the wardrobe makes up for any of my musical misgivings. All in all, a great flick. But instead of seeing it again, which I'll probably do anyway, I'd really like to re-read the book. "MORE FASHION FROM THE FILM"://www.fashion18.com/fashion/slideshowarticle/36/4/