4 min readMay 1, 2026 04:09 PM IST First published on: May 1, 2026 at 04:09 PM ISTThe Devil Wears Prada, both the film and the book it is adapted from, is categorised under “chick-lit” — “workplace comedy”, to be precise. But if you have watched the film, you know: It is fun, it is funny, but it means serious business.Even if most fans may not remember the first time they watched it — it released 20 years ago — they have certainly watched it several times since, and it is now part of their comfort watch list. And, for good reason. The film touched on a lot of themes that warm the heart — starry-eyed aspiration, friendship, empathy and the cost of it — which it returns to in parts in its day-old sequel. But in between its gooey folds, the film tucked in bits that have defined an entire generation’s way of looking at fashion, work culture and success. That’s the thing about great films, they permeate your consciousness without the hue and cry.AdvertisementAlso Read | The Third Edit: Sadly,Devil Wears Prada lives onThe Devil Wears Prada achieved its cult status by being an eye-opener of sorts for so many of us who have grown up in a world where fashion is considered inconsequential. That it is “stuff”. That those who care about fashion didn’t make serious journalists. That fashion is not political. That focussing on what a politician is wearing is digressing from the “real” issues when every power-suit, handwoven saree, white kurta or even a t-shirt is a carefully curated choice determined by the fashion world.Meryl Streep’s monologue as Miranda Priestly educated Anne Hathaway’s Andy: Her store-bought cerulean sweater was, in fact, a product of the fashion industry that she so proudly spurned. That iconic monologue showed how inconspicuously yet deeply fashion is embedded in our existence. Fashion is more like politics than we care to admit. If being apolitical is a political stance, distancing yourself from “fashion” is too a decision rooted very much in fashion.The film argued that fashion is not restricted to the big fashion houses or what they put on sleek runways. It is an awareness that what we wear carries meaning in ways that we often don’t realise. We think the “jholawala” look embodies a poetic, rebellious and, of course, intellectual aesthetic when it is a meticulously devised “ethical chic” branding that has been serving the “activist-types” their favourite look.AdvertisementIt also briefly but impressively conveyed the heft of journalism. The idea that Priestly could make or break a designer’s collection made one giddy with excitement. The moment underlined the value of editorial judgement and an understanding of fashion, both as a product and a shaper of society, honed over decades. Returning to that scene feels particularly refreshing today when reviews are determined by PR packages.you may likeThe Devil Wears Prada 2 — even if less edgy, sharp and snippy — isn’t any less serious. If the first film showed the power of fashion and journalism, the second centres around the latter’s helplessness in an ever-changing world. Fashion is still mainstream, but in a world of AI bots, numbers and advertisers calling the shots, the once-prestigious “book” finds itself in peril. Amid saving face, a dead owner and a nepo-baby, who couldn’t care less about that warm touch of human creativity, Miranda and Andy do save Runway, but a sense of impending doom prevents the celebration of a happy ending.How, then, is a film that has redefined a generation’s outlook on fashion and, now, its sequel, which captures a reality we are all trying to outrun, merely chick-lit?The writer is associate editor, The Indian Express. trisha.mukherjee@expressindia.com