Chapter nine: The Devil Wears Prada

Andrea (Andy) Sachs is a recent college graduate hoping to climb the ladder as a journalist. At present, she is attending an interview at Runway Fashion Magazine for an assistant position working for the one and only Miranda Priestly. Andy's walking into the building and immediately realizes she's out of place amongst all of these strikingly thin women wearing stiletto heels that tap at the floor tiles. She takes the elevator up to Miranda's office and introduces herself to Miranda's leading assistant, Emily. Emily can't even look at Andy and her "ugly" outfit.

Enter Miranda- the woman in charge. She's not supposed to be at the office until nine, but her facialist ruptured a disc, so she's coming to work early. Emily is sending out calls to people as Nigel, Miranda's right hand man, shouts,

"Alright, everyone, gird your loins!"

The building is in a frenzy of chaos. Everyone is running with anticipation while straightening up stacks of papers, replacing the slippers they are wearing with heels, and reapplying their makeup. Andy is watching this all unfold, not knowing what is happening. Emily runs to meet her at the elevator.

Miranda hands Emily her things and says, "I don't understand why it's so difficult to confirm an appointment." Emily apologizes, "I know. I'm so sorry, Miranda, I actually did confirm last night-" Miranda interrupts her and she gives Emily a list of tasks to complete,

"Details of your incompetence do not interest me."

Miranda sits behind her desk, and calls Andy in to interview her herself, because Miranda's last assistants have been failures. Andy hands in her resume, and the interview pans out like this:

"Who are you?"

"Ah, my name is Andy Sachs. I recently graduated from Northwestern University."

"And what are you doing here?"

"Well, I think I could do a good job as your assistant. And... I came to New York to be a journalist, and sent letters out everywhere...Basically it's this or Auto Universe."

"So you don't read Runway?"

"...No."

"And before today you hadn't heard of me?"

"No."

"And you have no style or sense of fashion."

"Well, I think that depends on what your.."

"No, no, that wasn't a question."

Andy tries to save herself by explaining a few of her qualifications, but Miranda has no interest in hearing them. She waves Andy off with her famous line:

"Yeah, you know, okay. You're right. I don't fit in here. I am not skinny, or glamorous, and I don't know much about fashion, but I'm smart. I learn fast, and I will work very hard... Thank you for your time."

Nigel walks in just as Andy is leaving and says, "Who is that sad little person? Are we doing a before and after piece I don't know about?" She's in the lobby of the building when Emily comes to grab her because she has gotten the job.

On her first day as second assistant, Andy is in charge of getting coffee, running errands to get 10-15 skirts from Calvin Klein, and hanging up Miranda's coat and purse in the closet when she throws it on her desk. But she isn't fast enough. Miranda says,

"Is there some reason my coffee isn't here? Has she died or something?"

Emily also gives her a few hints about how the job works. One thing she says is that "someone must be manning the desks at all times." Another thing she tells Andy is, "this job is a very demanding job that you are not qualified for, so if you screw up, my head is on the chopping block. Finally, she says, "You never ask Miranda anything." The day doesn't get any easier, because Miranda has decided to move up the run through to today at 12:30. The run through is where Miranda decides which clothing items and outfit pairings will be in the latest edition of Runway magazine.

At the run through, different stylists show Miranda their designs and ideas as they run across the room pairing everything together. Miranda asks:

And then, there is the cerulean blue sweater. I could give you a summary, but I think it would be more enjoyable if you saw the scene for yourself:

Andy goes home that night to her apartment and explains to her boyfriend Nate that her job is miserable and it's impossible for her to fit in. Nate tells her to quit, but she refuses that as an option.

The majority of the movie is Andy proving herself to Miranda. It works once Nigel helps her change her style, and eventually, she knows the job at the back of her hand. She's even gotten so good at her job that Miranda has chosen to take Andy with her to Paris instead of Emily. This devastates Emily, because she has starved herself for months while trying to stay fit for Paris Fashion Week. But, because Andy has put her work ahead of her personal life, she has isolated herself from her friends, and she and Nate are taking a break. Miranda does the same, and it causes her second husband to leave her. The strained relationships do affect both of them, but they appear to put it behind them and continue on.

In the end, Miranda's job position is at stake because her age is a concern in the fashion industry. A slightly younger woman, Jacqueline Follet, whom Miranda does not like, is planning to take the job as editor-in-chief of Runway from her. At the same time, a James Holt job position in Paris has opened up, and Miranda has recommended Nigel for the job. Then, to save herself, Miranda recommends Jacqueline for the position last minute. Andy is appalled by Miranda's decision and says that she could never do a thing like that to anyone. But, Miranda reminds her,

"You already did- to Emily."

Andy says,

"No- that was different, I didn't have a choice."

"Oh, you had a choice, you chose to get ahead. You want this life, those choices are necessary."

"But, what if I don't want to live the way you live?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us."

When the limousine comes to a stop, they both get out. However, Miranda walks toward the press, and Andy throws her work phone in the nearby fountain as she walks away from her job. Miranda sees Andy walk away.

In the closing scene, Andy has met again with Nate, who has gotten a job as a sous chef, to apologize to him. She also applies for a job as a journalist. She gets the job no problem thanks to a fax from Miranda herself, telling the interviewer that if he does not hire Andy, he is "an idiot." After the interview, Andy calls Emily to give her all of her clothes from Paris, and she waves to Miranda on the street. She gives Andy a barely noticeable smile.

Personally, the movie is one of my favorites because Miranda Priestly has no shame. She does what she wants without caring what other people think of her. Her decision is the final decision, and she lives without regrets. But I also think the movie tackles sort of a societal issue; if Miranda Priestly was a man, would we still consider her The Devil? Or instead, would we consider her passionate and dedicated to her work? I fully understand that she wasn't a kind, empathizing person, and the tasks that she gave out were impossible to accomplish by the day's end, but as we see from the end of the movie, she does have human emotions. I don't know... Just a thought. I will also say that this movie has had a small impact on my style. I think more now about all of the craftsmanship that goes into a single item of clothing or an accessory.

Meryl won a Golden Globe for her acting in the movie, and at the end of her acceptance speech she said,

"It's amazing how much you can get if you quietly, clearly, and authoritatively demand it. That's all."

As always, thank you for the entertainment, Meryl.

That's all.