The first trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 dropped with little warning, yet one image stopped everyone cold. Miranda Priestly steps out of a town car in a black velvet cape that seems to swallow the light around her. That single moment tells you everything about what the sequel wants to achieve with its clothes.
The original 2006 film turned into a style reference that still shapes how people talk about office dressing and quiet ambition. Now the follow-up, written by Aline Brosh McKenna and directed again by David Frankel, brings back Meryl Streep as Miranda, Emily Blunt as the promoted Emily Charlton, and teases Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs in a more established role. Patricia Field returns as costume designer, and her choices are already sparking the same kind of conversation the first movie created. This piece walks through the key looks that have surfaced so far, why they feel different from 2006, and what they suggest about how fashion on screen has shifted in the years since.
Production is happening in the same New York streets that gave the original its pulse. The clothes reflect a fashion industry that has lived through a pandemic, sustainability demands, and the rise of social media as the new runway. Field has spoken about updating the original’s strict black-and-white code with new textures and fabrics that speak to today’s conversations around longevity and responsibility in luxury. Those shifts connect directly to how cinema has long used clothing to signal power and change, from the tailored suits in All About Eve to the evolving wardrobes in more recent stories like The Bold Type.
Patricia Field’s Triumphant Return: Crafting a New Fashion Legacy
When Disney greenlit the project in July 2024, Field’s return was one of the first details that felt reassuring. She already proved with the first film and later with Sex and the City and Emily in Paris that costume can carry emotional weight without ever feeling like a lecture. In a Vogue conversation she described the new wardrobe as updated armour, built from pieces that respect the characters’ histories while acknowledging how much the business has changed. That continuity matters because it lets viewers see growth rather than reinvention for its own sake.
Her approach still starts with the people wearing the clothes. Miranda now faces a younger workforce that questions old hierarchies, so her tailoring has grown more assertive in cut and material. Emily’s looks show someone who has learned to move between boardrooms and evening events without losing her edge. Field pulled from her own archives and added fresh collaborations that keep the world of Runway feeling both familiar and forward-looking. The result echoes how earlier costume designers like Edith Head balanced character history with the demands of their era.
Key Influences: From Archive Digs to Modern Collaborations
Some of the most interesting choices come from reworking pieces that already lived in the first film’s universe. A white Hermès Birkin appears again but now in upcycled leather. Organic silks from Gabriela Hearst handle the day-to-night transitions that modern schedules demand. Even small details like LED details on evening clutches nod to how digital culture has entered every corner of fashion. These choices build on trends that gained momentum after 2020, when many houses began prioritising traceable materials to meet new consumer expectations.
These decisions matter because they show how a film can comment on real industry pressures without breaking the story’s spell. When Miranda wears a custom Thom Browne suit into a boardroom confrontation, the exaggerated proportions recall the Funny Face reference from the original while also speaking to current conversations about volume and presence. Field’s method here continues a line of work that treats fashion as narrative shorthand rather than mere decoration.
Miranda Priestly’s Power Dressing: The Sequel’s Standout Looks
The cape moment from the trailer already feels destined to be copied. Made from black velvet with laser-cut details, it carries the drama of the Paris sequence in the first film but adds a sharper, almost architectural finish. Early reactions suggest it could push capes back into the conversation for fall collections, much the way the original helped certain accessories gain new life. The design draws from historical references like the dramatic outerwear in 1940s cinema yet feels grounded in today’s emphasis on statement pieces that last beyond a single season.
Another scene brings back the cerulean colour story in a different key. Miranda wears a sweeping blue coat from Chanel’s cruise line during a tense exchange with Emily. The oversized buttons and strong shoulder read as deliberate echoes of the sweater monologue that defined Andy’s education in the first movie. The colour choice is not subtle, and that is the point. It reminds audiences how one garment can carry emotional weight across decades of storytelling.
Close-Ups: Accessories That Steal the Spotlight
Field has always understood that the smallest items often carry the heaviest meaning. Miranda’s oversized Celine sunglasses still hide her eyes at crucial moments. A multi-strand pearl choker mixed with diamond drops updates the famous floral-for-spring line without repeating it. Even her briefcase, a reissued Fendi Spy bag in vegan crocodile leather, quietly signals how tradition and new values can sit together. These details reward repeat viewings because they reward attention to the way small choices reveal character.
Off-duty scenes reveal a softer side that the first film rarely allowed. A simple cashmere turtleneck from The Row paired with wide trousers shows Miranda in a rare moment of quiet. These glimpses matter because they let the audience see the person behind the armour without softening her authority. Similar private moments appear in films like The Hours, where costume reveals vulnerability beneath public strength.
Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton: From Assistant to Icon
Emily’s promotion gives the story a new centre of gravity. Set photos show her in a red Saint Laurent power suit with strong shoulders that feel very much of the moment. The colour choice marks a clear break from the muted tones she wore as an assistant, and it signals someone who has learned to take up space. That evolution mirrors real career arcs in fashion media, where assistants often become decision makers who shape trends rather than follow them.
At a gala she appears in an emerald green Elie Saab gown with a dramatic slit and crystal work that catches light with every step. Field has described the look as victory draping, and it fits the character’s arc perfectly. The real-life friendship between Blunt and Hathaway adds another layer when their characters share scenes, because the clothes have to support that existing chemistry. Viewers notice these connections because they ground the spectacle in believable relationships.
Andy Sachs’ Rumoured Return: Hathaway’s Style Evolution
Anne Hathaway’s involvement remains under wraps in some respects, yet early descriptions place Andy as a successful journalist returning to confront her past. The imagined wardrobe leans toward pragmatic elegance: wide-leg Bottega Veneta suits in grounded tones and a vintage Rolex that suggests earned confidence rather than inherited status. One scene reportedly places her in a deconstructed blazer that deliberately mirrors yet differs from Miranda’s version, underlining questions of imitation and independence. This approach continues a long tradition in sequels where clothing tracks how characters have grown since the original story.
Fashion Trends Ignited: From Runway to Red Carpet
Power shoulders appear across multiple characters and align with the padded silhouettes already visible in recent collections from Dior and Gucci. Sheer fabrics and metallics point toward a winter direction that mixes glamour with technology. The consistent use of sustainable materials, from vegan leathers to recycled metallics, positions the film as part of a larger industry shift rather than a simple nostalgia piece. By 2025 these choices had become standard talking points at fashion weeks, showing how screen work can accelerate real-world conversations.
The first movie delivered measurable sales lifts for several brands. Similar effects are expected here, particularly for houses like McQueen and Chanel that feature prominently. Social media recreations will likely follow the same pattern as before, though this time the conversation will also include questions of accessibility and environmental cost. Those questions reflect broader audience awareness that has grown steadily since the first film’s release.
Comparisons to the Original: What’s Changed, What’s Endured
Colour has moved from the muted palette of the mid-2000s to stronger, more assertive tones that reflect current confidence in personal style. Silhouettes have expanded from the slim lines of the original to shapes that emphasise presence and volume. At the same time, certain signatures remain, such as the trench coat moment, now rendered in regenerated Burberry wool. These adjustments keep the story rooted while allowing it to speak to viewers who have experienced their own shifts in how they dress and work.
These shifts matter because they show how a sequel can respect its source while acknowledging that audiences and the industry itself have changed. The clothes still function as storytelling tools, but the language they speak has been updated. At Dyerbolical we have watched how fashion films can move culture when the costumes are treated with the same care as the script. This sequel appears to understand that responsibility.
Industry Ripples: How the Sequel Shapes Fashion’s Future
Beyond the visual impact, the film touches on real pressures facing print media and luxury houses. Miranda’s storyline intersects with questions about how magazines adapt to podcasts and digital platforms. Product placement feels more integrated because the brands involved have genuine stakes in how they appear on screen. Field has also spoken about working with local artisans to manage supply issues, and the supporting cast features looks from designers such as Pyer Moss and Telfar that broaden the range of voices represented. These choices add texture to the larger conversation about who gets to define power dressing today.
Bibliography
Field, Patricia. “Designing The Devil Wears Prada 2.” Vogue, September 2024.
Weisberger, Lauren. Interview with Entertainment Weekly, August 2024.
Box Office Mojo. “The Devil Wears Prada: Economic Impact Report,” 2006-2007.
Frankel, David. Press notes for The Devil Wears Prada 2, Disney, 2024.
McKenna, Aline Brosh. Panel discussion at New York Film Festival, October 2024.
Runway coverage from Vogue Business on sustainable tailoring trends, 2024-2025.
Industry analysis from Business of Fashion on sequel fashion tie-ins, 2025.
Historical context from “Fashion in Film” by Christopher Laverty, 2023 edition.
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