Miranda Priestly is no longer the reigning tyrant of Runway in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Played with effortless precision by Meryl Streep, the editor-in-chief has lost the bite that once made her the fashion world’s most feared gatekeeper. Gone are the days when a single glance could send designers into a tailspin or silence an entire office floor.
Because Runway itself is in decline. The print magazine no longer exists, everything has gone digital, and it`s only about numbers and clicks.
Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), now an award-winning investigative journalist, is drawn back into Miranda’s orbit as Runway scrambles to restore its reputation after a faux pas and recalibrate for a digital audience. She becomes the new head of the features department.
Immediately, she notices how different things are. Andy is shocked to see Miranda get schooled for using inappropriate language by her new assistant, Amari (Simone Ashley), because there have been too many HR complaints. She has to hang her own coat instead of just flinging it at an assistant. Heck, she even has to fly coach.
Miranda now finds herself bending to corporate pressures she once would have crushed. She agrees to bloated advertising demands and tolerates interference from executives. She`s no longer untouchable. And so has her relationship with Andy evolved. Andy is no longer the wide-eyed assistant who is easily intimidated and cowed. The two operate more as equals (reluctant on Miranda`s part), who are united by their mission to prove Runway`s worth and restore its credibility.
Adding a new layer of tension is Emily (Emily Blunt), no longer the overworked assistant but a powerful executive at a luxury fashion house. She holds the kind of financial leverage that could keep Runway afloat, but at a price. Emily is sharp, commanding and entirely at ease in this new ecosystem. Her scenes with Miranda crackle with tension, layered by shared history and a clear, mutual understanding of ambition.
Meanwhile, Stanley Tucci’s Nigel remains the film’s quiet anchor, offering his usual warmth and restraint amid the shifting power dynamics. Among the newer additions, Simone Ashley makes a confident impression, though the script doesn’t always give her enough to do.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 doesn’t simply recreate the magic of its predecessor, it refreshes it with wit, self-awareness and a welcome dose of fun. The film retains the hallmarks fans expect—the fashion, the drama, the razor-sharp one-liners, while grounding them in a reality that anyone in publishing will recognise all too well.
