In London this month, playwright Kate Wetherhead and composer Elton John premiered The Devil Wears Prada, a musical based on the 2003 novel of the same name by former Vogue staffer Lauren Weisberger, which, of course, inspired the famous film, also of the same name, depicting the trials and tribulations of an executive assistant (Anne Hathaway) at a fashion magazine ruled with an elegant hauteur by editor in chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). In real life, Weisberger was briefly Anna Wintour’s assistant. Wintour attended the movie’s 2006 premiere in Prada, naturally. She did the same thing in London on December 1. And presumably she’ll wear it again when the sequel, which has been confirmed, is released.
The true impact of The Devil Wears Prada the movie is not its hilarious depiction of the ins and outs of working at a fashion magazine, not the infamous—and quite accurate—“Cerulean blue” monologue, and not any of Emily Blunt’s quotable lines. Its real legacy is the generation of fashionistas it produced, this writer included.
I was 10 years old when this movie came out. I loved fashion in the context of celebrity, and loved designers in the context of the red carpet. I knew of Vogue as a sort of mythological publication, but lived in a country where the magazine was simply not sold or available. The movie contextualized my aspirations—all of a sudden I knew who made fashion magazines happen, and that, beyond the glitz and chaos, it was a real career. I watched the movie countless times, and made my mom watch it with me. She still texts me whenever she sees it, and I text her when I do. Here I am almost 3 years into my own Vogue job, and I still watch the movie every time I’m on a plane. Once a fan, always a fan.—José Criales-Unzueta
Christophe Decarnin Brings Sexy Back at Balmain
Between 2006 and 2011, Christophe Decarnin burned as fast and bright as a comet at Balmain. His spectacular, sparkly journey launched the phenomenon of Balmainia, and changed fashion by challenging the tenets of good taste associated with a maison known for dressing the “jolie madame,” and with luxury more broadly. His Balmain was wildly expensive, but washed and distressed to have a lived-in look, although the craftsmanship was immaculate. “Everythng has to have that casual couture spirit,” he told Vogue. In Decarnin’s world glitz and grunge sat side-by-side, hems were micro mini, shoulders sharply peaked—and they set a trend that swept across fashion. For his Balmain women, freedom was an ideal, and from the looks of it, so was a liberated sexuality. His were clothes that invited you to abandon yourself to desire.—Laird Borrelli-Persson
Model Watch: After the Brazilian Invasion Came “the Eastern Bloc”
One of the most era-defining modeling trends of the last 25 years was the arrival of the “Eastern Bloc.” Eastern Europe had opened to the West in the 1990s, and the fashion world, always eager for newness, began scouting fresh faces. First came Karolina Kurková in the late ’90s, with Carmen Kass and Natasha Poly trailing close behind. Kurková’s first Vogue cover was for the February 2001 issue photographed by Steven Meisel. She had debuted on Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu runway with an exclusive contract, but became a mainstream sensation as a Victoria’s Secret Angel starting in 2000 at the age of 16. Kass first tried her hand at modeling at 14 after being discovered at a supermarket in her native Estonia; it was Karl Lagerfeld who gave her her big break at Chanel. Poly’s own breakout came in 2004, when she moved to Europe after starting her career in her home country of Russia.
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