Two decades after Runway first opened its doors, The Devil Wears Prada 2 returns with nostalgia, sharp performances and a timely take on fashion, media and modern ambition.
Almost 20 years after The Devil Wears Prada became a cultural touchstone, Runway is back in circulation. The announcement of The Devil Wears Prada 2 created an instant frenzy, sending fans into a spiral of set photos, casting updates and cautious optimism. After all, legacy sequels can be tricky territory. They either lean too heavily on nostalgia or stray so far from the original that the magic gets lost.
Thankfully, The Devil Wears Prada 2 understands the assignment. It is not “groundbreaking”, nor does it try to be. Instead, it offers a stylish, familiar and thoroughly enjoyable return to a world defined by ambition, icy putdowns, impeccable tailoring and impossible professional standards. The result is a sequel that plays it safe, but does so with enough self-awareness to justify the return.
The film catches up with Andy Sachs – played by Anne Hathaway – years after she walked away from Runway. Now navigating the uncertain world of journalism, she finds herself dealing with an industry that has changed dramatically. Print is struggling, layoffs loom large, content is shaped by algorithms, and meaningful storytelling often competes with the pressure to be “downloadable, streamable, clickable”. It is a smart update that gives the sequel its strongest sense of relevance.
As with the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is built around professional survival. This time, however, the stakes feel broader. Andy is no longer the wide-eyed assistant trying to prove herself. She is older, sharper and more aware of the compromises required to keep a career alive in a media landscape that rarely rewards integrity.
Miranda Priestley remains the film’s most magnetic presence. Meryl Streep slips back into the role with effortless control, delivering the kind of dry, cutting humour that made the character iconic. There is also a clever generational twist, with Miranda’s Gen Z assistant occasionally stepping in to “correct” her. It is funny without feeling forced, and it taps neatly into today’s workplace dynamics. One particularly telling detail sees Miranda hanging up her own coats, a small but effective nod to the fact that even power is not immune to budget cuts.
Stanley Tucci’s Nigel has a storyline that leans into his loyalty to Miranda, though it occasionally stretches credibility, given the cutthroat nature of the fashion world. Emily Blunt’s character, also named Emily, remains as frosty as ever, now channelling her precision into her role as head of couture at Dior. Blunt’s return is a highlight, bringing the same bite, timing and clipped delivery that made her such a scene-stealer in the original.
Structurally, the sequel follows a familiar pattern. There is a career crisis, a high-pressure mission and the looming need to save something before everything unravels. The blueprint is recognisable, but it works. The pacing is steady across the two-hour runtime, although a slightly tighter edit would have helped. Some scenes linger longer than necessary, while others feel as though they deserved more room.
The performances are the film’s strongest asset. With Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci leading the cast, there is little to fault. The chemistry is still there, and the film benefits enormously from that familiarity. However, not every character gets the same treatment. Simone Ashley, despite her growing star power, feels underused as Miranda’s assistant, Amari. The character has promise, but she is largely sidelined, functioning more as a narrative accessory than a fully realised presence. Lucy Liu, however, is a welcome addition as Sasha Barnes, especially for those with a soft spot for Charlie’s Angels.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 introduces several strong ideas, even if it does not always explore them in depth. It touches on journalism versus content creation, the ethics of modern media, generational tension in the workplace and the blurred line between relevance and survival. The film is at its best when these themes appear through character choices rather than heavy-handed speeches.
Visually, the film is polished, glossy and packed with fashion-world detail. Cameos from Ashley Graham, Law Roach and Lady Gaga help blur the line between fiction and real-life fashion culture. The nostalgia is present, but never overwhelming. The cerulean blue callback is subtle, Andy’s brown leather bag reappears, and visual echoes of the original, including a fountain scene towards the end, are woven in with restraint.
Ultimately, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a modern re-styling of the legacy. It takes what worked, updates the context and delivers something stylish, self-aware and surprisingly thoughtful. It may not reinvent the story, but it refines it for a new era. Like good ready-to-wear couture, it knows the value of a familiar silhouette.
Verdict: 8/10. Bordering on a nine for nostalgia, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a sharp, stylish sequel that proves some stories, like good fashion, never really go out of style.