Are you an Emily, Andy, or Miranda? When the infamous book-turned-movie The Devil Wears Prada premiered in 2006, the fashion community clutched its pearls. I, however, was nine years old and my mother took me to the local AMC theatre to watch, having already clocked my love of fashion.
I left the theater earnestly asking my mom why anyone would want to work at a place that stressful; how ironic that I would actually end up a Vogue employee. I also left with very specific opinions of the characters. I hated Andy’s boyfriend, for one, and while I didn’t like Emily either, I loved her blue eyeshadow. It felt so her; and there’s a clear reason why. Nicki Ledermann, the celebrated TV and film makeup artist who led the department on the original movie (earning a BAFTA nomination, no less), explains that the looks focused on characterization rather than imitation. No wonder the looks still read fresh and modern despite two decades having passed since its debut.
“Trends date because they belong to a particular cultural instant, but character doesn’t,” Ledermann tells Vogue. “These faces still feel alive because the people inside them still feel alive. That’s the only timelessness that matters.”
Vogue’s Favorite DWP-Inspired Makeup Picks
In preparing for the original The Devil Wears Prada, Ledermann and the makeup department completely avoided looking at trend boards and noughties fashion campaigns, aiming instead to create looks for each fictional woman that were specific to each of their personalities. “I didn’t want to follow a trend but rather inspire one that was specific and considered enough to take on a life of its own,” Ledermann tells Vogue. “The inspiration was always rooted in character first—who are these women, and how does their face tell that? As an artist I’ve always been drawn to bold color and what it can do—not as decoration, but as expression.”
For Ledermann, she identifies the trio of main characters by three completely distinct beauty languages—bold eye makeup on Emily, warm orange and red lips on Andy, Miranda’s unwavering understated makeup. “Miranda found her signature long ago and never wavered. That consistency is her power—it’s a quiet refusal to be influenced by anyone. Meanwhile, color became Emily’s signature, with those striking eyes look so specific to her,” she says. Conversely to the unwavering aesthetics of the former, Ledermann describes Andy’s beauty looks as the most nuanced and fluid because “her beauty shifted depending on where she was and who she was becoming.”
Below, we dive further each character’s signature look—with editor-curated picks from L’Oréal Paris— inspired by each fictional (and iconic) woman.
The Emily Charlton Look
Masterfully played by Emily Blunt, Emily Charlton and I would undoubtedly have office beef in real life (I have a low tolerance for mean-girl behavior). However, she never failed to serve looks. “Emily’s maximalism was never about excess, it was about conviction. The blue shadow was chosen to be deliberately fashion-forward without being costume-y,” says Ledermann, who notes that the bold color choice was meant to feel more like Emily’s signature rather than a trend she was following.
When it came to application, the team precisely saturated Blunt’s eyelid fully in eyeshadow— ensuring it had clean definition, as opposed to an accidental smudged-on look. “The boldness works because the rest of the face is disciplined around it. That balance is what keeps it from tipping into costume territory, and exactly why it still reads as current today,” she says. There’s often some bold yet sharp black eyeliner too.
Anne Hathaway’s noughties resume was a big part of my childhood—from The Princess Diaries to The Devil Wears Prada; two films that put the actor’s character at the center of a quintessential makeover. Hathaway’s Andy, though, was less about transformation and more about evolution, per Ledermann. “Andy’s makeup was always meant to feel like an awakening rather than an overhaul,” she says, describings the look as polished but never painted. “From the soft eyeliner, the warmth of earth tone shadows, and the just-kissed lips in warm tones—everything was chosen to feel like a more conscious version of who she already was, not a replacement for her.” The result was a look that remained refined, minimal effort, and timeless. I take cues from Andy these days in my simple, everyday glam. Sometimes fresh skin, a warm blush, lengthening mascara, and a statement lip is all you need to take on the day’s agenda.
The Miranda Priestly Look
The grande dame herself, Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, would never look to anyone else for inspiration, when she herself is the arbitrator of style. Most notably, the character never changes her makeup look, no matter the occasion—from the office to galas, her understated look remains consistent. “Miranda’s look, created by [makeup artist and hair designer] Roy Helland, is an exercise in authority through restraint,” says Ledermann. “The smoked gray eye shadow has presence and weight without ever raising its voice—it’s softer than a conventional smoky eye, more considered, almost architectural in how it frames her.”
The type of gray was also extremely intentional, aiming for a cool undertone with a diffused finish. “Nothing about her face suggests she tried, and that is entirely intentional,” Ledermann adds. “Miranda’s power comes from the impression that this is simply how she exists.”
Meet the Expert
- Nicki Ledermann is a BAFTA–, Academy Award–, and Emmy–nominated TV and film makeup artist. Ledermann is best known for work on Sex and The City, The Devil Wears Prada, The Greatest Showman, Joker, The Gilded Age, and many more.
