My favorite part of The Devil Wears Prada—the 2006 fashion flick based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 memoir, which solidified Anne Hathaway as an A-list star, introduced the world to Emily Blunt, and somehow, in a very packed field, became Meryl Streep’s most iconic role—is The Cerulean Speech.
When wannabe “serious” journalist Andy Sachs (Hathaway) giggles about two “different” blue belts looking exactly the same, Runway Magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep) takes her to task. She singles out Andy’s sweater, which isn’t just blue, it’s cerulean. She tells Andy that Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, followed by Yves Saint Laurent’s military jackets in the same color. More designers embraced the tone, which eventually filtered down into department stores and the “clearance bin,” where Andy presumably found her jumper.
“That blue represents millions of dollars of countless jobs,” Miranda says icily. “And it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room… from a pile of stuff.” It’s not just a rebuttal of Andy: It’s an eloquent fuck you to anyone who has ever branded fashion or the arts as frivolous.
