MovieChat Forums > The September Issue (2009) Discussion > Am I the only one that thinks she is not...

Am I the only one that thinks she is not the devil wearing Prada?

posted 15 years ago by eliroose_09
53 replies | jump to latest

Sorry guys but I have to admit I’m really clueless as to why so many people think she is infact like Miranda. I saw HUGE differences.

For a start, she brought her own coffee (…well ok so she had a driver to take her there which isn’t so down to earth – but she certainly didn’t seem to make the poor new kid get it for her). But also, just with her whole attitude she seemed much more the person to listen to others considerations and ideas before making a decision.

And yes she got rid of Grace’s 1920s theme, but I still think that she was way better than Miranda Priestly. She also respected Grace as being a wonderful creative stylist, as appose to Miranda who only saw her own point of view.

Just with lines like ‘is there anything else you need me for Grace’ and ‘I don’t really like this photo, what do you think’, and ‘Grace and I don’t always agree but we have learned to live with that’…even when she asked her daughters opinion of which cover to use – to me that shows she actually does see a side different to hers and accept that others may have a different way of looking at fashion to her own.

I thought she was nothing like what TDWP made her out to be. Yes she was head strong and very determined…but you have to be in her business. She also didn’t expect everyone to like perfect every five seconds of the day. I mean did you see the shoes Grace was wearing? To me they’re fine for someone of Grace’s age – but certainly not the type of thing Miranda would allow

[–] hollywoodgirl-1 15 years ago

I just saw this movie yesterday and I completely agree, Miranda in TDWP is a characiture and an exaggeration. Obviously none of us has been an assistant to a high end fashion editor and I'm sure Lauren Weisberger experienced some job abuses as assistant to Anna Wintour, but what I got from the movie is that Anna is very driven and very all business all the time. It's like the publisher said, she isn't open with people she doesn't need to be open with. She's running a huge empire and meets so many people, she doesn't have time for warm fuzzies and being best buddies, especially if she wants Vogue to be the best it can be. I loved this movie and I loved that they showed Anna in this light.

Why so serious? 7/18/08

[–] DogtownGirl 15 years ago

The film hasn't hit my city yet. However, the trailer made Wintour's thaw look to be anything but ... inevitable. Andre Leon Talley is the most self-important fellow, there ever was, seems to me ...

I will definitely go to see this film once it hits my city!! It's on my list of "Thou must see ..."

[–] idlewood 15 years ago

>Andre Leon Talley is the most self-important fellow, there ever was, seems to me ...

And what is it, exactly, that this gentleman does for the publication?

Personally, I found it somewhat telling that he felt a need to envelope himself in LV accouterments, including racquet holder, in a game for which he is ill-prepared.

Granted, it's commendable that anyone get out there and hit balls to stay in shape, release endorphins, etc.

No doubt the truly excellent player will have the battered equipment stuffed into some old duffle bag. This reminds me of the young man I know (Brit, naturally) who drives a 20 year old Benz and subscibes to the old English saying "The people who count don't care, and the ones who care don't count".

Hope in time Mr. Talley might become comfortable enough to understand what this worldview implies.

[–] DogtownGirl 15 years ago

Mmmm, yes.

Well, no doubt you read the topic that I started about this film which contains a 'review' of the film.

I think Andrew Leon Talley looks ridiculous in the film, sadly.
He's overly-blown, and too flamboyant for words. It is almost as though seeing HIM working for who he does, cheapens whole Operation and Enterprise.

It's funny. Apparently he comes from The South, yet ... his accent amd dialect do not give away his upbringing and heritage.
Hmmm, fancy that ... .

[–] acr267 15 years ago

There were too many 'eye rolls' & people doing physical gyrations getting out of her way, to think that she that she is more respected then intimidating.

[–] DogtownGirl 15 years ago

I got that impression, as well. Although I did cringe at the beginning of the film when she surmised that people shop at K-Mart, because they fear fashion (Why, when they could be wearing a pretty Carolina Herrera dress?) rather than for the FACT that K-Mart can offer stylish stuff at an affordable price -- the key being affordable, because the rest of us do have to worry about money, or the lack thereof.
Besides, it isn't where you shop, as any good Fashionista knows.
It is how you combine the pieces you buy and the accessories you wear to create a total look.
One other bit? When Wintour blithely said "Excuse me" to an underling and that underling JUMPED to attention and moved aside with the speed of a cockroach .
I think she can be a bit full of herself and what she does, but, do I think she's The Devil Incarnate?
Nope.

[–] kay_cee_d 14 years ago

DogtownGirl you twisted her words a bit with the K-Mart thing. She said "Just because you love to put on a beautiful Carolina Herrera dress or J Brand jeans instead of something from K-Mart doesn't mean you're a dumb person." And what I think she means by that is just because you like to spend your money on fashion doesn't mean you're shallow. And that's true. People who belittle fashion often thing you shouldn't spend a lot of money on it and therefore buy clothes from K-Mart, Walmart, or Target or something like that. And I'm not saying those stores are unstylish or bad, but what I'm saying is that people who don't appreciate fashion tend to think that it is ridiculous to spend a lot of money or time on fashion.

Only the shell, the perishable passes away. The spirit is without end. Eternal. Deathless.

[–] DogtownGirl 14 years ago

kay_cee_d,

What I got from what Wintour said was that she looks down upon folks who don't wear designer fashions or who choose not to, or who can't afford to. After all, we never see Wintour sporting more 'down market' stuff, do we?
And, of course working in the biz that she DOES, she isn't going to bash it by stating that fashionistas are shallow and somehow less intelligent than the rest of us ... is she?

-- I admire celebrities who muck in & get dirt under their manicures. Charity rules!

[–] kay_cee_d 14 years ago

She MAY look down on people who don't wear designer fashions, and I wouldn't be surprised. But honestly from that comment in the beginning I honestly didn't see it necessarily as "I'm better than those people..." it was more of a "We're not necessarily shallow or stupid because of what we like, etc....this isn't silly...this is important to us even if it is silly to other people."

Only the shell, the perishable passes away. The spirit is without end. Eternal. Deathless.

[–] DogtownGirl 14 years ago

kay_c_dee,

I understand your viewpoint. Thanks. I still feel as though Wintour can be condescending often, and perhaps think of fashion as being more important than it actually is, but ... she's a great success, and I am not, so there we are.

-- I admire celebrities who muck in & get dirt under their manicures. Charity rules!

[–] kay_cee_d 14 years ago

Oh yeah definitely. I was just speaking about that one isolated comment. I think she seems "okay"....but definitely can be condescending.

Only the shell, the perishable passes away. The spirit is without end. Eternal. Deathless.

[–] DogtownGirl 14 years ago

kay_c_dee:

OK, we agree basically. Cool!

-- I admire celebrities who muck in & get dirt under their manicures. Charity rules!

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MsD430 15 years ago

I agree. I was expecting to see this mean and horrible woman who made me cringe and probably never want to buy an issue of VOGUE. Instead, I saw her a strong and opinionated business woman who took other people's opinions into consideration...but, bottom line, Vogue is HER baby and she's gonna raise it the way she sees fit. I have a lot of respect for her...but, I LOVE Grace Coddington!! ;-)

Dawn

[–] rocktheboat61 15 years ago

I walked away from the movie really respecting her... She's firm and sometimes brutally honest, but she's running one of the most influential fashion magazines in America so you do what you have to do to get the job done.

I loved Grace too, but I really liked Anna more than I thought I would. The scene where she said her siblings find what she does "amusing" really showed some vulnerability I wasn't expecting. I think a lot of what she does is to prove to herself and others that her job is important. I really respect her drive and passion for it.

[–] MsD430 15 years ago

I felt so sorry for her when she said her siblings thought what she does is "amusing". She spoke of their careers like they were valid and important, but you could tell that she didn't feel she got the same respect in return. I, too, liked her way more than I thought I would.

Dawn

[–] vjpb 15 years ago

I haven't read the book "The Devil Wears Prada" just saw the movie. There may be big difference who knows. I thought she wasn't so bad.

[–] ShizaMinelli 14 years ago

You should give it a read, it's entertaining to say the least, and Andy is much more believable in the book.

When you're 17 a cow can seem dangerous and forbidden...am I alone here?

[–] duck_dodgers 14 years ago

Oh, me too! I thought that was sad. Also, when Bee said she didn't want to follow her career path. There were a few moments when I thought we saw some real humanity from her...

[–] pwpj1 15 years ago

Sje agreed to this movie to do damage control because of her image in Devil Wears Prada. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

[–] SamanthaWho88 15 years ago

I think Anna Wintour is ... nice

She smiles, is polite, has a good sense of humour.

I found her quite warm, however maybe we didn't see her in one of her truly bad moods ...

*I'm your stranger ... Jump!*

[–] da_thompson1972 15 years ago

Honestly, I never saw the portrayal of Miranda Priestly in the film version of "The Devil Wears Prada" as "evil." In fact, I believe the film, as opposed to the novel, portrayed Miranda as much more of human being than just as an evil bitch who lived to make other's lives hell.

The same could be said for Anna Wintour. She is far from a "Devil", if you will, and appears to honestly want the same things we all want from day one in life...love and acceptance for who and what we are by our family. Based upon how she responded to that now infamous question regarding her families viewpoint of what she does, we see that Ms. Wintour is just like her fictionalized counterpart...HUMAN!

[–] hotshothound 14 years ago

I agree.

I felt the screenplay and, of course, Meryl Streep's brilliant take on the character was much kinder and more believable than the book. Honestly, the book was not nearly as good as the movie. Judging from this documentary (because I don't know Wintour personally) I'd say Streep more closely portrayed her than the author.

There were some parts where I felt so sad for her, like her siblings being "amused" by her career, which seemed to bring her down more than the thousands in the industry who greatly admire her, and the way she seemed so isolated sometimes. Human, not evil.

[–] ShizaMinelli 13 years ago

Steep definitely elevated the movie, but I liked the books Andy a thousand times more. Andy in the movie was kind of a dumb ass, imo.

When you're 17 a cow can seem dangerous and forbidden...am I alone here?

[–] KMPINTJ 15 years ago

Does it not occur to you that she KNEW she had the image of a "Dragon lady" and thus in this documentary--which she sanctioned--she was very conscious of how she would be portrayed and "kept it polite"? I would not trust that we saw every side of the "real" Anna in this film, put it that way. Remember, she authorized this, not long after Devil...Prada came out. She knew what people expected and she is certainly smart enough to keep her temper in check when the cameras are running.

Plus, nobody said every detail of Devil...Prada (such as the Starbucks) was exactly true.

[–] Revolutionow 14 years ago

^ this

All I can think about are dudes.

[–] clarrain 11 years ago

Thank you! Finally someone mentions that she knew the cameras were running!!! Of course she was polite. Of course she listened to what others were saying and seemed to take their opinions into account. What else could she have done???

"Sure, lots o' times!"

[–] Random_2 15 years ago

Remember that The Devil Wears Prada was a fictional story based on the perceptions of a woman who used to work for her. The Devil Wears Prada is/was not a documentary.

Think about your boss, especially if you hate him/her. Write a story about how horrible they are. Is that an accurate picture of that person? Would an unbiased documentary paint the same portrait?

[–] SeeBear 15 years ago

The art instructors I've had in the past, who were like Anna, are the reasons my art is at the level it is today. I, too, was surprised at how much I ended up respecting her.

"Those who can't do teach". She really is a teacher and a damn good one at that. It's no coencidence that many of the designers who've taken her advice end up becoming successful in their field. She's not vague, simply to the point. And in a industry that's win or loose you want to hear what works, not indecisiveness.

People want guidence, but are afraid to hear the truth and that's a sad fact to why our culture is the way it is today.

People like Anna aren't heartless, they just can't abide mediocrity. Especially, when they can see your full potential.

We really need more driven individuals like that in the film industry who are as passionate about the product as they are about turning a buck.

Hollywood today is just sad. It has absolutely know direction because they merely consider the bottom line without any vision or appreciation for those who have it.

I appreciated the fact Anna thought about every element as a whole. People who pretty much complain and never achieve their full potential in life with never get a chance realize this. They'll continue to invy and mock those who understand that it takes work and decipline to thrive in an environment where people just want to do enough to get by.

I was surprised at how much I found myself agreeing with a majority of the decisions she made about the magazine. I anticipated walking out feeling the exact opposite.