Similar to television shows such as Ugly Betty and Sex and the City, the costumes worn by the actresses in The Devil Wears Prada are as much a character as the people themselves. They're equally memorable, just as impactful—and you can thank Patricia Field for bringing them to life.
In honor of The Devil Wears Prada's 10th anniversary, Racked caught up with Field to reminisce about creating the film's Oscar-nominated wardrobe, from how that infamous coat montage scene was made to memories of dressing Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. Here are some of the juiciest moments.
Donna Karan was instrumental in creating Miranda Priestly.
"After I met Meryl and got a sense of her body, I had the idea to visit Donna Karan's archives because when Donna first started in the industry, much of her success was based on the fact that her fits were easy, they were flattering, and they emphasized the waist and shoulders without being extreme or exaggerated, without looking like something out of Dynasty," Field said. "I knew her archives would provide a good foundation on which to build Miranda's look. Of course, I pulled other designers, but Donna was an important one."
Without Chanel, there would be no Andy.
"I called Chanel, who I have a relationship with, and I showed them the script," shared Field. "They were very, very happy to work with me, because they wanted to see Chanel on young women. So they were very generous with me. Which was great, because after meeting Annie, I immediately thought of her as a Chanel girl—as opposed to, say, a Versace girl. The combination worked out well."
Field dipped into her personal relationships to create Priestly's infamous coat montage.
"I know this one lady from Russia who's a big furrier and had just opened up a showroom in New York, and she was very generous with me," the costume designer said. "You know, when you're dealing with very expensive high fashion, it's imperative to have the help of your friends! You can't do a gorgeous movie on H&M, for example. Not that there's anything wrong with H&M."
Emily Blunt was the biggest fashion girl on set.
"She loved the clothes, and all the accents we gave her," Field said of the then-newbie actress. "She was very conscious of those details. Her character was the most severely dressed out of the whole cast, I'd say, but Emily could carry it and make it believable."
Stanley Tucci's Clothes Helped Him Understand His Character.
"He paid us a great compliment in an interview when he said that when he went in for his first fitting, he didn't really have a focus on his character, but after the fitting he knew exactly who he was supposed to be," said Field.
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