The Devil Wears Prada Red Carpet: Then And Now

A peep at the red carpet looks of the Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere in New York this week tells a dramatic coming-of-age story. Twenty years after the original DWP first hit theatres, it's abundantly clear that the film about a plucky young journalist trying to navigate the elite world of fashion media has morphed from a quirky comedy-drama to a glam global brand—complete with a Starbucks collaboration and Vogue cover.

Fresh off a global tour for the film, series leads Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt all donned haute-couture runway looks from major designers for the U.S. premiere in New York.

Hathaway wore a scarlet custom Louis Vuitton gown by Nicolas Ghesquière, Blunt donned a show-stopping Schiaparelli and Streep chose a red Givenchy cape with black opera gloves.

The looks are dramatic, Met Gala-coded gowns that make Oscar night dresses look like the sales rack at Holt Renfrew.

From left: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway attend The Devil Wears Prada 2 New York premiere on April 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

The cast photo itself, which includes a razor-sharp suited Stanley Tucci, too, feels expensive, offering a glimpse at a level of wealth that treats Vogue as a mail-order catalogue rather than the aspirational flip-through it is for the majority of the H&M shopping population.

Back in 2006, the cast took a more chill, less arch approach to selling the flick, which is adapted from the Lauren Weisberger bestseller of the same name.

Anne Hathaway also wore red to the 2006 NYC premiere but her scarlet gown with drapey cowl neck delivered a more high-end evening wear feeling than haute couture. Emily Blunt’s purple gown trimmed in black lace feels pitched at about seven income brackets below what she wore to the sequel’s premiere, while Meryl Streep’s white beaded dress was cocktail-inspired, almost mother-of-the-bride in tone.

The cast members in that 20-year-old photo feel fresh-faced and just happy to be there.

The only visual through-lines between the two red carpets is the cast (with the exception of Adrien Grenier and Daniel Sunjata) and the colour red, which is a pointed nod to the title and iconic illustrated book cover.

What’s the reason for the change? Is the shift a reflection of how far red carpets have travelled in terms of expense and press expectation? Or is it a reflection of the massive wealth class divide that now exists in the culture, where even reading rich on camera demands an over-the-top commitment?

Maybe.

But the haute couture polish might also have something to do with the shifting attitude of the “devil” herself.

As Meryl Streep told Vogue in the May issue—which she fronted alongside the OG Miranda Priestly, a.k.a. Anna Wintour herself—the first film didn’t sit well with then-Vogue editor Wintour.  

“Well, everybody was afraid of Anna on the first one," she says, "so we couldn’t find any clothes.”