The Devil Wears Prada

After three months, Andy is finally getting the hang of her job, but she still struggles with her wardrobe. Her own clothes aren’t fashionable enough to fit the Runway image. Her friend James hints that her job might be on the line unless she begins to dress more stylishly. She learns that Runway keeps a closet full of clothing for photoshoots that she might borrow and wear.

Exhaustion sets in as Andy works 14-hour days, and cryptic phone calls from her boss disrupt her nights’ sleep: “Every night, without exception, Miranda would leave eight to ten ambiguous messages for us between the hours of one and six in the morning” (141). Neither Andy nor Emily dares ask Miranda for clarification, so they’re left to sort out what she actually wants them to do.

The junior assistant spends much of her daily routine fetching food and beverages for Miranda. Each day, Miranda expects her morning latte from Starbucks to be piping hot. If it’s cold, Andy may have to make five or six coffee runs until her boss is satisfied. A similar ordeal occurs with both breakfast and lunch orders. Andy is generally in a frenzied rush to get the food back to the office before she receives an angry phone call either from Emily or Miranda demanding to know where she is.