There are ample pop culture references primed to help you pick up some solid beauty lessons, but few are as illustrious as The Devil Wears Prada. Hitting our screens in 2006, it shaped a generation of millennials entering the workforce with an Andrea Sachs level of hope, enthusiasm and outfit inspiration. And while the fashion in the original film was something in and of itself, the cast’s approach to beauty was arguably just as telling.
Let’s not forget, Sachs’ hair and make-up were integral to her evolution from second-in-command Emily to Andrea, preferred personal assistant to Miranda Priestly. As she sheds her cerulean blue knitwear, Sachs’ hair becomes signature to her new look, marked with a full front fringe and smooth, sleek finish. Her make-up follows suit with an elevated version of the every day face, paired with kohl lined eyes, frost bitten cheeks and flushed lips usually coated in a light, wearable sheen.
Anne Hathaway has unmistakably leaned into her on-screen alter-ego’s beauty choices amid the red carpet premieres of The Devil Wears Prada 2, which hits cinemas on 1st May, surprisingly more so than her tourdrobe. And, you need only look to the film’s Tokyo premiere earlier this week for the proof, where Hathaway sported Sachs’ signature up-do and face framing fringe, with a dewy pout that was fashioned by lip balm courtesy of Westman Atelier – very Sachs coded, indeed.
Anne Hathaway has clearly picked up a few beauty tips from her time on set. Here are all the beauty lessons we can learn from The Devil Wears Prada that are still relevant today.
1. Frame your fringe
When we first meet Andrea Sachs, outside of her relaxed approach to fashion it’s her hair that proves she’s not one for trends. It’s intentionally disheveled and her fringe is swept to the sides of her brows as if they are an after thought. But when she assumes her rightful place at Runway, her fringe becomes the main character. It is full, choppy and face framing even when it’s swept into an up-do.
2. The power of the red lip
The highest points of Andy’s career at Runway are marked with a red lip. In the moment Andy saves Emily Charlton (played by Emily Blunt) from Miranda’s wrath at the Runway Magazine Benefit, when she momentarily forgets the name of a guest, Andy heroically utters the words ‘Ambassador Frankin’ wearing a crimson lipstick. Andy almost exclusively wears a red lip when she makes it to Paris Fashion Week, but it is at this crossroads where her rose tinted glasses begin to fade as she watches herself apply red lipstick in the mirror.
3. Line your eyes
Lined eyes are undeniably nineties and noughties-coded, and you’ll spot eyeliner on almost all of the cast at some point of the film. Whether it’s top liner with a cat eye flick or kohl running along the waterline, both Andy and Emily’s bold eye moments prove exactly why the look is back in vogue.
4. Glasses are the look
Gisele Bündchen’s cameo in the film may be brief but it leaves an impression. With her slick-back bun, glossy skin and nude lips, she appears to be an early poster girl for the clean girl aesthetic, complete with nineties-esque rectangular glasses. Fashion accessory or not, they must be functional because she is the first to see Andy’s new look and approve of it.
5. Don’t forget lip balm
The opening sequence of the original film is a defining one. In a montage of shots capturing New York City’s fashion-forward workforce, we meet Andy whose morning routine swerves mascara, lipstick, fancy underwear and a bowl of almonds for a swipe of lip balm and an onion bagel. We love a girl who keeps it real.
6. Less is always more
In the final scene of the film, we see Andy living life post-Runway. Having found her sense of direction again after Paris, she’s shedded her glossy Runway pretence for the real Andrea Sachs. She is notably more laid-back, authentic, effortless, and her refined look speaks to her writerly pursuits. In place of red lips and heavy liner, her character arc is marked by bare eyes, flushed cheeks and your-lips-but-better lips – likely the work of good old lip balm again.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA UK.
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