Why Milan became a character in The Devil Wears Prada 2, according to Molly Rogers
An exclusive conversation with Molly Rogers on Miranda Priestly’s style, Milan’s influence, and the future of fashion storytelling
Most conversations around The Devil Wears Prada 2 have focused on the clothes: Miranda Priestly’s wardrobe, luxury brands, and the film’s highly anticipated fashion moments. However, costume designer Molly Rogers notes that one of the sequel’s most important additions is not a garment at all: it’s Milan. Speaking during a talk at Istituto Marangoni Milano alongside fashion show consultant Mattia Bertocco, Rogers shared exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into how the film turns Milan from a backdrop into a character, using the city’s mix of fashion, business acumen, and creative energy to evolve and broaden the world of The Devil Wears Prada.
Forget the cerulean sweater plucked from the sale bin, or the idea that the behind-the-scenes of fashion cinema are confined to Manhattan offices. Twenty years after the cult film that changed how the world sees the fashion system on screen, the Devil is back. But this time, the dynamics of power flow through Milan too.
The latest Meravigli Talks, moderated by journalist and IM professor Angelo Ruggeri, radiated the energy of a major occasion. As part of Istituto Marangoni Milano’s new school series, the event, titled The Devil Wears Prada 2 – Behind the Scenes, delivered something extraordinary. For the first time at an Italian academic institution, the creative minds responsible for translating the screenplay of the year’s most eagerly anticipated sequel through costume design took centre stage: Molly Rogers, the acclaimed Costume Designer who inherited Patricia Field’s legacy for The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Mattia Bertocco, Fashion Show Consultant, who oversaw the technical and choreographic authenticity of the film’s runway sequences.
The focus of the discussion? To dismantle clichés and reveal the intricate visual architecture behind a film that we typically experience from the comfort of a cinema seat.
Milan enters The Devil Wears Prada 2 not as scenery, but as a power surface: photographers, tailoring and arrival culture turning the city into part of the film’s fashion language.
Why Milan Plays a Bigger Role in The Devil Wears Prada 2
One theme resonated throughout the conversation: Milan’s role has been entirely redefined.
“Abroad, Milan is often seen simply as a city of business, industrial rigour and banks,” noted Mattia Bertocco, as he recounted the challenges of coordinating scenes set during Milan Fashion Week. And yet, the camera in The Devil Wears Prada 2 captured the city’s cultural layers, transforming it into a creative hub where art and craftsmanship converge.
The Milanese setting reframes the fashion show as urban theatre, where architecture, choreography and cinematic scale begin to carry as much meaning as the clothes. This transformation is most evident in the Giorgio Armani Privé scene, where Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Meryl Streep, dons a jewel-encrusted evening coat at a recreated Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano. The moment serves as a deliberate tribute to Giorgio Armani, who passed away during the film’s production. Milan, in other words, is not only business: it is the place where power becomes sophisticated and less loud.
“Fashion in cinema doesn’t just have to impress; it has to tell you where a character’s eye has been. If Anne Hathaway’s Andrea Sachs has travelled the world as a reporter, her wardrobe has to scream it,” – Molly Rogers, Costume Designer for The Devil Wears Prada 2
How Molly Rogers Reimagined Miranda Priestly’s Style
Molly Rogers pulled back the curtain on a wardrobe that doesn’t follow trends, but chews them up and spits them back out as expressions of character psychology.
Meryl Streep changes outfits 28 times in the film, with nearly every detail intentional. For Miranda Priestly’s opening office scene, Rogers chose a grey Sa Su Phi jacket and skirt, DeiMille heels, and a Briony Raymond necklace—understated authority, from head to toe. For the Runway gala, one of only two bespoke pieces in the entire film: a one-of-a-kind red ballgown by Pierpaolo Piccioli, created just as he was joining Balenciaga. In a boardroom meeting, Miranda wears a Dries Van Noten fringed jacket—a spiritual nod, Rogers explains, to the beaded and sequinned jacket from the original film’s cerulean monologue. Even the strass necklace worn at Irv’s birthday party carries a story: it was the very first piece Rogers purchased for the film, found at a New York vintage market.
Behind the polished surface of The Devil Wears Prada 2, the wardrobe board reveals costume design as a system of hierarchy, character psychology and visual control. In the first film, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) wore avant-garde designers sourced from New York outlets. Now, in her new position at Dior, her style has become an extension of her success.
“Working with the Maison Dior allowed us to mix and match incredible pieces, while keeping that edgy soul—the corsets, the punk energy à la Vivienne Westwood—that Emily has always had” – Molly Rogers
Quiet Luxury, Couture and the New Power Dressing of The Devil Wears Prada 2
And the question everyone in the room was asking: Does the Devil really still wear Prada? Molly Rogers explained that in contemporary cinema, the aesthetics of power are more fragmented than ever.
Alongside Miranda Priestly’s iconic silhouettes, the film is now defined by quiet luxury, Gabriela Hearst’s sharp masculine tailoring for Andy, and couture creations from Balenciaga and Schiaparelli.
In the sequel’s expanded fashion universe, couture becomes less about spectacle alone and more about how power, identity and cultural memory are styled on screen.
How The Devil Wears Prada 2 Recreated Milan Fashion Week for Hollywood
Bringing rhythm and precision to this Hollywood machine was Mattia Bertocco. As Fashion Show Consultant, he revealed the true complexity behind the camera: recreating the adrenaline, tight timings, lighting and front-row dynamics of a real Milan fashion show—convincing both the designer’s clinical eye and the mainstream viewer at the cinema.
This process was a fundamental exercise in cultural and technical translation, proving that costume design is far more than “choosing clothes”—it is a vital branch of visual storytelling.
The recreated runway sequence turns Milan Fashion Week into a cinematic machine, balancing front-row ritual, backstage precision and the controlled chaos of a real show.
What The Devil Wears Prada 2 Reveals About Fashion as a Universal Language
The evening at Istituto Marangoni Milano’s new school on Via Meravigli left Gen Z students with a powerful takeaway: when fashion meets cinema, it ceases to be a commercial product and becomes a universal language. Milan, with its unique blend of economic pragmatism and creative ambition, remains the perfect stage for this evolution. The Devil Wears Prada 2 captures this dynamic, frame by frame, and Molly Rogers and Mattia Bertocco brought the lesson vividly to life.