little bitty girl

I went to see this movie yesterday with Lia and Jenny. If you are planning to watch it and want to be completely surprised, then don't read this review as I will talk about some scenes in the movie.

I'd been eagerly anticipating it since it is about an industry that I work in. I had initially read the book; which was hilarious and I enjoyed it but in many ways it was over the top and obviously had exagerrated details about the industry to create drama. The movie, in my opinion, happens to be slightly better than the book, in that it is less vicious and more realistic and it gives the "devil" a bit of humanity. Albeit, the "humanity" part is very slight.

I don't care how many "devil" bosses you may have had (and trust me, every one has had them) when you look at the situation after the fact, those people were inevitably human. Evil, yes, but everyone has a backstory to why they treat people a certain way. It may not be right but it's the way it is. You can either learn from the experience or not, and you move on.

That being said, let's get down to the nitty gritty of the movie. Although Anne Hathaway (Andie Sacks) is the main character of the movie, it is Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly) who steals the show. Other great performances are made by Stanley Tucci (Nigel) and Emily Blunt (Emily). It really is an ensemble cast that makes the movie great.

As mentioned, however, Miranda is the most delicious character. She's vicious and cutting in such an appalling manner that you simply have to laugh. It's Meryl Streep at her comedic best. I loved that the movie showed that even though her character was tough, she also had to be that way to be where she is. Miranda has the tremendous responsibilty of heading up the "bible" of fashion books and this is no mean feat - millions of dollars are at stake and huge decisons to make in a very limited time.

In one of the scenes, a beleagured Andie defends Miranda to a male friend, asking, "If she was a man, would she still be considered a bitch?" or something to that effect. Unfortunately, as much as we think that we live in some really enlightened, equal society; women who are at the top of the corporate game usually have to deal with that moniker.

Another scene that I liked, was in the beginning when Andie, in her initial stages of her tenure, snickers at the absurdity of the editors picking belts that look similar. Miranda explains in her very direct and cutting way how even people who say they don't care about what they wear or fashion, is inevitably affected by it. We all have to wear clothes and what we buy from the Gap is usually trickled down from high fashion. So whether or not we care, we're all part of the same beast that fuels the industry.

Which brings me to another point. Why do non-fashion/non-design people think or treat fashion/design people like they're stupid or flakey? Don't deny it, as I've met many of you. Many times I've been to a party or a meeting where people will ask what I do for a living and as soon as I mention the dreaded "F" word (fashion) I can see them mentally writing me off. "Oh, all she does is shop for clothes. snicker How frivolous! That is so not a career." I have never met anyone in the industry who is stupid. If they are, they usually got there by family connections/have lots of money/sucking a lot of cocks. Those people are few and far between and they usually don't last long.

The truth is everyone in fashion knows that we're not saving lives or doing brain surgery. But we all know it's a business and we treat it as such. Idiots don't create multi-billion dollar industries. We usually have to juggle a million things, work really insane hours, travel a lot, deal with the same stressed out people like ourselves and initially get paid less than anyone working retail. On top of it, we usually have to do it looking good and walking in four inch heels. (I thank God that flats have been "in" for so many seasons although I do miss my heels occasionally.)

It takes a very specific type of person who can deal with the constant pressure of staying on top of the game. Why are we in it? We do it because there is something about living in the fantasy world for just a minute, because most of the time the work is really back breaking grunt work. Inherently, the majority of us are in it because we have a really deep appreciation and passion for design and art. I may never be able to own couture (which is my dream and it would be vintage Dior) but I can understand all the work, thought and workmanship that goes into each piece. Couturiers are artists, no matter what people say.

In the end, the movie is really about finding balance in life, every woman's real fantasy. It's light-hearted with some serious notes and so much fun. Go see it, if just for the eye candy as the fashion in it is quite outstanding. But then again, would you expect anything less?