The Case of Emily Charlton & How NOT to be Succumbed by Fashion
It isn’t easy managing a job title millions of girls could kill for.
My professor exclaimed to my fashion communications class, “So would you all want to be a fashion victim like Emily?” and everyone unanimously agreed on never being one.
I remember watching The Devil Wears Prada as a class activity in my freshman year of Fashion Communications Degree, and the professor gave us the liberty to choose our favorite characters to write an analysis on.
Out of a whim of ‘Maybe students won’t write about Emily much’, I had initially chosen her. However, on the due date I switched my essay from appreciating her efforts to calling her a fashion victim, molding it to what I thought my teacher would appreciate.
Today, three years later with far more research base and empathy towards the assistant, my response to that question would be “No, because Emily was not a fashion victim to begin with.”
Being an Emily in the fashion industry could actually be fruitful and have all the perks without being a slave to every passing trend.
Workaholism and Popularity
With the characters in Devil Wears Prada standing the tests of time, Emily single-handedly shows us a range of workaholics at the office.
The Emily’s of the world need sleep, but they value success more than their REM cycles.
The Take’s analysis terms Emily as a workaholic. Yet is her obsession towards work stemming from her love for the job, or the potential it holds to ride to fame, eventually getting the material benefits and higher standing in the fashion hierarchy?
Emily turns to her work in order to add value and validation to herself, which to our dismay, is ignored by Miranda.
If anything, we don’t even know if Emily was her real name or if she just adopted it out of respect, as we hear Miranda introduced Andy as her ‘New Emily’ on several occasions. Emily was ready to lose her identity for the job ‘a million girls would kill for.’
The fondness of being in the A-list is also observed in Mean Girls’ Gretchen. Despite being treated incorrectly by Regina, she still stays with her. “She knew that being in the plastics was better than not being in it at all” quotes Cady, grasping her situation.
The Sheer Injustice
The fashion industry can be infamously known for the pettiness and child play cut-throat competition. Ignorance is bliss, and that is exactly what gave the unaware Andy an advantage over the fretful Emily, who was always over the top with her anxiety lest she would lose her job.
We all either saw her as a comical fashionista presence or a rude demeaning coworker at best, yet today I would say that those things were justified on her end.
A style analysis by ModernGurlz quotes it perfectly, stating how Andy starts working at runway with absolutely no fashion knowledge, openly expressing that she doesn’t resonate with fashion, while Emily worked tirelessly for the exact same position, and was passionate about it. It is her dream job.
Yet, despite all that, she doesn’t get the chance to go to Paris. I can relate to Emily in ways more than one, mostly in realizing how life can be against your favors sometimes, no matter if you play all your cards right.
We always hear famous people mention how networking helped them, and the act in itself is glorified, instead of taking it with a grain of salt. Many worthy of the said respect are stomped upon and left forgotten, and Emily is an exclusive tragic case in that sense.
However, on the brighter side, it was networking of Costume Designer Patricia Field which created the outfits of the movie we still go through for style inspirations today.
Another pet-peeve of mine would be the exterior glamour. One cannot expect someone to always look their best in such a cut throat industry, even though it’s all about that.
In the book, Emily mentions breaking her Manolo heels, quote “Another pair of seven-hundred-dollar shoes sacrificed to my complete and utter lack of grace under pressure: this clocked in as my third such breakage this month.”
Victimized by Fashion
Unlike what my professor believed, Fashion Victims do not go and get jobs in fashion. She was at the brink of becoming a victim, but her unfortunately fortunate incident stopped her.
The movie instead depicts fashion victims aptly through Andy’s friend, Lily, who hogs everything Miranda rejects and gives to Andy. They were her friends nonetheless, “while they eagerly take Andy’s expensive gifts that Miranda didn’t want, they make it clear that they don’t actually support her career at the magazine.” mentions screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna to Teen Vogue.
Emily embodied other problematic aspects of the industry: going on questionable extreme diets, appeasing the higher-ups and working herself to near-death. The actor, Emily Blunt, mentions “I’ve only lost weight for ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and that was because my character was supposed to be on the edge of anorexia.”
Emily’s Fashion Sense
What Emily wears throughout the movie would be a nightmare for your regular corporate receptionist. Unlike Lily, Emily did not hog up on every luxury brand she could find. The receptionist had her sense of style intact, and looked a righteous part of the system.
She was confident in working with her co-workers (except Miranda), and had an authoritative style full of distinct experimental cuts and seams. Since the movie came out in the 2000s, most of her outfits have a waist-cinching belt, similar to the corset belts coming back in trend two decades later.
Her wardrobe mostly consists of experimental designers too. Note Rick Owens known for his archival timeless pieces to Vivienne Westwood’s feminine edgy appeal. Her outfits aptly represent her cold harsh exterior, hiding the soft nature underneath.
Field explains Emily’s Style to be so “Out of the edge, it seems like she is about to fall off.” Even with her leg broken, she was wearing a midi-flared tulle skirt with a coat and purple corset belt. To top that off she was also donning heeled boots. An assistant, in heeled boots, with a broken leg, no wonder she was truly falling off the edge in the whole movie.
As individuals in the fashion industry, one should refuse to be bought by brands. Thus, Lily’s victim mentality is the one to avoid. Emily’s work ethics (and not her fashion sense) should be taken with caution.
I am aware how I am voluntarily falling into a hell-hole by actively trying to be a part of this industry, and the journey for many is only half-scratched with the disguised poison of success. But taking Emily in mind, I wish to be the one to question the stereotypes we’re brainwashed to have.
Thus, the next time you come across another Emily, try and be in her Manolos for once, and I bet you won’t be able to survive a single day.
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No doubt my first instinct was to write about Emily Charlton in my class, the character had a dynamic many overlooked. Feel free to take any information for your own use on credit. Is there anything you want me to cover? Let’s connect through Instagram or LinkedIn. You can also support my work by giving me a tip on Ko-fi!
