Jana Kaddouh, 23, and Kevin Peou, 27, who says dressing up for the film helped make the event more exciting.Mira Miller/Supplied
On the evening of April 30 in downtown Montreal, Scotiabank Cinema was brimming with excitement for the opening night of The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Among a sea of loungewear, some diehard fans showed up to the premiere in cerulean blue sweaters, designer sunglasses, dresses and high heels as a nod to one of the most beloved fashion movies of all time.
Montrealers aren’t the only ones wearing their best to the cinema. Photos and videos on social media suggest that audiences all over the country have been dressing to the nines for the hotly anticipated sequel.
The idea of turning The Devil Wears Prada 2 screenings into a fashion show came in part from star Anne Hathaway, who plays Andy Sachs and encouraged fans to go all out. “I hope people remember how much fun they had wearing hot pink and going to see Barbie,” she said in a February interview with Vogue. “I’m hoping that everybody puts on their favourite Miranda Priestly-approved outfit and just has a blast.”
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Jana Kaddouh, 23, took that suggestion to heart. She wore a black sweater with a white collared shirt underneath, a black skirt and a pearl necklace – a look inspired by one of Andy’s most iconic outfits from the first film.
“We have to follow the queen herself,” Kaddouh said outside the theatre, referring to Hathaway.
Kaddouh saw the movie with her friend, Kevin Peou. The 27-year-old wore a long black trench coat and Prada sunglasses to the premiere. He said dressing up for the film helped make the event that much more exciting.
“When you go the movies, nobody sees you, but you have to do it for the vibes,” he said. “We have to bring the movie theatre energy back alive.”
Ahead of the show, Kaddouh said she was most excited to see the fashion and the hustle and bustle of New York. Peou said he was curious to see the cultural differences between 2006 and 2026, and how the filmmakers might incorporate social media and Gen Z into the sequel.
Like Kaddouh, many of the most committed costumed viewers were just toddlers – or not yet born – when the first film came out 20 years ago. To many of these young people, the film represents a simpler time that they’ll never get to experience – a world before social media and smartphones, when hard work guaranteed career success and magazines still dictated fashion trends.
These fans have never known a world without Andy Sachs, Miranda Priestly and Runway magazine, resulting in a deep connection to a film they grew up with.
Matthew Eid, 24, purchased his cerulean sweater specifically for the premiere.Mira Miller/Supplied
Matthew Eid was just four years old when the first movie came out, but he still remembers when his mom showed it to him for the first time that year. “I’ve been obsessed since then,” he said.
Eid came to opening night wearing a cerulean blue sweater, which he purchased specifically for the premiere. He turned 24 the day before and planned to return to the theatre with his mom and friends just two days later for a Devil Wears Prada-themed birthday celebration.
Seventeen-year-old Laurianne Sérius, who was born three years after the first movie premiered, wore a black dress and heels for the sequel. While in line to purchase popcorn, she described the original as a “cult classic” and said she dressed up to turn her viewing into more of an occasion.
“It’s a movie all about fashion,” she said. “How could I not dress up?”
After the movie, 25-year-old Ibrahima Barry – dressed in a faux fur red coat and black hat – said he loved the sequel, particularly for its subtle nods to the original. He chose to wear red because of its association with the devil.
“I felt like it would be on-theme to go all out for a movie that’s associated with fashion,” he said, adding that it made the cinematic experience more fun. “It’s always a confidence boost to wear something you enjoy.”