Top 10 Most Epic Miranda Priestly Moments

Miranda Priestly is a lot of things, but one of her most prominent qualities is her cold dismissiveness. Throughout the comedy-drama, she develops a sort of catchphrase that lets her get rid of people when she’s done with them. She utters a curt “that’s all”, and anyone she’s speaking to knows that it’s time to hightail it out of there and that she is absolutely done with you. She leaves no room for questions or comments, because obviously her time matters more than anyone else’s, and she certainly isn’t going to waste it on you.

Andy learns early on that you want to meet Miranda’s expectations- no matter how high and unreasonable they might be. In this scene, Miranda delivers an epic teardown of her assistant after she disappoints her. She expresses regret over hiring Andy, who she thought would be different than the typical girls she had work for her. She refers to Andy (ridiculously) as the “smart, fat girl” and says that she’s more disappointed in her than any of her former employees. It’s harsh and totally unjustified, but we know that Miranda will resort to viciousness if she doesn’t get what she wants.

Once Andy becomes a trusted member of Miranda’s staff, she is allowed to enter her home in the evening. One night when she gets there to deliver the book, Miranda casually informs her that she’ll be taking her along to Paris Fashion Week instead of Emily, who has more seniority and is desperate to go. When Andy expresses that she couldn’t possibly do that to Emily, Miranda low key threatens her job and says that if she misses the opportunity, it’ll be clear that she isn’t serious about her work at the magazine.

Miranda Priestly always gets what she wants, even if her desire seems literally impossible to fulfill. She asks Andy to procure the latest unpublished “Harry Potter” manuscript for her twin daughters so they can read it on a train ride and Andy balks. Oh, and Miranda also tells her that if she can’t pull it off, she’ll be fired. Andy knows exactly how impossible it is to get advance copies of this particular series, but she calls in some favors and somehow miraculously manages to make it happen, getting a copy for each of the girls and gaining Miranda’s trust.

When Andy first meets Miranda, she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Miranda learns that Andy is not a Runway reader and has essentially never even heard of her before, making her realize that this is not her typical interview, where the subject is grovelling and desperate to work for her. Miranda very quickly shows that she’s not impressed by Andy’s journalistic credentials and dismisses her at the mention of a piece about a janitor union. But Andy isn’t ready to back down and ultimately convinces Miranda that she’s actually the right one for the job.

Partway through the film, Miranda is stuck in Miami during a hurricane and wants to get back to New York. No flights are leaving the area because the weather is so bad, but Miranda insists that Andy try to find a way to figure it out. She makes countless calls and hears over and over again that there’s nothing that can be done. Miranda says that it’s “just drizzling” and assures her that she can find someone with a private jet to get her out of there. When Andy fails to do so, it leads into the scene where Miranda tells her how disappointed she is in her incompetence.

On the day of Andy’s interview with Miranda, all of the Runway employees scramble as soon as they find out that Miranda will be arriving in the office earlier than anticipated. She manages to strike such fear in those who work for her that they rush around before she walks through the doors, tidying, changing shoes and applying more makeup. Though we haven’t even properly met the character yet, this scene shows us everything we need to know about her, and how she’s perceived by the people around her.

At one point in the film, we get a look inside a typical Runway editorial meeting where Miranda presides over her employees, accepting and (more often) rejecting their ideas for different shoots and spreads for the upcoming issues of the magazine. When one unfortunate editor suggests that they shoot floral looks for one of the spring issues, Miranda is ready with a scathing response. It’s such a simple obliteration of the idea, but it manages to make the staff member look as though she’s never had an original thought in her entire life.

Right near the end of the story, Miranda and Andy are in Paris together for Fashion Week, taking a car to an event. Miranda tells Andy how much of herself she sees in her, which overtly makes Andy question what she has done to find herself in this place. When Andy expresses doubt about this character assessment, Miranda assures her that it’s what everyone wants. She puts a fake smile on her face as she gets out of the car, where dozens of cameras and members of the paparazzi are waiting for her. It’s this moment that prompts Andy to make a change, and she walks away from Miranda and the world of fashion.

This is probably the most famous scene in “The Devil Wears Prada” - and for good reason. Miranda goes over looks for a shoot, and picks apart every detail of the garments they’re considering. Another employee holds up two belts, saying how different they are, which causes Andy to scoff. Miranda takes this opportunity to deliver a lecture on how the fashion industry works, tearing Andy apart for thinking that she lives outside of the world of trends and simultaneously insulting her sense of style. Not only was this speech perfectly cutting, but it also actually taught many viewers about the lifespan of a trend.