All posts by Ella Hardman

Works Cited

“Vogue.” Vogue Font, www.dafont.com/vogue.font. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

Pexels, www.pexels.com/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

Graziano, Giada. “The History of Vogue.” GLAM OBSERVER, 4 Aug. 2020, glamobserver.com/the-history-of-vogue/.  

“Vogue.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 9 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/Vogue-American-magazine. 

Travel Experience

In the summer of 2021, my mom, brother, and I packed the car for a long six-hour ride to Charleston, South Carolina. As it was the midst of summer and we were heading further into the south, we all knew to pack light. My suitcase was packed with tank tops and jean shorts that I knew would keep me decently cool on these humid summer days. We were going to visit my mom’s best friend, Kelly, and since the three of us had never been before, we got the full experience of Downtown Charleston.

We finally arrived at a parking garage after spending no less than 30 minutes searching, gotta love Charleston traffic, and left to venture downtown. Kelly first led us to the Charleston Pier to show us the harbor view. Instantly walking down the pier the wind began to pick up, blowing the crop top I was wearing around me like a flag. In hindsight, I probably should’ve known better than to wear a loose shirt near a body of water but 16-year-old me wasn’t as knowledgeable about fashion as I claim to be now. However, as I walked to the edge of the pier my worries about the practicality of my outfit washed away in place of awe. It really is a beautiful view, especially on the day we visited. The clear sky melted into the blue waterline of the bay. After watching ships pass by for a while, we decided to begin walking to our next destination. 

As we made our way down the walkway, I couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful our surroundings were. On our right was a gorgeous view of the beaches of the harbor. I have to be honest and say it took everything in me not to run down that beach and jump in the cool water. Summers in South Carolina are no joke! I reframed though, instead gazing at the townhouses on our right. They reminded me of those in the Upper East Side of New York, a place I’ve always admired and wanted to live. As I admired the houses though, my mom was quick to drop a reality check on me about the cost of a house like that in this location. Never say never, Mom! 

We neared the end of the walkway, taking us into a place Kelly described as the White Point Garden.  I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as we approached the garden. The trees were so beautiful and strong, but most importantly, they were casting a shade. I dropped down on a bird-poop-ridden bench with my mom and just relaxed, people-watching in the process. We were watching two dogs play with each other for a bit, missing our dog, Penny, back at home, but grateful for the vacation away. 

Our last stop on the downtown Charleston experience was a little Christmas shop we stumped upon. At first, we all filed in there for the air conditioning but after we looked around for a bit, we realized how cute of a store it was. The store called A Christmas to Remember, was filled exclusively with ornaments, but pretty much any ornament you could imagine. My brother and I wandered around the shop, occasionally making fun of an ornament we thought was ridiculous. After departing the store, we all agreed we had our fill of humidity for the day and decided to head back to the hotel, putting a close on a great day. 

I add this travel experience to my blog to highlight the fact that even though you may have an outfit mishap, it doesn’t take away from the experience! Fashion doesn’t always come first when it comes to memories.

Review

It’s no secret that The Devil Wears Prada has become a standard to be held to when it comes to fashion movies. The stylization of their main characters has been praised repeatedly, making this movie a classic for many. This iconic film takes us through the journey of the main character Andrea while she survives her new job working for her devilish designer boss, Miranda. 

It has been said that what you wear is a reflection of your personality and mentality, which this movie uses to the highest potential. It would be criminal not to start with the stylish icon of this movie, Miranda, whom both Anna Wintour and Liz Tilberis inspire. Overall, Miranda’s style can be described as effortless yet expensive. The first glimpse we catch of her is of her red Prada pumps. which is a way to show Miranda’s dominance and power as the color red is associated with strong emotions. She also often sports many purple pieces as this color is associated with royalty and wealth, which again, symbolizes power. The only time we see Miranda not dressed to the nines is when she dealing with a divorce, signifying how when she is not stylized, it is due to something severe. Without all of the boldness that she usually wears, she looks more fragile and down to earth, matching her emotions at that moment. 

Onto our main character, we first see Andy in a frumpy blazier, a wrinkled white shirt, a lilac sweater vest, and ill-fitting black trousers. This signifies her underqualification for this job. As both Miranda and Andy wear purple in their first meeting, though Andy’s shade is much lighter, it hints at Andy’s potential to become Miranda. As the movie progresses we don’t see her style changing at all. This reflects how little she cares about her job; that she’s just doing what she needs to without learning anything. When Andy finally realizes the treatment from Miranda isn’t changing because she isn’t either, she seeks out a makeover. She ditches her old sweaters in exchange for Chanel and Prada. When she realizes how she is becoming more like Miranda, her outfits become disorganized, showing the inner battle between her past and current self. When she decides to quit, we last see her in a turtleneck, bootcut jeans, a leather jacket, and boots. This is the perfect outfit for her as it is a great representation that even though she learned from that job, she’s still the Andy she was before, just with better outfits. 

Overall, this movie understands personal style and the ambiance it can give off to such a perfect level. The way each character has their own unique style that accurately shows the audience their personality without them having to utter a word is something movies have been trying to achieve ever since. Of course, most movies equip their characters with their own unique style, Clueless for example, but I can’t recall one using that fashion to tell a story of its own. The one movie I would say even comes remotely close is Mean Girls, and even then it’s just one character’s style we see reflecting the plot. With saying that, The Devil Wears Prada is leaps and bounds above the rest, making every viewer even the tiniest bit more interested in the fashion scene.