Quick Read
- Anna Wintour and Anne Hathaway presented awards at the 2026 Oscars, sparking viral interest in their shared film history.
- Wintour jokingly called Hathaway ‘Emily’ during the broadcast, referencing the assistant character from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’.
- The moment serves as a strategic promotional tool ahead of the sequel to the cult classic film, set to premiere on May 1, 2026.
LOS ANGELES (Azat TV) – The intersection of high fashion and Hollywood satire took center stage at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, as Condé Nast Chief Content Officer and Vogue Global Editorial Director Anna Wintour appeared alongside actress Anne Hathaway. The pair, tasked with presenting the awards for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, delivered a moment of meta-commentary that has since ignited widespread social media discourse regarding the enduring legacy of the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.
A Calculated Nod to Pop Culture History
As the duo took the stage at the Dolby Theatre, the atmosphere shifted when Hathaway, who starred as the aspiring journalist Andrea Sachs in the cult classic, playfully asked Wintour for her opinion on her dress. Wintour, maintaining her signature composed demeanor, bypassed the question with a dry, professional redirect: “And the nominees are…” Later in the segment, the fashion mogul addressed Hathaway as “Emily”—the name of the long-suffering assistant character played by Emily Blunt in the film—a direct reference to the fictional editor Miranda Priestly, widely believed to be inspired by Wintour herself. The moment was met with immediate laughter from the audience, signaling a rare and public embrace of the comparison that has followed the editor for two decades.
The Stakes Ahead of the Sequel
The timing of this interaction is significant, occurring exactly one month before the highly anticipated release of The Devil Wears Prada sequel, scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2026. With the original film serving as a foundational piece of fashion-industry pop culture, the Oscars appearance served to amplify interest in the upcoming production, which will feature the return of Emily Blunt alongside newcomers including Kenneth Branagh and Lucy Liu. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the interaction suggests a shift in how Wintour manages her public persona, moving from a position of distance regarding her fictionalized counterpart toward a more collaborative relationship with the franchise that solidified her status in global media.
Bridging Fashion and Entertainment
For decades, the public has parsed the lines between Wintour’s professional life and the demanding, sharp-tongued Miranda Priestly character. While Wintour has historically remained reserved about the film, her willingness to participate in a bit of roleplay at one of the world’s most-watched broadcasts indicates a strategic pivot. By leaning into the character’s signature cold humor, Wintour effectively controlled the narrative, turning a long-standing pop-culture trope into a lighthearted promotional beat for the sequel. Reuters and other industry observers have noted that this level of self-awareness from the fashion gatekeeper has effectively bridged the gap between the insular world of high fashion and the broader, entertainment-driven audience that continues to champion the 2006 source material.
The deliberate decision by Wintour to reference the film’s specific character dynamics on a global stage underscores a strategic shift: rather than distancing herself from the pop-culture caricature, she is actively co-opting it to maintain relevance and drive engagement for the upcoming franchise expansion.