Meet The Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger, former assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue, and impetus for the influential movie starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt
Weisberger based her novel on her experience as assistant to Vogue editor and Met Gala chairwoman Anna Wintour. The book was adapted into an Oscar-tipped film and Sir Elton John-scored musical
The Devil Wears Prada is one of the most quotable films for movie-goers of a certain generation. Utter “Florals? For spring?” in a millennial crowd and you’re almost guaranteed to hear “Groundbreaking!” in stereo.
When Jocelyn (Rebecca Mader) holds up two almost identical turquoise belts before a fashion-show rehearsal and says, “It’s a tough call. They’re so different,” Andy Sachs sniggers, drawing attention to herself. Miranda Priestly, boss of Runway Magazine, asks her coldly, “Something funny?”
Sachs, flustered, replies, “No – it’s just that both belts look the same to me. I’m still learning about this stuff,” so Priestly retorts condescendingly, “It’s sort of comical how you think you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry, when you’re wearing a sweater selected for you by the people in this room – from a pile of ‘stuff’.”
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The film, which stars Oscar winner Meryl Streep as the titular Devil, otherwise known as Runway editor-in-chief Priestly; Anne Hathaway as her personal assistant, Andrea “Andy” Sachs; and Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, was adapted from the novel of the same name. It marked author Lauren Weisberger’s debut and is semi-autobiographical: her first job after graduation (and travelling the world) was as personal assistant to Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
But without that 2003 novel there would be no Devil mania – so who is the real-life Andy Sachs?
Lauren Weisberger’s arrivals and departures
Lauren Weisberger and her dog Stella in May 2019. Photo: @laurenweisberger/Instagram
Born in 1977 to a teacher mother and mortgage broker father in Scranton, Pennsylvania – made famous in the US version of comedy series The Office – Weisberger, 47 and her younger sister grew up in Allentown, which lent its name to the Billy Joel song.
According to her biography, she graduated with an English literature degree from Cornell University, then backpacked through Europe, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, India, Nepal, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Life in New York City
Lauren Weisberger no longer has to backpack when she travels. Photo: @laurenweisberger/Instagram
Returning to the US, she moved to Manhattan in 1999 and took a job as an assistant to Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine. Though Weisberger aspired to be a writer, her days at Vogue were filled with tasks such as faxing, filing and getting coffee, reported the Daily Mail. She once described her time there as “crazy, exciting and hard” in an interview on the Today show.
