Most Of The Devil Wears Prada 2 Characters Can Barely Afford Their Outfits

Meryl Streep could’ve demanded over $15 million to step back into Miranda Priestly’s sky-high heels for the long-awaited sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. But according to Variety, she negotiated a “favored nations” deal so her co-stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt could get the same salary, all earning $12.5 million to return.

However, this begs an even more interesting question: How much do their characters make?

Like the first film, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is filled with awe-inspiring fashion, extravagant parties, and a couture-filled montage set to Madonna’s “Vogue.” But for almost everyone not named Miranda Priestly, it’s hard to imagine how they’re able to afford their clothes, let alone the other high costs of living in New York — a conundrum all too familiar to Sex and the City fans.

Luckily, both films provide viewers with enough information about the Runway staff’s roles and backgrounds to give us a sense of how much Miranda, Andy, Nigel, and their assistants are making — and whether they can actually pay for their designer garments or have to get good at thrifting. If you’re looking for the numbers, I’ve got you covered.

Miranda Priestly

While most editors don’t make as much nowadays, this is Miranda Priestly we’re talking about. Just look at her townhouse. She’s navigated her way through many shifts in the fashion and journalism worlds over her three decades in the business. As a result, she’s probably guaranteed a significant paycheck, much like her character’s inspiration, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In 2005, Wintour earned $2 million annually and got an extra wardrobe “allowance” of $200,000 (yes, really). It’s not known if she was affected by company-wide pay cuts in 2020, but given how she was promoted to Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer the same year (mirroring Miranda in the sequel), it’s likely that her salary only got higher.

Andy Sachs

Andy probably makes more than what she earned as Miranda’s assistant at Runway in the 2006 film — at least before her entire newspaper shut down. As an award-winning journalist, she likely earned just under $100,000, according to Glassdoor.

However, since her outlet was smaller, that number could be closer to $60,000. And given that she had a roommate (who was cut from the film) and their apartment barely had running water, it’s safe to say Andy wasn’t raking it in until her grand return to Runway. She mentioned that her job offer doubled her newspaper salary, meaning she’s making at least $120,000 a year by the end.

Emily Charlton

Emily left Runway behind to become a senior executive at Dior, which means Miranda needed her in order to secure advertising dollars for the magazine. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that she got a hefty salary increase after landing at the luxury fashion house. According to Glassdoor, senior managers at the brand can earn close to $200,000 a year — plus, she presumably wouldn’t be buying her own wardrobe.

Nigel Kipling

In the sequel, Miranda finally recognized how often she took her right-hand man, Stanley Tucci’s Nigel, for granted. Sadly, he was probably undervalued financially as well. Fashion directors at major publications can earn anywhere between $200-300,000, which isn’t anything to sneeze at, but still pales in comparison to Miranda’s paycheck (especially when he probably does more work).

Amari Mari

Miranda’s effortlessly chic first assistant, played by Simone Ashley, steps into Emily’s shoes from the first film, which means she likely commands a similar salary. In 2023, Vogue posted a hiring listing for Wintour’s assistant, with the chosen candidate earning between $60-80,000 per year, depending on their experience. Either Amari came from a wealthy family or is borrowing outfits from Runway’s closet, which are the only possible explanations for her impeccable wardrobe.

Charlie & Jin

Meanwhile, Miranda’s second assistant, Charlie (Caleb Hearon), would likely match Andy’s salary from the first movie, adjusted for inflation, of course. If Amari was earning close to $80,000, then Charlie likely had an annual salary of $50-60,000, with Andy’s new assistant Jin Chao (Helen J. Shen) probably also getting a similar payout.