A Wren Says

Is that what we needed? A set of tweezers with a red pump printed on it? A t-shirt that reads “Gird your loins”? Perhaps we did need the purse shaped popcorn bucket. But overall, I am a bit confused by what appears to be a licensing cash grab in connection to the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Did anyone watch the movie?

The reason I’m confused is not because I question whether or not anyone would buy these things. I question whether they should exist at all. They just don’t go.

The appeal of the original film is what much of these items is banked on. However, amongst the snappy comebacks and try-on montages is a questioning of many people’s take on fashion as shallow and vapid. The script pushes a narrative that fashion is deeper than it appears. It is more than just pretty clothes. It is storytelling and craft at its finest. The people that work in the field are true artists and seriously business savvy. Andy develops to truly respect the work of the people of Runway, even as she seeks to move on to her “real” journalism career.

Tweezers and replica cerulean blue sweaters don’t tell that story. But they make money. And that seems to be the tension between art and economics. 

The characters have to make tough choices to ensure they can continue to the work they feel called to do. That means making sacrifices to their artistic integrity to satisfy stakeholders and sell copies. They have to shift to respond to a changing world, even as they fight to convince others to appreciate what they believe to true and beautiful.

Now as I think of it perhaps the association of the film with all of these disjointed product collaborations does tell the story even better than I could have imagined.