As The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits theaters, there's no better excuse to revisit the films where the wardrobe was, undeniably, the best character in the room.

Twenty years ago, a cerulean sweater changed everything. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/devil-wears-prada-2-premiere-mexico-city-red-carpet-looks-anne-hathaway-meryl-streep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miranda Priestly</a> served a study in fashion&mdash;and just like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/the-devil-wears-prada-2-first-look-at-andy-sachs-outfit-anne-hathaway-see-all-the-looks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Sachs</a>, we stood there and listened. She explained fashion history to an entire generation of women, who had spent their lives insisting they didn't care about clothes. In that moment, something shifted&mdash;and a cultural conversation that never really ended was sparked.
The original <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/devil-wears-prada-2-cast-celebrity-cameos-premiere-characters-plot-sydney-sweeney-caleb-hearon-donatella-versace-lady-gaga-lucy-liu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Devil Wears Prada</a> wasn't just a movie about fashion, but about power, ambition, and the language we use to signal both, which is, more often than not, what we wear.
Today, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/devil-wears-prada-best-looks-sequel-news-meryl-streep-anne-hathaway-emily-blunt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meryl Streep</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/the-devil-wears-prada-2-anne-hathaway-meryl-streep-outfits-press-tour-looks-release-date-cast-fashion-style" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anne Hathaway</a>, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci return to the offices of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/the-devil-wears-prada-sequel-release-date-cast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Runway Magazine</a>&mdash;and the Internet is losing its mind in the best possible way, anxious to leave the theater with a new lesson learned, and happy to show Miranda we already know what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/the-devil-wears-prada-2-funeral-plot-predictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cerulean</a> means. To celebrate, L'OFFICIEL went back through cinema history to find the moments where not only a fashion icon was born&mdash;but our whole wardrobe was, too.

Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly. Courtesy of IMDb.

There are characters who wear clothes, and then there is Miranda Priestly, who weaponizes them. A Chanel belt here, a perfectly pressed coat there&mdash;but it was never about the outfit, it was about the silence it demanded. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; she says, and somehow the entire fashion system obeys. Miranda doesn&rsquo;t chase trends; she dictates the weather.&nbsp;

Regina George, Mean Girls

Rachel McAdams as Regina George. Getty Images.

Regina George was the type of character who creates trends and then quietly resents you for participating in them. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why her hair is so big&mdash;it&rsquo;s full of secrets,&rdquo; they say. In her world, pink is not a color; it is a system of governance. Every outfit is calculated, every skirt length diplomatic, every tracksuit was Juicy Couture, and every entrance was engineered for maximum social impact.&nbsp;

Meredith Blake, The Parent Trap

Elaine Hendrix as Meredith Blake.

Meredith Blake arrives like a glass of champagne that might actually cut you. Impossibly sleek, always slightly out of place among California sunshine and family chaos, she dressed like a woman who had already won, all silk slip dresses and tailored linen and sunglasses she never fully took off. She was the villain we loved to hate, but secretly? Her packing list was impeccable. The twins might have ruined her relationship, but they couldn't sabotage her style.

Cruella de Vil, Cruella

Emma Stone as Cruella De Vil. Disney.

Jenny Beavan won the Oscar for this one&mdash;and she earned every second of it. Cruella's wardrobe is a provocation in every scene: black and white maximalism that escalates from sharp to surreal to genuinely unwearable in the best possible way. A gown made of garbage. A dress that erupts into a train on a moving car. Fashion as performance art, as rage, as manifesto. Cruella doesn't wear clothes. She deploys them&mdash;and dares you to look away.

Jennifer Check, Jennifer's Body

Megan Fox as Jennifer Check. Courtesy of IMDb.

She was a cheerleader before the ritual and a demon after&mdash;and somehow her wardrobe got better. Jennifer Check understood that the most dangerous outfit is the one that makes everyone look twice before they realize they should run. Low-rise jeans, tiny tanks, and a smile that never quite reached her eyes. Megan Fox made the whole school want to dress like her, which was exactly the point, and exactly the problem.

Dressing the Villain: The Most Iconic Fashion Moments in Cinema History

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