THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2: What Happened to Nigel (Explained)

Before I go straight to Nigel’s betrayal about that promotion, and how Miranda Priestly needs to do right by him, let me remind you what happened.

Synopsis / Summary

Here’s what happened in The Devil Wears Prada, the first film:

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) wants to be a journalist, but the only job she can find is at the fashion magazine Runway, second assistant to the Editor in Chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). She does not fit in at all, and the Creative Director Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) provides a wardrobe for her so she can blend in aesthetically, among helping her find her step in many other ways. Andy quickly finds herself wrapped up in the glamor and losing her principles for the sake of fashion.

In this sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Andy is now a journalist—she’s traveled the world, actually, and about to receive an award when her whole round table gets a text saying their publication, The Vanguard has been acquired, and they’re all being laid off. She gives an impassioned speech, and it coincides with a disinformed feature about slow fashion in Runway. They’re facing huge backlash there about covering up a sweatshop, and they need someone with journalistic integrity to right the ship… it’s excellent timing, and within minutes, Andy is Features Editor at Runway, working alongside Miranda, Nigel, and even Emily (Emily Blunt) again. The dynamic is different, but the characters are consistent. Everything seems to be going well, the magazine is thriving, Andy’s features are resonating, etc., until…

[spoilers start here!]

… the owner of the magazine group Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) dies. His fintech bro son, XX Ravitz (B.J. Novak) is all about optimizing and streamlining and slashing budgets… and that puts all of their jobs at hazard.

Normally, product placement in films makes me roll my eyes a little, but here? In a movie like this? Where I’m mostly here for the design aspects? Do it up. And visually, this film truly delivers on the promise of the premise: we have some devilishly delicious designs here. So many that I can’t wait till this is VOD and I can pause on every ensemble.

But let me back up. Let’s talk about the impeccably dressed and executed Nigel Kipling, please. And I’m not only talking about the varied textures he wears throughout—although I would absolutely like the hookup for that sweater he wore on the plane to Milan. If you know a guy, get in touch with me!

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

How did Miranda Priestly Betray Nigel Kipling, Explained

In the original Devil Wears Prada, Nigel is the Art Director. At the fashion magazine. I don’t know a whole lot about fashion, but it seems to me, a lay person/writer/author, that the Art Director is the substance of this type of publication.

If you remember—and I’m sure you do—Miranda passed over Nigel for a huge promotion to Creative Director of James Holt in the original Devil Wears Prada, and she did it to secure her own job as Editor in Chief at Runway.

Nigel’s Role at Runway, Then Vs. Now

My biggest hope for The Devil Wears Prada 2 was for Nigel to have already gotten his come-up, to see him thriving in the role that was clearly meant for him to have.

Although I did not hear even one mention of Jacqueline Follet (Stephanie Szostak) in The Devil Wears Prada 2, it seems by and large that Nigel is in the same role he was during the original film. Which is egregious.

Andy has traveled the world and become a “real” journalist in those two decades. Emily is in charge of Dior’s designer retail. Miranda has guided Runway to a whole new digital market, and Nigel is still the power behind the power.

It’s deep into 2 when Andy finally asks Nigel about that time he was passed over. And Nigel doesn’t remember what she means. When she jogs his memory, he says something along the lines of, “Oh, that one time twenty years ago? She’s done that at least a dozen times since then.”

Andy is baffled—but she only shows a fraction of the outrage I would have displayed. Instead, she asks, “Well, have you told her…?” Meaning, have you asked for what you wanted? Have you told her you would like to be promoted?

He has not. I’m with him, though: it should go without saying that he wants to shine and be paid to do it.

Stanley Tucci in Italy

For the original Devil Wears Prada, we got to visit Paris during Fashion Week. For Devil Wears Prada 2, we go to Milan. Not only does that mean more incredible architecture, and more focus on the Italian designers and ateliers (which I do tend to prefer personally, for no reason I can really explain), but it means we get Stanley Tucci in Italy!

All about Stanley Tucci and Italy

If you’re a Nigel stan, then it probably does actually go without saying that you’re a Stanley Tucci stan, too. So you probably know that Stanley Tucci has a whole other vertical besides actor, and it centers around Italian cooking culture.

If you didn’t know this about our man, then let me be the one to recommend you watch his travel shows Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. And/or the audiobook of What I Ate in One Year: (And Related Thoughts) his memoir, which he narrates. The second season of Tucci in Italydebuts on May 12, he has a line of cookware, and he really just seems like a great guy.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Fashion Week in Milan

Because Nigel is a supporting character, we don’t see as much of him in Italy (one might argue we don’t see enough of him), but there is a nod to Tucci’s food travel. The way he catches Andy out when she’s “up to something” is by asking how she liked a Venetian dish that the room service offers for breakfast. When she says she loved it, he knows she’s lying because the hotel offers only Milanese food.

And, when Miranda gets called away to save Runway, she says she can’t leave. She has to deliver the keynote address, and there’s no one else to do it.

Andy points out that Nigel can totally do the speech for her, and Miranda begs off. He wouldn’t want to, she thinks. And then she turns around and straight-up asks him, “Have I been taking you for granted?” He almost says no, but she already knows the deal. She insists that he give the speech on behalf of Runway. He did, after all, write it.

And y’all, when he starts speaking, greeting everyone there in Italian, I was really hoping he’d continue on in Italian, too. He didn’t, which makes sense, but I appreciated the homage—Stanley Tucci speaks Italian for real, if you didn’t already know.

Moral of the Story? Advocate for Yourself

What a bummer, that Nigel’s role at this company is almost the same as it was twenty years ago. It wouldn’t be a bummer, of course, if that’s what he wanted, but it isn’t: he wanted that Creative Director job, and he got passed over. I mean, it ended up being a good thing that he didn’t get the job, but it’s the principle of the thing.

Financial feminists say this much better than I do, and with practical advice on how to go about it, but don’t let that happen to you. When it comes to corporations—even the beautiful sexy ones—you don’t get what you don’t ask for.

Second Moral of the Story? Advocate for Others

If you ever think for a second you did something all by yourself without anyone’s help, or that an opportunity just fell in your lap, you better think again: there’s a Nigel in your corner.

Remember how in the synopsis / summary at the top of this article, I mentioned some convenient timing about Andy giving that speech and Runway running that article insisting they did not advocate for fast fashion? it wasn’t just movie-magic timing. The reason Irv knew of Andy’s speech about journalistic integrity at all is because Nigel sent his son a very strategically timed text. He was always rooting for Andy. He’s always said she is special, and he has more integrity than anyone else—and don’t get me started on his loyalty.

So, the second moral here is, make sure you give your champion the recognition they deserve… if Nigel is any indication, they probably won’t ask for it themselves.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 releases in theatres Friday, May 1.

If this story stuck with you, then you might also enjoy…

—MARC BY SOFIA, a Sofia Coppola Documentary Film about Marc Jacobs in which Fashion is Theatre, Plot Summary and Analysis
—MOTHER MARY Lacks Plot, but It Does Have a Magical Negro Trope and Divine / Controversial Costumes
—The Beauty Who Created the Beast