The Real-Life Inspiration Behind ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
Leslie Fremar, a renowned fashion stylist and former assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue, has revealed that she was the real-life inspiration for Emily Charlton, the character portrayed by Emily Blunt in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada. This revelation comes after Leslie shared her story with Vogue’s Head of Editorial Content Chloe Malle on the Run-Through podcast.
“I know I am. I am Emily,” Leslie said, confirming her role as the muse behind the iconic character. In the film, Emily is depicted as a high-strung and irritable first assistant at the fictional Runway magazine, which is inspired by Vogue. Her character, played by Blunt, initially treats the protagonist, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), with disdain before ultimately falling out of favor as Sachs’ career takes off.
Leslie worked alongside Lauren Weisberger, who later wrote the bestselling novel The Devil Wears Prada based on her own experience as a junior assistant at Vogue. Although Weisberger’s book became a global phenomenon, Leslie claims that some of the most famous lines from the film were directly taken from her own words.
“I definitely told her a million girls would kill for the job,” Leslie recalled. “That was definitely my line, because I actually really believed that, and I knew that she didn’t necessarily want to be there.” She also mentioned that the story was based on real-life experiences, adding, “Even though someone obviously advised her to make it fiction, it was really based off of a lot of things that, you know, I lived, she lived.”
Weisberger worked at Vogue for only eight months, and Leslie admitted that they were not close outside of the office. She felt that Weisberger did not take the fashion industry as seriously as she did.
“I probably was not very nice, and I probably was high-strung because I felt like I was having to do her job as well,” Leslie said. “So for me, that was really frustrating. I think she was probably just sitting there writing a book and not necessarily taking the job as seriously as I did.”
Leslie described Weisberger’s book as a betrayal and stated that she never spoke to her again after she left Vogue. She also added that if they ever crossed paths again, it would be awkward.
A Career Built on Chance and Determination
Raised in Toronto, Canada, Leslie moved to the United States to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She enrolled at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where she interned in the accessories department. This experience eventually led to her role as Anna Wintour’s assistant at American Vogue—a position she landed purely by chance.
“I just felt like a fish out of water because I didn’t grow up in New York or in the culture, and I didn’t know anybody,” Leslie explained. “Then I got a job at American Vogue as Anna Wintour’s assistant that was just by luck. It took a lot of figuring it out and some sink-or-swim moments, but it was amazing.”
She worked for Wintour for three years before moving to the fashion department at Tonne Goodman, where she gained more hands-on experience. At 27, she went freelance and has since become one of the most sought-after stylists in the industry.
“My clients are mostly in LA and New York, so that’s a lot of traveling,” she said. “There are so many shows these days—it’s about six months of work all-told. I’m pretty proud of the work we did this past season—I had two clients nominated, and they probably each had 55 looks. I can’t pick a favorite, but I’m very proud of the work we did.”
Styling for the Stars
Leslie has been Nicola Peltz’s go-to stylist for over a decade and played a key role in arranging her wedding look for her marriage to Brooklyn Beckham. However, the final dress was not from Victoria Beckham, as originally planned.
“I really, really wanted to wear [a VB dress] and I thought it was so beautiful that Brooklyn’s mom got to make that for me! And I was really excited to wear it!” Nicola said in an interview with Grazia in 2022. “But then Victoria was very busy, and we started this text chain, and a few days went by, and I didn’t hear anything. Then she called my mom and said that she couldn’t make the dress. She said that her atelier couldn’t make the dress in time…”
Despite this setback, Leslie continues to shape the red carpet looks of A-list celebrities, working on events such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Academy Awards.
The Legacy of The Devil Wears Prada
Weisberger reflected on the impact of her book in a recent essay for Vogue. She admitted that she did not anticipate the global success of The Devil Wears Prada when she wrote it at age 23.
“It wasn’t an attempt to take anyone down or exact some sort of revenge,” she wrote. “I was just writing something that felt true to my experience as an assistant in very close proximity to a powerful woman—one who filled me with abject terror—before I had the distance or the maturity or the sense of self-preservation to round off the edges.”
She added that if she were to write the story today, it would be different. “Not softer, necessarily, but more layered. I have more empathy now—for the assistants and the bosses, for the 20-somethings trying to prove themselves, and for those who already have.”
Upcoming Sequel
A sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is set for release on May 1, 2026, exactly 20 years after the original film. The story will follow Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) as she faces off against Emily, now a rival executive, in a battle for advertising revenue amid the decline of print media.
