'The Devil' Has the Details

By Erika Waddell

How close to real-life is "The Devil Wears Prada?" To find out, we recently spoke with a 28 year-old woman who spent almost three years working in the brutal world of New York fashion, to get her take on abusive bosses, outrageous demands, and over-the-top egos. It seems that Meryl Streep (who plays the Anna Wintouresque Miranda Priestly) hit the mark. Our insider - now two years removed from the business - would only agree to speak to us under complete anonymity, to protect her poor friends who still toil in the fashion world.

Q: What was your job in the fashion industry?

A: I worked in public relations and special events at a major fashion trade organization. We worked with everyone connected to fashion including designers, executives, publicists, editors, and celebrities. I was there for two and a half years, and it was a real bird's-eye view of the fashion industry.

Q: What were some of the ridiculous things you encountered?

A: At one event, there was a major American designer who was walking towards the exit. The door was closed, but he didn't slow down, and when it seemed like he was about to walk right into it, his publicist came out of nowhere and yanked the door open just in time. The designer -- totally unfazed -- whipped out his sunglasses and walked through without ever breaking his stride. Later, someone told me that this guy doesn't like to open his own doors.

I think the mean-spirited things are attempts at one-upmanship, which is really more like catfighting between rivals. Whether they're designers, publicists, magazine editors, or whatever, it's always a competition of who has the better table, party guests, clients, news coverage, car service, etc... The backstabbing is rampant, and you learn very quickly to keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. You don't really have friends in the industry, you have contacts. Your relationships are based solely on what you can do for each other.

Q: Did you experience any bosses from hell?

A: Yes. A friend of mine worked at a major fashion PR firm as an assistant to the agency head. One time, her boss got so angry that she dumped a cup of water down my friend's back, and this girl had nothing to do with the issue at all. Another friend's boss, also in PR, was so emotionally abusive toward her that she almost had to go into therapy. She would get to work at 9 a.m. and would be in tears by 9:15 a.m. She would get screamed at for the most random things; his breakfast wasn't warm enough, the flowers in the conference room weren't nice enough; why wasn't this letter that she had never heard of faxed the night before? Then, two seconds later, he'd be laughing and joking like nothing was wrong.

My own boss was so angry at me for going back to school that a month before I was supposed to leave, she informed me that if I wanted to keep working the last four weeks, it would have to be as a freelancer. She even cut my health insurance and told me it was because the company couldn't afford it. And so many times, we were denied our minuscule raises because the money had to go toward company flowers, my boss's personal car service, and her own raise.

Q: Why do you think people in the fashion industry are so mean to their employees?

A: Major inferiority complexes. Fashion is a serious business in economic terms -- I believe it's New York City's second or third largest industry -- but the promotional sideshow that goes along with it is not. This is a business based on the superficial, which makes it hard to take seriously. So people tend to overcompensate by inflating their self-importance. It's a bunch of diva wannabes trying to out-diva each other.

People at the top need constant coddling and reassurance that they're fabulous, whether that means having it told to them by their minions or making themselves feel powerful by abusing those minions. And the minions feel that in order to prove themselves and get ahead, they also need to embody this type of bitchy neediness. It's a vicious cycle, and no one is interested in changing it.

Q: Do you think abusive bosses are exclusive to the fashion industry?

A: No. There are plenty of mean bosses everywhere. It's just that in the fashion industry, there's this kind of expectation that if you're cruel and cutthroat, then you're obviously worth it.

Q: Did you see or read "The Devil Wears Prada"?

A: No, I didn't, and don't really plan on it. It's not part of my life anymore, and there's no need to revisit it.

(Published on CourtTV.com July 14, 2006)