“That sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis—it’s actually cerulean.”
We all remember the iconic monologue that Meryl Streep delivers in 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, as her character Miranda Priestley scolds her assistant Andrea (Anne Hathaway) for scoffing during a run-through. Andy’s cerulean cable knit pullover—or “lumpy blue sweater,” as Miranda describes it—has since become one of the most recognizable costumes from the film (masterminded by the great Patricia Field)… so much so that Streep revived it on The Stephen Colbert Show last night while promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Streep’s new cerulean cashmere sweater was custom J.Crew, designed by Olympia Gayot and styled by Micaela Erlanger. “That monologue is so smart and funny—it reminds you that what feels personal is actually part of a much bigger story, which is why The Devil Wears Prada still resonates,” Gayot said in a release today. “At J.Crew, we’ve been obsessed with color since 1983, so stepping into cerulean—the cerulean—with Micaela was equal parts honor and wink. Cashmere felt right: elevated, a little self-aware.”
But the sweater also renews a major debate: What is cerulean, anyway? Merriam-Webster describes the hue as “resembling the blue of the sky”—so not as deep as cobalt, nor as greenish-blue as turquoise. Similarly, when Pantone chose cerulean blue as its very first Color of the Year in 2000, it called it a “calming, serene sky-blue,” representing the tranquility and calm of the new millennium.
Other fashion fans may recognize the tone from their childhood crayon boxes. “When it comes to cerulean, I’ve always abided by the Crayola crayon definition: a deep, vibrant blue,” says Vogue fashion writer Hannah Jackson. “It was my favorite crayon in the box growing up, but I’m not sure I’d rush to wear it.” Beauty editor-at-large Arden Fanning Andrews also associates the hue with an old drawing tool. “The marker is a better representation than the crayon,” she argues. “I used it for special occasions, like coloring in Whitney Houston’s top when asked to draw our hero. Also, it’s apparently the #1 color in America?”
Yes—in case you didn’t know, a recent study from Crayola found that cerulean was in fact voted as the very best color in 46 out of 50 states in the US. (The study also found people around the world like blues and blue-greens over oranges or yellows.) Why is that, you may ask? Perhaps we need calming, grounding colors in these trying times. Or perhaps the world is filled with secret Devil Wears Prada fans, the shade burned into our collectsive memories.
Whatever the case may be, you cannot deny that 20 years later, cerulean remains an It color—and it was clever of Streep to embrace it once again. (Method dressing is clearly alive and well.)
The question is: Will Hathaway don it next during the press tour? Our early bet is on yes… let’s just hope she doesn’t fish out her knit “from a pile of stuff.”
