The Black Women Who Thrived Under Anna Wintour at Vogue

Now that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is in theaters and bringing the ultra-glamorous world of fashion back to the big screen, audiences are being sucked back into the cinematic myth of the “impossible boss.” However, there is a stark difference between a scripted Hollywood office and the reality of a Black woman working at a legacy institution like Vogue. Moving past the cinematic glitz, two of Anna Wintour’s former assistants are spilling the tea on the 21-page handbooks, decoded handwriting, and the tactical precision required to master an environment that wasn’t originally built for them.

In a recent interview on the Vogue podcast “The Run-Through With Vogue,” two of Wintour’s former assistants—Marley Marius and Sache Taylor, who are both Black women—dished on what “The Devil Wears Prada” got wrong about being an assistant for Wintour.

The 2006 film created a dazzling myth of what it means to assist Anna Wintour, yet it captured one reality with striking accuracy: the stark lack of diversity within offices like Vogue, where opportunities for Black professionals were historically rare. Consequently, one might imagine that a Black assistant would feel pressured to adopt a robotic demeanor to align with conventional, white-centric standards of professionalism. However, according to these Black women, Wintour actually expected the opposite.

In her interview, Marius noted that Wintour avoids surrounding herself with those who lack personality, leading Marius to treat her own individuality as a professional asset. “She doesn’t want a robot,” Marius explained. “She wants people with personality and interests, so I made a conscious effort to lean into that.”

But securing their positions as Wintour’s assistants was just their first step through the door; staying in the room required dedicated commitment to the role. As shown in the film, working at a company like Vogue can take over your life, but not necessarily in the toxic way it did for Anne Hathaway’s character, Andy. However, while that aspect of the film is true, Marius noted it is not just the work culture at Vogue; it is part of the necessary steps taken to build a brilliant career.

“I do find that in this job, or when you’re working in media and the job is sort of responding to things that are happening in the world, it’s very easy for the job just to become your life,” she said. “I can imagine other people wanting kind of more of a separation between work and life, but for me they’re just kind of knitted together and that’s just fine.”

In the film, Andy had to figure out how to be Priestly’s assistant on her own, with only occasional help from Nigel (Stanley Tucci), but in real life Wintour’s assistants had a guide when they first started to make sure every day ran smoothly.

“There had been so many assistants in that position that it was very organized and very prescribed. I had a 21-page handbook,” Marius admitted.

But it is not necessarily about knowing which newspaper to set on her desk or getting the right type of breakfast muffin. The handbook was something Marius and Sache Taylor were able to use to learn the ins and outs of the company. That way, when Wintour was heading to her office, they would not have to panic but instead already knew what to do.

“You do wanna be prepared,” Sache Taylor noted. “You just wanna be timely. Also it’s important to heard,” she added, showing off her insider knowledge that helped her get people to move quicker for Wintour. “Because people will slow down, so sometimes you just have to,” Taylor said as she made a pushing motion with her hands. “I would do that a lot.”

And where have Marius and Taylor’s sharp personalities, commitment, quick thinking and willingness to learn gotten them now? Certainly not as victims to a tyrant boss like “The Devil Wears Prada” portrayed Miranda Priestly to be, but as architects of amazing careers from the support of a businesswoman who gave them the opportunity to start as her assistants.

Marley Marius is now a senior editor for features and news, and Sache Taylor works as the director of special events, helping to run iconic events like the Met Gala. The young employees were not just assistants but the quiet power behind Vogue that kept everything running. Chloe Malle, Vogue’s head of editorial content, put it best, saying they were “Anna’s Angels” and now are Black women dominating in their fields. That is what we call Black excellence!