5 min read

Can I tell you a secret?

Watching The Devil Wears Prada was such a cannon event for me. As a kid, I took every word as law – Stanley Tucci’s part about putting in true effort, Meryl Streep at the end saying that she needed everyone to do their jobs. But the part where she told Anne Hathaway that they chose her sweater for her? I didn’t understand it.

I knew it was true. Designers inspired everyone from family owned boutiques to other prestige brands. But for the longest time I thought that luxury and everyday wear were opposite ends of the spectrum… until I saw the impact of luxury fashion in person.

For the aspiring designers, fashion enthusiasts, lovers of all things culture and those who want to manifest childhood dreams, read on! This is how I saw the iconic movie monologue come to life.

My First Fashion Impressions

It’s such a fever dream when you arrive in a new country. Everything is so fascinating, unfamiliar, and easy to get lost in. All the reasons why travel is so stressful. But from the moment I stepped off the plane, I was able to pick out two things: that everyone dressed well, and that most of the outfits resembled each other.

All the locals I walked past, from young people with cultivated senses of style to those working a trade were put together. And once I took a walk through the stores I understood why. If every article of clothing is elegant and fashionable, it’s a bit difficult to create a bad outfit.

Barcelona was new territory for me. I’d gone on a bunch of missions to adjust my wardrobe before arriving, but at the end of the day some items just weren’t available. And anyway, it’s better to pack less when you’re going abroad (click here to download the packing list).

So after a day in Barcelona and learning that they were working with a very different culture, I decided to dive right in.

I found that the majority of ready-to-wear options matched recent designer drops. This was 2021, when Prada’s nylon bags were making a resurgence, and it seemed to me that all of the clothes matched it. Loose tops, thick chunky shoes, you name it. Everyone had their share, and it looked good.

I made me wonder just how influential haute couture was on local fashion. Was I witnessing a trend, or was there more to discover?

Passeig de Gracia, The Luxury Street

In Eixample, the business district, there is a street full of luxury stores that goes down towards the beach. It’s a feast for the eyes!

At the top of the street is Christian Louboutin, Loro Piana, Hermes and other brands. As you head south you find Versace and Tiffany. Towards the end where it intersects with the main shopping plaza is Nike, Adidas, H&M and Zara.

Now I’ll be honest, in my research before moving to Barcelona I didn’t see much about local fashion or the influence of being close to France and Italy. At most I expected to see bright, flowing fabrics and flamenco skirts. I didn’t think the impact of the old houses would be very prominent.

However, I watched something happen in the shop windows over the spring and summer that helped me learn about fashion in a new way. And it answered that question that had been bugging me since middle school: What did Meryl Streep’s character mean when she said that that blue sweater had been picked by the people in her office?

Bottega Green

Bottega Veneta introduced their Bottega Green color during the pandemic. You’ve seen it before: it’s the eye catching green that glows in the sunlight. Most items can be found in this color now, from shirts and jackets to purses and shoes.

My first time seeing it was in Spain. I was enjoying a walk on Passeig de Gracia one day, window shopping as usual, when a little green item caught my eye.

This was their 2022 release, and I immediately wondered if the other brands would also display their traffic stopping colors. That would be cool, I thought. Passeig de Gracia would be the most interesting street in the city, a show for everyone who missed fashion week! But something else was in store.

While running an errand a few weeks later, I was passing by Versace. Usually there would be gold and black in those windows, but on this day a bright green was glowing in my peripheral. I stopped and turned, and there she was: the Bottega Green!

Those of you who are deeply passionate about fashion, please forgive my ignorance. I did not know that it was okay for brands to use other collections as inspiration.

The way I understood it, everyone had to come up with their own unique designs or fall into obscurity; “borrowing” being akin to singers copying someone else’s song. When I saw that green in the Versace window my jaw was on the ground. What was happening? How could this be?

But a few weeks later the color appeared again – this time in the windows of Nike and Mango!

Again and again it showed up, dotting the whole street in vibrant leafy green until finally, the beginning of the summer came and Bottega Green was shining proudly in the displays of H&M and Zara. She’d made it all the way down the road!

Lesson Learned

At that point I realized that anyone could buy one of the pieces, wear it for a while, and then do exactly what Miranda Priestly said in the movie: donate it to a thrift store.

Which meant that me and everyone I knew wearing bright green were doing so because of Daniel Lee’s decision. Just like that, 12 year-old me had all her questions about the influence of high fashion answered.

See It For Yourself, You’d Love It!

If you’re headed to Barcelona for an extended vacation or to study abroad, you must take some time to enjoy the changes of Passeig de Gracia! Whether you’re a bonafide fashion lover or a brand new student, you’ll appreciate watching the basis for this iconic movie scene come to life.

And for those of you who have gently wondered about the truth behind things that inspired you in your youth, take this as your sign to go out into the world and make a discovery! See things with your eyes, feel the fabric with your own hands. Give it a chance, and the Universe will answer you in unexpected ways.


Thanks for reading! Share your favorite fashion discovery with me in the comments!

I love you!


Next, learn how to dress like the Spanish locals!