For those who don’t know me personally, one of the things I truly love in life is the hit film The Devil Wears Prada. As I’ve been becoming increasingly stressed about upcoming deadlines, I find myself thinking about how perfect it is more than I’d care to admit.

This film debuted in 2006 and is based off a book written by an assistant of Vogue’s Anna Wintour. Picture this: Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is an aspiring journalist who gets a job at a fashion magazine, Runway, whose editor in chief is fashion media titan Miranda Priestly – played by the great, the talented, the magnificent Meryl Streep.  As a new college graduate who thinks herself above fashion, Andy navigates her way through her first job, discovering for herself how far you should change to succeed in your job.

I’m going to tell you why I love this film so much that now my flatmates wont watch it with me anymore.

First of all, you can’t watch this film and not be in awe of the fashion on display. That’s rare considering how hard it is for any films costume choices to hold up 15 years later. I would be disappointed if it hadn’t though, considering they spent $1 million dollars on wardrobe.

Andy (who can’t tell the difference between Prada or Gucci) starts off dressed in frumpy, grandmother-resemblant skirts, providing a clear contrast to Emily Blunt’s chic, risk-taking fashion sense with her bold metallic eye shadow and sharp eyeliner. The fashion is supposed to tell a story as much as the dialogue, and this is clear in how the characters develop, as Andy realises fashion isn’t something she should shy away from.

You also cannot mention this film without mentioning one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history.  Anyone who has seen this film will remember Andy’s transformation into a bold fashionista, as she walks down the streets of New York – Madonna’s Vogue playing in the background – displaying her new looks (my personal favourite is the one with the beanie). This film gave me my first insight into the world of fashion; to this day, if I’m feeling my outfit I will blast that song and strut around my room.

Another thing the film succeeds at is putting struggles at work into perspective. From an outsider’s perspective, the stakes you face at work might not seem too high, but for the person in the situation they are all that matters. I have never felt stress like watching Andy run around New York trying to acquire an unpublished Harry Potter manuscript. I mean Titanic is great and all, but I knew they would eventually hit an iceberg. I didn’t know if she would get that book in time. It really shows you how wrapped up you can get in your work, to the point that you sacrifice your morals for a step up the ladder. Having Andy think she is above the kind of manipulation Miranda pulled in Paris to keep her job, only to realise she herself pulled the same stunt to get to Paris in the first place.

The final reason this movie is perfect can be summarised in two words. Meryl Streep. This was undeniably one of Streep’s best roles, and you can’t tell me she wasn’t robbed of an Oscar. Some people claim the reason they want to be a journalist was Rory in Gilmore girls. Not me. My journalistic awakening was the dream of having Meryl Streep lecture me about how florals for spring was unoriginal.

When Miranda Priestly arrives at the office, everyone scrambles to remove the slightest bit of clutter, apply another coat of lipstick and make sure a glass of room temperature water is already on her desk. She puts in no effort to be likeable, is harsh and demanding and doesn’t change to suit other people’s needs. She is remembered as the villain, but how many films have we seen over the years where the male boss exhibits the same traits only to be portrayed as charming. Yes, how she treats Stanley Tucci’s character is wrong, but she isn’t as bad as you might think. She reminds me that I shouldn’t apologise for being truly passionate about something.

Reading this back, I think it’s almost worrying that I loved this movie so much growing up. Now I’m at the place in my life where I can start to worry about graduate jobs, and if I’ll become so invested that my personal life will go up in flames. Still, you can’t deny that this film is pretty much perfect. It’s incredibly well written, has iconic fashion, and features Meryl Streep of all people. You really couldn’t ask for much more. So as the stress of deadlines hits, why not take a night to cuddle under the covers and watch this under appreciated classic.