{"id":93,"date":"2026-05-26T23:42:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=93"},"modified":"2026-05-26T23:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:42:42","slug":"devil-wears-prada-2-shows-how-christian-imagery-circulates-in-unusual-ways-in-fashion-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=93","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDevil Wears Prada 2\u201d shows how Christian imagery circulates in unusual ways in fashion industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At the world premiere of \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2,\u201d actress Meryl Streep leaned into her character\u2019s devilish persona. She wore the character\u2019s signature sunglasses along with long black gloves and a flowing red leather cape from Givenchy\u2019s Winter 2026 collection.<\/p>\n

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Streep\u2019s outfit, though, is a small moment in a much larger story \u2013 one in which Christianity and fashion have been intertwined for centuries, sometimes as adversaries, sometimes as collaborators.<\/p>\n

While neither of the \u201cDevil Wears Prada\u201d movies revolve around Christianity, the invocation of the devil taps into an older moral rhetoric. For centuries, fashion was cast as the troublesome, if not villainous, enemy of a pure and spiritual Christianity \u2013 a symbol of putting material desires before holy ones. For example, 18th-century cleric and founder of Methodism John Wesley by dressing \u201cneatly\u201d and \u201cplainly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet Christian imagery has come to shape the industry in profound ways. As a scholar who researches the relationship between Christianity and fashion, I have traced how Christian imagery circulates in surprising forms. The devil, for instance, occasionally appeared in fashion advertising to suggest sin, sensuality and transgression.<\/p>\n

Christian imagery of angels and Eve<\/h2>\n

In the mid-20th century, Christianity often occupied a supporting role in the fashion industry. It showed up in articles by Christian religious leaders and color photographs of Christian art and architecture published in fashion magazines.<\/p>\n

For example, articles on how Christianity addresses contemporary problems by Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen and Columbia University Chaplain James A. Pike appeared in Vogue alongside ads for makeup and fashion photo shoots.<\/p>\n

Christian imagery also appeared in fashion advertisements featuring \u201cSunday best\u201d clothing and Easter dresses. Ads showed angels gifting consumers \u201cheavenly\u201d products that promised beauty and ease.<\/p>\n

The devil only occasionally played a part in ads for fashion products, such as perfumes, makeup and handkerchiefs. These advertisements depicted the devil as a snake or alluded to him and his role in the Book of Genesis. The biblical passage recounts how the serpent, typically interpreted as the devil in Christian theology, tempted Eve to sin by eating the forbidden fruit. Eve then offers the fruit to Adam, and, having both sinned, they realize their nakedness, are ashamed and make clothing.<\/p>\n

Fashion advertisements, ranging from Revlon in the 1940s to Hanes in the 1960s, celebrated Eve\u2019s rebellious action. Revlon \u201cdouble\u201d dared women to try their \u201cFatal Apple\u201d makeup so they could look like Eve, while Hanes stated, \u201cPoor Girl! She never knew the temptation of seamless stockings by Hanes,\u201d next to an illustration of Eve holding an apple by a serpent.<\/p>\n

Ads played with the idea of fashion as a temptation in which female consumers should indulge. Female consumers were urged to \u201cBe Eve\u201d and give into the desire to purchase products.<\/p>\n

The devil was eclipsed as ads featured garden settings and products that promised \u201cthe look of Eve.\u201d Eve symbolized beauty and promised consumers the same results through their purchasing power.<\/p>\n

A 1967 ad for the \u201cEve Petticoat\u201d issued an invitation: \u201cCome, pretty girl. Be Eve, if you wish.\u201d In that same decade, Catalina\u2019s \u201cpart of the art of Eve\u201d campaign for their swimwear showed what this meant. Each ad featured a woman in a provocative pose wearing a Catalina bathing suit in a garden setting. By donning Catalina, the ad implies, the wearer can become Eve \u2013 attractive, stylish and sexy. By highlighting Eve\u2019s rebellion alongside her beauty, ads framed her as a fashion heroine.<\/p>\n

Eve\u2019s prominent role in advertising demonstrates how the Judeo-Christian tradition permeated American culture, including the fashion industry.<\/p>\n

An evolving fashion landscape<\/h2>\n

While Christianity appeared in industry advertisements, it also slowly began to take a more prominent role in fashion garments, as designers became more bold. Christianity inspired the design of many garments, and later, Christian figures began to appear on designer garments.<\/p>\n

For example, in the 1960s, American designer Geoffrey Beene, known for his minimalist design aesthetic, drew inspiration from the cassocks worn by Catholic priests. So, too, did Spanish designer Crist\u00f3bal Balenciaga. In 1967, his black evening gown with cape radiated simplicity in form and draping even as it also referenced the attire of Catholic priests.<\/p>\n

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While Beene and Balenciaga received praise for their restraint and elegance, the lesser-known London-born designer Walter Holmes created controversy with his \u201cmini-medievals\u201d in 1968. Modeled after a monk\u2019s robe and a nun\u2019s habit, Holmes combined Christian inspiration with the miniskirt trend, which some people found fun, while others labeled it offensive.<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Italian luxury fashion brand Krizia\u2019s collection included women wearing cassock-like dresses, while Italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati\u2019s 2010 line for Yves Saint Laurent played on the attire of Catholic nuns.<\/p>\n

More recently, in spring 2020, French designer Virginie Viard\u2019s designs for Chanel referenced nuns and Catholic school girl uniforms.<\/p>\n

\u2018Spiritual marketplace\u2019<\/h2>\n

In the 1990s, Christianity began playing an even larger part in fashion, as the Virgin Mary and saints began to appear on garments. Prior to this, designers often avoided using religious figures; they preferred more abstract interpretations; it also helped prevent any controversy that might emerge from depicting sacred figures.<\/p>\n

Designer Gianni Versace challenged this tacit rule in his Fall\/Winter 1991 collection. It included biker jackets adorned with bejeweled crosses and, in the finale, a halter top that featured the Virgin Mary made out of a mosaic of jewels. The garment was also the centerpiece of ads for the collection and showcased the fashion potential of Christian figures.<\/p>\n

Versace\u2019s Marian halter reflected the larger shift away from institutional religion toward individual spirituality. Christian symbols were lifted from church contexts and recirculated through popular culture, including fashion, in new ways. Versace\u2019s rock star rendering of the Virgin Mary offered people a new way of seeing her \u2013 one open to interpretation outside of doctrine. Like Versace, they could claim her and reimagine her on their own terms.<\/p>\n

Sociologist Wade Clark Roof described the religious landscape as a \u201cspiritual marketplace.\u201d People relied less on religious authorities and more on the meaning they could create from \u201cavailable images, symbols, moral codes, and doctrines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Religious ideas and products circulated through music and movies, crystal shops and sports stadiums, Christian bookstores and designer collections. Within this spiritual bazaar, fashion became a place where people could reimagine Christian symbols, figures and history in new ways.<\/p>\n

Modern-day trends<\/h2>\n

In the years since, Christianity has become a regular feature in fashion collections. Most notably, Christianity regularly has a starring role in the work of Dolce & Gabbana. Their 1998 \u201cStromboli\u201d collection revolved around a Christian theme, a Marian procession, and dresses, tunics and blouses featuring Marian imagery.<\/p>\n

The design duo have returned to Christian imagery several times. For example, their 2013 \u201cTailored Mosaic\u201d line, inspired by the golden mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily, featured garments adorned with angels, saints and Mary, as well as biblical figures.<\/p>\n

A critic called the mix of garments the designers\u2019 \u201cmost heavenly offerings to date.\u201d In 2018, Christian themes and symbols again permeated their collection.<\/p>\n

It is now almost commonplace for fashion lines to reference or include Christian symbols, themes and figures. At New York Fashion Week in 2026, YesuGod, \u201ca luxury Christian fashion house,\u201d showcased its designs \u2013 garments adorned with the words \u201canno domini\u201d and others with \u201cthe Lord is Coming.\u201d More recently, in 2025, the vestments of Catholic priests inspired Dolce & Gabbana\u2019s menswear collection.<\/p>\n

The devil makes only an occasional appearance on the fashion runway and on the red carpet; historically, too, his presence has been minimal. Christian figures who embody ideals of goodness and holiness \u2013 saints, Mary and even Jesus \u2013 are the ones who rule the runway. Christianity and fashion are not so separate after all.
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