Three days in, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 is strutting. With $10 million in previews and projections eyeing a $75-$80 million opening (with some estimates stretching to $100 million amid a buoyant box office), the sequel has done what fashion rarely allows: repeat lightning. The appetite is still there, sharpened by nostalgia and fed by spectacle. And this time, the spectacle has a guest list. 

Nearly two decades after The Devil Wears Prada, the world of Runway still feels relevant, but now it is louder, wider, and populated by the very people who define modern fashion in real time. The cameos that follow feel like the film flexing its industry fluency. 

The most commanding of those presences is Lady Gaga, whose role goes beyond a fleeting cameo. The film builds an entire Milan fashion sequence around her, staging ‘Shape of a Woman’ as a full-scale runway performance, models moving in sync with lighting cues, mirrored panels, and a choreographed audience reaction that blurs the line between show and spectacle. Two additional tracks, ‘Glamorous Life’ over the end credits and ‘Runway,’ her collaboration with Doechii, are used to maintain that high-energy tone across the film’s transitions and montage sequences. 

But the standout moment is quieter: her interaction with Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly. Gaga plays an exaggerated version of herself, visibly irritated by Miranda’s presence backstage before the show. The exchange is brief, but it establishes a hierarchy clash, old-school editorial authority versus a modern, self-built global brand. When Gaga questions her team about Miranda’s presence, it is not just a throwaway line; it signals that power in this world is no longer centralized.

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That shift in power dynamics carries directly into the next set of appearances.

Donatella Versace’s cameo is one of the film’s more layered moments because it ties directly back to the original. Filmed during Milan Fashion Week, her scene unfolds over lunch with Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton. Their conversation is casual on the surface but loaded with industry shorthand, discussing shows, schedules, and shifting brand influence.

Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs enters mid-conversation, actively investigating a developing scandal tied to Runway. The interruption gives the scene narrative purpose, rather than treating Versace as background decoration. It also reframes that famous line from the 2006 film, “Call Donatella. Get her jet.” Back then, it represented distance and exclusivity. Here, Versace is accessible, present, and part of the story’s machinery.

At Irv’s 75th birthday party, Law Roach, the stylist most famously associated with Zendaya is positioned in motion, moving between conversations with designers, models, and editors. The camera lingers just enough to register him as a power broker, someone who shapes visibility. His presence reflects the current industry reality where stylists operate as tastemakers with influence that rivals legacy editors. 

Amelia Dimoldenberg, the Chicken Shop Date host appears briefly, but the placement is deliberate. She is seen among guests at the party, not conducting interviews but occupying the same social space as the people she typically profiles. For viewers familiar with her work, the cameo carries an extra layer, her signature awkward, observational persona contrasts with the polished environment around her. 

Hannah Berner’s cameo is tied to the social rhythm of the party, seen mid-conversation, drink in hand, fully embedded in the environment rather than singled out. Her inclusion reflects how personalities from reality TV like Bravo’s Summer House and podcasting now intersect with fashion culture, particularly in spaces driven by branding, visibility, and audience engagement.

Appearing alongside Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo’s moment functions as an extension of that same ecosystem. The two are positioned as part of the crowd rather than focal points, but their recognisability adds texture to the scene. It is a quiet acknowledgment that fashion’s social spaces now include figures whose influence comes from audience connection as much as industry credentials.

Supermodel Anok Yai is shown behind the scenes during a Milan sequence, and the decision to place her off-runway is telling. Instead of presenting her as just another face in a show, the film situates her within the mechanics of fashion, waiting, preparing, existing in that transitional space before visibility. It reinforces her status as a working model at the top of the industry while also grounding the film in the reality of how these events operate.

Winnie Harlow’s appearance comes during a montage, but it is framed to be instantly recognisable. Her walk, posture, and presence are distinct enough that even a brief shot carries weight. The film uses her image to elevate the credibility of its fashion sequences, aligning its fictional world with real-world figures who define runway visibility today.

Ashley Graham’s role in the opening sequence is one of the film’s most deliberate visual statements. Positioned on a Met Gala-inspired staircase, she anchors the scene before the narrative even begins to unfold. The choice to include Graham’s real-world advocacy for body inclusivity is woven into the imagery, signaling that this version of the fashion world is at least aware of its shifting standards, even if it still operates within its own power structures.

Karolina Kurkova appears in the same opening stretch, part of a lineup that evokes an earlier era of modeling. Her inclusion bridges the gap between the supermodel-dominated landscape of the 2000s and the more diversified industry depicted in the sequel. It’s not a narrative-heavy moment, but it carries historical continuity for audiences familiar with fashion’s evolution.

Heidi Klum’s cameo works on two levels. On-screen, she is part of the broader model presence that defines the film’s fashion sequences. Off-screen, her return to the franchise, after appearing in the original 2006 film creates a subtle callback.

In the Hamptons sequence, Tina Brown is seated at a lunch table that signals a shift from fashion spectacle to media influence. The conversations around her revolve around narrative control, reputation, and fallout, territory she has navigated throughout her career. It grounds the film in a broader media landscape where fashion stories are shaped, reframed, and amplified.

Journalist Jenna Bush Hager’s cameo is tied more directly to the film’s plot. She is seen engaging with Andy, referencing the article that helped mitigate the sweatshop scandal threatening Runway. The moment connects the fictional narrative to a recognizable media figure, reinforcing the idea that public perception.

Kara Swisher’s presence adds another layer to that same conversation. Known for her commentary on power and technology, her inclusion broadens the scope of the film’s world. She represents the kind of voice that interrogates influence, making her placement in Miranda’s orbit particularly pointed.

Jon Batiste appears seated at the Hamptons table, contributing to the scene’s tonal shift. His presence introduces a creative, cultural dimension that extends beyond fashion and media. It softens the setting slightly, suggesting that this space, while still elite is not entirely transactional. Alongside Jon Batiste, Suleika Jaouad’s inclusion adds a quieter, more introspective presence. She broadens the scene’s emotional range, contrasting with the sharper, more strategic dialogue happening around her.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ cameo stands out because it crosses industry boundaries. Introduced to Andy during the Hamptons gathering, he grounds the film in a distinctly New York context. The brief exchange where Andy acknowledges his impact on the city’s basketball culture, adds a layer of realism.

Ronny Chieng appears during the same sequence, delivering a quick, recognisable moment that injects a subtle comedic edge. His inclusion feels organic rather than forced, fitting into the broader mix of personalities gathered in Miranda’s orbit.

Adeyemi’s cameo is brief but intentional. For viewers aware of her literary work, it functions as a small reward, an acknowledgment of contemporary storytelling voices entering spaces traditionally dominated by fashion and media elites.

Jia Tolentino’s appearance operates in a similar vein. As a writer known for cultural analysis, her inclusion subtly reinforces the film’s engagement with journalism and commentary, even if her role is minimal on screen.

Ciara appears in the film’s opening, part of the Met Gala-inspired sequence that establishes tone and scale. Her presence reinforces the connection between music and fashion, particularly in high-profile, image-driven events where celebrity and design intersect.

Calum Harper represents a newer generation of fashion figures, models whose visibility is shaped as much by social media as by traditional runway work. His cameo, though brief, signals the industry’s shift toward digital-era influence and audience-driven recognition.

Marc Jacobs’s appearance offers a different angle. Instead of placing him in a party or front-row setting, the film shows him working, reviewing fabrics, sketching, and adjusting pieces from a new collection. It’s a short sequence, but it grounds the film in the actual labor behind fashion, something the original only hinted at.

In contrast, the other half of Dolce & Gabbana, Domenico Dolce’s cameo is embedded in spectacle. The production uses Dolce & Gabbana’s real Spring/Summer 2026 “PJ Obsession” runway show as a filming location. Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Simone Ashley are positioned front row in character, allowing the film to merge with an actual industry event. It adds scale and authenticity without needing to recreate it artificially.

What makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 work is how they are used to map the current fashion ecosystem, designers, editors, models, media figures, and celebrities all occupying the same narrative space. The film expands the world of Runway without losing its core tension around power, relevance, and control.

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What did you think? Did the cameos add authenticity to the story, or did they feel like distractions? Share your take in the comments.