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Molly Rogers has been the closest colleague of the legendary costume designer Patricia Field for over a decade — together they created the visual language for “Sex and the City,” “Ugly Betty,” and the first “The Devil Wears Prada.” Molly worked on the sequels to these projects independently as a costume director, heading the work on “And Just Like That…” and, most recently, “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” Exclusively for vogue.ua, she was met by Alya Gonta — creative director of the LESSLESS brand and a person who combines Ukrainian fashion with world cinema and television.
Molly Rogers
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ABOUT WORKING ON “THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA”
Alya: “You’ve worked on the most iconic fashion projects — “Sex and the City,” “And Just Like That…,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” and now the sequel to the film. The first installments of these projects became not only a fashion and cultural phenomenon — a whole generation grew up with them. How do you feel — working on a sequel, knowing that the world has changed, people have changed — and yet returning to these stories?”
Molly: “It was really fun. It’s like coming home — you reconnect with people you know well. I love the first film as much as many other people do. You can’t top the first one. But we tried to at least meet expectations. That’s why I really didn’t want to put pressure on myself. If I were afraid, I wouldn’t feel free, and creatively, everything would go wrong. My motto since COVID has been: if I’m not having fun, I’m not taking the project. And ultimately, I’m my own harshest critic. There’s nothing anyone can say to me that I haven’t already said to myself.
Alya: “I was impressed by Miranda’s wardrobe. I noticed a lot of Dries Van Noten, archival Ann Demeulemeester — it’s like a celebration of intellectual, artisanal fashion. For Anne, lots of Khaite, for Emily Blunt — Rick Owens. These are brands that, for those who know, are instantly recognizable. How did you come to build each character around specific brands? After all, they appear on the characters more than once, and it feels like a very conscious decision.”
Molly: “Exactly — the basis of the choice isn’t in the big brands that everyone recognizes instantly. But you’re right: those who know, know.”
Miranda Priestly in a Dries Van Noten jacket
Alya: “In our digital world, it’s hard to stay original. There’s a lot of copying or homages — for the fiftieth time — to what has already been done. How do you tune out that noise?”
Molly: “For me, that’s the secret to success. What I loved about the costumes in the first “The Devil Wears Prada” is that they don’t look like clothes from a specific era. There’s no real trend there. You can’t say: oh, these jeans are from Spring 2006. That’s exactly what I wanted to achieve in the second film — to make everything as timeless as possible.
Alya: “I like your interpretation of ‘timeless’ — not the muted beige items we’ve been seeing under that term lately, but artisanal pieces that exist beyond time.”
Molly: “Exactly — not so trendy that you can pinpoint a date, but special, distinctive pieces that catch your eye without tying you to a specific moment.”
Alya: “The fringed jacket Meryl wore in the dining room scene — it looked like armor to me.”
Molly: “Yes. In the first film, during the big speech about the blue sweater, Miranda is wearing a bolero with gold coins. When I saw the Dries Van Noten fringed jacket, I thought: this is like a twin of that jacket. It fits organically into her wardrobe. And then, in that scene, she’s sitting at one end of the table in this jacket, and at the other end are all these people in suits. Enemies. It’s art versus commerce. What wins — money or creativity? I love that jacket so much in that scene. It all worked out perfectly.”
Alya: “And Emily Blunt’s character’s wardrobe?”
Molly: “Her wardrobe is very layered. She appears in Milan in a Rick Owens dress with a Vivienne Westwood cape over her shoulders. She’s a real mix, very modern, knows how to combine things. She can wear anything. In that sense, she’s like Sarah Jessica — she could truly wear anything. It was easy to go to extremes with her character — the temptation to dress her in crazy, provocative things was very strong. But I still tried to be careful: you have to believe she worked at Dior, but at the same time wears her own more avant-garde pieces. She knows how to combine them.”
Alya: “Was Anne’s wardrobe the most challenging?”
Molly: “The hardest to create. Because Andy has changed the most since the first film. She’s grown up, traveled. She’s changed more than anyone else.”
ABOUT INTERACTION WITH ACTORS
Alya: “How involved are the actors in creating a character’s image? And how has that changed over the years — after all, twenty years have passed between the films?”
Molly: “I learned that from Patricia Field. She had a very famous shop in Greenwich Village, and she always spent a lot of time with her customers — she was open to learning, wanted to see what they liked and how they could combine something differently than she saw it. Open to youth, to what they live by. That’s why she’s full of spirit, youth, vibrancy, and her fittings were always like that.”
Alya: “You’ve done so many wonderful, legendary projects together. How did it feel when you started working independently?”
Molly: “We are very close friends and could have worked together our whole lives. She wanted me to work with her on ‘Emily in Paris,’ and I was like, oh yes, Paris, yes, yes, yes. I knew the cast would be amazing, and Darren Star, who created ‘Sex and the City,’ too. I knew everything would be incredible. But at the same time as she was preparing to start work on ‘Emily in Paris,’ ‘And Just Like That…’ was announced. So I stayed in New York with Sarah Jessica, and Pat went off to do that wonderful show without me. That’s when the creative separation happened.
When you have a cast like “The Devil Wears Prada” or the women from “Sex and the City” — these actresses are very knowledgeable. You want to know their opinion and you want them to trust yours. If an actress says, “Let me try that blue belt,” and you know blue is probably too bright — you still let her try. You don’t say, “No, no, no, that won’t work.” You have to remain open to discussion. Oh, it didn’t work? Let’s try something else. You need that kind of atmosphere in the fitting for it to go well. I am endlessly grateful to have worked with actresses who are experimental, smart, and trust me. That’s crucial.
Alya: “Your synergy is very noticeable in the projects. The characters feel absolutely harmonious in their clothes and looks.”
Molly: “I’ll give you a good example. At Anne Hathaway’s fitting for the second film, the props department brought messenger bags. I said: no fashion brands. She needs something a real journalist would carry. They found a vintage Coach bag. As soon as Anne put it on her shoulder — I immediately understood: it had always belonged to her. Not something bought especially for her, not a gift. Something she’d traveled the world with as a journalist. That was spot on.”
Alya: “How does the preparation begin? When I was looking at your Instagram before ‘And Just Like That…’, it seemed like the team started preparing a year in advance — attending shows, going to outlets and vintage stores. What does your workflow look like?”
Molly: “We were given a lot of time on that project. They funded trips to the shows because you need to be very up-to-date — it’s Carrie, after all. For a regular TV project, you get about three months for preparation. For film, especially if you’re sewing or making something, you need more time — you start with fabric research and forming ideas even before the actors appear. Actors aren’t invited until the very last moment, so you have to be as prepared as possible.
I’m not the type of person who can sit at a computer for ten hours watching shows. I’d go crazy. I have people on my team who love that — they can watch Jean Paul Gaultier shows for hours and bring me what they think is best. I look, we discuss, I set the direction. I prefer meeting and talking to people. Fortunately, I have a team that enjoys the research part.
When you read the script, you start forming broad ideas — not specifically “this red and this design.” You feel the mood, then you go talk to the director and writer, who have been working on the project much longer than you. You listen to their vision. What’s important to them? Maybe your impression of the script differs. You need to be on the same page even before the actors arrive. So, before they appear, I show — along with the director — digital presentations of what I’ve gathered. How do you like this fringed jacket? And this? You discuss, realize you’re moving in the same direction, and only then move on to specifics.”
Alya: “Viewers don’t understand how much work goes into preparation before filming begins. It seems like they just picked five pairs of pants and decided which one was best. When I was teaching in Florence, I showed students your process, Marilyn’s process for ‘Emily in Paris,’ Patricia Black from Albright Fashion Library — the sheer volume of items that go into preparing for a shoot.”
Molly: “Actors have told me repeatedly that no one has ever brought them as many clothing options as my team. We learned that back when we were working on ‘Sex and the City.’ Forty blue belts — because they’re all different, as you understand. Over-preparation is what allows you to explore and choose. You need that volume so you can say: this blouse is good, but let’s also look at corsets. And you bring not just one corset, but as many options as possible. If I had a rack of twenty white blouses, you could go through them and see: this one is for Andy Sachs, a men’s business shirt with fine stripes. And this one is for Emily: white, but one-shouldered. Each character has their own detail that belongs only to them. You have to be that specific.”
Alya: “I also think that when stylists start using new, not yet widely known names in their work, the result looks more interesting. I had the pleasure of teaching young designers at Polimoda — and it’s a completely different world, different visions than commercial brands. They don’t think about sales, they don’t think about customer expectations — they just do what they want and what they feel.”
Molly: “That’s the best part of creativity — when you’re not too concerned with the business side. When you show different silhouettes, names that the audience doesn’t recognize — the result of your work looks more modern. Fresh, as you say. That’s what fashion is: supporting smaller brands, young talents.”
Alya: “I was so thrilled when you agreed to consider items from my students and Ukrainian designers for the filming of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’ I didn’t sleep all night — I couldn’t wait to tell them that this was even possible.”
Molly: “That’s why I’m glad we met. Usually, our paths would never have crossed — I don’t attend Ukrainian fashion events or designer school graduations, and you don’t work on film sets. But this kind of collaboration makes the project better and helps people learn more about young talents. It’s a win-win. Pure positivity. But let’s not just talk about me — tell me about Ukraine.”
NO ONE WORKS LIKE UKRAINIANS
Alya: “I greatly admire and am proud of Ukrainians. Before the full-scale invasion, our brands were growing — sold in the best stores worldwide. When the full-scale war began, it turned out that our brands are not just strong — they are fantastic. No one in the world works like that, really. Because when you are under constant shelling and can still organize people to produce high-quality products and deliver everything on time — it’s simply incredible. I spent a year in Kyiv during the war — it was a period of almost daily shelling. Almost every night, I went to a shelter with my child. One morning, they launched many missiles at the city center — it started around five in the morning and lasted until seven. There were hits on buildings in the city center. A few weeks later, I went to my hairdresser. His salon was right across from one of the destroyed buildings. He told me: that morning, none of the clients were late for their appointments. He starts work at seven in the morning.”
Molly: “Incredible. The strength of your people — no matter what happens, you try to endure.”
Karen Pittman’s character in a LESSLESS dress
Alya: “After sleepless nights, people continue to go to work, do their jobs. And now there’s a huge surge in Ukrainian brands — before the invasion, wealthier Ukrainians preferred international brands. Now there’s a real trend for Ukrainian. People are buying full looks from local designers. Not just out of patriotic conviction — the level of the brands is truly high. I also mostly buy Ukrainian brands because I like the cut, the quality, the design.”
Molly: “That fills me with hope. Despite the difficulties, despite the hard life — creativity is more alive than ever in you. That touches me deeply.”
Alya: “I’m currently working on ‘American Horror Story,’ and they asked me for pajamas for a fitting. Everything fit, and they asked for seven more — to be made and delivered to New York within a week.”
Molly: “Did you make the deadline?”
Alya: “I still can’t believe it — but yes. My small team made seven silk pajamas in four days. Then they had to be delivered from Kyiv to New York. Regular mail gave a minimum of six to seven business days. I found another way.”
Molly: “Incredible. Incredible!”
Alya: “A similar moment happened when working with you — you asked me to deliver our silk robe to a shoot in Los Angeles within two days. This robe wasn’t in Kyiv, but in a store in Lutsk. I called the store, found a driver who could take it to the border.”
Molly: “Oh, no. Did I really do that to you?”
Alya: “Yes! And then you told me it wasn’t worth it — it’s better to send this robe with the other clothes you requested. So we did. But it was a moment when I realized: if you need to deliver something to the other side of the world, even when there are no flights in your country — you can do it. Just like the Kulakovsky team managed to deliver fur scarves to Milan for the DWP2 shoot in a day, when your request came in.”
Molly: “You proved that anything is possible. And now, every time I work with you and with Ukrainian brands, I will ask how difficult it actually is — because I had no idea. I just sent the request.”
Alya: “I’m fine if I did everything I could and it still didn’t work out. That I can accept. What I can’t forgive myself for is not trying. And that’s also what I love about working in fashion: you always have to deliver something at the last minute. It’s a kind of high-level ‘fashion adrenaline.'”
Molly: “You’re like me. Pressure and fear are great motivators. I don’t like easy projects — they don’t end up well. When you suffer and cry all night — that’s a sign the project will be successful.
Alya: “I was so happy that you and your team chose so many Ukrainian brands for the fittings of the main characters of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’: Guzema Jewelry — you tried it on Lucy; Bazhane wool coats — for Meryl; Jecome shoes you wore for Runway; Kulakovsky items, which we sent to both New York and Milan. I remember how your team even signed letters so sweetly: ‘Slava Ukraini!'”
Molly: “I really liked the quality and design of all these brands. We had so many fittings with them. And I want to say — it’s always worth sending: you never know for sure what will fit and what won’t, but we always try things on and style them.”
Alya: “I understand: even if an actress wears your item, it doesn’t mean it will make it into the final cut. So many steps have to be taken for an item to appear in the film.”
Molly: “Yes! It often happens that an actress says: I love this skirt, I hope we wear it. There aren’t enough scenes — and you don’t wear it. Some of my favorite pieces never made it into the film. That’s why Sarah Jessica has such an incredible wardrobe — wonderful items that no one ever saw.”
Alya: “It’s hard to imagine the scale! By the way, if you hadn’t shown me, I would never have realized that Callum was wearing Lessless pants! It’s because of your styling!”
Molly: “It was incredible! Sarah Jessica and I stumbled upon his Instagram and thought: how charming he is — showing attempts to get a modeling job like that, so funny and natural in front of the camera. Initially, I tried to get him a role in ‘And Just Like That….’ And then, when I met with the director for ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ I gave him a short list of people and said: if there’s any way, any place for them in this film — they are at their peak right now, their moment is now, they have to be here. Callum was available. When I met him that day on set, I told him: I am the reason you are here.
And then someone else dressed him, and I thought — too boring. I said: no, no. He’s my favorite. My special guest. I have to find something completely different for him. So I went back to the office and picked out other things to make him look special. He was a truly wonderful guest in that film.”
Alya: “I’m so lucky. I never imagined he was wearing women’s Lessless pants.”
Molly: “I’m sure there’s a lot more in this film that you don’t know about, honestly. There are so many details. I know I’ll be working with you on everything that comes next. I’ll be ‘tormenting’ you, and you’ll be driving to the border with some box.
Alya: “You won’t be able to torment me — because I’ll be right there! Every time we collaborate and you choose Ukrainian — it’s proof to me that dreams come true!”