In the late 1990s, a bright-eyed Leslie Fremar—who had just been promoted to Anna Wintour’s first assistant after only six months—found herself in a position to hire a deputy. A few years later, while reading an early copy of The Devil Wears Prada, she realized she had been written into the book.

“She’s me—I am Emily,” Fremar tells Chloe on this week’s episode of The Run-Through with Vogue. “I don’t think I’ve ever really talked about it.”

Now a stylist for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars—most notably Charlize Theron, a longtime collaborator—Fremar recalls how intimidating her early days at Vogue were. “There were rules passed down to me: I couldn’t eat at my desk. You couldn’t even go to the bathroom, because one of the assistants always had to be there,” she says.

When she stepped into the first assistant role, Fremar loosened things up a bit—she even kept a pair of Birkenstocks under her desk. “I think [Anna] knew I would do that,” she says. “I don’t know if I could survive a full day in heels.” She also passed along some pointed advice to her junior assistant: “A million girls would kill for this job,” she recalls saying—a line she still stands by.

When Lauren Weisberger published the novel, Fremar admits she felt betrayed. “We’ve never talked about it—we never spoke again after she left.” Still, she says she doesn’t hold a grudge. Asked what she would say if they spoke today, Fremar is matter-of-fact: “There’s nothing to be said.”

Other parts of her Vogue experience inspire less mixed feelings. More than 25 years after her time as an assistant, Fremar received a call from Wintour with an extraordinary opportunity: to style a Vogue cover featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris. “I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and styled many international covers, but never American Vogue,” she says. “It felt like a true full-circle moment—and probably my proudest.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the exclusive interview with Leslie Fremar covering the reallife inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada

BeginnerLevel Questions

1 What is Exclusive The Real Emily Speaks about
Its an interview where Leslie Fremarthe reallife assistant who inspired the character Emilyshares her experiences working for Vogue editor Anna Wintour during the Nazi era that inspired the book and movie

2 Who is Leslie Fremar
Shes a celebrity stylist who worked as an assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue in the late 1990s Her job and personality became the basis for the character Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada

3 Is The Devil Wears Prada a true story
The book is a fictionalized version of author Lauren Weisbergers own experience as an assistant to Anna Wintour Leslie Fremars reallife role helped shape the character of Emily but the movie is not a documentary

4 What era does Leslie talk about
She discusses the late 1990s and early 2000sthe peak of the fashion magazine golden age before social media when print magazines ruled and the demands on assistants were famously intense

5 Did Leslie Fremar actually say I cant go to Paris
No That line was created for the movie Leslie says she was much more ambitious and would have done anything to go to Paris

Advanced BehindtheScenes Questions

6 How does Leslie Fremar feel about the movies portrayal of assistants
She finds it very funny and accurate in spirit but notes that reallife assistants were even more resourceful and less dramatic She says the movie captured the pressure cooker feeling perfectly

7 What specific details from Leslies real life made it into the character Emily
The intense focus on weight the competitive drive and the constant fear of failure Leslie also confirms that assistants really did call each other Emily to confuse bosses

8 Did Anna Wintour ever read the book or see the movie
Yes Leslie says Anna saw the movie and found it amusing Anna has publicly said she thought the book