People are going crazy over Anna Wintour’s former assistant Plum Sykes, who inspired the beloved character in The Devil Wears Prada

With her sharp wit and impeccable fashion sense, Emily Blunt’s character in The Devil Wears Prada has won hearts and fears – but did you know she’s reportedly based on a real person?

Victoria “Plum” Skyes, now 54, is a British journalist and writer who worked as an assistant to Anna Wintour and as a fashion writer for American Vogue in the 1990s and early 2000s.

With her aristocratic background and Oxford education, Sykes became a fixture on the New York fashion scene after arriving in 1997. She recently caught the attention of X (formerly Twitter) users when she reposted a clip of herself that went viral.

A video of Sykes from the 2000 BBC One documentary Boss Woman, which follows Wintour and the making of the February issue, captivated viewers on social media, with Sykes – then in her 30s – talking about the look she wore to the office.

“The clothes people wear here during the day are probably the clothes normal people would wear on their most glamorous night of the year,” the “Wives Like Us” author says in a chic British accent, showing off her designer outfit of a sleeveless white top, a long floral chiffon skirt, black tights and black heels.

A clip of Plum Sykes has surfaced online, showing her office outfit consisting of a sleeveless white shirt, a floral Dolce and Gabbana skirt, and black tights with black stilettos.

“Who would wear a Dolce & Gabbana chiffon skirt like this to the office?” she asks, standing up to show off her stylish outfit to the cameraman.

“Just me,” she replies confidently. “Or someone who works at Vogue.”

Her dedication and pragmatic approach caught the attention of social media users, who were thrilled to discover that Emily was real.

The description of her outfit — which Sykes deemed at the time to be highly unusual — sparked a discussion about her chic but simple attire. It’s something you’d probably see on office workers in 2024 today, but it wasn’t the norm in 1999.

“Yes, a chiffon skirt and a casual top is a common work outfit that you can find at TJ Maxx in 2024. I remember 1999, a women’s work outfit consisted mostly of pants or a pencil skirt and a blazer. Sorry, but once again, ‘the devil wears prada’ is right,” one user commented.

“There are a lot of kids here who are too young to remember that EVERYONE wore suits and blazers to the office until recently,” another person chimed in.

“Some people were right about her outfit and how simple it looks, and that’s literally because people like her in the upper echelons of the fashion world have made it normal for us rednecks,” another commented.

Others had concerns about the price of her clothes.

“Plum Sykes is all about price. She thinks she’s better than everyone because she wears expensive clothes to the office. Not because they’re particularly fashionable,” one person said.

According to a report in Marie Claire, The Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger, a former assistant to Wintour, was inspired by Sykes to create the character of Emily, assistant to the fearsome editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly.

The book was a huge success and was made into a film in 2006 starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt.

Her dedication and down-to-earth approach caught the attention of social media users, who were thrilled to discover that Emily exists in real life.

Victoria “Plum” Skyes, 54, is a British journalist and author who worked as an assistant to Anna Wintour and a fashion writer for American Vogue in the 1990s and early 2000s (pictured in 2024)

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt in the 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada”

The character of Emily in the film, played by Emily Blunt (pictured), was reportedly inspired by Sykes

The viral clip has sparked a wave of discussion about office attire and the secret 1916 treaty between Britain and France

The fashion writer’s name also piqued the interest of astute social media users, revealing that her great-grandfather was Mark Sykes, the British diplomat who developed the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916.

The agreement, made in secret between Britain and France after World War I, was about the post-war division of land in the Arab Middle East, essentially creating the modern Middle East. It created conflict over boundaries in the area, which changed, ignoring pre-existing ethnic or cultural regions.

“I keep seeing this video on my timeline (TL). This woman’s great-grandfather was Mark Sykes, who developed the Sykes Picot Agreement,” wrote one user on X.

“The secret plan of the British and French in 1916 to divide the Middle East into borders that guaranteed perpetual conflict in order to profit from British oil production,” the user wrote, retweeting the clip.

“The Plum Sykes case really highlights Twitter’s current 1. Beat (the Devil Wears Prada scene is real!) 2. The subject matter is expected to be weighty (just look at her! In 1999!) 3. Sociopolitical implications you couldn’t have dreamed of (the Sykes-Picot agreement in the Middle East),” another noted.

Sykes currently lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, British entrepreneur Toby Rowland, and their two daughters, Ursula, 18, and Tess, 13.