Groundbreaking. Or maybe, actually, iconic? I’d say iconic, especially coming from Meryl Streep, the ever-fabulous embodiment of sass, doing her best impression of the Fashion Giants (which may or may not include former Vogue chief editor Anna Wintour, but that’s a story for another day). This twenty-year-old quote has enough venom-laced sarcasm to still have pop culture power in 2026, and its very own Wikipedia blurb (move over Oscars, that’s the award I’d want). If you don’t know what I’m talking about (which I may only give grace to actual rock dwellers), then let me fill you in on the book turned hit film, The Devil Wears Prada.

Skeptic and fashion failure (taken with a huge grain of salt, it’s hard to make Anne Hathaway look bad in anything) Andy lands a job at Runway magazine as an assistant for the chief editor, which doesn’t align at all with her more hard-hitting journalistic dreams. But that soon becomes a Very Little Problem the more she works with Miranda Priestly-cold, critical, and maybe put in the heart of New York City’s towering office buildings just to make people’s lives worse. Hence the devil wearing Prada (or sometimes Chanel, or Fendi, or any other big-name brand you can think of). Andy’s work drama might make anyone’s typical office woes look small as things from Runway start to boil over into the rest of her life, and she starts to weigh just how important the job is the more she loses her friends, her relationships, and herself to it. It was, for its time, a pretty on the nose critique of the fashion industry despite some detractors who can’t hold up a mirror, and though my description might not make it sound as quote-slinging worthy fun as it definitely is, Streep’s deadpan humor as the titular devil and Hathaway’s endlessly nerdy, down-to-earth charm make the movie more than its parts. You just have to watch it.    

So, now that you’re in the loop, let’s get to how groundbreaking florals for Spring are. Did the season maybe dredge up that quote as a knee-jerk reaction to the word Spring? Maybe (definitely). Do I also have a good reason to bring it up as the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is finally coming out next month (May 1^st!), nearly twenty years after its release? Also, yes. So, to not disappoint Miranda Priestly and earn myself a withering stare over some designer Ray-Bans, I’ve scoured our shelves for books that fit the brief. Florals for Spring. Allow me to break some ground.    

There’s nothing quite as groundbreaking as breaking the rules, no? So while I may have slightly misled you, and this first read isn’t fueled by flowers, having a Dress Code is always a good and necessary place to start. The introduction is perfectly suited for a Miranda Priestly monologue about the influence of cerulean blue (and the speech even gets a shoutout in the very first chapter. Funny, that). Fashion, no matter what your opinion on it is, is kind of inescapable. You can’t leave the house without your keys, your phone, and your clothes (unless you’re incurably scatterbrained and happen to forget one of the three). Whether it’s at the forefront of your mind or shoved somewhere deep down into the depths of your subconscious, fashion influences everything from politics to the latest social media movement to even the groups of people you find yourself in (but you already have a sassy Meryl Streep to tell you that). So, if you’ve ever had a deeper curiosity about the inner cogs of the industry, or I’ve just given you the itch, Véronique Hyland’s book will give you a tour through modern fashion with a timely (and millennial, though I’m probably aging myself by mentioning it) series of essays that cover everything from the color pink, to the “French Girl” trend, to how exactly something like a gold Croc ever finds its way into the house of haute couture and high fashion.  

Speaking of all things “cerulean blue”, how about growing some flowers that you can fashion into the very topical shade? Well, maybe not “growing”, exactly. I mean paper flowers. That you fold. Because not everyone has a green thumb and sometimes you need some flowers that a) are unkillable and b) decently indestructible (unless, ironically, you give them some water). Jessie Chui’s Paper Flower Art and Livia Cetti’s The Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Transformations will have your space looking perfectly spring-ready with step-by-step tutorials on dying paper and building all sorts of blooms from scratch (because homegrown things without it technically being homegrown is very Vogue… I think). You’ll also learn the elements of art (and fashion!) along the way, with tips on matching color, shape, and texture when you finally arrange all your forever flowers. Besides sending you on a shopping spree through your local Michael’s, you might also surprise yourself by how much you’ll be able to do by the end of each book (though word to the wise, Paper Flower Art takes the… well, art of paper flower making to a whole new set of extremes, so Cetti’s book might be better for beginners). There’s nothing that says Spring more than fresh, new creativity, and no matter what anyone says, it is always in fashion, so stretch those paper folding fingers, maybe get them a stylish set of gardening gloves, as a treat, and make the season bloom. You’re more likely to see your paper flowers come to life before Canada’s nature ever gets to theirs anyway.

If you’re more of a true nature enjoyer, however, don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging! Amy Merrick’s On Flowers has everything that a floral enthusiast (of the non-ironic sort) might want to know. Well, the fun sort of stuff anyway. There are tips on flower arranging, floral-themed activities, and even ways to make yourself feel richer than you think through the power of flowers (see the chapter titled Fancy Things. Seriously). Everything on the page is put so genuinely that looking through them feels like taking a peek into someone’s personal journal of pressed flowers at the same time as getting advice on how to connect to nature in the concrete jungle we call modern living. If nothing else, it also makes a great book to put on your coffee table next to several issues of Runway magazine. Every picture in there is editorial cover-ready.

The final, but no less important, thing is knowing how to accessorize… with a book that fits perfectly into your very fashionable purse and/or backpack. A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons is covered with flowers from front to back and is also perfectly tailored to the groundbreaking part of our brief. In 1923 London, botanist Saffron Everleigh’s life has always been set by society’s expectations of her- women are considered the “lesser academics”, and even her position at the university is constantly scrutinized through the lens of nepotism. But after a dinner party turned murder mystery turned investigation into what’s quickly turning out to be a guilty-before-proven-innocent case against her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, she’ll have to put on her best detective hat if she ever wants to change people’s minds about… well… anything. It’s a cozy mystery, which are still ridiculously trendy. Add in the Holmes-y vibes that inevitably stick themselves to any period mystery (and Sherlock never really falls out of fashion) and the hints of (non-spicy) romance between our lead detective and her Watson, and you’ve got the makings of a stylish read that matches perfectly with any outfit (florals are a plus).    

Of course, if you’re not into following the trends as part of your “groundbreaking” style mantra, you could always choose to carry around a copy of the original The Devil Wears Prada, so at least it’s a bit more believable when you say you read it before it was cool (hipsters are still in… right?). Before I make myself any more unfashionable, I’ll end things here. Besides, I’ve got a movie to catch, and you can’t be fashionably late for that, no matter if you’re wearing Springtime florals or something cerulean blue off the pages of Runway magazine. Until next time!