What if Miranda Priestly was nice, but also had to deal with a changing media landscape and an upstart editor who thinks she’s future of fashion media? That’s the general premise of The Knockoff. Imogen Tate is the Editor in Chief of Glossy magazine, a fashion mag that’s supposed to be similar in status to Vogue. Imogen is returning to work after a 6-month sabbatical during which she underwent cancer treatment. She comes back expecting the status quo, but is surprised to find her former assistant Eve, now a graduate of the Harvard Business School, sitting behind her desk. Because now apparently they don’t really “do” desks as Glossy, because Eve has been appointed as head of digital media and has decided to turn Glossy into Buzzfeed, complete with all-night hackathons and choreographed dances that get shared on the company’s social media.
What happens next is a power struggle between Imogen – the veteran with all the fashion connections and expertise, but a Luddite when it comes to technology – and Eve, who has a severe case of Main Character Syndrome with a dash of Single White Female thrown in, just for fun. Honestly, the part of the book that’s the most fun is watching Eve’s increasingly unhinged behavior. Whether it is putting her hand over the mouth of a Diane von Furstenberg-like character to shush them and “close the deal” (which doesn’t work, obviously), dating and becoming engaged to Imogen’s WASP-y drug-addicted politician ex, or trying to turn her wedding to said ex into the society and fashion event of the season, Eve’s insane behavior is hilarious, mortifying, and infuriating all at the same time.
This is not a deep read. Imogen is likable, but completely unrealistic as a Gen Xer who doesn’t understand how email works. Eve is a hilariously over-the-top villain, but also unbelievable as person who’s risen so high in the media world, even accounting for the Peter principle. (Where you’re promoted to the level of your own incompetence.) But the scenes in the fashion world are fun, Imogen is a fun character to root for, and the book goes by quickly and enjoyably. It’s no Devil Wears Prada, but it is fun.