If You Were Miranda Priestly, What Stocks Would You Invest In?

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) If Hollywood's most intimidating editor-in-chief were in charge of a portfolio, what would it look like?

Not trends, not hype and certainly not anything that screams“new season, must-have”, suggests a hypothetical study by trading platform eToro. Miranda Priestly's logic would probably be something ruthless: brands with heritage, pricing power, and the confidence to ignore everyone else. Think less fast fashion, more forever wardrobes.

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As The Devil Wears Prada 2, hits the big screen, what would a Miranda‐approved investment strategy have looked like over the past 20 years?

The answer is... rather impressive. A hypothetical“Miranda portfolio” of old‐guard luxury names would have returned 629 per cent since the original film sashayed into cinemas in 2006. That comfortably beats the S&P 500's 442 per cent return over the same period, and more than doubles the gains of the S&P Global Luxury Index. Cerulean blue, it turns out, compounds.

The portfolio itself reads like a front‐row seating plan at Paris Fashion Week: Hermès, Richemont, L'Oréal, Kering, Burberry, Christian Dior and Ralph Lauren. The standout star is Hermès, whose shares have climbed a jaw‐dropping 2,206 per cent over two decades. Dior, Ralph Lauren and Richemont also delivered robust long‐term gains, while Burberry and Kering lagged behind, proving that even luxury has its underperformers. Selectivity, as ever, is everything.

Miranda would, presumably, have approved. As Lale Akoner, global market strategist at eToro, puts it:“Miranda wouldn't have chased novelty or short‐term momentum. She would have backed heritage, scarcity and brands confident enough not to discount.” Those qualities, Akoner notes, map neatly onto long‐term outperformance in luxury equities. The most successful names behave less like cyclical trades and more like steady compounders - quietly resilient, occasionally unfashionable, but stubbornly profitable.

That's not to say luxury stocks are immune to reality. Recent performance has been bumpier, with geopolitical tensions and softer tourism flows weighing on the sector. Over shorter timeframes, the“Miranda portfolio” has lagged the broader market, reminding investors that even the best handbags feel macro pressure.

Still, the long‐term lesson is brutally simple. Glamour grabs attention. Durability delivers returns. Or, to put it another way: florals for spring may be predictable, but heritage for investing remains, well... groundbreaking.

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