Emily in Paris Returns in Even More Fantastical Style. Nonetheless, the event provided a nice distraction for many who were cooped up at home. It was a soothing bath for tired souls, a frivolous, romantic, candy-colored excursion through a gorgeous city unaffected by the pandemic. That had something to do with the attire.
“Emily in Paris,” a Netflix comedy about a young American marketing whiz bumbling through life in a new city, was panned for depicting a fantasy version of French society when it debuted last autumn. Parisians reacted angrily to the show’s falsehoods and clichés, which ranged from individuals smoking in the office to the quantity of berets seen onscreen.
“It’s the series that French people love to despise,” remarked the show’s costume designer, Marylin Fitoussi.
Ms. Fitoussi had first attempted realism with some of her clothes. Mindy (Ashley Park), an heiress moonlighting as a nanny and Emily’s first true friend in Paris, dressed Emily in comfy clothing and sneakers. However, after speaking with the show’s costume consultant, Patricia Field, famed for her imaginative costuming on “Sex and the City,” things changed.
“They said to me the wonderful sentence: ‘Marylin, we don’t care about reality,'” said Ms. Fitoussi, who appeared on a Zoom call dressed in a black turban, a gold collared shirt under a printed yellow jacket, and a slew of massive sculptural rings. “That’s my life’s vibe.”
Ms. Fitoussi and Ms. Field were determined to push the show’s outfits even farther for Season 2, which premieres on December 22. Emily (Lily Collins) is negotiating a difficult love triangle while adapting into life in Paris, and her style has evolved into something more mature, albeit not less eye-catching. Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), Emily’s demanding employer, is also pushing the bounds of French professional attire, showing up in metallic suits and theatrical fringe.
More is always Emily in Paris, as these clothes demonstrate.
Emily has progressed beyond a certain Eiffel Tower print from Season 1, but her obviousness remains her trademark. She wears a white Anouki dress decorated in red hearts to a soiree on the Seine to promote Chopard’s heart-shaped jewellery range. Ms. Field was not convinced by the outfit when Ms. Fitoussi purchased it. “At first, I didn’t know where in the heck I was going to use it because it just sounds so foolish in a manner,” Ms. Field explained through video conference. “But then there was that sight.”
Ms. Fitoussi stated that she adored the puffy sleeves. “Pat despised the sleeves, and I told her, ‘The garment is nothing without the sleeves.'” “It’s basically a tube with some hearts in it,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Mindy has joined a band and is performing on the streets of Paris. (Ms. Park has received Tony and Grammy nominations.) Her performance parts allowed the costume crew to go all out with glitter and feathers. Consider the glittering green Zadig & Voltaire outfit she wore to perform at the Chopard event, which she teamed with sparkly Roger Vivier heels.
“We’re so used to having Mindy appear seductive, feminine, and wild,” Ms. Fitoussi explained. “I said, ‘Why not a suit?'”
To give this look “the Mindy touch,” as Ms. Fitoussi puts it, they added a vintage rhinestone necklace that cascades down her throat.
Sylvie is the first to call Emily out on her misunderstanding of French culture and her American attitude, chastising her for chit-chatting at parties and using Paris as her personal “amusement park.” While Emily’s employer resembles the show’s quintessential Frenchwoman in many aspects, Ms. Fitoussi had no intention of clothing her as such.
“I know how to construct the perfect Frenchwoman,” she added, reciting “boring” fundamentals like bluejeans, T-shirts, white shoes, a black or navy blazer, and “beige if we’re wild today.”
Ms. Fitoussi outfitted Sylvie in different costumes in bright red and silver for Season 2. (On set, the silver one became known as her “Mick Jagger suit.”) A low-cut gold Saint Laurent button-down, a black Maje skirt with a thigh-high slit, and an Alaa belt make for an eye-catching workplace ensemble.
“That’s my vision of a business,” Ms. Fitoussi explained. “You wear a black skirt, but instead of white, black, or navy blue, you wear gold.”
Some of the season’s most expensive ensembles come from a new character, Gregory Elliott Dupree, a fashion designer (Jeremy O. Harris). He initially arrives at Saint-Tropez wearing a green and white Casablanca fake fur coat over his shoulders and a floppy Patou hat.
“The reality is, Jeremy O. Harris was clothed when he went through the door,” Ms. Field explained. “I’m thinking, ‘Perfect.'” ‘I don’t have any employment.'”
While Ms. Fitoussi has a special fondness for Gregory — “If I were a male, I would look just like Gregory Dupree” — she strongly relates with Emily in Paris design sense. “I’m usually bright, and I blend patterns since I used to be a textile designer,” she explained. “In Paris, they refer to me as ‘the parrot,’ or ‘the clown.'”
The objective, according to her, is for Emily to keep her strong sensibility even while she learns the language and habits of her new city.
“I don’t want her to appear like your average French girl,” Ms. Fitoussi explained. “I don’t want to clone what’s French or what’s meant to be French fashion.” I’ll fail if I do it.”
