The Fashion in ‘Emily in Paris’ Is Not Realistic
Give me a Darren Star show, and I’ll binge the first season in a day or two. His show “Sex and the City” not only introduced me to Manolo Blahnik’s shoes but helped the world discover the glory and wonder of a Hermes Birkin Bag. While the wardrobe department in his shows really knows how to curate the finest of pieces, his most recent work, “Emily in Paris,” isn’t realistic. Emily Cooper, the show’s main character, is quickly becoming the most polarizing character on Netflix and in fashion.
In case you haven’t seen the Netflix Top 10 show yet, here is a quick recap of the first episode- a young American marketing and social media strategist lands an unexpected job in France and decides to take it despite not knowing a single word of French. As you can imagine, this show is sparking lots of debate ranging from everything to how the French are depicted, to how Americans are depicted, Emily’s social media posts and even Emily’s age. But one criticism I happen to have is the clothes.
While the legendary Patricia Field worked on this show, the wardrobe lacks the true authenticity of a 22-year-old. Yes, according to Lily Collins, the star behind Emily Cooper, her character is only 22 years old, yet she sports more pairs of Christian Louboutin heels than I’ve worn in 30 plus fashion shows. Field worked alongside a local Parisian costume designer Marylin Fitoussi for her experience and knowledge. Yet Field still described Emily’s style and fashion choices as “a little joke.” Using bright colors, mix and match sets, and more bucket hats than I knew anyone could ever own in the twenty-first century. It is clear the costume department wanted Emily to be a fish out of water in her new home.
When Emily first arrives in Paris, she is sporting an Alice + Olivia blouse paired with a Ronny Kobo miniskirt. I don’t know many 22-year-old women that could actually afford this ensemble, let alone the amount of Chanel worn during the 10 episode arch.
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
My personal favorites of Emily’s looks are in Episode three, where she rocks a Veronica Beard black-and-white-blazer-and-shirt combo, and Episode eight, where she wears high waisted jeans, a white ruffled top paired with a red cropped blazer.
Photo courtesy Netflix
The show’s characters may call Emily ringarde, but there is no denying the power she and television hold over the fashion industry. According to a Fashionista report, Kangol bucket hat searches increased 342%, and the Marc Jacobs’s Jelly Snapshot Camera Bag, which Emily uses throughout the season, rose 92 % since the show’s launch.
Although the wardrobe choices are beautiful, these looks are unattainable to people who do not have Chanel partnerships. Nonetheless, people around the country are trying to dress like Ms. Emily Cooper, evident by the mass amount of Pinterest searches. Let’s hope they find some inspiration from the woman giving Carrie Bradshaw something new to write about.