After the first half of season 4 of Emily in Paris was released, I waited for the onslaught of fashion commentary around the show's notorious outfits. What fresh fashion horror does Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins have in store for us this season? But weeks went by, and besides a few memes of an outfit that looked like it was stolen off the Hamburglar involving a striped bodycon gown paired with a comically large hat and mask, it seems some of Emily's outfits feel almost…tame?
Turns out, my instincts were right. In a press release, Emily in Paris costume designer Marylin Fitoussi shares that she and Lily wanted the character to look more grown up. “I also wanted to make her blossom," says Marylin. “The flower theme is quite recurrent this season, because I think she was a little bud in previous seasons, and now she's really coming into her own, asserting herself, becoming much stronger.” Apparently, coming into your own involves a lot of red jackets, three-piece suits and loafers—a slight departure from Emily's frilly frocks of seasons past (there are still plenty of haphazard florals and ruffles, don't worry). “She's literally wearing the pants now,” says Lily.
Taylor Swift and Emily Cooper both having the Vivienne Westwood heart bag is my multiverse of madness, personally.
Marylin has been the mastermind behind Emily in Paris' divisive looks for the last two seasons since she took over the role from the show's original costume designer, Patricia Field, the stylist of Sex and the City fame. Patricia was best known for Carrie Bradshaw's iconic looks in the hit ‘90s HBO show, some of which sparked similar style controversy at the time. So perhaps it's inevitable that with Patricia’s idiosyncratic legacy and Marylin's eccentric personal style, Emily's looks, too (albeit lacking the tasteful irony of Carrie Bradshaws time perhaps) continue to divide audiences.
As Emily navigates ongoing love triangles, thorny office dilemmas and working with her ex Gabriel, she races around the City of Lights wearing everything from vintage, to designer to custom looks by up-and-coming designers. Some of outfits, in typical Emily fashion, included one (or three) too many colours for my taste, but some I found—dare I say it—actually wearable (cue gasp).
And so, I took on the challenge to recreate five of her looks to wear to the office, and these are the five things I learned while dressing like I came off the set of Emily in Paris (eek!).
Part of the show's appeal is watching Emily traipse around Paris and visually offend chic colleagues and locals alike with her loud, outsized sense of style. Collectively, we roll our eyes knowingly. “Why, of course Parisians with their effortless, timeless way of dressing would turn their noses up at Emily's…rambunctious style.” But have you wondered how her looks would go down in a bustling London office?
As I stepped into the office elevator wearing a yellow blazer by Blazé Milano via luxury resale platform Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI), a matching canary skirt by Reiss and a Chloé Nile bag via eBay, everyone in the vestibule stopped talking and balked in disbelief. The moment I stepped off, I heard hushed giggles as the doors shut behind me. Alas, even though I've pared down Emily's original look by swapping out the long fringed Silvia Tcherassi bag for instance, not even the offices of a London fashion magazine can handle so much colour on a Tuesday.
With every one of Emily's looks, I applied the age-old adage attributed to Coco Chanel which says, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Where Emily pairs her frilly La Double J blouse with green shorts, I decided to remove that one element and pair my Saint Laurent blouse with a matching mini leather skirt from the French label, both via HEWI. And guess what? I would happily wear the look to office drinks in Paris. This outfit is proof that there is, in fact, a way to wear Emily's looks out in the real world.
One of Emily's most “wearable” looks features a checkered shirt, red leather blazer and a black and white floral tie (and a beret, but let's ignore that for all our sakes). Sourcing the jacket and shirt was easy enough (the jacket was kindly loaned to me by our European fashion editor, and the shirt, skirt and bag from HEWI), but the floral tie, surprisingly, not so much. We thought about forgoing the tie, even throwing on jewellery, scarves instead, but the look felt incomplete. Who would have thought that a tie could in fact make or break a look? The truth is, as, um, zany, as the combination feels, sometimes a look needs a little whimsy, and this one had me almost looking at ties in a whole new light when it comes to accessorising. I said almost!
The Italian actor plays Emily's new beau in Emily in Paris season 4.
While I was not the most willing volunteer for this experiment (most people who are familiar with my style know I'd rather be caught naked than in a floral green romper paired with a pink cardigan), even I have to admit to sometimes being stuck in a style rut. We tend to reach for the same old shapes and hues that we know are fool-proof. At best, it can be seen as iconoclastic, but at worst it could be chalked up to a laziness. So when I donned the blue waistcoat and trousers by Florere, curated by Reiss, and paired them with this aqua Gucci Jackie bag from eBay, I found myself twirling about happily in my new favourite set. Sure, there were a few curious glances my way as I stuck out like a Disney character playing dress up in Covent Garden, but I actually felt that sense of empowerment that comes with having the bravery to wear something bright, bold and suits you. This outfit reminded me of the power style has to give you a little spring in your step.
Of course, I *had* to recreate the Hamburglar—I mean, the masquerade ball look. Because a full, striped bodysuit and detachable skirt are hard to find on short notice (I know right? Shocking), I got as close as I could (read: found the closest alternative I was willing to put on) and squeezed myself into a black Critter gown and a borrowed striped belt. My colleague and I couldn't stop giggling while I attempted to scan documents on the photocopier, the screen nearly short-circuiting as it struggled to read my fingerprint thanks to the attached gloves.
Watching the clip back, the girl who begrudgingly took on this assignment was gone. In her place was someone who took herself a little less seriously, laughing with the passersby and wearing a dress she never would have dared to try, having the most fun she's had all week. And for that, I guess, have Emily Cooper to thank.
