EMILY IN PARIS TOWER
Netflix smash’s star Lily Collins reveals how stylist ramped up outrageous designer wardrobe which fans can’t wait to see
EMILY in Paris is back and one question is on everyone’s mind. Not whether she finds love or even gets sacked from the French marketing agency for being spectacularly annoying. No, there is only one reason to turn on Netflix’s cross-channel drama – what is she wearing? The out-there outfits were the star of the first season of the show, streamed by 58million viewers last year. We put up with her smug Americanisms and boyfriendstealing nonsense to gawp in wonder at her clashing prints, minuscule skirts and bucket hats. And the show’s star actor, Lily Collins, thinks this season’s looks are even stronger. “The wardrobe went up a notch,” she said. “I didn’t even know that was possible.” The legend who puts together Emily’s Chanel jackets and dinky neckscarves is Patricia Field. Best known for her work on Sex and the City, Field’s distinctive vision is what makes the show unmissable eye candy. Lily said: “She is fearless and her costumes are very much characters in themselves. “Patricia is a genius in the way she mixes patterns, colours, prints, textures, shapes and designers. The first time I met her, she was like, ‘OK, what do you think Emily would wear? Who is she? Do you want to wear heels?’ “She just started asking me these questions instead of just yelling at me what I’ll be wearing.” The outfits are, she says, a visual representation of her character’s inner life. “Emily is bright, bold, bubbly and I love how she is not afraid to take risks in fashion.” And as the characterisation deepens in season two, Emily’s outfit choices become more
nuanced. Lily said: “We got to incorporate vintage and we have reused key items in interesting ways. It shows how Emily is a young woman who loves certain pieces of clothing and can’t just go out and spend money all of the time.
“So we mix in new designers, streetwear, high street brands, as well as higher end pieces. It’s really fun to get to see how we can mix vintage and new and make it relatable yet still have that wish fulfilment.”
It’s not clear how many viewers can relate to a Balmain tweed skirt that costs £1250 or a Dolce & Gabbana mini dress at £1665. Or have the time to source a vintage Marimekko bucket hat from 1966 to go with the dress.
But one of the great things about Emily in Paris is that it refuses to have anything to do with reality. Many of the star’s outfits are based on American clichés about the French capital.
Emily wears more berets than the rest of the Parisian population put together and loves an outfit that looks like it came from a tourist tat stall beside the Seine.
Lily adores them too. She said: “I have a lot of favourite Emily looks.The Eiffel Tower silk shirt with the Mona
Lisa bags was a real tongue-in-cheek Emily moment.”
Working with Patricia has even influenced how Lily dresses off camera. “There are parts of Emily I have adopted and parts of me in Emily’s look. I think we both like to pick up things from different cultures and places around the world. I like mixing in vintage as well.”
One item that does not appear in the new series is a face mask. The show’s producers decided to set Emily in a Covid-free Paris.
She told Variety magazine: “Season one allowed us an escapism when it came out that it felt it was something that needed to continue. We’re not addressing it because it brings a sense of escapism and joy and laughter in a time that we need it the most.”
Playing the character so many viewers find irritating has been a treat for Lily.
“I have always been looking for a character like Emily and something with this level of comedy to it,” she said.
“It’s so great to play a character who doesn’t take herself too seriously and who allows comedy to infiltrate every aspect of her life. She shows her insecurities and vulnerabilities while also being fun, bright and bold and a little bit sassy at times.
“I just love every element of what Emily stands for. To play a character who gets to dive into the unknown with such a sense of fun is really special.”
Emily in Paris streams on Netflix from today.
There are parts of Emily I adopted and parts of me in Emily
LILY COLLINS