Fashion Journalism (Feature)
Emily in Paris, Style Icon or Ringarde: How the Fashion Mogul Has Impacted the Fashion Industry and What We Expect in Terms of Style and Influence from Season Deux
By Renee Kocian
“Emily in Paris,” the successful Netflix comedy starring Lily Collins, has sparked a major conversation among fashion lovers all over the world since it first aired. With the second season soon approaching in late Dec., we take a look into the impacts of the first season’s avant-garde fashion on the world and discuss what we can look forward to in season two. For those who need a quick refresher, “Emily in Paris” follows the story of a young American woman, Emily, who moves from Chicago to Paris for a social media strategy job. Emily immediately stands out in the city of lights, not always in the most flattering of ways, for her American persona, youthful approach to social media and of course her maximalist style that includes a lot of accessories, the intertangling of complex patterns and gorgeous designer pieces.
Over the past year, since the release of the first season, “Emily in Paris” has become a large fashion inspiration for the industry and people who want to emulate the ‘Emily in Paris’ style. During the course of the pandemic, social media has become even more prevalent for people to engage others in talking about fashion and style. With the emergence of TikTok we no longer simply see influencers and fashion brands advertising clothing, but we see everyday people compiling reels of their favorite standout outfits and advising others on how to create similar looks. The show has inspired so many that there are even social media users that choose to spend their time creating their best ‘Emily in Paris’ looks to share with the world.
Statistics also show there has been a major interest in Emily’s closet with huge increases in online searches for apparel from the show. Fashionista reports that “searches for ‘Emily in Paris outfits’ have risen 242% since Oct. 5” and that trends from the show including bucket hats, berets, skirts and handbags have seen increases by hundreds, percentage wise, in searches. Designers featured in the show including Chanel, Ronny Kobo, Chiara Ferragni, Alice + Olivia and more are also reported by the online publication to have seen major increases in sales within 48 hours of the first season premiere.
Lindsey Prendergast, an assistant buyer at Ross corporate, reflected with me upon the change she has seen take place in buying trends since last year due to the fashion filled show. It’s a buyer’s job to stay up to date with pop culture so that their product assortments stay relevant to their audience. Prendergast’s main observations were that there had been a major shift in assortment that had been influenced from the trends we were seeing in the show. After “Emily in Paris” came out, stores sought to buy products with vibrant color pallets and bold patterns similar to the fashion choices the main character, Emily, wore. She saw this to be true not only with her own locations but also with other fast fashion stores and competitors. As for the release of the next season, Prendergast and her team have already been working on what to buy for their stores however she feels that it’s “notable that we’re going to see these shifts in trends starting in fast fashion companies that have the capabilities to create clothing lines significantly quicker than traditional retailers. [Companies] like Zara will be the first to spearhead emerging trends that the new season of “Emily in Paris” will showcase.”
With the upcoming season of the show creeping closer we look to the costume designer, Patricia Field, to see what she looks for when styling Emily and what looks she might create to enchant us next. Field, known for making style icons through her incredible work on “Sex and the City” and “Devils wears Prada,” is almost singlehandedly controlling some of the major trends we are seeing. According to an interview L’Officiel conducted with Field, Emily should come across as “a hybrid between an American girl from the Midwest, crossed with Parisian style.” Parisian style should be embraced without the loss of American style, and mixing contemporary designers and brands was reported as the designer’s way of visualizing this. During the L’Officiel interview, Field states that “color was the most important element in [Emily’s] wardrobe,” and to fully embrace Emily’s transition from America to Paris a local costume designer was hired to assist with understanding Parisian aesthetic presentation.
It really is all about presentation, that’s for sure. I spoke with Tori Nicholas, an associate manager and digital merchandiser at ANN INC., on why the presentation of the clothing in “Emily in Paris” influences the fashion community and why she believes the visual presentation of fashion in this series has gained so much attention. Nicholas states that “fashion tells people who you are or at least leads people to assume who you may be.” When viewers see clothing presented in such a unique way and then see the reaction the characters clothing is given, they too want to appear in a similar way. People have been influenced to dress like Emily, according to Nicholas, because of the distinctive way in which each piece is shown. Nicholas knows how important it is to catch a customer’s eye through visual cues, and she states that “the fashion in the show offers a fresh take on what is typically shown in modern fashion. Layering and unexpected pairings are a breath of fresh air in a world where trends go viral and fast fashion can offer the same look to the masses.” By having a distinct style that is easily recognizable the show has inspired a lot of people to get creative and see how they can approach presenting what they already own in a different way.
Despite all the attention and increase in trend searches and sales, there are still some that feel there needs to be a change in style for Emily in the upcoming season. According to Vogue Magazine, those who have the most distaste for the shows styling include the French themselves. Many Parisians feel as though the styling in “Emily in Paris” completely missed the mark and that Field should have embraced the minimalistic chicness that fashion in France has to offer instead of dressing the main character in “American-in-Paris Barbie outfits.” Stéphanie Delpon, the cofounder of Parisian creative agency Pictoresq, told Vogue that “the French style is all about creating space to breathe, carving out empty zones where beauty and character can emanate naturally.” Other French fashion commentators also agree that the characters outfits are outlandishly cartoonish and unrealistic for her career and her environment. Some options for Emily in season two that would fit French standards, according to our friends at French Vogue, would include some whimsical yet classy day dresses from brands like Patou, Chloé and Chanel, as well as some relaxed suits from brands such as Jacquemus, Off-White and Saint Laurent that would add a youthful yet professional look for the character. Furthermore, if Field is adamant about dressing Emily in a bright statement coat, French Vogue advises her to look into using brands such as Bottega Veneta, Marni and Stella McCartney.
Young Americans interested in fashion seem to have a different outlook on Emily’s fashions. I spoke with a SCAD graduate student studying Luxury and Brand Management, Elsa Blix, to see what she thought of the fashion choices in “Emily in Paris,” and to see if she thought there would be any changes to the looks in the following season. Blix doesn’t see any changes heading our way any time soon though. Her class research tells us that retro styles, including bright coloring and prints, are going to continue to be present over the next year and these trends seem to be right on track with Emily’s style. The fashion choices of the show match Emily’s personality and Blix says that she forecasts more fun, exciting, and bright looks for the character, along with some retro pieces.
An essential part of Emily’s character is to want to stand out through her style and blending her in with other Parisians would take away from the storyline of an American in Paris. The designer has a clear view of how she wants Emily to be perceived so there isn’t likely to be too drastic of a change in style for this upcoming season, but some changes to Emily’s look will take place as the second season is taking place in Saint Tropez instead of Paris. With this in mind, we can expect less layering due to the beachy atmosphere and lighter accessories such as sunglasses and silk scarves instead of gloves, hats and chunk jewelry. Nonetheless, the “Emily in Paris” winter release will give viewers time to stock up on their warm weather wardrobe. So, pack your bags for Saint Tropez, it’s going to be one fashion filled trip!