Emily in Paris [1] costume designer Marylin Fitoussi describes dressing the characters on the hit Netflix series [2] like a game of chess. "I need to check that every outfit is really well coordinated and goes well with the location. If they decide to change the colour of the wall to green and you have Emily in the green Elie Saab jacket, you need to have option two ready at a moment's notice for emergency," she explains to me over Zoom. That's commitment.
"I hope Emily in Paris gives people the idea that you need to break all the rules."
Marylin consults with famed stylist, Sex and the City's Patricia Field on the wardrobe, which is reason enough to justify EIP's status as one of the most fashionable shows on TV, but then there is the controversy that surrounded season one, from the questionable Golden Globe nods [3] and the plot line that falls short of its intended escapism [4] to the inaccurate depiction of the fashion marketing industry [5].
Fitoussi describes it as the series that people love to hate in Paris, and yet, everybody's watching it. Established as the most popular comedy series of 2020 with 58 million households [6] tuning in the first month after its debut, there's no denying the show's impact. Especially not when so many brands responded enthusiastically about collaborating with Marylin and her team to dress main characters Lily Collins [7], Ashley Park [8], Camille Razat, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, and Samuel Arnold. "We received a lot of things that we never had. Everybody wanted to have their handbags showing in season two. So that was the difference — there was way more brand collaboration," Marylin said.
Her crew also had a lot more time to prep for season two in comparison to season one, and a lot more freedom from Patricia Field, who threw her the reins. "She gave me almost total freedom to choose the designers that I wanted to work with, so I decided to focus mostly on French brands and spotlight young French designers as much as I could," Marylin told POPSUGAR.
While Emily's style is still as eclectic as ever, we begin to sense a true evolution from Mindy, Camille, Julien, and Sylvie, who wear brands like Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, and more throughout the episodes. It's safe to say we can credit their colourful looks for keeping the viewers so engaged, if it's not the story arc. Ahead, read quotes from both Marylin and Camille Razat to get a breakdown of each person's unique style in season two.
Lily Collins as Emily Cooper
"Lily has a very precise and elegant sense of style. But when she becomes Emily, she's ready to wear everything. She says, 'Marylin, are you sure of that?' And I say, 'Yes, unfortunately for you, I am sure that we need all of these patterns.' But she wears them really normally and naturally, with all the confidence and eclecticism we've been getting from her since season one."
"A plain fabric makes me very nervous," Marylin says, in reference to Emily's incredible print mixing throughout seasons one and two. "I hope Emily in Paris [10] gives people the idea that you need to break all the rules. Suddenly, people discover that you're able to mix everything with everything. If you like one pattern with another one, just wear it and feel confident and beautiful. Coco Chanel said, 'If you want to be remembered, just be unique.'"
Ashley Park as Mindy Chen
"Mindy was a costume designer's dream because we needed to design a lot of things for her. She was basking in the street, so she needed to be spectacular and catch the eye of the audience and the pedestrians in Paris. Parisians don't like anything, so she needed to be very strong. I decided to dress her like a heroine when she's performing and I was allowed to design things that were bigger than life. When people are singing in the street, they're very eccentric," Marylin said.
Marylin worked with The Blonds on this performance look, which was half man, half woman, explaining, "I'd been dreaming to work with The Blonds for 10 years. I love them and I love what they're designing. I begged them, 'Please, could you do something for me?' We had one week before Ashley arrived in Paris so we did a fitting via Zoom."
This dress was made by recutting Yohji Yamamoto trousers and a jacket by French atelier Renaissance [11]. "For me, Mindy is very sexy, self-confident, powerful, and she knows exactly what she wants — she's sparkling. She has a tremendous body and beautiful legs, so every time I could, I wanted to show them off," Marylin said.
Camille Razat as Camille
Camille Razat, who plays Camille in the series, talked to POPSUGAR about developing her character's style with Patricia Field. "[Patricia] is a true punk and I love that. Marylin is also great because she really listens to what I imagine and it's a real collaboration. I love the fact that she tries to include smaller designers too, so they can get recognised through the show. I think my style in real life is more bizarre [than Camille's]. I like oversize stuff all the time. If I wear an all-black look, I will add crazy socks or a crazy hat for some edge." Throughout season two, we see Cami in plenty of stripes, unexpected pops of colour, nonchalant co-ords, and hats.
This Yves Saint Laurent dress was actress Camille Razat's favourite look from season two, which was worn with an oversize leather jacket. "That's very me, wearing something so feminine and chic and putting something very masculine on the top of it," Camille told POPSUGAR.
Samuel Arnold as Julien
"I'm a costume designer, not a stylist, so I know how to sketch. We designed half of Julien's costumes ourselves. But I also used Greek designer Rianna + Nina and Kenzo," Marylin said, confirming she also shopped online at ASOS from the brand Twisted Tailor [12] and tapped Isabel Marant and London-based brand Casablanca for his wardrobe. "Samuel is the typical French guy. He's always dressed simply in a white t-shirt and black trousers. So when he saw his costumes he said, 'What's going on?' It's the opposite of what he wears in his normal life. But he understands the idea and trusts me 100 percent."
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau
We get to see a decidedly bohemian side to Sylvie's style in season two, but her colour palette is still relatively muted when compared to Emily's. "If Emily's wearing all the brightest colours, Sylvie needs to be less colourful, or if both of them have pattern, you need to give priority to the number one actor in the scene," Marylin explained. We get to see Sylvie fall in love through these new episodes, however, and with that, her outfits begin to feel more relaxed.
