WHY DO EMILY AND MINDY DRESS LIKE CR4P? STYLE ANALYSIS OF EMILY IN PARIS SEASON 4

The full cast of the fourth season of Emily in Paris.

On August 15th 2024 (or a few days ago, depending on when you read this article) the first part of the fourth season of Emily in Paris premiered on Netflix. The blockbuster series tells the story of an (annoying) American young woman living in the French capital. As usual, the outfits of all characters caught the eye of fashionistas worldwide, especially those of the main character Emily Cooper, masterfully portrayed by Lily Collins. The actress has proven to be exceptionally talented, as she played her role so convincingly that she reaches the goal of making audiences see her character as an incredibly insufferable woman.

Lily Collins as Emily Cooper.

Emily in Paris stylist is Patricia Field, who was also in charge of the wardrobe of another series known for its iconic fashion: Sex and the City. Field spared no effort nor Budget when deciding what characters should wear. Some of the most important global brands (Jacquemus, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Louboutin) are constantly appearing throughout the series. Many of the clothes, accessories and shoes seen in the last episodes are already sold out or exponentially more expensive that usual on the resale market.

Emily and Mindy Chen (Ashley Park).

Beyond how appealing (or not) Field’s choices as a stylist are, the first outstanding detail about them is how the outfits reflect the characters and their circumstances. Above all, how different the personal styles of Emily and her sidekick Mindy Chen (played by Broadway actress Ashley Park) are from the styles of other female characters in the series, such as luxury executive and Emily’s boss, Sylvie Grateau (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and gallerist Camille (Camille Razat). When Sylvie and Camille represent, each one in their own way, the Parisian chic style that has inspired millions of women worldwide for decades, Emily and Mindy stand out like multicolored sheep in a monochrome herd.

Look worn on season one.

It’s not just about how Emily, in a more realistic setting, could never afford her designer filled closet with the income of a junior executive in a boutique PR agency, or about how it’s physically impossible to walk the cobblestone streets of Montmartre while wearing sky-high heels like Mindy. These two ladies’ loud and colorful closets are a metaphor of what they are: women who clash with the place they live in, who don’t know nor understand it as well as they think, who might never fully adapt into it.

Sylvie Grateau (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), Emily and Camille (Camille Razat).

An important aspect of this story is Emily’s inability to understand Parisian culture, and we can see it in her style: loud and overwhelming like herself, as opposed to the sensual and sophisticated yet simple Sylvie, or the effortlessly cool Camille. Style is a way to make a statement about who we are without words, and in this aspect, Patricia Field absolutely succeeded as the head stylist of Emily in Paris.

Look worn on season two.

The series’ creator, Darren Star, is also the mastermind behind Sex and the City, an ode to visual escapism. We cannot expect that this type of productions are realistic, it’s not their purpose nor the reason why the public watches them. They must be appreciated solely as the visual feasts they are. For now, we can only enjoy them and make predictions about the ending and wardrobes of this season’s last part, soon to be released on September 2024.