The time has come.
I’ve managed to finish Emily In Paris, and if I had to watch Emily wear her funny little costumes and be an illiterate sociopath, then you have to listen to me complain about it.
Before we get into the fashion, let me give you a quick summary of season two. So, spoilers, I guess.
Season one ended with Emily sleeping with Gabriel (again), her friend Camille’s ex boyfriend, and also the man that keeps flirting with her even though he’s in a relationship the whole time haha. Emily feels totes bad for sleeping with her besties ex, especially when she sees how heartbroken Camille is, and she wants to tell her, but she just, like, can’t!!! So, instead she’s like, ugh Gabriel, leave me alone, ily, but no, and goes to St. Tropez with her boyfriend(?) Jonathan Cheban (Matheiu). He breaks up with her when he overhears her on the phone talking to Gabriel about how she can’t stop thinking about him, and I really just love how he jumped off of 0a moving train to get away from her. Me too, Matheiu, me too.
Then Emily has a birthday party, where Camille finds out that Emily has been sleeping with Gabriel, after she finds his omelette pan in Emily’s kitchen. Camille’s like, bye bitch!!! But only for maybe one episode. Then she decides to forgive Emily, but not really, because she’s actually trying to get Gabriel back. So she makes Emily promise that neither of them will try to get with Gabriel, even though that’s exactly what she’s planning to do. All this, for a big, baby man. A hot big, baby man, but still.
Emily still can’t speak French for shit, so she’s still taking French classes, where she meets Alfie; a banker from England. Of course, he becomes her love interest, and I swear to the gods, if she does him dirty, I will personally fly to Paris and smack the shit out of her, xoxo.
Mindy has been performing at a drag club and is basically broke since she was disowned from her family, so when she meets two musicians that tell her she can make money doing gigs with them, she jumps at the opportunity. Except, the gigs are actually just them busking. She’s hesitant at first, but then she finds she actually enjoys doing it, and she also finds love. Which, like, can we take a moment for Benoît?! This man is SO fine. Everyone keeps talking about Gabriel and Alfie, and paying my boy Benoît dust. I will not have it.
Then Madeline, Emily’s boss, comes to Paris, and gives us another reason to hate Americans. Sylvie, Julian, and Luc quit to start their own company; as they SHOULD! Apparently, when she’s not being insufferable, Emily is actually good at her job, so they want her to join them. BUT Madeline is like, stay with me babe, American’s are obviously the best, and I’ll finally give you that raise you’ve been pining for.
Alfie also informs Emily that he has to go back to England, luv, but wants to make long distance work. Emily’s like, for sure!!! But also, she finally works up the courage to tell Gabriel about her feelings, only to see that Camille has moved in with him. Clearly the fact that he cheated on her with her friend and never apologized isn’t a big deal. Anyway, they’re giving things another try! How cute!
We’re left with Emily calling Sylvie to tell her she made her decision. Will Emily go back to American with Madeline, or will she stay in Paris to work for Sylvie; the only character that actually matters?
Okay, lets get to the fashion, since this is a fashion newsletter after all. Although, right now, I wish it wasn’t.
We’re all aware of the tragedy that was Emily’s wardrobe in season one. Unfortunately, but to no surprise, tis still a tragedy.
Let’s get Miss Emily out of the way so I can remove any memory of these outfits from my brain.
Emily is supposed to stand out, she’s an American in Paris, and her style is supposed to be cringy and garish, but… is it? I mean, I guess it’s great marketing since we’re all talking about it, but is that just an easy excuse? Did the narrative around her style actually change, because so many people thought it was a mess? Carrie Bradshaw and Blair Waldorf were fashion girls. Did I want everything in their closet? No. However, while they also had some questionable moments, their clothing was palatable, Emily’s is not palatable. There have also been many characters in TV history with quirky styles, but they know they dress differently. They acknowledge it, but wear what makes them happy. Emily acts like she is the pinnacle of fashion and like her outfits aren’t ridiculous. If she just said, “I like my silly little outfits!” she’d be a lot easier to digest.
I’ll admit, she had me fooled with this first look. I thought we were moving in a better direction. I looked at this and said to myself, yeah, I can handle this, it’s going to be fine, I can do this. I thought all the colors and prints actually made some kind of sense together and I didn’t mind it at all. But like I said, I was fooled.
While this Miu Miu coat is super cute, the dress underneath is better kept covered.
You know when you put new ink in your printer and it prints a test of both the color and black ink? This is that, but made into a top and jacket.
Like many of Emily’s outfits, the problem here is the styling. While I enjoy the coat and I love a scarf moment, this whole outfit together was too much. You might have also been wondering why Emily wore so many damn gloves this season. Well, the costume designer, Patricia Field, has a collaboration with Seymoure, so. For just over $200, you, too, can own the same fingerless hand prisons as Emily!
I’m convinced Miss Emily wants me to hate bucket hats. I like bucket hats, but suddenly, I don’t know what I like anymore. I really hope I don’t have to tell you why this dress is bad.
This was one of the few moments that I actually enjoyed. I’m obsessed with these Courrèges jackets and I want one. The Valentino mini underneath was also cute, however I didn’t love these two pieces together. I think the dress could have had its own moment and the jacket could have been styled with something else.
This high-low dress was so drab. If this is how Emily does casual, give me the chaos instead. At least I can say something about that.
This outfit was a threat on my life. Someone would have worn this on Hannah Montana and as a 10 year old, I would have thought it ate. Unfortunately, times have changed and I have developed a few more brain cells.
Emily wore a dress with a huge bow on her birthday, because she is self-absorbed and thinks she is the best gift! Kidding! Am I though? All jokes aside, I thought this was cute. However, it’s the one time she decided not to wear gloves, and I think some black opera gloves would have looked really great with this dress.
Someone please take prints out of this woman’s closet, she can’t be trusted with them.
Another beautiful coat, styled with, wait for it…
A bucket hat that made me want to walk into oncoming traffic(:
You know there’s a problem when this makes the list of least offensive looks. The one sleeve and belt are not great, but at least the lace is nice and I do love a plaid. Emily wears quite a bit from this designer, and I recommend checking him out. There’s some really lovely stuff.
Emily wore this look to an event that was celebrating love. At least it makes sense, I guess. The styling is confusing, but you knew that already.
We didn’t get to see much of this dress, but the back was lovely, and compared to everything else Emily wears, this was quite toned down. Don’t worry though, it was, in fact, ruined by an awful coat most of the time that it was on screen.
I hate that I don’t mind this. She’s ruined me, truly. This isn’t great, but listen, I can’t ask for much from her.
No, because this is one of her best looks, and it’s not even her clothing, IT’S ALFIE’S BLAZER!!!
I can accept this outfit. Am I crazy about it? Absolutely not. However, the shoes are absolutely insane. A pointed ballet flat that is also a gladiator sandal, that ALSO has bows?! Jail.
You thought Emily was done wearing berets in Paris, but non! This is a jumpsuit btw, not a dress. What does one even say about this? How is there not an obvious opinion to be had here? Also, is she wearing tights with those mary janes? Those are grandma feet. That Prada Cleo bag deserves better.
When I saw these Louboutins, I think I went into cardiac arrest.
Alright, this Balmain dress was cute! I’ll give it to her. I like the half suit, half ruched dress, the off-the-shoulder is sweet, and it fits her well.
The last of Emily’s looks that I’ll be discussing is this Giambattista x H&M dress. Interesting? No. BUT, here’s the thing. This is something that makes sense for Emily to wear. It’s more affordable than all the designer pieces she wears. Emily’s salary and her wardrobe often times don’t match up, so at least this dress checks out.
Let’s move on to Mindy, who was done SO dirty this season. Not only are her outfits hideous, but just like Emily, I’m not sure how she’s affording all these clothes? How is she lounging in a Gucci tank? WHY is she wearing Dolce & Gabbana? Yes, she comes from a very wealthy family, but she’s been disowned, she’s unemployed, and she’s living in Emily’s apartment.
The first look we get is her performance wear from the drag club she’s working at. I’m sure you can get a feel for what kind of direction this is going.
Here’s that Gucci tank top that she was somehow able to afford. This is what you spent your non-existent paycheck on?
The shoes… the shoes.
I know Mindy isn’t exactly using her heiress money, but I feel like her style should be more Bling Empire and less Miami for spring break.
This Oscar de la Renta dress was probably the best look Mindy got, and even still, I’m not impressed.
It’s giving J.Lo music video on a budget.
Y’all know I love a feather moment, but this molded swiffer duster cosplay is NOT it.
While it’s not great and feels very dated, this Zara bustier is another one of those moments that make sense. At least it’s something she could realistically afford.
Girl was complaining about wearing paisley when she literally had this on her body. Paisley is the least of your worries, babe.
Somebody for sure wore this dress to a school dance inn 2004.
And finally, my favorite look to hate<3 WHAT was this. Who did this to her. A hate crime.
Camille seemed to be a favorite when it came to fashion this season. I, however, was not overly impressed. While I do feel like she’s one of the best dressed characters, I still think she could do a lot better. This season, Camille wore a lot of oversized, boxy silhouettes that I didn’t think did her any favors. A lot of her looks were a bit blah, and I couldn’t really recall any of them. Her wardrobe lacked variety when it came to color, proportions, and fabrics. I also feel like instead wearing what Parisian girls actually wear, she’s wearing what Americans think Parisians wear. It’s what we have on our Pinterest boards, not what they have on theirs.
The first look we get is this Balmain blazer, and I like this. I think it’s good, however the costume designer said that they wanted Camille’s style to be strong since she’s been “shit on” and wants to come back with a bang. However, in this moment, Camille doesn’t know that Emily slept with her boyfriend. She’s not angry and raging yet. She’s heartbroken. I feel like her style should reflect that. This blazer is too strong for this moment.
One of Camille’s most interesting looks was this Saint Laurent dress that we’ve seen before on Hailey Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo. I think this neckline is fun and spices up a simple black dress. It’s chic and it’s a great dress to wear on a night out to forget about your ex.
Here was one of the many oversized looks that she just swims in. I didn’t love these pieces individually or how they were styled.
This blazer is eating her up. It’s a strange length and the sleeves are too long. Camille loves a loafer, but this one does not deserve her love.
This was a cute set, it fit her well, but it also kind of reminds me of that girl on TikTok that crops all of her blazers. This look feels kind of Chanel, and Camille feels more like a Balmain, or even a Saint Laurent girl to me.
This was awful. The asymmetrical neckline, the puff sleeves, the pearls. It’s too much! It also didn’t fit all that great.
Who mistook her for Emily and put her in a beret?! Listen, I don’t mind a beret generally in life, but it just feels too on-the-nose for this show. Especially for someone who is supposed to be a cool, chic, French girl.
I do really enjoy this shade of yellow, however it’s the same boxy look, and the same monochrome color story. The outfit itself also just isn’t cute.
Finally, my saving grace, my queen, Sylvie. I’m not saying Sylvie’s style is groundbreaking, there’s always room for improvement, but it is the best. I would also say that Sylvie’s style is the most French. Her style is simple, but chic. There’s a lot of well fitted suits and sharp shoulders that play to the boss ass bitch she is.
I love this look. When doing and an all black moment, it’s important to play with silhouette, and when you’re keeping things simple, you want to make sure everything fits perfectly; what else is there to focus on? The feathers on the sleeves are super cute and add a bit of fun. The fit of the pants is fantastic, and I actually like that the pump is nude on the side, because I feel like it adds some nice length.
Sylvie loves a matching set. Once again, simple, but the fit is great, the fringe is fun, and the un-zipped top is spicy. Something I really love about Sylvie’s wardrobe is that they don’t make her dress “old”. She wears a lot of body hugging pieces and obviously still has fun with what she chooses to wear. She’s not putting herself into a box.
Sylvie doesn’t wear too many prints, so this dress was fun to see. It still suits her overall style, and I enjoy this goddess-like motif.
Here are those sharp shoulders that she loves. I know I keep repeating that her looks are simple, but they are. However, there’s always a small element that makes them a bit more interesting. Here it’s obviously the shoulders, but it’s also the neckline. Not only is there a sharp v cut, but by her collarbones it goes up a little bit and creates a little collar.
I’ll be honest, this wasn’t one of my favorite looks. Maybe it’s the way she’s standing, but something about the fit of the vest is off to me. The shoes also make me think she’s spending too much time around Emily.
I don’t hate this dress. I like the idea of the different colors and the crocheted fabric. I also like how the black sections appear to be see-through and how the different sections help accentuate the body. Très sexy. I also love that this is what she wore after her husband told her she looked dumb dating a younger man.
Loved this red suit. Once again, simple, but the white, wrap top underneath makes it more fun. The blazer actually wraps as well, when closed.Red also feels like a power color to me, and if anyone should be wearing it, it’s Sylvie. Also, I need to know who this woman’s tailor is.
Finally, we have this look Sylvie wore to Jeremy O. Harris’ fashion show. There’s an effortlessness about her that I think is perfectly displayed here. Her hair, makeup, and outfit, all feel very, I didn’t really try, I just threw something on! Meanwhile, she looks lovely. I love that this simple black dress is almost acting like a backdrop to the earrings and the white scarf. I love the thicker material of the scarf, and really liked seeing how Sylvie moved it around and played with it.
So that unfortunately happened. I saved the best for last so you could have a nice palette cleanser after that confusing time.
If Emily decides to stay in Paris, I really hope she decides to have a complete rebrand and brushes out her beach waves. I also hope that her style starts to match her salary more (it won’t). One thing I really liked about her wardrobe was that you could see pieces she’d worn in season one on her clothing rack in the background. I’d love to see her rewear certain things in a different way to show how her style is “evolving”.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone who’s red and shared this newsletter since I started it earlier this year. It means a lot, and I can only hope that it continues to grow. Love you, mean it.
Enjoy your New Year’s Eve! Don’t be a fucking idiot. Stay home and don’t go to a party xoxo.