Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

In 'Emily in Paris,' Patricia Field Pays Homage to Carrie Bradshaw and Audrey Hepburn Through Costume

In 'Emily in Paris,' Patricia Field Pays Homage to Carrie Bradshaw and Audrey Hepburn Through Costume

The Netflix show's consulting costume designer dressed the titular star, Lily Collins, in her own Hood by Air windbreaker - plus lots of Chanel.

"For me, 'Emily in Paris' in certain ways was an elongated version of Carrie in 'Sex and the City,'" says the legendary Patricia Field, on a call, about reuniting with Darren Star as costume design consultant on his latest Netflix series. "It's about an American in Paris. Paris is the place for passion. Paris is exciting."

Although, instead of following a man to the City of Lights for his job, social media expert Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) lands a dream marketing gig in Pah-ree - and leaves her drip of a boyfriend behind in Chicago. But she can't speak a word of French. And her only Gallic references are Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" and the animated rodent chef in "Ratatouille."

After confusing the ground floor and the first floor (for the first of many times) while moving in, Emily heads to her first day on the job at luxury marketing agency Savoir. She's dressed literally for her new life: in an Eiffel Tower-themed blouse by Alice + Olivia, a cropped tank by Redone, a snakeskin-print Ronny Kobo miniskirt, an Aldo bag and, cobblestones be damned, stiletto Christian Louboutin Gorgona booties, emblazoned with "Paris" and airmail stickers (below).


Emily (Lily Collins) arrives at her office in Paris to meet her new French colleague, Luke (Samuel Arnold). Luckily for her, he's multilingual.


"We got some direction that she dresses kind of 'not sophisticated' and I was trying to think, 'How could I make it a good little joke?'" explains Field, who hired local costume designer Marylin Fitoussi for her Parisian authenticity and on-the-ground knowledge and expertise.

Emily's "touristy" button-down nods to her new beginning at Savoir as a naive fish-out-of-water. Plus, her perky efforts to impart "an American point of view to your French clients," as she announces, are met with disdain from her new colleagues and intimidatingly chic boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu).

"Then Sylvie reacts to her negatively, like, 'Oh god, she doesn't speak French,'" continues Field. "I wanted to add that little affectionate play on Emily. An affectionate joke." (Although, I mean, who can blame Sylvie and co.)


Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, middle), in a vintage pink Elie Saab blouse, and Emily, in a Jean Paul Gaultier dress and Ganni jacket, eventually find middle ground in houndstooth prints.


The juxtaposition of Sylvie's mostly all-black ensembles and Emily's overly enthusiastic mix-and-match further emphasizes their disconnect. Ironically, Field's inspiration for the devastatingly elegant and sexy Sylvie — with a closet full of Rick Owens and Yohji Yamamoto — came from people-watching after a Jean Paul Gaultier show.

"I called Darren Star and I said, 'Darren, I'm in Paris. I'm going to check out all the French chic gals.' When I went outside and sat around, I'm like, 'All the girls are wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts and hoodies,'" says Field. "I'm like, 'Oh my gosh.' So Sylvie, she epitomizes French chic and she was my opportunity to do that."

Along with reluctantly becoming a mentor figure, Sylvie also influences Emily's style evolution into tailored matched sets and inspired monochrome (albeit in highlighter pink) throughout the season. "Emily had this spirit and she wanted to be a success. She definitely had the brains and the technical know-how, although she was there to cooperate and learn and be successful," Field notes. "As such, she would be picking up ideas from the French chic, à la Sylvie, but in her own way."


"She was young, chic, French, classic," says Field about Camille (Camille Razat).


Emily may also be influenced by her new sophisticate friends: Camille (Camille Razat) and her Caroline de Maigret aesthetic (above) and nanny/undercover "China Rich Girlfriend" Mindy (Ashley Park) and her no-boundaries outfits.

"When I met [Park], she told me that she has good shoulders and she likes to show her shoulders," remembers Field, who then customized shoulder-baring looks, like a plaid "boy's suit" from Asos, for the Tony-nominated triple-threat.

Emily's full immersion into Paris understandably involves an envy-inducing trove of Chanel — also because the Oscar-nominated "Devil Wears Prada" costume designer regularly collaborates with the illustrious design house. "As a matter of fact, I was just up at Chanel last Friday," says Field, casually flexing about a recent costume pull for her current project, the Harlem-set "Run the World" on Starz. "What I love about Chanel is: As it is classic, it allows me to reinterpret it."


Emily in checks and Chanel.

To stand out at a beauty influencer event, Emily wears a boxy green multi-pocket blazer (above) from the French fashion house's Cruise 2020 collection. But Field turned the jacket into an almost streetwear-influenced oversized look by playing with proportions.

She paired it, unbelted, over a preppy checked dress and accessorized with Louboutin So Kate photo collage booties and a contrast plaid bucket hat by Kangol. (Camille also adjusts Emily's floral silk scarf to reflect "the French way.")"I love mixing Chanel," adds Field, who along with Fitoussi, sprinkled exquisitely textured layering pieces and a cry-worthy rotation of embellished flap bags in throughout the season.

But first, in the premiere, when a triste Emily eats lunch alone in the park and meets Mindy, she's carrying a graffitied clear tote by Jody Morlock for Field's ArtFashion, to match her yellow bandanna-print cami and asymmetrical skirt by Ganni (below).


"You look American. Are you from Indiana?" asks Mindy (Ashley Park, right), coming upon a sad Emily lunching solo.

"I thought, 'Oh gosh, it goes so well with that dress. Perfect.' If it's perfect, you can't say 'no' to it. It doesn't have to be discordant. If it's perfect, that's all you need to know," says Field.

The fashion and New York City club scene icon also lent Emily a couple pieces from her own storied wardrobe, including an MCM backpack and a black Hood By Air short-sleeve cropped windbreaker.

"I thought the Hood by Air was cute, you know what I mean?" Field explains. "I love that jacket. I own it and I brought it for her. When do you see a rain jacket with a hood that's as short as that? It's so unusual."

Field's windbreaker actually makes two appearances in the series. First, Emily takes a sad, rainy walk to the office with the jacket layered over a floral puff-sleeved Dolce & Gabbana mini-dress, a studded Rag & Bone belt and pink heels. She rewears it in a later episode for an awkward road trip, with a multicolor oversized sweater by Essentiel Antwerp, black Redone jeans, ankle-strapped Louboutin Mary Janes and a pink H&M beanie.

"I wasn't sure about the dress code. I wanted to look business, but casual," explains Emily.


Emily's in Paris.

Field also brought in some personal costume moments near and dear to her heart, including Emily's black strapless tutu-skirted gown by Alexandre Vauthier (above). "Sex and the City" fans will recognize the billowing tulle layers as a nod to Carrie Bradshaw's sea-foam green look in the Paris-set finale.

Another Easter Egg: Emily wears personalized nameplate earrings, instead of a necklace. (The "Gossip Girl" references in the script also connect back to Field, as The CW show's costume designer, Eric Daman, was one of her earlier assistants. "I'm very proud of all my graduates," she says.)

For a fancy night at the opera, Emily wears an off-the-shoulder, chevron sheer-paneled midi-dress by Christian Siriano and Cosmoparis crystal-embellished D'Orsay pumps, accessorized with a vintage bejeweled bag and shrug (below).

"If you look at Lily, she's a doppelgänger of Audrey Hepburn and I'm a major fan of Audrey Hepburn," says Field. "So, I was like, I'm gonna do an homage [to Hepburn in 'Funny Face']. I was, in the beginning, I was wondering, 'Do you think people would take it wrongly?' But in the end, I think it worked."


Emily's Audrey Hepburn homage at the opera.

In "Funny Face," Oscar-winning costume designer Edith Head inventively styled a stunning Cartier necklace as a tiara to accent a Givenchy gown on Hepburn. Field gave the historic fashion moment a contemporary update by turning a delicate tennis necklace from La Compagnie du Costume into a headpiece.

"When I was in college I went to Paris on my summer vacation. It was that whole Leslie Caron [in 'An American in Paris'] and Audrey Hepburn era of Paris. That romantic idea," says Field. "Of course, Carrie went to Paris and Annie Hathaway [in 'Devil Wears Prada'] went to Paris. And now we have Lily in Paris."


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×