Emily in Paris unpopular opinion: I liked her clothes

Before we go any further, let me clarify that title. I like her CLOTHES, as in the pieces she “owns”, not the styling done to them. And of course, not all of them. But she had some killer pieces that, if styled right, would make for amazing outfits.

First of all, I think we can all agree this Vivienne Westwood cropped jacket is killer?… and I must say, the pairing with denim and a ruffled shirt works! Event the green Louboutin pumps, it all works. But would you pack that for a weekend in the country? I don’t think so. Honestly this says more great street style shot during fashion week, less “chill weekend look”. And I have to say, this is the only look I can say I liked 100%.

Now, here are my top picks from her closet:

Chanel green light coat with pockets.
Chanel aquamarine cardigan.
Chanel leather jacket from the 2017 space ship collection.

All. Of. That. Chanel. Let’s not even talk about the bags, but THREE green Chanel jackets? I don’t know if Coco herself had 3 green Chanel jackets. Yes, they’re all so different, but still. Anyway, reality-check aside, can you imagine any of these over a simple white t-shirt and some jeans? They would look amazing and chic. She could even have worn them over the white Chanel crop-top she wore to go jogging…

Chanel crop-top.

By the way, this is another OK look, in my books. I really dislike black leggings and white bras in general, but if you compare this to anything else she wears, it feels “real” and cool.

Let’s now break down one of her most controversial looks. Her “first day in my Parisian job as an American” look.

I guess there’s a way you could make that Alice + Olivia shirt work, same for the Louboutin booties. I personally don’t like this bag shape but I would very much like to add a snakeskin mini skirt to my closet. I’d wear it with a beige turtle neck, black oversize suit jacket and knee-high boots with chunky heels. And I’d add one of Emily’s 28 Chanel bags…

YES to that statement bag. NO to everything else. It’s called a statement for a reason. It’s not a “phrase as part of a paragraph” bag, it’s a statement bag. That’s because you don’t need to add to it. So maybe a strappy sandal, a shift dress in a neutral colour and BOOM, chic.

I love the lilac boots. Perfect shape and bold colour, however I wouldn’t wear it with a matchy cardigan and a contrasting bring pink Chanel bag (are you counting these? This is the 3rd one, so far). These boots look perfect with straight cropped pants/jeans. And maybe add a printed top to that, something that has hints of lilac/violet. Perfection!

I actually liked this Ganni dress, and I can get behind the styling with the belt. Perfect for a summer day! What I don’t get is that bag, in a completely different register, not to mention, a different shade of yellow. Not lighter or brighter but orange-ier… no, no. Imagine this look with a mini black bag, a bit western inspired, maybe with some tassels. Go shop at Isabel Marant, Emily! And while you’re there, change the Elie Saab heels you’re wearing for some chic black chunky sandals.

Fine, this look here is OK. Only 2 things. White belt? Why? I would have preferred no-belt. AND that pearl shaped limited edition Chanel bag. Number 1: Does it really match? Number 2: 4th bag…

Deep breath. Why? Deep breath. The sweater is great! The Kenzo coat, amazing. The Louboutin pumps, cool. All together? Judge for yourself. It’s called a pop of colour, not just pop a colour! I think we can all agree she can keep everything if she promises to mix it with denim, more black and/or other neutrals.

Versace skirt, YES please! Imagine this with a black silk shirt. Interesting, fun and chic. Chanel cardigan? Of course! Yes, she owns this in another colour, so good for her. Marc Jacobs plastic bag… I could live without, mainly because I’m not into transparent accessories, but again, that’s personal. This look was best summarised by a Harper’s editor as an “expensive mess”.

Ok, wait, what now? She’s wearing a Hood by Air jacket? This is an uber-cool New York streetwear brand so good for you Emily. Why you wore that with hoop earrings and a pastel beanie, I have no idea, but I’d steal your jacket (and your sweater is ok, I guess).

Setting aside the fact that no one dresses like this for the ballet, I say yes to this look only for the similarities with Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face. All I have to say on the matter.

This matching suit-short combo by Veronica Beard is actually quite cute. Nice black pumps by Louboutin and a classic Chanel bag (numéro 5), perfect. This would make a perfectly nice look. But why the red beret? WHY? Sight.

And finally… I left this look for last because I-I just couldn’t. The white lace top seems to be very beautiful but… what’s that #7 thing? And a red and white printed FEDORA? An actual fedora. I can’t.

I think everyone who watches this series realises how unrealistic it is but I have to admit, I watched it in 2 evenings so, it does the job. I really hope they improve the styling for season 2 so they give us something to dream about.

This is way to long now so I’ll leave it at that! To summarise, clothes=good, styling=bad. And of course, this is all my very biased opinion as a journalist and stylist who actually lives in Paris.

Also, I interviewed Rebecca Leffler for La Gazette. She’s the real like girl who inspired the Emily character!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s