If you’re anything like me, you’ve already binge-watched the second season of Emily in Paris during the Christmas break. The Netflix series will take you straight to the très chic streets of Paris, exceeding our expectations for both drama and fashion (albeit ignoring the fact that it’s almost impossible to afford her Parisian lifestyle – especially dressing couture all day, every day).

But the fashion is genuinely one of the best parts of the show, so we wanted to delve into how to bring it to real life. The masterminds behind Emily’s outfits are French costume designer Marylin Fitoussi and renowned fashion consultant Patricia Field, who you may know from her input into Carrie’s outfits in The Sex and the City. Needless to say, this is a woman who knows how to create fashion icons from hangers.

You can call it tacky, you can call it different, you can call it whatever you want… It’s just the lesson of being yourself. Who are imposing the rules? Who decides [what] will be in or out? That you are in fashion or out of fashion? Obviously, I don’t pay attention to that.

– MARYLIN FITOUSSI.

In keeping up with the Parisian mode, the show’s second season had high standards to meet. Still, the good news is that the Fitoussi-Field duo not only met but downright exceeded the expectations of fashion aficionados in every episode. We were left in high anticipation for what’s to come next, now that two more seasons of Emily in Paris have been confirmed. Although our credit cards might not be as excited as our wardrobe, we can’t help ourselves from stealing some elements of Emily’s outfits. 

In an interview with Netflix last year, Fitoussi pointed out how she manages to source the key costuming pieces for Emily and the rest of the set, with an emphasis on pushing upcycling and recycling. The costuming department only buy new wares if something is needed for the next day and can’t be delivered in time. With pure love for vintage shops, Fitoussi always has an eye out for unique or extraordinary pieces – anything that the ordinary person might shy away from. For this season, she decided to challenge herself to combine a couture piece – Dior or Balmain – with a young designer, a vintage piece, or with something you would find at a store like H&M or Zara. As she said, everyone must be able to buy something they love, and we couldn’t agree more.

Field also shared her thoughts with Netflix on the importance of colour for this second season. This is a pillar that she doesn’t take lightly, coining an expression for herself that describes what reaction she expects to see with costuming: ‘happy clothes.’ She loves colours as they enable her to mix and match different combinations that catch people’s attention, so she hopes the clothes this season continue to make Emily’s audience happier and happier.