The long awaited comedy-drama series from Sex and the City creator Darren Star and costume designer Patricia Field has at last arrived on Netflix. Starring the acclaimed Lily Collins, the ten-part premiere of Emily in Paris is full of charm, wit, and style- everything needed for the perfect pick-me-up.
From the first few seconds into the show, it’s obvious that fashion is going to have it’s own starring role. Emily is introduced jogging in a bright black and yellow Nike puffer coat before heading to the office in a belted Kenzo dress with white ankle boots, like the fashion-icon characters before her, this girl has serious style that’s all her own.
The first episode also wastes no time (about 4 minutes to be exact) getting to the Parisian montage of Emily taking in the sweeping views of the city’s monuments and bustling streets as she’s chauffeured to her apartment in complete awe of her new life. Sent abroad last minute by her boss who is constantly praising her for her enthusiasm and great work, Emily thinks nothing of going by herself and embraces the opportunity no boy drama required.
Being the American in Paris, Emily is faced with resentment from her new French boss who dismisses her “American point of view” by expecting her to be gone in a year after having her fun in the city of love. But with Emily being so sure of herself, there’s a sense that she won’t be saying au revoir anytime soon. She constantly shares her ideas and doesn’t hold back from showing her new coworkers that she knows what she’s talking about, even when it isn’t necessarily the most chic thing to do.
As Emily navigates being a person who lives to work in a place where the people work to live, she begins to find her place thanks to her savvy social media skills and loyal friends who share the same dream of independence and belonging. Refreshingly, Emily’s can-do attitude makes her feel like a modern city girl who can make it anywhere and doesn’t have to submit to cigarettes over croissants to fit in with the cool girls.
Emily may carry a different designer bag everywhere she goes but rather than a specific look, it’s her confidence and natural beauty- inside and out, that truly make her a Parisian. The result is inspirational to say the least.