“Paris is the city for food, Rome the city for sex.” That’s one of the new lines in Emily in Paris, which restarts Sept. 12 on Netflix to conclude its fourth season, and dedicates the last two episodes to a trip with a Colosseum view.
The series, which started in 2020, can be considered a sort of contemporary Sex and the City – after all, its creator, Darren Star, was part of that group of authors – in which the outfits of the female leads (and also the male cast) and the super glamorous locations of the most “Instagrammable” Paris make a good 30 percent.
The story is that of 30-year-old American Emily Cooper (Lily Collins plays her) who ends up working in Paris at a prestigious marketing agency, alongside two whimsical French colleagues (they are Bruno Gouery and Samuel Arnold) and a “boss lady” (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, daughter of the late Philippe Leroy) who embodies the essence of the “parisienne” spirit, including having a husband (William Abadie) with whom she is on very good terms despite both having lovers scattered everywhere.
Over the course of the seasons (all of which can be retrieved on Netflix) we thus follow Emily in her discovery of the city and the habits of Parisians filtered through the eyes of an American, as she tries to advance her career and grapples with her relationships, especially romantic and sexual ones. Alongside her is a best friend and roommate who wants to break into the music business (actress and singer Ashley Park), then a friend-enemy (Camille Razat), and of course a whole series of loves at different levels of complication, including the messy one with a charming chef played by Lucas Bravo.
The last two episodes of the season, we said, were shot almost entirely in Rome, where Emily goes to join Marcello (what other name, senno?) a potential new Italian love who is also the owner of a textile company and could become a new client for her agency (he is Eugenio Franceschini). The cliffhanger in the finale would hint that there might even be more in the upcoming fifth season.
Emily in Paris. (da sinistra a destra) Lily Collins nella parte di Emily, Eugenio Franceschini nella parte di Marcello, Emily in Paris. | foto di Giulia Parmigiani via Netflix © 2024
However, this Roman transfer, let’s face it, is a collage of clichés (perhaps a little more could have been done?). Emily and Marcello ride around the city on a Vespa like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, while the most iconic locations, from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps, flow in the background, alternating with shots of plates of caprese and spaghetti carbonara.
Marcello’s company, then, is curiously inspired by that of Brunello Cucinelli, known to be Italy’s most ethical and employee-conscious entrepreneur: it is placed in the nonexistent village of Solitano (reconstructed in Ostia Antica) where bosses and workers all lunch together in joy at a large outdoor table.
Finally, a special mention deserves as always the outfits, designed by costume designer Marylin Fitoussi, a student of the legendary Patricia Field who dressed Carrie Bradshaw and her friends in Sex and the City. For Emily’s outfits, this season Fitoussi chose a floral theme that is meant to suggest how she has blossomed from previous ones. And as each season introduces something new that orients her wardrobe, we will discover her in Twiggy-inspired three-piece dresses with flat shoes and exquisite jewelry, demonstrating her growing maturity.
Over the course of this fourth season, the series will be scarfing down 2,500 pairs of shoes-150 by Louboutin-about 350 handbags and a thousand pieces of clothing. Costumes include more vintage and archival looks, especially for Ashley Park, who will wear a pink Balmain dress and a Mugler look both vintage, while Emily will show us a handbag designed by INCXNNUE and made from the recycled waste of grapes usually used for wine.
And finally, the Vietnamese fashion designer Đỗ Mạnh Cường, an up-and-coming fashion star, who created five different looks, is worth keeping an eye on.
The article Emily in Paris returns to Netflix and speaks Italian comes from TheNewyorker.
