There’s never a boring fashion moment on Netflix Emily in Paris.

Press play on any episode and you’ll be instantly drawn into the daring, colorful, and sometimes eccentric outfits worn by titular protagonist Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) and the other characters as they strut down the cobblestone streets of Paris—be it at a fancy soiree, a late-night rendezvous, or at work.

The mastermind behind the eye-catching wardrobe, a major attraction of the show, is senior costume designer Marylin Fitoussi, who played a crucial role in creating Emily in Paris’s visual stylebook since season 1. (Patricia Field, best known for Sex and the City, also worked on the first two seasons.)

Now in season 4, Emily in Paris’Emily’s fashion transformation reflected the ups and downs of Emily’s professional and romantic adventures and misadventures – although her initial sources of inspiration, such as Audrey Hepburn, continue to form the backbone of her stylistic identity.

As Emily becomes more integrated into French culture, gains confidence and settles into her new family, her outfits evolve in unique and surprising ways.

Since Emily heads to Rome in Part 2, there is even more freedom to play.

“I always start with scripts,” France-based Fitoussi told Yahoo Entertainment. The next step in the process is a “look library,” where she puts together about 10 outfits each for the office, dates and other major milestones in Emily’s life. Then she and Collins work together to “decide what emotion she wants to bring to the scene, what the state of mind will be and what (she) wants to express with the clothes.”

“We try to find the perfect outfit that helps her tell the story and express (the right) emotions,” Fitoussi explained. “We have our own opinions. We imagine the scenes, we imagine (Emily’s) development and think about how best to express what she is feeling. (Lily) knows that her character will evolve and she knows exactly what kind of evolution she wants to show the audience.”

Season 4 marks a transition for Emily – she’s in a new relationship and successful at work – which is reflected in bolder looks. “Style-wise, it’s revenge season,” Fitoussi said.

“She wears interesting silhouettes, but always with that unapologetic Emily Cooper touch,” she observed, adding that the American-born designer will always “have her own vision of French style because she knows the rules but breaks them in her own way.”

Fitoussi analyzed four of her favorite looks from season 4 and the inspiration behind them.

1. The wow factor

“Since season 1, I wanted to do a masked ball because that’s been a French tradition since the 18th century. I wanted to mix French tradition with American tradition,” Fitoussi said. She finally gets her chance when Emily attends an extravagant black-and-white ball in the third episode of season 4, which is a turning point as she makes a decision about her love life.

While the ball’s black and white color palette was inspired by Truman Capote, the color scheme also serves another purpose. It represents Emily’s inner conflict and crystallizes her ongoing battle between two worthy lovers, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount). At the ball, she chooses Gabriel, effectively ending things with Alfie.

Collins’ striped jumpsuit by Nina Ricci is reminiscent of the floor-length white dress in My beautiful lady, and her look is completed with a dramatic train, ’50s-style curls, dark lips, a lace eye mask and a matching wide-brimmed hat.

“Maybe some people see Beetle juice,“, said Fitoussi, laughing. “That wasn’t the idea, but Lily has a great sense of humor.”

2. Office chic

As Emily becomes more confident in her abilities in the workplace, her office wardrobe reflects her inner confidence – and continues to blend American and European styles with more dramatic impact. One of Fitoussi’s top picks from season four, the Clueless-This outfit is a throwback to the past with a modern touch.

“I really love this look because it’s a bit contemporary and has very beautiful details,” Fitoussi said of the look, which included pieces from Giuseppe di Morabito and Etro. “The yellow suits her beautifully and it’s one of my favorite outfits.” Should Emily in Paris Upon returning for season 5, the costume designer revealed that she hopes to continue evolving this special look as Emily enters new phases of her life.

3. A Roman holiday

Frustrated with her life in Paris, Part 2 finds Emily heading to Rome for a change of scenery and to help her boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) land new assignments. Things get complicated – as they usually do in Emily’s world – when the “new assignment” turns out to be Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), a handsome Italian who immediately catches her eye. Emily’s temporary move to Italy gave Fitoussi the opportunity to create a whole new look book for Collins’ character, who goes through an existential crisis when she enters Rome.

In one of Emily and Marcello’s first trips on his scooter, she wears a multi-colored polka dot dress and petticoat by Vivienne Westwood. Fitoussi wanted to differentiate Emily’s fashion color in Rome from her usual attire in Paris to represent a change of mood and perspective.

“It was an image I imagined of Gina Lollobrigida or Sophia Loren, this idea of ​​the Italian woman,” she said. The petticoat “flying fluffily in the air” as Emily sits on Marcello’s scooter symbolizes the temporary burden lifted from her shoulders. “It was a modern version of Roman holidays with 50s glasses. It’s our version (of the film).”

4. Butterfly effect

One of Emily’s most unique outfits of the season is one of her most casual ensembles, featuring a fire engine red butterfly backpack made especially for her by a German designer. the show.

“It’s shaped like a butterfly because when she arrived in Rome she decided to pursue love instead of work for once in her life,” said Fitoussi. “When you’re in love, it gives you wings. You have butterflies in your stomach. That’s why we chose this butterfly backpack. And butterflies represent total freedom.”

The white dots on the blue off-the-shoulder top also symbolize the possibilities Emily has in the future. “She’s bubbling (underneath) like champagne,” Fitoussi said. “I wanted to create that feeling of fizzing without me having to do anything. She’s all casual here, with the scarf (in her hair) blowing and floating in the air.”

Emily in Paris Season 4, Part 2 is now streaming on Netflix.