Not since Sex and the City and the OG Gossip Girl have we seen the level of high fashion served on Emily in Paris. From Emily’s OTT fabulous looks to the sleek sophistication of Sylvie and the Parisian it-girl style on Camille, there’s more sartorial inspo on the screen than at fashion week.
With season three just days away, in a cover story for the January issue of marie claire Australia, Collins reveals the ‘outlandish outfit’ that became her favourite.
The casual attire the 33-year-old is wearing as she zooms marie claire from her LA home is a far cry from the eyepopping ensembles her character and other castmates don on the Netflix hit series. But if anyone can make a khaki sweater look like couture, it’s Lily Collins. And with her new bangs framing her gorgeous face, the British-American actor has certainly got that effortless chic Parisian thing down pat.
Marie Claire: We’re so close to the new season of Emily in Paris. What can you tell me?
Lily Collins: Well, she’s more comfortable about making decisions and using her voice, which leads to her having far more grounded experiences within Paris. That was fun to explore, and it gave space for the other characters to really come to the forefront of the story as well. But of course, along the way, there’s more laughs, more drama, and more fashion. Everything felt a little more elevated this season.
MC: If that’s even possible!
LC: Right! Somehow, they keep topping it, and we got to game up again with the fashion and the locations. This year we got to shoot in some really special places. You’ll see there is so much more of France and that’s also in terms of the language and culture.
MC: Have you got a favourite look that Emily has worn?
LC: There’s a look this season that I love because it’s so out there. There’s an episode where we go to a Pierre Cadault fashion retrospective at a museum and the outfit Emily wears is so outlandish. It’s got these crazy shoulders. The only way I can describe it is they look like an elephant’s ears, but it’s zebra print. I know it sounds absurd but when you see it all put together in the environment, it just works. It’s such as a wild statement moment for her in this very opulent place, but it’s the kind of quiet confidence that she has while wearing something like that, that I love. And it’s just so Emily. We tried it on the very first fitting before the season started and weren’t sure what to do with it so we put it in the bank and knew the right moment would come. When the time arose, we knew that was the perfect outfit for that moment.
MC: You have become quite an icon in the fashion and beauty worlds. And you have partnerships with Cartier and Lancôme, which are both highly respected French brands, which is a total coincidence, am I right?
LC: Yes! It’s funny because Lancôme has been part of my life for almost ten years and Cartier is coming up to seven, so both long before the show.
MC: You were destined to be in Paris, clearly! What factors do you consider when you’re choosing who you partner with?
LC: Brand loyalty is something that is like really resonates with me. I wasn’t allowed makeup at my Catholic school, but I always had a Lancôme Juicy Tube on me, and their mascara was the first one I ever tried. So, it’s a brand I already loved and used. With Cartier, my mother always wore a Cartier watch and, so did my dad.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the January issue of marie claire Australia on newsstands from Thursday 15th December! Season 3 of Emily in Paris streams on Netflix from December 21.
Photographer: Beau Grealy
Stylist: Alison Edmond.
Makeup: Lancôme Official.
Makeup Artist: Fiona Stiles.
Hair: Gregory Russel.
Manicure: Yoko Sakakura.
Production: Michael Power/ Cowboysanindians and Robyn Fay-Perkins.
