Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
Every so often, a show comes along that represents the fashion of a generation. In the late ‘90s, it was Sex and the City. In the late aughts, Gossip Girl. While the world might have pegged …And Just Like That to be the crowning sartorial jewel of the late 2020s, SATC’s lifeblood, costume designer Patricia Field (you might also recognize her work from The Devil Wears Prada), flew the coop to more stylish pastures: Netflix’s Emily in Paris. And so it was, under Field’s expert eye, that Emily in Paris fashion became our new style standard in all its color-clashing glory.
The Parisian gang of Mindy, Cami and Emily herself got us through quarantine in 2020, inspired our celebratory dressing in 2021 and now, it’s keeping us sustained through the blizzard of 2022 thanks to the show’s latest season. After binging the whole thing in its entirely in less than 48 hours (I’m sick, I know), I’ve broken it down into nine trends that are sure to go from the small screen to the streets, from the cast’s ever-present thigh-high boots to Emily’s enormous feathered overcoat. Here’s how to get the looks ahead of spring.
Emily in Paris Fashion Trends
1. Thigh-High Boots
OK, so this hardly counts as a “new” trend, but I’m not talking about your average, run-of-the-mill black stilettos. The over-the-knee boots seen on the crew are fierce, metallic and rainbow-colored. I tracked them in green, hot pink, denim blue, red patent leather, purple—you name it. Despite the fact that the city was celebrating the summer solstice, thigh-highs were present in almost every episode of season 3. Clearly, there’s something happening here.
2. Clashing Patterns
Mixing and matching patterns is nothing new for Emily—she’s been doing it since at least season 2—but she took it to new heights in season 3, boldly pairing polka dot turtlenecks with horizontal stripe shorts, a striped shirt with an Easter egg-colored plaid blazer, a heart-print skirt with a striped top… you get the idea. The effect? A slew of getups that were quite cheeky and loud—just like Emily herself.
3. Polka-Dots
Of all the prints the EIP gals wore in season 3 (and trust, there were a lot), polka dots seemed to reign supreme. They dotted Emily’s robin’s egg blue cutout ensemble (seen above). They were strewn across the orange turtleneck she paired with horizontal stripe shorts. They emblazoned Cami’s white top at lunch. Frankly, It isn’t hard to see the pattern here (get what I did there?).
4. Sky-High Platform Heels
When Emily and company weren’t busy tromping around in their mid-summer boots, they were teetering along on sky-high platform heels. (Seriously, I counted just once, at the pool, that our heroine wasn’t sporting one of the two shoe styles.) And I do mean sky-high. As Vogue points out, the Romy and Michele-esque footwear has been recirculating on the fashion scene since Versace sent it down the runway in December 2021, but based on these episodes, it appears it’s here to stay. I can’t say that I’m a big fan of this trend—it reminds me of something a Bratz doll would wear—so I’ll largely be sitting this one out, but if it tickles your fancy, see the options below.
5. Bomber Jackets
Put away your trench coats, your moto jackets and your anoraks. If Emily’s outerwear is any indicator, bomber jackets will be *the* “it” topper of the season. The vivacious brunette was spotted in several cop-worthy coats, all of which boasted the traditional waist-length cut and ribbed cuffs in audacious prints with swirls of purples, pinks and orange.
6. Feathers
I didn’t need Emily to tell me that feathers are absolutely huge right now—just look at the sale section of any J.Crew, Banana Republic or Forever 21 and you’ll see what I mean—but she definitely cemented that fact in my mind with the massive overcoat she wore at the top of the Eiffel Tower, the bottom half of which was covered in fluffy pink feathers. With just this one pièce de résistance, Emily in Paris signaled that this is one fad that will be sticking with us for some time (and I’m perfectly OK with that).
7. Architectural Shoulders
One of Emily’s most show-shopping pieces this season came in the form of the butterfly shoulder zebra-print number she wore to a bash for Pierre Cadault. While her subsequent outfits weren’t nearly as OTT, many of them gave a nod to its exaggerated shoulders (See: the mock funeral gown she wore with gold button hardware). Basically? When it comes to shoulders, the pointier the better, according to Emily, and the easiest way to do it is with exaggerated ‘80s pads, lest you have the cash to drop on something more architectural in design, like this BCBG getup.
8. Oversized Blazers
Shoulders aren’t the only oversized pieces Emily in Paris fashion gave a nod to in season 3: Blazers also got the supersize treatment. Cami rocked the look (in a bold lime green, no less!) like nobody’s business in the scene above, making it cool for petite girls everywhere to forgo the tailor in favor of the “too-big on purpose” aesthetic.
9. Berry Lips
Emily may love bold colors, but when it came to her lips this season, there was one hue that reigned supreme over all others—and it wasn’t particularly bright or over-the-top. Regardless of her ensemble, the fictional marketing executive stuck with a deep, elegant berry throughout the whole of the show. Swipe her look with a swipe from one of the tubes below.
What trends will you be stealing from the show in 2023? Let me know in the comments below! Xo, Nicole