C.Z. Guest has found a companion on the SCAD Fash exhibition calendar in “Emily in Paris.”
After unveiling a retrospective dedicated to the American socialite earlier this month, Atlanta’s only fashion museum revealed it will next focus on the hit Netflix series starring Lily Collins as an American expat.
“Emily in Paris: Fashion Without Rules, Costumes by Marylin Fitoussi” opens Nov. 11 and runs through March 14, overlapping with the show’s sixth and final season, which premieres Dec. 24. Bringing together more than 100 ensembles from every major character, it celebrates the work of French costume designer Marylin Fitoussi while also raising the question: What exactly defines “French style?”
Curator and SCAD Fash creative director Rafael Gomes said the museum’s mission is to bring fashion and film closer together, so “Fashion Without Rules” was a natural fit, particularly in Atlanta where the film industry has boomed in recent years, earning it the nickname “Hollywood of the South.”
“Through Marylin’s costume design, our students can explore how clothing builds a character, tells a story and creates a distinctive visual world,” he explained. “It connects with so many disciplines we teach here, including fashion design, production design, dramatic writing, acting, film and television and so many more, giving them an opportunity to consider how their individual talents can contribute to a shared creative vision.”
Working closely with Fitoussi, Gomes used the name “Fashion Without Rules” as his guiding light, saying: “We wanted that sense of freedom, experimentation and fun to carry through the whole experience.”
It starts with a loose chronology, following twentysomething Emily Cooper as she relocates from Chicago to Paris for a social media strategy job despite not speaking a lick of French. Cooper’s naive optimism is reflected in her fashion choices. For example, the checkered Veronica Beard short suit she sports in episode three with a red Laulhère beret paints her as the ultimate tacky American tourist, sparking debate and memes galore.
Chic takes shape in the form of Cooper’s boss Sylvie Grateau, whose muted tailoring and louche eveningwear with whiffs of legendary French editor Carine Roitfeld only exaggerates her whacky taste. Alfie and Gabriel, Cooper’s love interests, offer their own contrasts. As do her friends: Mindy, an aspiring singer who never met a sequin or neon color she didn’t like, and Camille, whose style is much edgier, evoking that Left Bank je ne sais quoi.
Camille’s black satin skirt set and mirrored leather bra top from season four will be on display, a proud moment for Gomes as it was designed by SCAD alumna Kate Barton. “That link makes the exhibition especially meaningful for our students,” he said, “because they see a fellow graduate shaping scenes and images from a globally recognized TV show and can imagine what’s possible for their own work.”
“Fashion Without Rules” will also take visitors through immersive vignettes, including one dedicated to the Marie Antoinette-inspired fashion show at Versailles that closed season two and another dedicated to Cooper’s many turns cosplaying as Audrey Hepburn.
Incidentally, Collins is set to play the actress in an upcoming biopic about the making of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Confirming the news on Instagram in February, Collins wrote: “It’s with almost 10 years of development and a lifetime of admiration and adoration for Audrey that I’m finally able to share this. Honored and ecstatic don’t begin to express how I feel.…”
That pretty much sums-up how Fitoussi feels about having a retrospective of her work: “I’m living a dream,” she said. “Costume design, particularly for contemporary shows, is often overlooked, yet every detail is thoughtfully created and carries meaning for both the designer and the actor wearing it. Bringing that work to light is something very close to my heart, and I’m so happy to share it.”
A Toulouse, France-native, Fitoussi was born to a seamstress mother and a grandmother who was a clothing hoarder. Playing dress-up in the latter’s attic with pieces spanning the ‘50s to the ‘80s, she developed a knack for collaging different eras and styles together.
After high school, Fitoussi earned a Textile Design degree at the Ecole du Louvre before landing her first job at the Parisian outpost of London-based costume rental shop Angels and Bermans. A club-kid at heart, Fitoussi had a chance encounter one night on the dance floor at Le Bains Douches with award-winning costume designer Sylvie de Segonzac who took her under her wing.
In the ‘90s, Fitoussi collaborated with Segonzac on four films over a five-year period, eventually taking on her own projects. Her curriculum vitae is remarkably diverse, ranging from French comedies like “Mon Père, Ma Mère, Mes Frères et Mes Soeurs” (1999) to an American political thriller, “Vantage Point” (2008), which brought her overseas to places like Guinea and Mexico City that fueled her eclectic spirit.
Fitoussi consulted with “Sex and the City” costume designer Patricia Fields for the first two seasons of “Emily in Paris” before taking the reins.
Asked to pick a favorite look in “Fashion Without Rules,” Fitoussi couldn’t, saying: “Generally, I’m happy that people can experience all of them together as a visual fantasy. I’m incredibly happy with what we’ve achieved with the show and its idealized, dreamlike vision of Paris.”
Fitoussi did, however, say she was excited to include an Antonio Marras dress worn by Cooper in the last season of “Emily in Paris” before it airs.
Reflecting on that infamous red beret, Fitoussi said she was amused that it caused a minor scandal in France. “I was accused of making French people look ridiculous by using a cliché.”
“I wear berets myself and for Emily, I wanted to create a look that would be her own interpretation of a Parisian woman, a way for her to say, without a word, that she loved France and its culture. I also thought: if I want to make young girls around the world dream, what accessory is easy to wear, affordable and speaks to everyone?” Voila, a beret the same color as Christian Louboutin soles.
Fitoussi hopes visitors come away from the exhibition with a similar appreciation for French culture and “the freedom to express themselves, to break the rules. The title is “Fashion Without Rules,” she noted, “so be your own costume designer. Play with fashion, and let your imagination run wild.”
SCAD Fash will commemorate “Fashion Without Rules” the evening before it opens with a members-only preview featuring an exclusive screening of the “Emily in Paris” season six trailer followed by a conversation with Fitoussi; show creator, writer and executive producer Darren Star, and several cast members.