wwd.com/pop-culture: Almost six decades after Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball happened, the “party of the century” still inspires the fiction world and its costumes. In the fourth season of “Emily in Paris,” Lily Collins’ Emily Cooper took a note from the author’s most famous soiree and threw her own masquerade ball. Her flamboyant look for the episode, a black-and-white striped catsuit with an attachable ballskirt and a dramatic hat, was made possible by Nina Ricci’s creative director Harris Reed.
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I really enjoyed this article and found it super cool because it dives into the creative aspects of costume design in "Emily in Paris," which is a show I love watching, particularly in the fourth season, but having seen the past seasons, the costume design is crazy cool in general. Costume design is also so apparent in the theater scene, which is why I was drawn to this piece. I found it very interesting in the way Reed & Fitoussi drew inspiration from the iconic Black and White Ball to create this masquerade ball dress, which is insanely awesome. I wish I had that type of costume design inspiration or talent. Overall, Reed's emphasis on designing for a character rather than the actor gives a lot of complexity to the plot, making these costumes even more vital in the storytelling universe. This striped catsuit, which draws inspiration from both the costumes worn in Capote's ball and Audrey Hepburn's classic look in My Fair Lady, combines this almost historical elegance with modern flair. This method appeals to me since it combines past and contemporary fashion in a way that benefits the character's development but also entices the reader in multiple different ways.
I am always impressed by the extent to which Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe has influenced Hollywood. From The Princess Diaries (which referenced her iconic red dress in Funny Face) to the finale of Big Little Lies (Which referenced My Fair Lady TWICE and Breakfast at Tiffany’s a whopping THREE TIMES in a single episode) to the new season of Emily in Paris, her style is a staple of late 50s-60s fashion and is still recognizable decades later. What I enjoy so much about Emily in Paris costume designer Marilyn Fitoussi’s decision to reference My Fair Lady specifically in season 4 is how it plays so well with the story. EIP follows a young American, Emily Cooper, trying to adjust to Parisian society despite her quirks and unfamiliarity with the city. Similarly, MFL’s Eliza Doolittle struggles to fit in with English high society despite her Cockney upbringing. Fitoussi references Eliza’s famous ascot dress, which she wears to the racecourses, in a modernized version that Emily wears to a ball. As much as I love references in film and television, I love them even more when they’re rooted in character. Fitoussi did an outstanding job honoring Hepburn while still keeping the design relevant to Emily’s character and true to the story.
Reading this article led me to go and watch a few episodes of Emily In Paris for the first time. I love the costuming of it as a whole, and I can definitely see how character-driven the costumes are and how they match with the story. For example, the clothes that Emily wears stick out amongst those around her, highlighting that she is a bit out of place at times. I also loved how he talked about the inspiration for the masquerade ball dress being from both a real Black and White Ball dress and the dress from My Fair Lady, a combination of both reality and fiction that seems to fit both the show and the character. In addition, the idea that the dress is a new take on old ideas (the ball was in 1966 and My Fair Lady is set in 1912) fits in with what Emily is trying to do in the show. She is trying to bring new ideas to an old marketing business.
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