Netflix's Emily in Paris was created by Darren Star, who is best known for creating Sex and the City - and his new show is full of hidden nods to the iconic series. Emily in Paris follows Emily (played by Lily Collins) as she moves to Paris for a new job opportunity and in search of a better life. Emily clashes with her French workplace as she struggles to make friends, adjust to Parisian culture, and fall in love again. Emily in Paris is a sweet and charming show that elevates Emily's female friendships over her love life, with everything against a beautifully shot Parisian backdrop.
Emily in Paris has undeniable similarities with Sex and the City, Darren Star's most high-profile project to date. HBO's Sex and the City followed the lives of a group of four woman in New York City, and explored social ideas such as sex and relationships through their very different perspectives. Sex and the City was especially well-known for its influence on fashion via the costumes designed by Patricia Field. Field - who brought her same eclectic design sensibility to Emily in Paris - mixed couture with fast-fashion and is credited for starting trends such as nameplate necklaces, Manolo Blahnik shoes, and visible bra straps from her designs on the show.
Emily in Paris is a better successor to Sex and the City than The Carrie Diaries. The series is full of sneaky references to Sex and the City, and its apparent that the HBO show was a massive influence on Emily in Paris. Emily in Paris primarily references the two-part series finale of Sex and the City, episodes 19 "An American Girl In Paris (Part Une)" and episode 20 "An American Girl In Paris (Part Deux)." While Carrie and Emily ultimately make different decisions following their time in Paris, it's clear that Carrie Bradshaw had a huge impact on Emily in Paris.
An American Girl In Paris
The biggest tie between Netflix's Emily in Paris and Sex and the City is the similarities between Sex and the City's two-part finale and the premise of Emily in Paris. The final two episodes of Sex and the City sees Carrie Bradshaw as she goes to follow her boyfriend Aleksandr Petrovsky to Paris and tries to adjust to Parisian life before ultimately returning to New York City. Emily in Paris follows Emily as she moves to Paris for work and tries to adjust to the city - but unlike Carrie, she and her at-home boyfriend don't reunite, and she decides to fully commit to her new life. Emily in Paris almost seems like an alternate ending to Sex and the City, if Carrie had decided to leave Mr. Big and stay.
Carrie Bradshaw's Iconic Tutu
Arguable Carrie Bradshaw's most iconic outfit is her white tutu and pink tank-top, which she wears in the title sequence of Sex and the City, and Emily references the look in Emily in Paris while attending a party her friend Mindy (played by Ashley Park) is hosting. Her pink, layered skirt isn't as dramatic as Carrie's tutu, but the swishy skirt is immediately identifiable as an updated version of the look. Emily pairs the skirt with a white tank-top, another nod to Carrie's styling, but with a modern tie-back silhouette. Although the outfit has swapped the colors, it's a clear reference to the famous Sex and the City ensemble.
A Parisian Shoe-Cleaning
Season 1, episode 2 "Masculin Feminin" of Emily in Paris makes a direct reference to Sex and the City when Emily steps out of her apartment and directly (and unglamorously) into dog poop. The moment is a reference to season 6, episode 20 "An American Girl In Paris (Part Deux)" of Sex and the City, when Carrie Bradshaw does the same thing while walking through the streets of Paris, and stops to clean her Louboutins in a fountain. The moment passes quickly before Emily snaps a photo of the dog for her social media, but it's a clear tie between both of Darren Star's shows.
Haute Couture Gone Wrong
A pivotal moment in Emily in Paris is when Emily is sprayed with paint as part of a marketing stunt while modeling a Pierre Cadault gown at a charity auction. The fashion disaster brings to mind another scene from Sex and the City in season 4, episode 2 "The Real Me." When Carrie is recruited by a friend to walk in a fashion show, she barely makes it down the runway before spectacularly tripping on her heels and falling to the ground as a friend shouts, "oh my god, it's fashion roadkill!" Emily's couture moment disaster, in which she is similarly an unexpected model gone wrong, is a clear nod to that famous moment in Sex and the City.
Emily's Tulle Gown In Paris
One of the biggest fashion references Emily in Paris makes to Sex and the City happens in season 1, episode 2 "Masculin Feminin." Emily arrives at a formal work event in a black tulle dress with a fitted bodice. The shape of her dress references Carrie Bradshaw's famous tulle gown from her time in Paris, which appears in season 6, episode 20, "An American Girl In Paris (Part Deux)." While Carrie wears her gown at the end of her time in Paris, shortly before deciding to return to New York and reunite with Mr. Big, Emily wears hers at the beginning of her Parisian adventure. The similarities in the gowns represent a parallel between both women, as both are trying to create a life for themselves - one by leaving Paris, and one by making Paris her home.
Emily in Paris deliberately references the fashion of Sex and the City, and reworks Carrie's designs into a more modern style. The costumes for both shows, designed by Patricia Field, use fashion to create a narrative link between Carrie Bradshaw and Emily as they embark on their Parisian adventures and Emily falls for French chef, Gabriel. Emily in Paris draws heavily from Sex and the City's two-part series finale, but explores what might have happened if Carrie had chosen to stay in Paris instead of reuniting with Mr. Big. The Sex and the City Easter eggs don't just reward longtime fans of Darren Star, but they help enrich the fantasy world of Emily in Paris even further.
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