Hello friends!
Have you been watching Netflix’s Emily In Paris? As a fan of both Sex in the City and the costumes of Patricia Field, I couldn’t resist. But wow, the show is being lambasted in the press! Parisians are offended and furious because it’s so out-of-touch, which surprises me because it’s obvious to me that everything about it is very tongue-in-cheek. Clearly, Emily is Le Plouc, (the Hick) and she’s new to Paris and getting everything wrong.
But at the same time if you pay attention you can see that she’s slowly learning French, gradually letting go of her American viewpoint, and growing and maturing while learning her way around French culture and the language. I completely sympathize with her since I’m sure I went through a similar process when we moved to Madrid five years ago and I didn’t know any Spanish. I think the subtle humor of the situations in which she finds herself is hilarious. And of course the fashions are over the top. That’s what the screen is for, right? Honestly, I’ve found that it’s more difficult to speak French in Paris than Spanish in Madrid because Parisians are impatient and speak enough English that they often don’t give you time or space to practice. Spanish people over the age of, say, 25 don’t speak much English and are generally very patient with anyone attempting the language. (That’s not to say they can’t be brusque as well, but so can New Yorkers or practically anyone trying to go about their daily life, right?)
In any case, whenever I’m in Paris I have to chuckle at the influencers wearing berets for their photo shoots. It’s all rather gauche and clueless and Emily fits right in, so as infuriating as the show may be it’s also accurate to the way tourists and newbies experience Paris. Give her time, folks. She’ll get there, and in a few years she’ll look back at herself and have a good laugh. Meanwhile, you can bet that by then she’ll be just as elegant and knowing as her more sophisticated colleagues and friends. She’s curious enough to pull it off, for sure.
I have just a few quick links for you this weekend, but I hope to be back next week with more.
Weekend Reading
- How a certain Fred Perry polo shirt was adopted by the Proud Boys, and what the company is trying to do about it.
- An excellent profile of The Washington Post’s fashion critic Robin Givhan.
- And speaking of fashion critics, I appreciated Vanessa Friedman’s take on Paris fashion week.
- We can all use a good joke or two, right? Here are 50!
- True textile innovation! Mylo: a mushroom-based alternative to leather.
- And speaking of textile innovations, what about T shirts made of dairy waste?
And with that I bid you a pleasant weekend, hopefully full of activities you enjoy. We’ll see you next week with a couple of projects that may really inspire your sewing mojo!
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