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Assouline has done it again, releasing a coffee table book timed to a major pop culture moment that’s already making waves (and inspiring no shortage of orders) as we speak. We’re talking about “Emily in Paris” Season 5 landing at Netflix on December 18, of course, and there’s no better way to celebrate the comeback of everyone’s favorite American abroad than by shopping — and promptly reading — Assouline’s just-unveiled “Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide” title from its Classics Collection.
‘Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide’ by Marylin Fitoussi
Price upon publish date of this article: $120
If you’re someone who’s spent time obsessing over Emily Cooper’s outfits over the years (all those Valentino capes and vibrant Chanel topcoats and Christian Siriano gowns), you’ll be happy to know that the new book finally takes fans behind the scenes of the costume design on what Assouline calls “one of television’s most aesthetically influential shows.” As it happens, both said costume design and the book’s writing can be credited to the Emmy-nominated Marylin Fitoussi, who is known to cause a stir every season with her maximalist tendencies, impeccable pairings, and natural ability to channel a given character’s personality-slash-values through how they’re dressed on the big screen.
Lily Collins holding up the first official “Emily in Paris” book at an Assouline launch event on December 9.
Courtesy Dasha Brooks
The coffee table book gets a foreword by the TV series’ creator, Darren Star, who was just now honored by Emmanuel Macron for aptly championing France’s soft power. The release spotlights Fitoussi’s 25 top sartorial creations and is bound to take you on a journey of how each look was sourced, the concepts that did or did not come to life, and how she kept a “refusal to follow rules” at the heart of all her efforts.
Expect to see big names like the aforementioned Chanel here, interspersed by smaller labels like Paul & Joe (behind the multihued suit jacket worn by Ashley Park’s character Mindy Chen) and Inès de La Fressange, a Parisian-based brand responsible for the startling-blue trousers Lily Collins’ character dons in an episode. Indeed, the book makes clear that one of Fitoussi’s biggest goals, given her present-day platform, is to make fashion more democratic by propping up emerging creators whose popularity explodes — à la the “Taylor Swift effect” — after a product placement or two. She is also no stranger to a good collaboration, with one of Emily’s best looks to date being a Giambattista Valli x H&M gown made out of chiffon (you know the one).
Some of the outfits that get a mention in “Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide”: featuring a red, bespoke coat designed by Fatoussi herself and, in the right-hand image, an embroidered Valentino cape.
Courtesy Netflix
“More than just a costume archive, this book is a love letter to Marylin’s daring and colorful imagination,” Collins herself says of the 304-page work, replete with 250-plus top-quality illustrations.
As for the immediate backlash Fitoussi and her team got from the French community after the show initially went live? The author addresses that as well.
“If you’re going to break the codes and tell Parisians that there’s a way to present yourself to the world other than their way, with its muted colors and sharp silhouettes, you need to be prepared to ruffle some feathers,” she says in the introduction. “We became fearless. We didn’t just want to upset the French — we wanted to make them cry.”
“Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide” can now be purchased online at assouline.com for $120. Want to send it to your mom, wife, or younger sister in time for the holidays? Take advantage of the publisher’s virtual gifting service, which delivers its bestsellers instantly via text while granting the recipient an option to switch out your chosen book for another… though they’re unlikely to do so in this case.
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‘Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide’ by Marylin Fitoussi
Price upon publish date of this article: $120
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Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on new book releases relevant to the intersection of fashion and pop culture.
