Emily in Paris

A reconceptualization of the 2020 Netflix original comedy.
For educational use only.

Emily in Paris is a self-indulgent fabrication of Parisian and American culture. Depicting the simulacrum of expectations Americans have when traveling to Europe, this hyper-stylized visual exploration of Emily in Paris explores the conflicts between the two cultures in a bold way. Leaving both Emily and the audience thinking, go big or go home.

Final V-Ray Set Renders

Concept

While reading Emily in Paris, one of the first things that jumped out at me was the fatphobia in the script. Within the first episode alone there are multiple fat jokes. For my concept, I would want to explore the fatphobia of French culture by recasting Emily with a plus-size actress. Even in my own personal experience in France, I have noticed fatphobia here. But, more specifically, I have noticed how closely being American is tied to being obese. Making Emily a fat woman, allows her to stand out more from French society. It helps further the idea that Emily visually and socially does not fit in with Paris. Her coworkers don’t like her because not only is she American, but she doesn’t fit the ideal of beauty that a luxury brand would be selling. In addition, many plus-size women use bright colors, patterns, or silhouettes to stand out. What was individual and interesting in the U.S. is seen as obnoxious in France. Having Emily played by a plus-size actress, also furthers the reasoning why her clothes trap her. Stores won’t even have the sizes she needs in “fashionable” French garments. This essentially traps her in the clothes she brought to France with her. Meaning that she has to either commit to who she is or she has to quit.

Location Ideas

While the sets would be practically built sets on sound stages, the world surrounding Emily would feel incredibly fake and artistic. There would be differing styles between her Chicago apartment and her Parisian apartment. Chicago would be based on color blocking and funky colors, whereas Paris would be inspired by early 1900s watercolor cityscapes.

This would tie into Emily’s interpretations of either city, as the audience sees Emily’s story through a fictionalized world.

Emily and Doug’s Chicago apartment is the space I chose to redesign. This posed a design challenge because it had multiple rooms. Their apartment also allowed me to add further context for Emily and who she was before Paris. I decided to create the space with the idea that this was Doug’s apartment before he and Emily began dating. Once she moved in, she completely took over and redecorated the home. She made a space that was entirely her own. It was fun and colorful and had patterns everywhere. While it is maximalist, it is very controlled and shows that she has a clear visual style that she is drawn to. Specifically, she was mixing organic and geometric shapes seen in later-developed costume concepts. When Emily eventually moves to Paris and leaves Doug with such short notice, he realizes he no longer loves her. This loss of Emily would be more strongly felt in this apartment, where it is impossible to avoid Emily’s presence.

There are details in the design that reference their relationship, like a painting that the couple made on one of their first dates, demonstrating the fun creativity Emily once brought into Doug’s life. Two shelves under the TV for Doug’s video games and baseball bat. A space once his own, now reduced to two shelves.