Kate Middleton Got a Fashion Shoutout on ‘Emily in Paris’

Kate Middleton may not channel French Girl style very often, but the Princess of Wales’s fashion influence can’t be denied—and it was on full display in season 4 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris. In one scene featuring Ashley Park, royal fans noticed a very familiar-looking Balmain outfit, and with a little sleuthing, it was revealed that the Balmain dress that Park wore was actually a fashion homage to Middleton.

During one scene, Park’s character, Mindy Chen, receives a dress from her boyfriend. The piece in question comes from the fictional fashion house JVMA in the show, but in real life, it’s a Balmain creation (Netflix confirmed the speculation). And back in 2023 at Wimbledon, Kate wore a similar Balmain blazer (hers was in a minty green, not pink) to take in one of her favorite annual events. When she wears the pink dress, Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, says that it seems a “little more Kate Middleton than you normally go,” giving the princess a name-check in the love-it-or-hate-it series. To add one more layer of real-life love to the tribute, Chen wears the outfit to a tennis event.

Speaking about Mindy’s bold fashion, costume designer Marylin Fitoussi told Fashionista that she thinks about the influence an outfit can have for viewers and whether or not they could reimagine it if they wanted to channel the show. She also mentioned the show’s polarizing reception and brushed off the haters, saying that there’s always room for “bad taste.”

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Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton Got a Fashion Shoutout on ‘Emily in Paris’
Mindy Chen meets the Princess of Wales.

By Christopher Luu Published on August 22, 2024 @ 03:39PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales is seen during day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2023
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Kate Middleton may not channel French Girl style very often, but the Princess of Wales’s fashion influence can’t be denied—and it was on full display in season 4 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris. In one scene featuring Ashley Park, royal fans noticed a very familiar-looking Balmain outfit, and with a little sleuthing, it was revealed that the Balmain dress that Park wore was actually a fashion homage to Middleton.

During one scene, Park’s character, Mindy Chen, receives a dress from her boyfriend. The piece in question comes from the fictional fashion house JVMA in the show, but in real life, it’s a Balmain creation (Netflix confirmed the speculation). And back in 2023 at Wimbledon, Kate wore a similar Balmain blazer (hers was in a minty green, not pink) to take in one of her favorite annual events. When she wears the pink dress, Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, says that it seems a “little more Kate Middleton than you normally go,” giving the princess a name-check in the love-it-or-hate-it series. To add one more layer of real-life love to the tribute, Chen wears the outfit to a tennis event.

Ashley Park in Emily in Paris
Netflix
Speaking about Mindy’s bold fashion, costume designer Marylin Fitoussi told Fashionista that she thinks about the influence an outfit can have for viewers and whether or not they could reimagine it if they wanted to channel the show. She also mentioned the show’s polarizing reception and brushed off the haters, saying that there’s always room for “bad taste.”

“I try to understand why this series was so successful. What does it mean for our society and for the young audience who’s copying the look and who throws parties where everybody’s dressed like Emily in Paris?” she said. “I think it’s because it was a manifesto of freedom, saying to people, ‘Be confident if you like to mix everything with everything. Allow yourself to think out of the box and be different and have your own vision—and a little bit of bad taste.’ It’s like spice in the cooking. It’s healthy, it’s hearty, it’s good.”