My winter break consisted of one sick kiddo, so I spent nine days watching shows with him. When I finally came down with his sickness, I got to watch my show: Emily in Paris. It’s my guilty pleasure: a show that is silly, unbelievable, filled with plot holes, and delightful, all bundled into one big package. The fashion, while questionable at times, is a focal point as well, and this season Emily’s bag game started off strong(ly branded thanks to a big Fendi crossover).
Episode 1
We didn’t kick off in Paris; we started where we left off in Rome, with Emily hoping to launch and helm the Agence Grateau outpost in Rome. It coincides with her boyfriend and his family’s company, Muratori. Episode one was a letdown, as there was only one bag to spot, and it was fine, but not fantastic.
Episode 2
We then move on to what I call the Fendi episode, with an aggressively in-your-face product crossover. Emily, Sylvie, and the team are looking to pitch a Fendi campaign for its famed Baguette. Emily pulls out a Fendi box that she had neatly packed to take to Rome (natch), and is thrilled to show off her original 1997 Baguette release.
However, it is a fake, according to the Fendi team member they are holding the meeting with. I mainly want to know if it is actually a fake bag they used in the show, because from what I can see, it looks authentic, and with Fendi being involved, I can’t imagine them wanting to showcase a fake bag, front and center.
The fake bag really didn’t bode well, and the team wasn’t about to get the job, but Emily’s boyfriend, Marcello, ends the episode by taking Emily (and her Tod’s bag) to the Fendi boutique to pick the REAL Baguette of her choice.
Episode 3
This season wasn’t that amazing story-wise, and I can tell you that because I am looking at these photos from a few days after watching the show, and I can’t remember most of the plot. At this point, we have Emily’s bestie, Mindy, in town, and she is going to perform a tricky dance. Who is there to help her when she feels nervous? Alfie. He has a hidden talent as a Dirty Dancing-level performer. They also fall in love… and don’t tell Emily.
Episode 4
By episode 4, one thing I noticed most was the lack of bags. For as over-the-top as the Fendi placement was in the earlier episodes, the subsequent episodes left the bags always on the wrong side of the character for me to see, or barely visible enough to get a shot. I expected more from my fashion guilty pleasure!
Episode 5
One brand I loved to see carried through previous seasons on Emily was Pierre Hardy. It’s a blatant reminder that there are other brands that are known but not on the same scale and are worthy of far more attention. A raffia tote with the classic Pierre Hardy closure, crafted from leather, gets a big ole’ yes from me!
If you were hoping for more of the plot in this first half of the season, well, there wasn’t much. There was Emily in Rome, Mindy and Alfie falling for each other, Sylvie rekindling love with an old flame, only for that to burn, and not as many bags as I’d like to see. I will give you part two soon.
Additionally, if you want to revisit the bags from past seasons, check out Season 4, Part 1 and Season 4, Part 2, where my point will be proven: the bag game last season was far superior to what we have this season.
so. Fun fact.
Fendi actually changed some of their hardware and markings between ‘97 and ‘99, so my I bought it new-from-boutique in 1997 Baguette has been misidentified as a fake by Fendi SAs (actually at the same store I bought it from fifteen years before)
So it may be a fake, or it may be the Fendi equivalent of the flat stud balenciaga bags – something that unusual when someone under the age of fifty recognizes it.
A reminder that LVMH sales staff is not trained to authenticate beyond the very basics. That’s why it’s good to work with someone who has significant experience within the house.
That is such a fun fact – pretty cool!!!! In the show, they called this bag out as fake but it had such a prominent moment it struck me as a bit odd that Fendi would sign off on it!