Virtual Talk
Emily in Paris: Fashion fantasia or faux-pas?

Thursday, January 21, 2021
12:30pm ET
In English

Watch On Demand

In the Netflix hit show Emily in Paris, Emily’s wildly colorful and revealing fashion choices are often mocked by her chic neutral-clad Parisienne boss Sylvie. Is this a cliché or the reality of the Paris fashion scene?

Lola Rykiel, founder of French fashion brand Pompom Paris, influencer, and granddaughter of noted designer Sonia Rykiel, and Jessica Michault, an award-winning fashion journalist, will share their perspectives on Parisian fashion today in a conversation with Rebecca Leffler, an American author and journalist who inspired the role of Emily.

40 minutes with Q&A

Lola Rykiel

Lola Rykiel is the founder of French fashion brand Pompom Paris.

  • Read More

    • Parisian-born Lola Burstein-Rykiel grew up in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Her childhood was spent alongside her grandmothers: Sonia Rykiel, whose liberating vision for women was at the core of eponymous fashion label, and Joan Burstein, founder and creator of the department store Browns. Rykiel began her career at the house of Sonia Rykiel. However, she moved to New York to pursue contemporary dance at the Martha Graham Dance School. Integrating her interests in applied and performance arts, Rykiel rejoined the house of Sonia Rykiel in 2012 as head of communications for the North American division. In 2016, she launched Le Chocolat Noir, a New York–based agency offering strategic brand consulting, media planning, and event conception. In 2019, Rykiel founded Pompom Paris, her own label which pays homage to her grandmother Sonia’s famed “velours de luxe” as well as her time dancing and love of fitness. The collection will unveil its second season in January 2021.

      Learn more at pompom-paris.com

Jessica Michault

Jessica Michault is an award-winning journalist, public speaker, and fashion, luxury, and beauty consultant.

  • Read More

    • She is also the executive editor of the biannual fashion bible ODDA Magazine. Michault’s 60 Second Fashion Reviews have brought fashion show criticism to the social media sphere and her interviews with fashion’s leading movers and shakers, via her Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast, have connected fashion lovers to industry figures. She has worked with brands such as Miu Miu, Boucheron, Mulberry, and the Puig group, and her articles have been published in The New York Times, Business of Fashion, and across international editions of Vogue magazine. She also covers the fashion industry for France 24.

      Born and raised in San Francisco, Michault now lives in Paris with her husband and three daughters.

      Learn more at www.jessicamichault.com

Rebecca Leffler

Rebecca Leffler is a writer and journalist.

  • Read More

    • Rebecca Leffler is an author, journalist and consultant who, after a long career in entertainment as France Correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter and film critic on French TV network Canal, traded the red carpet for the yoga mat and champagne for green smoothies. Her best-selling French book Green, Glam & Gourmande (Marabout) has been translated to Spanish and Dutch and the English-language adaptation Très Green, Très Clean, Très Chic: Eat (and live) the New French Way with Plant-based, Gluten-free Recipes for Every Season. She published a follow-up book Green, Glam & Happy (Marabout) in 2015 focusing on the science of happiness and food and lifestyle tips that contribute to general well-being, particularly on digestion and brain function. Green, Glam & Gourmet was released in “Poche” (paperback) in France in 2016 and Green & Glam Attitude was released in France in October, 2017.

      Learn more at rebeccaleffler.com