Beyond the Cover: Marylin Fitoussi’s Guide to Fashion Without Limits

For Beyond the Cover, Alex Assouline sits down with Marylin Fitoussi to discuss Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide, Assouline’s newest style title celebrating the show’s most iconic looks and the creative vision behind them. If you’ve watched the series, you already know Fitoussi’s work. As the costume designer, she is behind every bold pattern, unexpected accessory, and fashion moment that has fueled global conversations.

For Fitoussi, the collaboration was both unexpected and deeply personal. “Everyone put so much energy and love into this project. It became the best adventure for me,” she shared.

The show’s unmistakable visual identity is rooted in her close partnership with creator Darren Star. Aligned in their approach, they see fashion as playful, expressive, and instinctive. “Darren is incredibly creative and knows French culture very well,” she says. “I loved seeing Paris through his eyes.”

When asked what she hopes readers take away from the book, Fitoussi is clear. “Just be free. Show people that we can break any rules.” For her, style begins when fear ends, when you stop dressing for approval and start dressing for yourself. It is a philosophy that reads almost like a manifesto. You are your own costume designer.

Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide invites readers to approach fashion, and creativity, without constraint. To embrace individuality over conformity. To experiment, mix, and play. As Fitoussi puts it, “When you’re not dressed like anybody else, you don’t think like anybody else.”