When we first met Emily in Paris’s Sylvie Grateau in 2020, the high-powered marketing manager looked set to represent everything the show’s protagonist was not. Emily was bright-eyed, American and gratingly chirpy; Sylvie was cool, French and had cigarettes for lunch. Emily dressed in vivid colours and clashing prints and wore berets and bucket hats; Sylvie’s wardrobe was all sleek black tailoring – and she would probably rather die than wear anything resembling a bucket.
Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) duly filled the role of the show’s antagonist: opposed to Emily’s very presence in Paris, she challenged her at every turn. But over four seasons, her softer side has emerged. She has fallen in and out of love, shaken off corporate overlords, spoken out against sexism and abuse in the fashion industry and even taken Emily under her wing. And now, it seems, she has become the star of the show. Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Stylist magazines have called for a Sylvie spin-off series. A running joke among fans involves making a pointed tweak to the name of the show: “It’s time for my annual binge watch of Emily in Paris, also known as Sylvie in Paris,” reads one tweet.
