10 fashion thoughts about belly in paris i’m still not over
read this if you have wednesday withdrawals like me.
All good things must come to an end.
Last week, TSITP closed out with its finale episode. We said our farewells—to Belly and Conrad, to Paris and Cousins, to peaches and raspberry coulis. I miss it so much!!! Wednesday just doesn’t feel the same without a Jeremiah food zinger. But I’m sure Jenny Han is eager for a nice long vacation, before working on the gift that is TSITP: The Movie!!!
This show has always had a special place in my heart since its premiere in 2022, but it ascended into a mega pop culture moment this summer, fueled by the performances of ever-winsome Lola Tung (Belly) and micro-expression king Chris Briney (Conrad).
TSITP’s popularity is in part because it’s fun to watch, but also because it’s really fun to talk about. There is a real appetite for post-episode debriefing/theorizing, in the same vein as ‘White Lotus’ and ‘Severance.’
In August, I wrote a TSITP fashion commentary piece and it was (unexpectedly) the most popular newsletter that month…I promised a Part 2 that would cover everything from Belly in Paris to the finale.
Well, here it is! I mostly discuss Belly’s looks, because the story converges to her as the focal point. We’ll talk about:
the symbolism of Belly’s Sezane-ification
parallels to Emily in Paris, GIRLS and Normal People
why Jeremiah’s chef-fluencer arc should end in LA
Belly’s green floral robe as emotional armor
the bob I think she should have gotten instead
***CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!***
All images courtesy of Prime Video/The Summer I Turned Pretty.
1). Celine must be Jessa Johansson’s long-lost cousin.
This is Celine, one of Belly’s Paris friends.
And this is Jessa from ‘GIRLS.’ They both wear a matte red lip, boho-inflected outfits, and tousled mermaid hair. They also share a habit of sleeping with married men.
I think the actresses look so similar…when Celine came onscreen I did a double take because I thought it was Jemima Kirke.
When Belly arrives in Paris and befriends Gemma & co., the show takes on a more mature tone compared to the juvenile breeziness of Cousins. I think the introduction of a Jessa-esque character contributed to this tonal shift. Of course, TSITP stayed far more tame than an HBO show, but it needed some grit to support Belly’s growth arc.
I enjoyed how the Paris episodes felt—more “young adult” themes, while avoiding the cheesy Cocomelon-ness of ‘Emily in Paris.’
2). We all saw the Sezane switch up coming, right?
Belly leaves Cousins after her disaster wedding. We don’t see much of the packing process, except for the part where she shoves her wedding dress in her backpack.
By the time we see her acclimated to Parisian life, she’s ditched her signature beachy Doen blouses and matching Reformation sets for Sezane sweaters.
The dialogue between Taylor and Belly tells us that she bought those sweaters in Paris. Every single outfit in this episode looks like a Sezane catalog; her “Cousins clothes” are tucked away in her closet.
This points to Belly’s desire for self-reinvention, and the inescapable American romanticization of “French girl style.”
Belly probably bought a matte red lipstick because Celine wore it once and it looked “chic” to her. The floral embroidered sweater also looks like something Gemma might have gravitated towards and convinced Belly to try on.
She may be easily influenced, but this is realistic—she’s 22 and figuring out who she is in a new city.
3). From fratboy shirts to chore coats: Jeremiah’s evolution into a chef-fluencer.
After his wedding is called off, Jeremiah spirals hard. He turns to destructive habits, basically drops out of school, and overstays his welcome at Steven’s apartment. An exasperated Adam decides it’s time to pull the classic Caucasian tough love parenting move: cutting his son off financially.
Now, when Hannah Horvath was cut off, she resisted, stating the famous line about how she might be the voice of a generation. Jeremiah, however, did not express such self-advocacy (or delusion). They both love a mesh tank, though.
He accepts that he is at rock bottom. And so begins his journey to build character and resilience through kitchen labor. It’s a bit surprising when we see Jeremiah in a black uniform for his “glorified busboy” job—we’re used to seeing him in fratty printed shirts or nepo baby suits.
Fast forward and we see him in a light blue chore coat and a plain white tee. Obviously a nod to chef-core a la The Bear. I get the impression that he’s gained self-confidence through his culinary career pursuit. Calmed down, mellowed out. No more fratboy shirts…
Final form Jeremiah is a rising chef-fluencer in the mold of Pierce Abernathy (
clocked this too), fancy apron and all. If the gochujang glazed carrots are any indication, I think he has a bright future in LA…specifically as a Venice beach bro working at Majordomo or some other David Chang establishment.