Ahead of the holiday season, a new collection is here to satisfy your party dressing needs, courtesy of Emily in Paris star Ashley Park and Rent The Runway.
The collection marks the first ever fashion collaboration for the actor-singer who has become a style-setter thanks to her portrayal of Mindy Chen, a fashion-forward nanny-turned-singer with a flair for bold colors, loud prints, and over-the-top accessories. And while, at first, the partnership may appear unexpected — it’s not often that celebrities choose to partner with a rental platform over a brand — it makes perfect sense for Park, who was a Rent The Runway customer when she first moved to New York to start her career as an actor and didn’t have access to designer clothing.
“I’ve never shopped at a fancy luxury designer, so knowing that this company makes high-end fashion accessible to people, I was really excited about that,” Park tells Refinery29, adding that she was also drawn to the sustainability of renting versus buying new. “Anything I put out into the world, I need to believe in, so it was an easy yes for me. I know the company, and I genuinely use them and like them.”
The lineup includes eight party-ready silhouettes, ranging from a velvet blazer mini dress to a tuxedo-inspired jumpsuit with a low back, and a strappy sequin dress. “Each of the pieces has its own personality — it’s the centerpiece of its own kind of show,” she says. “I really think there is something for everyone. We thought a lot about what kinds of things make you feel special when you’re going to an event and you want to take up that spotlight.” Which makes it that much less surprising that Park’s Emily in Paris character wears the faux leather midi dress from the collection (top photo) in Season 3 of the Netflix show, which will premiere in December.
While Park describes herself as “adventurous” when it comes to her red carpet fashion — for proof, see the hot pink mini and matching platforms that the actor wore to the Valentino runway show — she says her style is “understated on a daily basis” and mostly made up of versatile pieces she can mix and match while living out of a suitcase during filming.
“I am way more about comfort than Mindy. She marches to the beat of her own drum fashion-wise, she doesn’t like to be confined to a certain style or box…she likes to take a risk and keep people on their toes,” she says. “We definitely have different daily personal styles, but when it comes to taking up space and shining in a moment, I’ve learned a lot from Mindy’s fashion rhetoric.” Park sees holidays as an opportunity for everyone else to do the same.
“I love the holidays because you get to be around your loved ones and there’s a lot of celebrating that happens. But I also feel like holidays are when you can be more adventurous and be more sparkly and glamorous than you would be in the middle of the summer,” she says. “This year especially, things are coming back to life, and so we are all saying yes to everything, and suddenly you have eight holiday engagements, and you’re like, Do I have to buy a new thing for every single one?“
Not anymore: Ashley Park x Rent the Runway collection is available now and can be rented, on its own or as part of a monthly subscription, or purchased pre-loved.
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