In recent years, Emilia Petrarca has emerged as one of fashion’s most distinctive voices. She first honed her blend of wit, obsession and journalistic rigour at The Cut, where she rose to the position of Senior Fashion Writer, before going freelance in 2023.
These days, her work regularly graces heavy hitters like The New York Times, The New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal, where she’s written about everything from fashion’s obsession with toes to Taylor Swift’s engagement ring (regular readers will recognise my affinity with the former).
She’s also leading the ‘new media’ charge - her newsletter Shop Rat has over 30,000 loyal subscribers, and she recently hosted a ‘Shop Rat Summit’ at the new Printemps store in New York.
This isn’t actually Emilia’s first time on Threads of Conversation - we chatted back in 2023, when she first went freelance. Since then, I’ve continued to be amused and inspired by her work, admiring her ability to get to the heart of the fashion conversation in a way that feels investigative, but not accusatory.
In October last year, we finally crossed paths IRL in Milan, where Emilia was covering fashion week for the New York Times. She arrived to our recording suitably on-brand, clutching a crisp Prada shopping bag (watch to the end for the unboxing!)
In this interview, we discuss the various Prada pieces that chart her career in fashion, plus her infamous disdain for flaccid totes. Watch/ listen to the interview on YouTube (above), or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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The piece that reminds Emilia of her childhood…
An Agnès B snap cardigan.
The piece that reminds her of her career…
A Prada tie, bought on her first trip to Milan.
The piece that reminds her of a high…
The Prada SS24 bag that launched a thousand ships/ iMessages.
The piece that reminds her of a low…
The infamous flaccid tote.
The piece that makes her feel part of something…
Unofficial Mrs Prada merch.
The piece that reminds her of a great party…
The gold Miu Miu outfit Emilia wore for her Cher-themed 30th birthday.
The piece that makes her feel sexy…
A Norma Kamali Pickleball dress.
The one that got away…
A green Prada coat from the AW21 collection.
Start your own Thread
Which of Emilia’s pieces is your favourite? And who would you like to see on the podcast next?
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