Bravo’s ‘Gallery Girls’ Throwback Flavors New ‘Real Girlfriends in Paris’
Real Girlfriends in Paris may be new to Bravo, but the series definitely has hints of one of the network’s 2012 twentysomething series, Gallery Girls.
Like Real Girlfriends in Paris, Gallery Girls followed the lives and livelihoods of a group of friends in New York City. New York played a huge role in Gallery Girls, providing the backdrop for new businesses and social encounters. And Real Girlfriends in Paris also promises to offer something similar, but in Paris, France.
Bravo’s ‘Gallery Girls’ flavored ‘Real Girlfriends in Paris’?
The Gallery Girls and Real Girlfriends in Paris casts are all in their twenties, starting and expanding on their careers, friendships, and their love life.
Gallery Girls cast member Claudia Martinez Reardon described Gallery Girls to Complex in 2012. “Gallery Girls is about girls living and working in New York City and the art industry, but it’s also about our lives outside of the art world — everything that feeds into real New York life,” she shared.
“I think that’s what makes the show so interesting because we haven’t seen something like that yet. We’ve seen the more romantic aspects of living in New York, which certainly exists — it’s a very romantic city — but there’s also a lot of hard work, struggle, and competition that goes into life here. Gallery Girls captures all of it,” she added. “It’s about our relationships with our jobs, friends, boyfriends, and parents. It’s a really dynamic show.”
‘Gallery Girls’ focused on young women working in the art industry, ‘Real Girlfriends in Paris’ leans into style
At the time, Reardon was the co-curator at the Lower East Side gallery. Gallery Girls honed in on the cutthroat industry of running and managing an art gallery in New York City. The entire Gallery Girls cast were involved in the art world, whereas the Real Girlfriends in Paris cast generally runs the career gamut.
However, many Real Girlfriends in Paris cast members either work in the fashion industry or fashion is their passion. Margaux Lignel, Adja Toure and Victoria Zito all have careers in fashion and design. Lignel attended Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design but is at a crossroads in her career.
Toure is also in the middle of a career pivot and has her eye on the beauty world. Meanwhile, Zito attended Parsons and “is currently the head designer at the nascent fashion brand Chloe Colette,” according to Bravo.
Both ‘Real Girlfriends in Paris’ and ‘Gallery Girls’ featured an ensemble cast intertwined by friendship
Bravo stuck to its reality TV formula of following a group of friends. But then dove in through the reality television lens to uncover relationships. And while both casts are connected through friendships, Reardon explained how the Gallery Girls are connected. And these connections seem very similar to how Real Girlfriends in Paris is set up.
“What’s so interesting about the show is that we have a group of girls who I would not have met otherwise; they lead a very, very different life from me,” she said. “We ended up meeting through the Eli Klein gallery. It adds a new layer to the show because you see these different groups of people doing their thing, whether from Brooklyn or Manhattan. Although we’re the same age and all interested in and working in art, we have our differences. In the end, we’re all focused women living in the city.”
Real Girlfriends in Paris is also focused on women living in the city. But the cast is mutually tied together by Anya Firestone, who mentors and supports the rest of the cast. “As an inventive hostess, she often has gatherings and weekly Shabbat dinners in the Parisian apartment she shares with her fiancé, Mathieu, and their precious pup, Zsa Zsa,” according to her Bravo bio.
“Anya exudes her quirky personality everywhere she goes,” according to her bio. “And her affectionate presence makes her the go-to shoulder to lean on when the ladies are feeling homesick or needing advice.”
Real Girlfriends in Paris premieres on Monday, September 5, at 9:15/8:15c on Bravo.
