Lifestyle of a Fashionista

6/24/23

Carrie Bradshaw came into our lives and onto our screens twenty-five years ago. The first episode of Sex and the City aired on June 6, 1998. Sex and the City gave us twenty-five years of Carrie with her stylish outfits, designer shoe collection, man troubles, and social events with friends. There are six seasons of Sex and the City, two movies, and a new spin-off series called And Just Like That.

I’ve watched it all and rewatched it over the past twenty-five years. I remember visiting a friend’s apartment to watch the new episode airing on HBO. Before streaming, I bought the DVD sets. Now everything is available on Max, HBO’s streaming service. Season two of And Just Like That started June 22, 2023.

When it first aired, this show was groundbreaking for women to see topics around dating and navigating relationships. Of course, the show featured a lot of sex and talked about sex, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. I enjoyed watching the women openly discuss their romances and how their friendships had changed over the years. Of course, my favorite part of the show was seeing the different outfits worn by Carrie.

From British Vogue, The 15 Greatest Sex And The City Episodes Of All Time

From People, ‘Sex and the City’ Turns 25! A By-the-Numbers Blowout

How Carrie came to life

From The New York Times, It’s an It Girl! The Birth of ‘Sex and the City’

It started in 1994 with a weekly column in the New York Observer written by Candace Bushnell, called Sex and the City. The column’s author and central character, Candace Bushnell, was then a 35-year-old freelance writer who summered in the Hamptons, dated the publisher of Vogue (the real Mr. Big) and socialized with famous writers and rich people. She wrote about dating in your 30s in New York City.

In 1996, the columns were collected in a book of the same name. Two years later came the HBO series starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, created by Darren Star. Michael Patrick King took over some writing and directing after Darren Star left. Sarah Jessica Parker became a producer, and Cynthia Nixon directed some episodes.

Carrie is played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who helped shape the character with all of her fashion and flaws. Read in the New Yorker, Why Sarah Jessica Parker Keeps Playing Carrie Bradshaw.

Carrie’s friends and love interests

One of the reasons women liked watching Sex and the City was seeing the four friends hang out and talk about sex and dating. Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda all had different personalities and goals but loved to spend time together. The character’s relationships were complicated, they made mistakes, and they provided each other with advice and support.

Their romantic relationships with men (and women) were also complex and filled with errors.

From Harper’s Bazaar, A Definitive Ranking of Every Guy Carrie Bradshaw Dated

From Elle, The Six Life Lessons We Learned From Sex And The City. “Friendship is key to a happy life“

Carrie’s home

New York City was another character on the show. The show featured iconic landmarks, famous restaurants, and daily city life struggles.

From Thrillist, 9 NYC Restaurants from ‘Sex and the City’ That Are Still Open Today

From People, All of the ‘Sex and the City’ & ‘And Just Like That…’ Hot Spots Where You Can Dine in New York City

Carrie’s closet (the fashion)

From Refinery 29, Carrie Bradshaw Is The Blueprint For Modern It Girl Style.

My favorite part of watching Carrie was seeing the different outfits she’d put together. She was fashion-forward, wearing luxury brand designers, combining different textures, and finding new ways to accessorize.

The costume designer for the show was Patricia Field. From E! News, “This was going to be an honest exploration of adult female sexual relationships, and the fashion had to reflect that sort of open-mindedness,” she told the outlet in a Feb. 5 interview. “None of the characters were stereotypes of women along the slut/prude spectrum, but instead were juggling a complex mix of careers, sexual desires and real friendships.”

From British Vogue, Patricia Field On Styling Sex And The City.

From PopSugar, Every Iconic Carrie Bradshaw Outfit From “Sex and the City”

The tutu ($5 from a thrift store):

I loved Carrie’s outfits; my favorite parts of the outfit were the coats and accessories. She had great bags, scarves, jewelry, flower pins, and shoes. These pieces were put together in unconventional ways.

From Bustle, 5 Signature Accessories Carrie Bradshaw Wore Over & Over Again In SATC.

Some of my favorite looks:

I loved her outfits when she first started dating Aidan, including her Dior bag and flower accessories.

Her fur coat is one of my favorite pieces she has worn. I also loved her outfits when she dated the politician.

From Byrdie, 10 Iconic Carrie Bradshaw Outfits to Add to Your Closet.

From Elle, How Much Did It Cost to Dress Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City?

And Just Like That

The new series tries to correct some of the faults of the original series. Like many other shows aired in the ’90s, Sex and the City often lacked diversity and played into cliches. There are critics that have panned all twenty-five years of Carrie Bradshaw content. From Huffington Post, The New Season Of And Just Like That Has Been Just As Divisive With Critics As The First.

The missing friend returns: from CNN, Kim Cattrall will indeed reprise the role of Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’ reboot. She was in season one only via text messages, but will have one scene in season two.

If you, like me, have enjoyed watching these flawed characters navigate the ups and downs of life and love, you will enjoy And Just Like That. 

And of course, it’s worth watching for the fashion. 

From InStyle, Confirmed: Carrie Bradshaw Has a Thing for Birds. I hate pigeons, but I love this clutch!

From Marie Claire, Every OG Accessory From ‘Sex & The City’ That’s Reappeared In Its Reboot, ‘And Just Like That’.

From Glossy, ‘And Just Like That’ costume designers on Season 2’s fashion

From Fashion, The Best, Whackiest, and Most Impractical Looks from And Just Like That… Season 2

Celebrate 25 years of Carrie

Pour yourself a Cosmopolitan and watch or rewatch the shows and movies, and reboot.

Visit Carrie’s hotspots when in New York City. From Business Insider, I took the ‘Sex and the City’ tour in NYC for a blast of nostalgia — see what it was like.