And Just Like That… the clothes make sense at haute couture

The legion of hate-watchers pondering the relevance of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte’s wardrobe were silenced by the latest haute couture season in Paris, where Valentino inadvertently delivered wardrobe suggestions for a proposed second season of And Just Like That...

Veteran supermodel Kristen McMenamy, 57, opened the refined show from designer Pierpaolo Piccioli in a little black dress with a sweetheart neckline that swooped into fetish territory with femme fatale opaque stockings. Her signature silver hair parted and severely pulled back, McMenamy was a couture stand-in for Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, complete with gloves for protecting the character Carrie’s fingers from sneaky cigarettes.

And Just Like That...Carrie has a new wardrobe thanks to the haute couture, spring/summer 2022 season in Paris with looks from Valentino and Schiaparelli.

In a move welcomed by those seeking greater diversity on the runway, Piccioli outfitted a number of mature and curvaceous models from different racial backgrounds, reflecting the often jarring push for greater cultural relevance on And Just Like That... There was even boxy black menswear capable of elevating the stoner style of non-binary character Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) or embellished tailoring ready for Miranda’s slightly more structured wardrobe.

Finding preppy Charlotte on the runway required a trip to the temporary space replacing the Grand Palais, undergoing renovations, for the Chanel show. Monégasque royal Charlotte Casiraghi riding astride a horse in a bejewelled black tweed jacket was in step with the Park Avenue princess style of Kristin Davis’s character, but it was an update of the classic Chanel suit which best-suited television’s proudest perimenopausal mother. With plaid tweed jackets breezily open and skirts not completely closing over an exquisite lace dress, artistic director Virginie Viard provided an enticing uniform for liberal conservatives (no pearls required).

Considering the controversy surrounding how And Just Like That... fumbled through Indian culture by referring to Carrie’s lehenga as a sari, the costume department might be safer swiping the intricately embellished ecru clothing on the runway for Christian Dior. Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was inspired by the craftsmanship of India, commissioning artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh to design graphic tapestries created by crafts school Chanakya to create a spectacular backdrop.

Chanel is the perfect choice for Charlotte played by Kristin Davis in ‘And Just Like That...’

Chiuri’s golden embroidered vests and coats gave the flavour of India without forcing the front row to consider whether they were witnessing cultural appropriation or appreciation. If Sarita Choudhury’s character Seema, a successful Indian-American realtor, is elevated from token status she could easily embody the elevated craftsmanship of the subtly sensual collection.

Less contentious than a sari or a lehenga is a toga-inspired gown from Kim Jones at Fendi, the Italian house elevated to pop culture status by Carrie’s brandishing of their baguette handbag in the original series. “The eternity of Rome, the spirituality of Rome, the celestial Rome,” was Jones’s inspiration for the collection dominated by oil-slick, duchess silk in fluid silhouettes.

It was the sexiness of the Jean Paul Gaultier show, interpreted by Y/Project’s Glenn Martens, that highlighted the missing link of the series now screening on Binge. Kim Cattrall’s bawdy, self-assured Samantha Jones, banished to London by the writers, would have bought sex back to the city in dark jumpsuits with cut-outs revealing the hip-bone and cable-knit sweater dresses, with twists resembling Japanese rope bondage.

Jean Paul Gaultier summons the spirit of Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) on the spring/summer 2022 haute couture runway in Paris.Credit: Getty

The Jean Paul Gaultier show was a welcome moment of heat in the Paris winter, where designers valiantly tried to generate excitement for occasion wear in a world still struggling with the idea of leaving the house. Perhaps Samantha moved to London at the right time, her bags stuffed with vintage Thierry Mugler jackets and Herve Leger bandage dresses, waiting for sexy to come back before returning in triumph. Until then, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda can celebrate their personal Zeitgeist in clothes from a season especially for them.

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