Dressed like that: what Carrie’s fashion reveals about middle age
Carrie Bradshaw’s commitment to kooky fashion is pleasing but this show’s baffling outfits signify these cashed-up characters may have hit their 50s but they still don’t have it all worked out.
What to say about the fashion in the Sex and the City successor, And Just Like That …? For all the negative comparisons to the generation-defining ’90s hit, the sequel has matched the original for conspicuous clothing. On the one hand, it’s been heartening to see Carrie Bradshaw’s commitment to kooky fashion in her mid-fifties, carrying the cult Pigeon purse by fashion designer JW Anderson and mostly refusing to give up her vertiginous heels. But it’s the new characters who seem to have displayed a cohesive personal style over the past two seasons.
Seema, Carrie’s slinky real estate mogul friend, prowls the New York City streets in leopard print, power neutrals, bodysuits and a chocolate brown car (“the panther of the group,” as Danny Santiago, one of the show’s costume designers, described her to me). Charlotte York Goldenblatt’s friend and fellow alpha mum Lisa Todd Wexley, with her enormous necklaces and avant-garde choices – “it’s not crazy, it’s Valentino!” she cries in defence of her Met Gala outfit – vividly challenges the invisibility often ascribed to women in middle age.
For the core characters in the franchise, fashion has aligned with emotional maturity (or lack of). Messy, ’90s Carrie bounced around in tutus that Samantha wouldn’t be caught dead in. And decades later here’s our Carrie, for the most part still muddling through.
Charlotte has failed to evolve her Upper East Side princess signature of pussy-bow blouses and Peter Pan collars, as she struggles with the notion that she cannot mould her children in her image. Miranda Hobbes is still figuring out how to dress since giving up her hotshot lawyer job, but wears her heart on her sleeve – and heart-print pyjamas to boot.
New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman lamented that “at this stage, I would hope that these characters would have actually wandered further down that road, to a place where they know who they are, rather than be stuck in a constant game of dress up. Evolution can be a fashion thing as well”. But it’s worth remembering that evolution is no easy thing.
The show’s fanciful, sometimes baffling outfits signify that these characters may have hit middle age with plenty of money but they still don’t have everything worked out.
Costume designer Molly Rogers (who worked on the original show) has said that for these women, wardrobe “reflects their moods and what they’re going through.” Or as Miranda Hobbes puts it, when queried about those heart-print pyjamas, “Life is full of surprises.”
Q&A – Lee Mathews, fashion designer
How has your own style evolved over time?
It has sort of come full circle. I used to wear very boyish jackets and pants and little shirts, with maybe a few skirts thrown in and an apron dress or two. Then I went into experimenting with layering and different silhouettes – variously successful and not! Now I have really returned to simple, tonal dressing – white shirts, black pants or jeans, with jackets of all shapes and some in colour. And still the odd shirt dress. It’s very utilitarian and functional – a little dull I guess, but I don’t need to think too much and I like that.
What is the most worn piece in your wardrobe?
I have an old Comme Des Garçons skirt that I wear on rotation. It’s black and basically nothing, but it’s a staple I’ve returned to over and over.
Your style icon?
My friend Brana Wolf! She is retired now, but she was a fashion editor and stylist at large for many years. I’ve never known her to look anything but completely and effortlessly stylish. Her ability to put anything together and carry herself with such quiet confidence has always been something I have admired.
Your favourite style era, and why?
Hmm, this one is hard to pinpoint. I love traditional costume and workwear – which is ageless – but equally a piece from an early Lanvin collection greatly appeals to me. I look at all eras and find the bits that make sense to me at the time. Small details, colour and print – it’s all influential and helps to point you in a direction for a season or two.
What’s the secret to being chic when the weather is miserable?
A pair of Johnstons of Elgin cashmere socks – even when they’re hidden – will always make you feel chic. They’re even better when paired with the eye mask.
How to … – Sheer Luck
Barely there clothing has been one of the biggest and most daunting trends of the year. But actor Salma Hayek and Kate, Princess of Wales have shown how to approach this with a mix of caution and boldness.
Wear sheer gloves to add drama, or calibrate a translucent blouse by adding a camisole and blazer to suit preferred levels of modesty. Transparent panelling on a hemline or top adds texture and intrigue to a look.
Why this pasta is one of NYT Cooking’s best-ever dishes
This elegant, bright pasta comes together in about the same amount of time it takes to boil spaghetti and heat up a jar of store-bought pasta sauce
NYT Cooking’s famous salmon traybake is a midweek winner
Brushing a simple sesame-ginger glaze onto the salmon before it roasts promotes caramelisation on the fish, a feat not easily accomplished when roasting salmon fillets.