A DEEP DIVE INTO CARRIE BRADSHAW’S EXPERIMENTAL FASHION IN “SEX AND THE CITY”
BY CAMI SEYMORE PHOTOS BY PROVIDED
“Sex and the City” was a hit American television series which aired from 1998-2004. The show followed Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a sex columnist, along with her three friends Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), as they explored New York City’s dating scene as women in their 30s and discovered themselves in the process.
Carrie, the main character and narrator of the show, was considered a fashion icon of the early 2000s. Carrie often played with bold patterns, colors, and textures in her looks. Out of all of the characters, Carrie is known for her standout fashion moments, inventive ensembles, and of course, her extensive designer shoe collection.
Throughout the series, Carrie pairs her outfits with staple accessories that help her to be experimental with her outfits while also being cohesive. For example, Carrie is famous for her signature nameplate necklace that she wears with almost every outfit after Season 1.
Costume Designers Patricia Field, Rebecca Weinberg, and Eric Daman took input from Parker and used her personal style to embolden Carrie’s looks. At the time, the actress really enjoyed floral patterns, telling the costume designers, “Let’s do a big flower.” After that, Carrie was often seen wearing large, bold flower brooches with her outfits, which became a recurring element of the character’s wardrobe.
Throughout the series, Bradshaw was known for her nightlife looks and spectacular gowns. A prime example of this is from Season 3, Episode 18, when Carrie wore a Richard Tyle ruffled, floral, baby pink dress when confronting her main romantic interest, Mr. Big (Chris Noth), where the two romantically fell into a lake.
However, her wedding dress she wore for her nuptials to Mr. Big later in the series may have been the most “Carrie” look of all. Though Mr. Big got cold feet and the wedding was called off, Carrie donned a puffy, avante-garde Vivienne Westwood gown paired with a blue feather headdress. This gown was extravagant and unexpectedly extraordinary, just like Carrie.
Along with her formal looks, Bradshaw reinvented street style by pairing tutus with tank tops or T-shirts, which Carrie wore in the show’s opening credits. The dichotomy between the fancy tutu with a casual, everyday top broke fashion barriers, proving Carrie was the ultimate TV fashion icon of the 2000s.
Carrie masterfully paired casual accessories with fancy pieces throughout the series, often pairing mismatched patterns or metals that should clash, but Carrie effortlessly pulled them off. For example, Carrie wore a colorful floral slip dress paired with a silver, heavy metal belt and a gold handbag. By mixing metals and pairing an oversized belt with a dainty dress, this look was fashion-forward, and showed Carrie to be a fashion trend setter.
Whether she was wearing a fancy gown out on the town with her girlfriends or simply running errands around the city, Carrie Bradshaw always played with new styles and changed the fashion landscape for years to come. Revisiting “Sex and the City” episodes today, over 25 years since it premiered, is a reminder of the impact this show made on fashion and culture, and its impact has lasted far longer than all of Carrie’s Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik shoes.
