Twenty-five years ago, four women rewrote the script for love, friendship — and fashion — in New York. After six seasons of ‘Sex and the City’, two films, and reboot series, ‘And Just Life That’, the last episodes this fortnight mark the end of the franchise. Fashionabc looks at the iconic fashion moments that changed how women aspire to be ‘fabulous’.
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) gave luxury fashion brands a household status, making the Fendi baguette, JW Anderson pigeon clutch, Oscar de la Renta gown, Mugler jacket, and Manolo Blahnik stilettos as famous as the women who wore them — Bradshaw’s ‘wedding shoes’ witnessed searches for Manolo Blahnik jump 391 percent!
Protagonist Carrie Bradshaw spends the franchise maintaining her fashion (and shoe!) closets while working as a columnist for a local newspaper — she even stages a fake wedding registry at Manolo Blahnik in the episode “A Woman’s Right to Shoes” to express her frustration at being judged for being single and spending on herself. A mix of designer, vintage, and thrift store pieces picked by the show costume designer Patricia Fields, her wardrobe inspires fashion influencers even today. Fields is a downtown New Yorker and fleshed out the unique style of the four protagonists really well — everyone was styled based on where they were living or working.
In preparation for the end of ‘Sex and the City’, here are some of the best looks throughout the franchise’s run. This is our farewell love letter to the women who reminded us that sometimes, ‘It’s not logic. It’s love.’
Sex And The City: Looks That Went Down In Fashion History
Carrie’s Dior newspaper-print dress
Cut on the bias and featuring a newspaper print, the iconic dress designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior became famous, courtesy of season three, episode 17, which saw Carrie Bradshaw wearing it while walking through the streets of Manhattan. The bodycon dress — which debuted at the Christian Dior Fall Winter 2000 runway show — assumed cult status. In an email, Sotheby’s told CNN that it had acquired the newspaper-print dress from a private collector who purchased it when the collection was first released. Galliano later repurposed the print as ‘the Galliano Gazette’ for his namesake label.
Samantha’s Mugler power jacket
Samantha, as a bidder with an auction paddle in hand, wears a canary yellow power jacket from Mugler Fall Winter 1988 ‘She-Devils’ collection. Not many women can pull off a bold, attention-seeking power suit—with an hourglass silhouette but Samantha was born to be one of Mugler’s she-devils.
Carrie‘s J’Adore Dior 8 T-Shirt and ball skirt
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
Loving the way Carrie’s ballgown skirt was paired with a t-shirt for a unique, fun and day outfit. The J’Adore Dior tee 2.0 in charcoal-grey jersey is printed with fade-effect lettering. PS This skirt actually started out as a slip! Costume designer Patricia Field loved the colour and design so much, she used it as a skirt.
Miranda’s little black dress
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
As a Harvard-educated lawyer, Miranda Hobb’s style is a mix of minimalism, androgynous and corporate chic. Although pared-down compared to Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha, Miranda dresses with intention. Given her straightforward personality, the little black dress is Miranda’s go-to for understated glamour on nights out with the girls. Slip into your favorite heels and accessorise to complete the look — Miranda’s red hair makes it a stand out!
Charlotte’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ dress
Invoking the spirit of Elizabeth Taylor, Charlotte York dresses in a strapless pink midi dress with a slim black belt and oversized sunglasses she envisions the actress wearing, to uplift her spirits after a miscarriage. Charlotte decided to pull herself out of the mourning and ask, “what would Elizabeth Taylor do?” The result is this stunning, elegant look.
Carrie’s three-tiered tutu skirt
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic white tutu skirt with a matching satin waistband from ‘Sex and the City’ opening credits sold for more than $52,000 at a recent auction was auctioned by Julien’s, a site that boasts “artifacts and one-of-a-kind collections” — the three-tiered skirt is one of five originals used in the show’s opening credits and Sarah Jessica Parker still owns one of them, the auction house said. PS Costume designer Patricia Field wrote in her memoir, ‘Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules’, that she got the skirt for $5, fishing it out of a “five-dollar bin at a midtown fashion showroom.” Field wrote, “I imagined pairing the short, tiered tulle skirt with a small tee or tank for a look that was both contemporary and cool…the tutu-style skirt was whimsical, adventurous, and unexpected.”
Miranda’s Julien Macdonald gown
The style stakes are high at a gay wedding. Miranda wore a stunning, spiked Julien Macdonald 2009 RTW gown for the occasion — with Dior T Strap Sandals accessorised with a Chanel bag.
Carrie’s flower “brooch”
Carrie Bradshaw’s floral “brooch” became the got-to for summer in the city after it first appeared in Season 3, Episode 2, following her second break-up with Big. Fans debated online that it was meant to symbolise the possibility of new love, which makes sense given Season 3’s story line that saw her short-lived relationship with The Politician, eventually meeting Aidan Shaw, the second love of her life.
Carrie’s Valentino gown
From the voluminous off-the-shoulder sleeves and the bright tangerine colour to the bow detail at the back, there is a lot to love about this Valentino gown, which Carrie wore while spreading Big’s ashes off a bridge in Paris. Accessorised with pink gloves, multiple pairs of earrings, and an elaborate bun, it was the true Carrie way to bid goodbye to the love of her life.
Samantha’s New York Dolls tee
Luxury PR personnel Samantha Jone’s look is a mix of her bold style and New York City street flavour. Samantha has never looked cooler and it’s said that the outfit reflected the costume designer Patricia Field’s own choice of clothing!!
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
Carrie’s Hampton dress
It may have been a heartbreaking moment in SATC history when Carrie Bradshaw wore this look to a party where she bumped into Big and his fiancee but the red cowboy hat, snakeskin tube and striped skirt were fabulous — copied in him-tons throughout the season.
Charlotte’s strapless auction dress
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
This was a vintage dress that was art-directed with Carrie‘s and Miranda‘s. The prints complete a colour story that says: ‘Yes, we are best friends—we belong together!‘
Carrie’s Manolo Blahnik proposal shoe
When Carrie was set to move into her new apartment with Big, she insisted that she have a walk-in closet. After it was designed and built, she brings her iconic cobalt blue Manolo Blahnik Pumps to her shoe rack. When her and Big finally decide to get married, Big proposes with one of the heels as a Prince would do with Cinderella — right out of a fairytale. The pump was released in 2008 and has been highly coveted since.
Samantha’s hot-pink suit
Sex And The City: Iconic Fashion Moments. Credit: HBO Max
Tailored, sharp, and sexy, Samantha Jones didn’t have trouble attracting attention on Manhattan streets in this bright palette!
Carrie’s Wedding Gown
That Vivienne Westwood wedding dress with an exaggerated silhouette and teal feathers became a rage though Carrie Bradshaw got stood up at the altar. The dress, from Vivienne Westwood’s Gold Label Autumn Winter 2007, was a two-tiered creation featuring a gold-backed ivory silk duchess satin bodice and a lower half of ivory silk taffeta. It was paired with a champagne veil and a teal bird of paradise headpiece. The dress became a cultural phenomenon, with a cocktail version selling out quickly — it later made a reappearance in And Just Like That, styled with a teal cape and gloves for the Met Gala — sustainable style.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
