11 January 2021

Sex And The City is coming back: The style lessons we learned from the original series

11 January 2021

Sex And The City is returning, 17 years after the original show wrapped up.

The reboot is called And Just Like That… and will star Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda, and Kristin Davis as Charlotte. Fans of the original show will notice one key change: Kim Cattrall won’t be returning as Samantha.

Sex And The City ran for six seasons and was a cultural touchstone during the late Nineties and early Noughties. It explored female sexuality and friendship in an unvarnished way, putting fashion front and centre.

All four characters used style as a way to express themselves. Carrie even says of her shopping addiction: “I like my money right where I can see it: hanging in my closet.”

The quartet set trends – making everyone hanker for the miniature Fendi Baguette bag – and took risks. The new series is set to start production in the spring, and will likely have a similar emphasis on fashion.

These are some of the style lessons we learned from the original show…

Shoes are the most important part of any outfit

Carrie Bradshaw will forever be associated with shoes – she was addicted to designer heels, considering them the cornerstone of any outfit.

In the show, footwear often helps drive the plot. In the episode A Woman’s Right To Shoes, Carrie’s Manolo Blahniks are stolen at her friend Kyra’s baby shower. When Kyra refuses to spend $485 (£355) to compensate her for the shoes, Carrie starts thinking about all the money she’s spent celebrating the weddings and babies of friends, while she’s stayed single. In protest, Carrie announces she is marrying herself and registers at Manolo Blahnik.

There are countless other examples – like Big proposing to Carrie in the movie by getting down on one knee and slipping on a jewel-blue pair of Manolo Blahniks, or Carrie arguing with Aidan after his dog chews her strappy sandals.

Don’t be afraid to take risks

Not a lesson we learned from Charlotte, whose straight-laced character loves cardigans and pearls, but from the other three protagonists who taught us the value of taking fashion risks.

While Miranda’s fashion might not be the first thing to spring to mind, the serious lawyer was quietly subversive with her style. She pushed boundaries with her gender-bending fashion, often wearing androgynous tailored suits and power jackets.

Carrie’s approach to style was much more exuberant, breaking just about every rule in the fashion book.

While Samantha constantly pushed the boundaries of sexy dressing.

More is more

We’re not sure Carrie would approve of the current trend for casual loungewear; instead, she would happily don high heels and a designer gown alone in her apartment.

Coco Chanel might have taught us to take one thing off before leaving the house, but that’s not Carrie’s ethos. Whether it was tying a neckerchief around her arm, adding a giant floral brooch to a dress or experimenting with wacky headgear, Carrie’s style was always over the top.

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