By Emma Sibbles
Published: 11:13PM BST 04 May 2010
Photo: CHRISTIAN BLANKENHORN
Photo: CHRISTIAN BLANKENHORN
Photo: CHRISTIAN BLANKENHORN
Photo: CHRISTIAN BLANKENHORN
Sarah Jessica Parker wears dresses, including from Halston Heritage (left and centre), where she has a role as creative consultant, in 'Sex and the City 2' Photo: CHRISTIAN BLANKENHORN
With just 23 days to go until Sex and the City 2 hits cinemas, will Carrie Bradshaw and her fashion-obsessed friends inspire our wardrobes again?
For the six seasons SATC ran (from 1998 to 2006), Carrie Bradshaw – aka Sarah Jessica Parker – was a hugely influential style reference. Carrie, with the aid of the show’s stylist, Patricia Field, wooed fans with a mix of kitsch, off-kilter vintage finds and designer pieces.
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Everything she wore went stellar, from classic Ray-Ban aviators and oversized, vintage fur coats to prom skirts and giant corsages, while the show made shoe designer Manolo Blahnik a household name. Carrie’s appeal stemmed from her quirky finds, rather than catwalk trends, and her look was aspirational yet achievable. We envied her walk-in wardrobe and copied her bank-breaking shoe habit. We wore corsages to weddings, on first dates, even to the office. We wore our names around our necks emulating her “Carrie” necklace, one of many items copied on the high street.
Her most iconic outfits included the pinstripe Vivienne Westwood suit and cameo brooch she donned for her meeting at Vogue; the mottled purple coat, lace slip and hot-pink Louboutins she wore on her last date in New York with Big; and, of course, the tutu in the opening credits. She made fashion look easy and carefree: even in her most outlandish outfits, she never looked uncomfortable. And if Carrie was too kooky, there was vampish Samantha, Waspy Charlotte and yummy-mummy Miranda to choose from.
There were high expectations for the first movie, which opened in 2008 to hysteria from fans, but lukewarm critical reviews. The plot and style choices were underwhelming and the overt display of consumerism sat awkwardly with the global downturn. Despite all this, it took over $400 million.
Since the trailer for the sequel was released, excitement has built, although it’s nowhere near the hysteria of two years ago. But fans will not be deterred.
“There were 15 women huddled around one computer in our office desperate to see the trailer,” says Lisa Smosarksi, editor of Stylist. “I personally cannot wait.” She does, however, concede that seeing the film is “as much about nostalgia and fondness for the show, as well as where the story is going.”
Are we still watching for style inspiration? Fashion has grown up. The dominant mood is simplicity – and SATC is the polar opposite of this. Then again, the show was never about catwalk trends – it was about escapism and fun.
“They’re still absolutely influential,” says Smosarski. “Carrie has a way of wearing outfits that look incredibly effortless, and that’s what people want to emulate.”
Marie Claire’s associate editor Carla Bevan would like to see more of the original accessibility return. “I’m really hoping there’s a bit of individual style left after all the product placement. The joy of the show’s fashion was that anyone could throw a mish-mash of clashing styles and influences together, and look truly unique.”
Expensive designer labels feature predominantly again. Halston Heritage appears extensively in the trailer (Sarah Jessica Parker is the label’s new creative consultant). An elegant white Halston Heritage dress (matched with Louboutin Pigalle heels and a gold Chanel clutch) and a shimmering royal-blue dress by the same label (worn with Louboutin Gino T-bars and a pink Louboutin bag) have been surrounded by consumer hype.
Averyl Oates, buying director at Harvey Nichols, says: “Halston Heritage is selling amazingly right now. Whether this is because of the 'Carrie effect’, who knows?” The company is also exclusively stocking Carrie’s feathered Raven Kauffman Ale bag, which is expected to be a big seller.
Other style highlights include Carrie’s four-leaf clover necklace, her printed harem jumpsuit, and the lilac and grey skirt that she wears when she bumps into past love, Aidan.
But there are just as many misses. Miranda’s green sequin dress in the club scene is pure Abba tribute; Carrie’s tux-and-bow-tie outfit makes her look like a waiter; Samantha’s red ensemble with silver-spiked shoulders looks more like a piece of medieval torture than a style statement; and a host of Eighties faux pas leave a lot to be desired. Then there are the clichés: headscarves and floaty maxi-dresses that billow in the desert breeze as the foursome stride across sand dunes. The latest poster has Carrie in one such gown, by Pucci, spinning like a dervish, while the other three look more like they’re on their way to after-work drinks in nondescript dresses.
Maybe the magic has faded. Although it’s great to see forty and fiftysomethings working directional looks, they’re now competing with new girl crushes, although no television show has come close to capturing the style zeitgeist the way SATC did. Gossip Girl looked promising, but was ultimately too young and preppy (Alice bands, kilts and knee socks). Instead, it has fallen to celebrities such as Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham, politicians’ wives like Michelle Obama, as well as street-style blogs like The Sartorialist, to inspire us.
The films may have dampened our ardour for Carrie and her pals, but it seems the nostalgia women feel for the characters will continue, along with the optimism of finding the style spark they fell in love with more than a decade ago.
'Sex and the City 2’ is released on May 28
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