‘Sex and the City’: Carrie Bradshaw’s Most Iconic Outfits
Sex and the City is one of the most legendary TV shows of all time. The series which premiere in 1998 and ran until 2004, helped put HBO on the map. The original series also spawned two films and a follow-up series, And Just Like That. The series followed Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), four best friends living and thriving in New York City.
The show tackled friendships, relationships, careers, and everything in between. However, fashion was also a staple on the show. Here are some of Carrie’s most iconic outfits.
Sarah Jessica Parker understood fashion in ‘Sex and the City’
In Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw loved fashion so much that she often chose designer footwear and clothing over saving her money and being fiscally responsible. The character wore daring outfits that still stick out to fans today. Iconic Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field said dressing Carrie was easy because Parker is also a fashion lover.
“I did love working with Sarah Jessica because she got it. I didn’t have to do any explaining to her. She’s very fashion,” she told Salon. “So that was really very encouraging for me. She understood it. We had worked previously on a film in Miami. That’s where we met. Then history repeated itself with Sex and the City. She brought me to Darren Star, actually. Because she was fashion, you didn’t have to explain it to her. It was really fun to work with her on that level. She was secure in her fashion.“
Carrie Bradshaw’s most iconic outfits
A fashion legend to this day and even in the reboot continuation series, And Just Like That, some major moments in Carrie’s life can be cataloged by her attire.
- “Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women”: In the episode, Carrie is hanging out in the Hamptons with her girls when she crosses paths with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). She hadn’t realized he’d returned to New York from Paris and was even more shocked to discover he was engaged. In the scene, she wears a python-print boob tube top, striped sarong, cowboy hat, and gold “Carrie” necklace.
- “Ex in the City”: Carrie’s revenge dress where she confronted Big over his engagement was a stunning white slip dress she paired with a beaded bag and clear heels. She even quoted The Way We Were when she confronted him.
- “Cock a Doodle Do!”: In this episode, Carrie and Big go for a shocking swim in a Central Park pond. In the episode, Carrie is dressed in a stunning Richard Tyler’s Resort 2001 collection floral midi dress, the same heels from “Ex in the City,” and a pink leather bag.
- “Secret Sex”: The sixth episode of season 1 marks Carrie’s first official date with Big. For the event, she wears a DKNY slip that she called the “naked dress.”
- “I Heart NY”: Big leaves New York City for Paris again, and Miranda gives birth to Brady. In the episode, Carrie takes Big on a final NYC adventure just as Miranda goes into labor. She wears a glittering robe, a négligée-style black lace slip, and ruffled pink Louboutins.
Inside Carrie Bradshaw’s signature shoe on ‘Sex and the City’
In addition to her outfits, Carrie was also known for her signature shoe, the Manolo Blahnik. When Sex and the City first debuted in 1998, Manolos were an up-and-coming shoe brand. The quality and construction of the shoes were impeccable, but they weren’t as well known and worn in the fashion world. However, Field started getting discounts on the shoes from a shoe boutique owner in Manhattan, which is why the shoe became such a staple in the series.
“George was more than happy to supply shoes when I began working on SATC, and Sarah Jessica was more than happy to wear them,” Field told Daily Mail.
Some of Carrie’s most important moments, including her wedding to Mr. Big (Chris Noth), included her wearing Manolos .
