‘Sex and the City’ Costume Designer, Patricia Field, Explains Why Miranda Was the Worst Dressed

Sex and the City was one of the first series to dive into the world of female sexuality. The HBO original, which premiered in 1998, was just as much about sex and friendship as it was about clothes. One of the four leading ladies, however, was often dressed much differently than her pals. In a recent interview, Patricia Field admitted that Miranda Hobbes’s poor styling was an active choice.

Years after the fact, fans take issue with Miranda’s styling in Sex and the City 

In the years since Sex and the City went off the air, fans have been deeply bothered by how Miranda was treated in the series. She was, in many ways, the odd one out in her friendship group. Not only was it hinted at, but the dynamic was heavily exploited on the show. 

To drive the point home, she was styled much differently than her pals. While Charlotte’s styles were classic, Samantha’s outfits were sultry, and Carrie’s clothing was fun and sassy. Miranda, on the other hand, was often dressed in practical clothing that lacked any style. The issue with her clothing has been hashed out by Reddit fans who insist the fame stylist, Field, did Miranda dirty. 

Patricia Field explained that Miranda’s less adventurous fashion was a purposeful decision 

Field admits that Miranda was the least fashionable of all four women, but there was a reason for it. She told Repeller that Miranda was much different from her friends. She was far more concerned with her job and her climb up the corporate ladder to put a ton of time into her wardrobe. 

Field told the publication, “Miranda was the least self-consciously fashionable character in Sex and the City because she had other values. That was important, because these characters had to be real, believable, identifiable. A lot of times people would say, “She dresses the worst.” But that was her character.”

Fans are perturbed by more than Miranda’s clothing choices, though

Miranda, arguably the most successful of her pals, wasn’t “done dirty” just in her styling, argue fans. Miranda was also given the blandest storylines, which fans believe proves the writers didn’t think a woman could be a dynamic character.  

Comedian Jared Fried pointed out that Miranda almost always got the most boring storyline in each episode. In August 2020, he wrote on Twitter, “Miranda gets the worst storylines. They’ll be like, “Carrie, you’ll be dating a new guy that might be the one! Samantha, you’re going to be dating a woman! Charlotte, you’re going to question your marriage! Miranda, you’re going to eat cake from the trash.”