Sarah Jessica Parker dips into her Sex and the City “archive” wardrobe when she dresses for parties.
The actress, 60, played Carrie Bradshaw on the hit HBO show on and off since 1998 and has now admitted she has occasionally worn clothing from the character’s iconic collection which she has amassed while playing the relationship columnist.
She told People about dong it when she attended a birthday party in England: “I just did it.”
But she stressed it was “one of the few occasions I’ve ever pulled from the archive for personal use”.
She also emphasised she is “very thoughtful” when making such decisions, and considers the appropriateness and safety of the occasion to ensure the preservation of the garments.
Sarah’s connection to Carrie’s wardrobe goes beyond occasional personal use.
She has retained all of the original costumes, including clothes and furniture, from the Sex and the City and And Just Like That... series.
In a December 2021 interview with Vogue, the actress explained she had kept every single item, packed according to season, episode and scene.
She expressed interest in one day showcasing the collection in a public exhibit, stating: “If it’s the right place that can do right by what it meant, that it’s really about (designers) Molly (Rogers), Danny (Santiago), and Patricia (Field), and maybe it’s a bigger conversation that includes something else from cinema too – that’s about costumes and stories and women on film.”
Her sentiment was echoed during a question and answer session hosted by Threads at il Buco al Mare in Amagansett, New York, on 11 August.
The fashion legacy of Sex and the City and its spinoffs has been a defining element since the series' original run from 1998 to 2004, its two follow-up films, and most recently the revival series And Just Like That..., which concluded its latest season on 14 August.
Throughout all the projects, fashion has played a significant role for Sarah, as well as her co-stars Kristin Davis (who plays Charlotte York), Kim Cattrall (Samantha Jones), and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes.)
In the series finale of And Just Like That..., costume designers Molly and Danny styled Carrie’s final outfit, a voluminous cranberry Molly Goddard crinoline skirt paired with a pink sequined L’Wren Scott cardigan, a vintage plaid coat from London’s Portobello Market, a Vivienne Westwood purse, fuchsia heels from the SJP Collection, and a velvet-pink vintage hat.
The ensemble served as a maturer homage to Carrie’s original pink tutu from the Sex and the City opening sequence.
