Does the fashion of Sex and the City still work in 2021?

December 9^th will bring the newest chapter of Sex and the City (SATC), titled ‘And Just Like That’, a 10-episode revival following the lives of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte. I know, no Samantha –  I’m just as upset as you are. The original SATC series (1998-2004) follows the lives of four New York women, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, as they navigate relationships, friendships, and some good, and some questionable, fashion choices.

So how would the series’ iconic outfits hold up in 2021? As we all know, trends are swings and roundabouts, so things I hate now I may soon think are the epitome of fashion; and of course, it’s all up to opinion, so you’re welcome to disagree.

All the girls lead different lives which is reflected in their fashion choices. We have Carrie a love and relationship journalist, Samantha a PR guru, Miranda a top lawyer, and Charlotte who works in a gallery and is a total romantic. Carrie is the fashionista of the group and arguably the best dressed. Many of her looks have stood the test of time – apart from some of her layering looks, which need to stay well back in the early 2000s’.

Yet I believe each of the girls has an attire, or an item of clothing, that they look and are styled amazingly in. Miranda’s workwear-esque attire is made up of her clean matching suits and exaggerated collars. My favourite would be her deep red suit over a bright red 70s collared shirt (S3, EP9). Charlotte embodies the preppy style, whether her cute Ralph Lauren jumpers (S4, EP4) or sporty attire, she also has a stunning collection of lingerie. Samantha always rocks the best coats; she wears metallic trenches, bold blazers, fur-collared, and full fur coats that adorn her skimpy dresses.

Carrie is a lover of dresses and she wears them in plentiful. Some honourable mentions of Carrie’s dresses must go to; the naked dress (S1,E6), the Dior newspaper print dress (S3,E17), the pink and white flouncy floral dress (S3,E18), her LBD dress (S2,E15) (which the brand AYM have re-made, named the ‘Bradshaw Bodycon Mini Dress’), her Versace Mille Feuille dress, and the list goes on. Whilst some of the dresses are simple, the varying necklines transform them, making them stylish and elegant beyond their years.

Whilst the girls are the focus of the show, I do believe that Stanford Blatch, played by the late and great Willie Garson, needs a special shoutout. His matching suits of all prints and colours do a better job of “looking camp right in the eye” than Karlie Kloss at the Met Gala 2019 could have ever achieved.

It should be noted that all the looks and outfits I like are “classic looks”, so they will always stand the test of time. But there are definitely some SATC looks that should not be brought back for the revival; including, Miranda’s bucket hat over rain-coat hood look (S2,E14), some of Carrie’s aggressive layering, and her print and colour clashes (S3,E15), and Samantha’s over exaggerated cowl new tops and clunky metal jewellery.

The lines of ‘too cool to understand’ fashion and just bad taste are often blurred in SATC, but there are some stunning outfits in amongst the 94 existing episodes, and hopefully more to come in the new chapter. Love or hate the girls, I am very excited for the revival and the new lives the girls lead – as long as the straw Peter Pan hat Carrie adorns in the trailer stays in her closet!

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons