HBO’s Sex And The City Reboot, And Just Like That, Stays True To Original Wardrobe

HBO’s reboot of the hit show, “Sex and the City”, is currently streaming its second season on Max. The wardrobe throughout “And Just Like That” is true to the original series, which aired from 1998 to 2004, in the sense that each character’s wardrobe is a character on its own. So much of the story is told through the clothes on screen, with character having their own curated look that viewers have grown to love or hate over the years.

As the show and its characters have evolved, so have their respective closets. While the characters get older and more mature, their clothes follow their storylines and change along with their moods and phases, even prospective partners.

Clothes became such a strong storytelling tool for the show that one can tell when one of the girls was going through something new or different while they appear on screen with an outfit that felt radical and out of place for their character. This is thanks to the show’s famous costume designer, Patricia Field, who recently worked on Netflix’s “Emily In Paris.” She’s best known for her bold and occasionally outlandish style decisions.

A show like this is a dream advertisement for any designer. There are constant brand name-drops like Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana and Manolo Blahnik among others. Carrie Bradshaw, the lead character known for her penchant for expensive shoes, dresses and basically anything you can wear is the perfect vehicle for fashion marketing in the show. Sarah Jessica Parker, the actress who plays Carrie, has even released her own shoe line, SJP, inspired by her iconic character.

The history and legacy that the series conveys by influencing current fashion while also representing the fashion of the 90s and early 2000s in New York City is being carried on in this reboot. The reboot has the same costume designer as the original, which was a pertinent decision in the making of the HBO series, seeing how important the fashion of the show continues to be.

Something very unique that the show offers is a spotlight on style, specifically high fashion and budget style, as well as being more mature, which caters to the Gen X and boomer generation of viewers. The reboot also revolves around the beloved female characters exploring their fifties and sixties and the new questions and adventures this time in their lives bring, whether it is menopause or how to still wear designer heels everyday when you no longer have the hips and back of a 20-year-old.

“And Just Like That” is still proving to a new generation of viewers, and the loyal ones who have been watching since the beginning, that fashion is not an afterthought or purely aesthetic choice in television and cinema. When used well, fashion can be the ultimate storytelling tool and make characters come to life for the viewers, while simultaneously creating unforgettable and timeless looks.

Edited by Makenzie Hurt