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Kirstie Clements: Fashionwise, Carrie & Co should have called their reboot ‘And Just Like … Splat’

<I>Sex and the City</I> holds up fashion-wise upon a revisit, but what about its sequel, asks Kirstie Clements.

Sex and the City holds up fashion-wise upon a revisit, but what about its sequel, asks Kirstie Clements.

Okay, I tried to resist, but it’s time to evaluate at the Sex and the City sequel, And Just Like That ….

It’s not going well, my friends. I binged every single SATC episode during the last lockdown, even the first SATC film (not the cringe-inducing second one, where they travel to the Middle East and proceed to insult the culture).

I was pleasantly surprised at how the series had held up two decades later, especially the fashion. Some of Carrie’s (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) more kooky outfits back then are pretty much de rigueur and in fashion nowadays, her rocky relationship with Big was poignant, the whole series was sexy and topical.

But this new series is not hitting the mark.

(SPOILER ALERT)

Those of us who have aged with the characters were looking forward to seeing some great fashion for the over-50s, but Carrie is over-styled, and the tragic hats aren’t working, Miranda looks frumpy, and I don’t remember what Charlotte is wearing because Kristin Davies seems to have lost the ability to act, and I have to keep looking away.

There are also several clumsy ‘woke’ storylines that just feel weird and misjudged – it’s a bad case of trying too hard, along with naff podcast riffs and unfunny comedy routines. I wanted to like it, I really did, but it’s not easy. The only style tip any of my friends have noted and commented on is how chic Big’s funeral was, held in a minimalist art space, but which is slightly morbid given current circumstances.

Patricia Field was the costume designer/stylist behind the original SATC and she is also behind the incredibly popular show Emily in Paris (the second series began airing this week). Field is continuing her art of the overstatement, as the main character Emily (played by Lily Collins) wears the oddest combination of clothes and accessories ever.

Lily Collins’ odd fashion combos in Emily in Paris work as part of the overall aesthetic. Photo: Netflix

It works because gorgeous, effervescent Emily is somewhat a fish out of water in low-key chic Paris, and her fun, nutty ensembles reflect this. A better arbiter of style for the older woman is her glamourous boss Sylvie, who wears figure-flattering dresses, split skirts, high heels and expensive coats with loose hair and natural makeup.

I am going to persist with And Just Like That …, hoping it may turn around, because Carrie has some wonderful pieces in her closet that I would love to see again. Vintage fashion, and shopping from your own wardrobe is all the rage now, and she would do well to pull out some of those beautiful tulle and silk evening dresses by Prada and Chanel that she wore in the last episode of SATC, in all those lovely silvery, peach and neutral tones.

Pulling out the ill-fated wedding dress and restyling it would be great fashion twist. I think the Fendi baguette bags are coming back out, and maybe the garish Louis Vuitton bag she gifted her personal assistant (Jennifer Hudson) could make a cameo. The clothes are more interesting than the plotlines.

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