Carrie Bradshaw’s fashion choices have always been designed to provoke. In Sex and the City, she routinely stepped out of the house in flower brooches, slouchy hats, and/or skirts with weird bird butts attached. She wore fascinators to casual dates and once took a stroll with a giant, clear umbrella on a sunny day. And—lest any of us forget—she put a bird on her head for her wedding with Mr. Big. Far from a fashion victim, Carrie has always been a fashion villain—a tradition that And Just Like That has proudly continued with great gusto (and some extremely over-the-top gowns).
But it’s not just Carrie who’s dressing like an absolute weirdo these days. Sure, she still loves a big, billowy skirt and T shirt combo, but these days, everyone seems to have embraced some “unique” style choices—even Aidan. Here, for your perusal, are some of our favorites.
A Ball Gown Fit for a Bomb Cyclone
With each and every outfit this season, And Just Like That has reminded us that Carrie and her friends are nothing like us—at least, when it comes to their fashion budgets. Case in point? The humongous, Anna Karenina-coded puffer coat Carrie wears during Episode 6, “Bomb Cyclone.”
I’ll admit, this fit genuinely tickled me. As a native Floridian who likes her garments to actually look nice, I’ve always had a fraught relationship with the inflatable trash bags that become de rigueur up north once the temperatures drop. On one hand, they’re hideous; on the other, they’re very necessary if you don’t want to die of exposure. Carrie’s icy blue coat-dress, which hangs like a billowing gown and comes complete with train that’s sure to drag behind you through the muddy sleet, feels like the best of both worlds: It’s sufficiently warm while also screaming “Fashion, baby!!!” at the top of its lungs.
After witnessing this absurd coat (and accessory “scarf jacket”) in all its glory, I couldn’t help but wonder… how much would this gorgeous, incredible abomination cost? If you happen to have five figures burning a hole in your pocket, I’ve got great news. Laura Bradley
A Jacket That Belongs in Oppenheimer
There’s plenty to be said about the frills of the And Just Like That ladies’ dresses, the ornate details of their purses, their tiny hats, and piercing heels. But what about the men on the show? Charlotte’s husband Harry sports stunning suits while poor Steve is only seen in workout wear these days—if seen at all. Since these two have relatively tame closets, the goofiest outfit out of all the guys comes from Aidan, who makes his big return to the Sex and the City universe in a stiff jacket with ping pong ball-sized buttons.
Perhaps this jacket would be normal if styled by a different man. It looks so bizarre on Aidan, though, who has buttoned the piece up to his chin (can he breathe?) and squeezed his waist into an hourglass figure with an added belt. Seeing as Carrie dons a flowy floral frock for their date, this solid-as-a-rock overcoat seems to be making an appearance at the wrong occasion. Aidan would be well-suited to appear in a Christopher Nolan film—perhaps alongside Harry Styles in Dunkirk, or maybe working in the lab with Oppie of Oppenheimer—but not rekindling a romance with Miss Fashionista herself. Fletcher Peters
LTW’s Red Scare
I love fashion. I do not know fashion. I am not fashionable. But it’s an art that entertains me, in that I can admire it, (very) occasionally understand it, and, most of all, be amused by it. Everyone looks so silly!
Case in point: Lisa Todd Wexley’s red Valentino dress she wore for the Met Gala in the Season 2 premiere. Valentino! That is high fashion! Good for you, LTW! The gown and headpiece just also happens to be a dead ringer for the Gertrude McFuzz costume in the production of Seussical that my sister’s high school did in 2006. I mean that to suggest the utter lunacy of the look, and also as the sincerest of compliments.
The long train created a stunning image, as it billowed across an entire Manhattan avenue while LTW strutted to the gala. The cage of wires with red ribbons that circle her head was harsh and romantic at the same time. It evoked both a harrowing sequence from a Saw film and a beautiful red dandelion. And as a bonus, should the Wexleys’ cable go out when they returned home from the party, LTW has antennas to catch a TV signal built directly into her outfit. Multipurpose! Kevin Fallon
An Austere, Avian Approach
Carrie Bradshaw and the women of the SATC/AJLT universes are known for their bold, avant garde fashion choices: Carrie’s useless stomach belt, Charlotte’s horrific steampunk Met Gala look, Miranda’s hypebeast couture. But with all of those statement outfits, the understated goes undersung.
Take the perfect look that Carrie chose to accompany Charlotte as Charlotte attempted to recover her daughter Lily’s vintage Chanel dress from a consignment store. The scene from the second episode of Season 2 was a nice bit of genuine comic relief as we watched And Just Like That continue to find its sea legs after a shaky first season. But that wasn’t only because of the scene’s witty script, it was because of Carrie’s JW Anderson pigeon clutch purse, which made waves when paparazzi snapped photos of Sarah Jessica Parker holding the bag last fall.
Carrie is dressed in nothing but a simple grey jumpsuit, she lets her bird do all the squawking—sorry, I mean talking. As Parker floats around the background, she cradles the bird in her arms and holds it on her head, as if it flew into the store and landed there. But it’s a testament to Parker’s talent for physical comedy when she sets the bird atop a counter, opens its wing, and retrieves a piece of gum, just as her phone starts to ring. “Unknown caller, better not be the Democrats again!” she says, chomping away. It’s the perfect synthesis of how much wackier and unexpected this spinoff is, and why that unpredictability keeps us hanging on for more. Coleman Spilde
Miranda Hobbes: Finally a Fashion Winner?!
Every rule deserves an exception, and this season, that might just be Miranda Hobbes.
Frankly, And Just Like That has made Miranda Hobbes a mess—of character, tone… What is she, who is she, and what the hell is going on with her? And so, in Season 2 Episode 10, what a delightful surprise to see the show outfit her in a killer winter coat outside the UN, with soft bands of color running its length.
Significantly, Miranda seemed kind of not-baffling/puzzling from this moment onwards, and it is also the perfect look for her first chat-cute with foxy Brit Joy (Dolly Wells), who—if the show continues—may be Miranda’s love interest in what hopefully will prove to be a less “what-the-hell-happened-to-Miranda?” chapter in her life. Tim Teeman
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