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Sex and the City Fashions: Let's Mock the Clothes!


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There can't be a discussion forum about SATC without a thread for the clothes! What do you think the best/worst looks were for each of the 4 women? I'll start.

Carrie:

  • Best: She did have quite a few dresses that were really pretty, but a look that always sticks out for me is from way back in S1, I think in the episode Models and Mortals. She was walking down the street with Stanford, wearing a very simple outfit of jeans, a leather blazer, and a strapless top. Nothing fancy, but it was a great outfit, and perfect for something to wear for spending the afternoon with a friend. This was before they started dressing her in some of those ridiculous, outlandish outfits.
  • Worst: Carrie had quite a few hideous outfits, but by far the worst for me was the outfit from the episode where she and Miranda tried on wedding dresses, and she was wearing that getup with a belt around her bare midriff. What the hell was that?

Miranda:

  • Best: I loved the outfit she wore when she married Steve. It was so pretty, and the aubergine color was a perfect complement to her fair complexion and red hair.
  • Worst: In S1, where they were still dressing her in very mannish clothes, and she had an outfit on with an actual tie. Or something that looked like a tie. I get that she was supposed to be this tough career woman, but it was like they were trying to remove all traces of femininity.

Charlotte:

  • Best: I loved Charlotte's looks the most, always very classy and traditional. The daring black dress she wore when she was a bridesmaid was gorgeous.
  • Worst: The skanky get-up from the Atlantic City episode.

Samantha:

  • Best: I actually can't think of a favorite look for Samantha, because I always thought she dressed way too young, and looked like she was trying to hard. She did have some pretty business suits though.
  • Worst: The outfit she wore in one of the movies, which then turned out to be what Miley Cyrus wore to whatever event they were both attending.
Edited by Queasy-bo
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I think what bothered me the most about Carrie's outfits is she had some really great pieces. But put together were outlandish. The cookie monster tube top when she lost Aidan's dog threw me for a loop.

I thought Samantha's outfits came off as trying too hard which is a shame because Kim has an amazing body.

I loved Miranda's outfit at the Knicks game with Charlotte. It surprised me how great Miranda can look with a little effort.

I coveted a lot of Charlotte's clothes. Especially her Shoshanna dresses from the Hamptons episode in S2 (Or is it 3?) and the way she paired Levi's with a Ralph Lauren Blazer and that Vuitton Blossom bag in the supermarket looking at gefilte fish.

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I think what bothered me the most about Carrie's outfits is she had some really great pieces. But put together were outlandish. The cookie monster tube top when she lost Aidan's dog threw me for a loop.

 

Oh, I'd forgotten about her losing the dog. I think my Carrie hatred grew tenfold with that incident. Did the writers not understand how badly she was coming across? Not just then but always? 

 

Anyway, fashion. Yes, Kim has an amazing body and could have worn a cement sack and looked hot, so they didn't need to stick her in skimpy pieces so much. Her IMDB bio says that she turned down the role 3 times before accepting it, because her concern was that they wouldn't know how to make a woman over 40 plausibly sexy.

 

In real life, I dress like Miranda and have a few Carrie and Charlotte pieces hanging in the closet to mix it up. I thought that was where they went wrong with Carrie's wardrobe - it was almost entirely accent pieces. 

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Even when Carrie was dating the politician aka the pee guy, she had a few pieces I thought were brilliant. The vintage Gucci bag, some of the Halston, then she tossed that icky coat over it. Her accent pieces, accessories usually made or broke an outfit. I didn't mind the crazy necklaces she wore, or even when they put the White Trash charms (It kills me that was the name of the company) on Samantha but they were inconsistent with it.

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I agree with lots of the comments about the way the women dressed.

 

Some of Carrie's outfits were so bizarre I had to roll my eyes at them. Like in the episode where she's in Paris living with Mikhail Baryshnikov's character. In one of the restaurants she is wearing what looks like a baby pink tube top with sparkly rhinestones all over it AND coming out of each rhinestone was a plume of maribou. A 16 year old would like that outfit. For a grown woman who fancies herself the most fashionably sophisticated woman EVER, I found it laughable! Also, she sometimes wears a small pill box hat ruining the look she was going for as she looks like she's at a birthday party for ONE and waiting for a balloon animal to be given to her.

 

Carrie's wedding dress and bizarre hat/veil with the plume are ridiculous! How about something beautiful? I didn't mind the dress so much, but her hair done that way AND the accessories ruined the whole thing. We know Carrie can look beautiful, but they screw it up when it's something important.

 

I totally agree that Charlotte was always classic, well dressed, appropriately dressed, and beautiful. I wish I had the money to dress like her AND the tiny figure to go with it. She always looked nice.

 

Miranda dresses more like a regular woman. My closet is a mix of pretty dresses, classic styles, and button shirts with jeans.

 

Samantha dressed nicely for the most part, but her accessories screamed CHEAP to me. Blue enamel earrings, punched-out-metal Grape earrings, yellow hoop earrings that look like plastic. For as much money as Samantha has she should be wearing gold with real precious stones. Sometimes we saw her wear an authentic piece, like that expensive flower ring. But, she didn't seem to care that much for the nice stuff, at least not as much as I think she should care. She'd rather wear some bright color enamel earrings that look like they came from Target. I'm not knocking Target, just that Samantha wants to be ELITE so she shouldn't be wearing the cheap costume look. Her stuff might have been expensive, but it sure didn't LOOK like it, IMO.

 

I watch QVC and have heard for years that most of the jewelry for the SATC show and movies is from the Kenneth J Lane line. That line was a big deal decades ago, but it doesn't mean anything to me. Especially when so much of it is plastic and/or resin.

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Sunshine Gal, Samantha's accessories bugged the hell out of me. They put a lot of White Trash (That is/was the brand) charms and gaudy things that Patricia Field sold in her store on Samantha. Even the cheap looking magazine clutch she used in a few episodes was sold there. For someone in Samantha's position, I thought she would have better jewelry (Not total bling but a few staple pieces) and bags.

 

Chattygal, I'm not quite sure what that moment is for me. Off the top of my head I'd say S2 but with the rewatch coming up I hope to have a good answer for that. Off the top of my head I'd say S2 though. In S1, there's an episode where a necklace of Charlotte's bothers me. It's one of those invisible necklaces where it's pieced together with clear fishing line type stuff. It bugged me because it seemed very Claire's accessories instead of NYC Woman who works at an art gallery.

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(edited)
When do you think - or what outfit would you point to for the characters - where you thought Pat Field completely went out the window, off the ledge and careened into the pavement, never to return?

 

Two moments:

 

1. Those ugly shoes that Charlotte was letting that shoe guy caress her feet for.  I do not know why she fell in love with those things.

2. That green mini-skirt Carrie wears when she meets Big (after escaping from Aiden's cabin).  The one that looked totally normal in the front, but then had a big frilly white doily on the ass when she turned around.  I mean, seriously?

 

With Carrie, I thought when they got it wrong, it was REALLY wrong, but when they got it right, she looked fantastic.  SJP has such a unique face to begin with, and when they styled her correctly, she looked gorgeous.  I loved all her outfits when she was with the politician, and I thought all her Paris outfits were fantastic - I can only dream of the Versace (I think?) she wore when the Aleks stood her up.

 

I think the lowest point for all the women was the LA episodes - they all looked terrible.  Well, except maybe for Miranda; she looked awful in season 1.  

 

This seems like a good time to leave this here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/amyodell/30-of-carrie-bradshaws-most-ridiculous-outfits  I agree with all but #29 - that dress is fab.

Edited by Princess Sparkle
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Hi everyone!  First post on the other side!!  :-D

 

Anyway, I thought this show was hilarious in the way the women looked rather plain and then gradually became fashionistas once the show became a massive success.  I mean, Carrie the newspaper columnist running around in Cavalli and Manolos?  Please.  And was surprised when all her friends told her they owned their apartments?  Ugh.

 

I also think that the fashions, while sometimes fantastic, were overrated.  IMO, they were trying way too hard with Carrie's ensembles.  SJP had to have a certain formula, from her hair (wearing it wavy or curly flattered her long face) down to the shoes otherwise it wouldn't work at all for me.  Her HG outfit was the "Drunk at Vogue" suit--effing fabulous, and her body looked so awesome!  I also liked when she wore the messy buns.

 

I have to go with Charlotte as the most consistent, fashion-wise.  My favorite look of hers was her Audrey Hepburn-ish pink sleeveless dress she wore to Brady's 1st birthday.  I actually said "oh!" when I was watching the episode as it originally aired.

 

I liked most of Samantha's looks...after season 2.  I thought her youthful outfits was a reflection of her personality--she was outspoken, non-traditional and I thought it suited her.  And I LOVED the Miley Cyrus dress on her!

 

The SATC 2 filmed was almost a waste of celluloid if not for the fashion.  The fabulousness of it all...all the colors and textures!  Charlotte's vintage pencil skirt when she locked herself in the pantry, Miranda's dress at Stanford/Anthony's wedding, Carrie's gold aviators during the opening scenes, Samantha's dress when she finally hooked up with Dick on July 4th...   *quietly weeps*

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Two moments:

 

1. Those ugly shoes that Charlotte was letting that shoe guy caress her feet for.  I do not know why she fell in love with those things.

2. That green mini-skirt Carrie wears when she meets Big (after escaping from Aiden's cabin).  The one that looked totally normal in the front, but then had a big frilly white doily on the ass when she turned around.  I mean, seriously?

 

I'm totally with you on those shoes Charlotte was pining for. Those things were so hideous. But for some very odd reason that escapes me, I kind of liked that crazy mini skirt. Not that I went charging out to buy one, but for some reason, on Carrie, it worked. Maybe it's because she was wearing a very simple white blouse with it. That's always my approach when I wear something funky or weird. Wear it, but then with pretty neutral/conservative other stuff so it's not too much.

 

 

Miranda's dress at Stanford/Anthony's wedding

 

Hated the second movie, and really hated the Big Gay Wedding, but that dress was sheer perfection.

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I just cannot fathom spending the kind of money on clothes and shoes that these women must have.  I probably have financed at least 5 years of my upcoming retirement by shopping sensibly.  I'd rather travel.

 

Who are they dressing for anyway?  I suppose that being in PR, Samantha had to make a certain impression on clients, but honestly, when I encounter a professional who is that "over-done," I think, "you're wasting your own money, why should I trust you with mine?" :-)

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Sadly, no. I may be mistaken, but I think it is from the episode where Miranda has Brady/Big moves to California.

I cannot even understand how someone in fashion decided this was a good look.

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Dear God. I had forgotten that monstrosity. It's right up there with the plaid mini skirt monstrosity from "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda." I tried to find a pic of that horror show, but I couldn't.

 

On the other hand, that episode has the scene when Miranda meets Charlotte on the street after finding out that she may never be able to get pregnant. Miranda is wearing a purple suit that is really beautiful. It's perfect with her hair and fair complexion.

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According to Wikipedia, Patricia Field was on board since the first season of SatC, but I also don't remember the clothes being so outrageous then.  Other than the "iconic" tutu dress, does much from S1 end up on the lists of "most horrific" or "most ghastly" SatC outfits?

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I remember most of the S1 clothes being kind of blah. I mean certainly not heinous (except for Miranda's menswear) but just there, you know?

Wait. Carrie's naked dress was really lovely.

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The episode Harry finally proposes to Charlotte at the singles event, the outfit she is wearing--black blouse with sheer on the top and gray skirt--I love, love, love this outfit, it just suits my style and she looked lovely in it.

Miranda looked gorgeous through the last couple of seasons and looked even more fabulous in the first film. Gorgeous skin, hair, clothes, the works.

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I always really liked the newspaper-printed dress that Carrie wore (I think when she ambushed Natasha in the restaurant, to force Natasha to listen to Carrie's heartfelt apology for ruining Natasha & Big's marriage - "not only have you ruined my marriage, you've ruined my lunch"). Charlotte was my favorite dresser overall, though. She was always classic.

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To answer the question that was posed (when did Pat Field start with the oddball costuming?): I think it was present in season one. I'm participating in the re-watch, and while I haven't seen anything too off the wall yet, I know that I'm remembering some kind of funky coat that Carrie wore on her first date with Big. Incidentally, that was the first ever SatC episode I ever watched. It was during my summer break between freshman and sophomore year of college.

 

Two moments:

 

1. Those ugly shoes that Charlotte was letting that shoe guy caress her feet for.  I do not know why she fell in love with those things.

2. That green mini-skirt Carrie wears when she meets Big (after escaping from Aiden's cabin).  The one that looked totally normal in the front, but then had a big frilly white doily on the ass when she turned around.  I mean, seriously?

 

With Carrie, I thought when they got it wrong, it was REALLY wrong, but when they got it right, she looked fantastic.  SJP has such a unique face to begin with, and when they styled her correctly, she looked gorgeous.  I loved all her outfits when she was with the politician, and I thought all her Paris outfits were fantastic - I can only dream of the Versace (I think?) she wore when the Aleks stood her up.

 

I think the lowest point for all the women was the LA episodes - they all looked terrible.  Well, except maybe for Miranda; she looked awful in season 1.  

 

This seems like a good time to leave this here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/amyodell/30-of-carrie-bradshaws-most-ridiculous-outfits  I agree with all but #29 - that dress is fab.

 

That outfit--rather, that skirt--is always the first thing that pops into my head when a question like this comes up. Like, seriously, in that skirt she looked like Scrooge McDuck from behind. 

 

I always really liked the newspaper-printed dress that Carrie wore (I think when she ambushed Natasha in the restaurant, to force Natasha to listen to Carrie's heartfelt apology for ruining Natasha & Big's marriage - "not only have you ruined my marriage, you've ruined my lunch"). Charlotte was my favorite dresser overall, though. She was always classic.

 

That news print dress was so gorgeous and it fit SJP perfectly. That is definitely one of my favorite outfits of the series. There was also the dress she wore when she ran into Big at some gathering on a boat and they fell in the water. 

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The thing I didn't like about Carrie's newspaper dress was it made her breasts look incredibly lopsided.  I remember being distracted by that throughout the whole scene.  It's not even the asymmetrical neckline - if you just look at the bottom of the bust, that's uneven, too.  It's like one side is in a sports bra, and the other is "free".

 

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I never noticed the lopsided-ness of the newsprint dress, but that picture totally shows it. The dress is a super-cute print, though!

 

Today was Charlotte & Harry's wedding, and Samantha wore a white pantsuit to the rehearsal (maybe the actual wedding, I was sort of in-&-out of the episode), which was fine, but she wore a black cumberband-type shirt (?) under it, that covered absolutely nothing, since the jacket was basically open to her navel, and the cumberband-thing was more like an accessory. The girls were covered, but I always thought that was an odd outfit.

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I'm not a big fan of the newsprint dress, but what I really don't get is why Carrie would chose THAT to wear to an "act-of-contrition" luncheon with Natasha.  The dress is essentially backless (is there a shelf bra built into the front?  if not, that could account for the noticeable lop-sidedness).  Was she trying to distract Natasha by making her read during lunch?  Dior designer John Galliano reportedly said of this dress:

the print was inspired by the homeless who wrap themselves in newspaper for warmth. That’s not a joke. That’s really what he said.

 

Blergh.

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I agree about Samantha's jewelry..blech!  But there are a few times when I thought KC looked absolutely age-appropriate and gorgeous!  One that stands out is the dress she wore when during the party at Richard's house in the Hamptons (when she threw the melon, lol).  The other is the black dress she was wearing in AC when she was running up the stairs in the pearl thong, haha. 
 

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Carrie (or Pat Fields) took the hat issue to a whole new level with the Vivienne Westwood wedding dress and veil. I honestly do not understand how anyone could find this look attractive.  The bottom of the wedding dress isn't too awful (though the fabric reminds me of a parachute), but the severity of the bodice cut combined with the severity of Carrie's hairstyle just don't do her any favors, IMO.  What groom would see this and honestly say she looks beautiful, stunning, etc -- the words one usually applies to a bride?  I think she looks soooooo much better in the vintage suit.


So are you guys saying she should have looked more demure during the Natasha confrontation?

 

I'm just wondering what thought process led to thinking that was an appropriate dress to wear when stalking her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife.  Especially after all her angst about finding a dress to impress Natasha at the Women in the Arts luncheon a year earlier.  I can't find a photo of it right now, but I think it was downright "demure" in comparison.

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Carrie (or Pat Fields) took the hat issue to a whole new level with the Vivienne Westwood wedding dress and veil. I honestly do not understand how anyone could find this look attractive.  The bottom of the wedding dress isn't too awful (though the fabric reminds me of a parachute), but the severity of the bodice cut combined with the severity of Carrie's hairstyle just don't do her any favors, IMO.  What groom would see this and honestly say she looks beautiful, stunning, etc -- the words one usually applies to a bride?  I think she looks soooooo much better in the vintage suit.

 

I'm just wondering what thought process led to thinking that was an appropriate dress to wear when stalking her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife.  Especially after all her angst about finding a dress to impress Natasha at the Women in the Arts luncheon a year earlier.  I can't find a photo of it right now, but I think it was downright "demure" in comparison.

 

I wasn't fond of this look. I mean, I guess in a high fashion way, Vivienne Westwood won--she stays winning on that front, I say. That said, the sentence I bolded is so curious to me. I don't think that any groom would somehow turn into Joan Rivers on Fashion Police as he saw his bride coming down the aisle in that Westwood dress or any other kind of dress. 

 

At least I'd hope that a groom wouldn't be catty about the dress his wife-to-be was wearing at the wedding.

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And if there were such grooms, the TLC network could do an entire series about them! "Say Yes to the Bride Wearing That 'No' Dress" or something.

 

But I would expect Big to a) have an opinion about that dress and b) keep it to himself until well after the wedding.

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I don't think that any groom would somehow turn into Joan Rivers on Fashion Police as he saw his bride coming down the aisle in that Westwood dress or any other kind of dress.

 

LOL, I didn't mean to imply that, but it's a pretty funny image.  :-)  But I do think that the first glimpse of his bride in her dress is an emotional moment for many grooms, and that this dress might give pause even to Mr. Big.

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I will agree with you about the severity of the hair/perch/veil on the wedding day.  To be kind, SJP has very strong features and that look aged her A LOT.  And honestly ... the look just wasn't her.  I don't know that the vintage suit was "better" but she certainly looked more natural and thus younger.

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Well, my wardrobe mostly resembles, um, Aiden's so what do I know but my favorites were Carrie's newspaper dress, the white gown she's wearing for the gala after which Aiden proposes eloping and her dress and flowy coat from her carriage ride with Big interrupted by Miranda's labor.

 

My least favorites were Samantha's dress at "da club" with her AA date:  with the slits going up to her rib cage revealing matching glittery boy shorts and all of Carrie's visible bras.

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In watching S1Ep12, I wondered if women really do still dress up with gloves and hats for church, or at least in NYC.  We never wore that in California.

 

Also, Carrie dressing up so fancy to go to the Carribean, while Mr. Big looks to be 'slumming' in khakis and casual shirt.

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I'm so happy to know that the bra showing bothered somebody other than me.

I'm with Qoass in that my wardrobe is more like Aiden's, full of comfy jeans and tshirts so I know nothing about fashion and don't care, but in what world was Carrie stylish?

There were a few outfits that I thought looked nice but she mostly looked ridiculous. With the bra always showing and the horrible clothes, I don't see how she was considered stylish or fashionable at all.

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Round table: Can only petite women get away with bra showing or NO women can?

 

I would vote "no women," but I will confess to not worrying too much if a black bra strap shows when I'm wearing a black tank top. Past that, it seems a bit tacky.

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Never understood the appeal of the visible bra.  

 

Charlotte's wardrobe wins hands down.  Classy and pretty.

 

But the bigger issue for me is just that I have a really have a hard time suspending reality and wondering how those women, especially Carrie, could possibly afford to live in Manhattan AND have a never ending supply of new designer clothing.   Miranda was a lawyer, presumably making a decent six figure salary, but even then how could she afford to buy an apartment, have fabulous clothes, eat out all the time, and never have any cash flow issues? It is Manhattan.  Even if you can afford an apartment the property taxes are horrendous.  And isn't there some sort of resident tax above and beyond that?

 

I know it is  just a tv show. And most shows are very unrealistic.  I guess I am just too practical.  But seriously, did they NEVER wear the same outfit twice?  The only show that I have ever noticed people wearing the same clothes multiple times (aside from a uniform of some sort), is Downton Abbey.

Edited by 3 is enough
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The only show that I have ever noticed people wearing the same clothes multiple times

 

Marie Barone wore the same outfits multiple times in Everybody Loves Raymond, and Mad Men watchers have seen Peggy Olson re-wear outfits as well.

 

And isn't there some sort of resident tax above and beyond that?

 

Yup. The total tax burden is very high in NYC.

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Round table: Can only petite women get away with bra showing or NO women can?

 

No women. It's cheap and tacky, and one of the things that drove me most crazy about Carrie's wardrobe during the series. Many really pretty outfits were skanked up with the visible bra strap -- the dress she wore when she visited Big in the hospital is a great example. 

 

Sometimes a bra strap peeks out -- hey, it happens to all of us. But to walk around with them showing on purpose makes you either look like you don't know how to dress yourself, or look like you don't own a mirror.

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My fav Samantha outfit was the "dirty martini, dirty bastard" scene, where she throws the drink in Richard's face. Her body looks fantastic, she looks really sexy but classy and above him. It might be Dior.

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Well, I live in sweatpants and don't know from fashion but it interested me that Carrie hated the jeweled evening bag from Big in Season 1 and showed up with much the same bag a season or two later.

I didn't get her objections to the gift at all since most of what she wore was nutty in the extreme; who knew she had standards. Just a confusing point to me.

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Well, I live in sweatpants and don't know from fashion but it interested me that Carrie hated the jeweled evening bag from Big in Season 1 and showed up with much the same bag a season or two later.

I didn't get her objections to the gift at all since most of what she wore was nutty in the extreme; who knew she had standards. Just a confusing point to me.

 

::works from home wearing yoga pants all the time, waves at sweatpants-wearing counterpart::

 

I wondered if there were discrete differences that those of us outside NYC fashion circles were not discerning enough to see, if they were just messing with us, if they didn't give a damn, if they had lousy continuity, or some combination thereof. I think it was a combination, with lots of "just messing with us" in there.

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