When Aiden Shaw first showed his face on And Just Like That, we didn’t realise we’d be talking more about his jacket than his actual presence in the show (and whether it spelled a new romance blossoming between Aiden and Carrie).
But yes, we were all side-tracked by that black, regimental jacket, buttoned staunchly all the way up to his neck and belted. It felt…menacing?
It also felt out of place. Here is the sweet, ‘golden retriever’ boyfriend of the series dressed like a military man? What on earth is going on? What were the expert costume designers behind the series, who literally gave us Carrie in a maxi puffer gown thinking?
The answer is, it’s not them who are to answer this fashion crime.
The costume designers behind the series, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago have since opened up about why our favourite ‘nice boy’ looked so out of place in that coat.
When asked what the thinking was behind the costume choice, they gave a pretty blunt answer…John Corbett who plays Aiden had chosen it.
The so-called Belstaff Trailmaster jacket was just one in a room of over 100 jackets. They were going through and eliminating jackets if there wasn’t something quite right – the wrong fabric, a bad fit and more.
“There were a lot of requirements. John felt very strongly about the choice of the Belstaff. I think it was a leading man vibe. It’s a romantic jacket. The only problem with it, in my opinion, is that he was too buttoned up,” the designers told Variety.
“But those are sometimes actor choices and you’re on the set, you’re not the fashion police. But in the end, the actor has to feel good.”
However, when chatting to GQ, Rogers and Santiago appeared to go into more detail about what the jacket really means: a visual symbol of Aiden’s character going from golden retriever boyfriend to divorced, wealthy dad.
“His Belfast jacket kind of became his jean jacket,” Santiago said.
It turns out that Corbett himself actually has a long history of wearing Belfast jackets, donning one for the premiere of Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice. It’s just more proof that we’re beginning to see the blending of the actors on our screens with their characters (we all know Sarah Jessica Parker is partial to an eye-catching outfit and great pair of heels, just as Carrie is).
Both seasons of And Just Like That are now available to watch on Binge. Sign up to watch here.
