Warning: This article contains spoilers to And Just Like That…
It happened at the end of the sixth episode of And Just Like That…—a turning point, some would say, for main character Carrie Bradshaw as she not only accepts, but finds peace with her past by carefully clasping her iconic ‘Carrie’ necklace around her neck and unpacking the boxes belonging to her late husband.
An apt choice of music overlays the scene—I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff—and Carrie, standing in her original New York City apartment in her cosy navy blue robe looks the most confident and content we’ve seen since Mr. Big’s death.
But there’s an interesting detail in this scene that you might have missed—this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the aforementioned robe, nor will it be the last.
In an interview with marie claire Australia, the costume designers behind And Just Like That…—the brilliantly talented Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago—pointed out the robe belonged to Mr. Big, and Carrie has worn it around her apartment in several episodes since his death.
“Carrie wears Big’s robe a lot at home, I don’t know if people knew that,” Rogers tells us.
“She’s wearing his robe because it smells like him—that’s a very specific thing in the story… it’s a huge part of it.”
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As they discuss this, it becomes apparent that both Rogers and Santiago are just as surprised as anyone by what items from Carrie’s vibrant wardrobe really get noticed.
“It’s surprising sometimes what the viewers seem to pick out,” Santiago explains.
“We’re so involved in it and we love so many things that we dress people in… but sometimes, we’re sort of surprised by how much attention certain pieces get.”
One such moment came when Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays the iconic sex columnist, was papped wearing a stunning powder blue Norma Kamali dress between filming scenes in Manhattan.
It was immediately slated as the new ‘Carrie dress’, joining the ranks of former iconic Sex In The City styles including season one’s ‘naked dress’, aptly nicknamed for Carrie by Charlotte York, or the fitted grey dress Carrie wears in the final scene of season two episode, Shortcomings.
On her most recent ‘Carrie Dress’ addition, Santiago says, “People went absolutely crazy for that, and we knew that she looked so incredible in that outfit and it just fit her so perfectly.
“But I guess when we were shooting it and that amazing image came from it with the yellow [lighting] in the background, it just came to life. When people saw that dress it sold out the following day.”
As for other hidden gems that have caught the eye of And Just Like That…‘s fans, Rogers pointed out that the shoes Carrie wears with her eye-catching vintage dress at Mr. Big’s funeral were, in fact, found at a Salvation Army.
“They were from a thrift store,” Rogers says, as Santiago confirms they cost $10.
Perhaps this is your sign to fully transition into second hand shopping as your New Year’s resolution…
Speaking of shopping more sustainably, both Rogers and Santiago are big advocates for keeping that a core part of the SATC and AJLT DNA.
“It’s something that Pat [referring to former Sex and the City stylist, Patricia Field] and Molly [Rogers] have always believed in—they have always brought things from reused pieces, past collections, pieces they’ve got at consignment stores, vintage pieces, repurposing pieces, redoing them, reconstructing pieces—it’s something that we all love,” Santiago explains.
Molly, who worked closely with Field in styling Sex And The City, as well as both subsequent movies affirms that sustainability is something they’ve always kept top of mind.
In reference to how a sustainable frame of mind has grown in fashion, Rogers added: “People used to be like, ‘Oh, you’re gonna wear something used?’ and now it’s like, ‘I’m green and I’m recycling and repurposing and I’m gonna find a new way to wear this and I took apart this blanket and remade it into this’. That’s becoming really in now.”
Both Rogers and Santiago’s vision in bringing to life the costumes in And Just Like That… is next to none. For a show famous for its wardrobe (you could almost say the clothing could be a main character in itself), they had a lot to live up to in the rebooted series—particularly when Patricia Field, who led the wardrobe department in Sex And The City, decided leave it in their capable hands while she focused her efforts on newcomer Netflix show, Emily In Paris.
But that legacy, built alongside Rogers and Santiago, remains ever true. The stylists know Carrie, and they know every single character from the series back to front. Now, thanks to them, we get to relive all those fashion moments again.
